Persistence at a Tribal University: Factors Associated With Second Year Enrollment

Participants include 89 college students from a tribal university in the Midwestern United States. A survey regarding attitudes and adjustment to campus was administered to all students during their first semester of college. Variables assessed included psychosociocultural integration factors, such as educational goals, trust of others at college, longing for home, school pride, and fair treatment from others (Motl et al., 2009). Objective variables indicating level of academic preparation for college (high school GPA, ACT scores, and class percentile), academic integration (college GPAs), and persistence (2nd-year enrollment status) were gathered from the university. Using logistic regression procedures, a model was created that accurately classified 89.9% of students into persisters and nonpersisters based on second-year enrollment status. The 3 blocks of variables—academic preparation, academic integration, and psychosociocultural integration factors—were entered sequentially into the model. Psychosociocultural variables were found to be predictive of persistence even after accounting for other variables in the model. High second semester GPA, placing an importance on education, staving off homesickness, perceptions of fair treatment from others, and school pride were all significant predictors of retention. Surprisingly, high school class percentile, trust of others at college, and levels of hope were all inversely associated with persistence behaviors