A Study of Effective Strategies for Retention for At-Risk Students at a Small Private Liberal Arts College

Student retention in higher education is currently one area most colleges are looking to improve and build upon (Baer & Norris, 2016). Higher education institutions in the United States have been under increased scrutiny from lawmakers and accrediting agencies to provide an affordable education for a diverse population for jobs in a highly technical economy (Boateng, Plopper, & Keith, 2015; Slanger, Berg, Fisk, & Hanson, 2015). Some colleges and universities are exploring programs to engage the modern student through the creation of learning communities, first-year programming, and interventions to bridge the gap of those students who are highly unlikely to persist to graduation (Alarcon & Edwards, 2012; Selingo, 2015). This study focused on an allmale retention program in one private liberal arts college over an eight-year period where invasive interventions were introduced in year five in an effort to enhance the overall program. This quantitative study was designed to determine if there was (1) a difference in the grade point average between male, first-time freshmen who did not receive specific invasive interventions as compared to male, first-time freshmen who received specific invasive interventions; (2) a difference in the number of male, first-time freshmen who were removed from academic probation and did not receive specific invasive interventions as compared to male, first-time freshmen who received specific invasive interventions; and (3) a difference in retention rates of male, first-time freshmen who did not receive specific invasive interventions as compared to male, first-time freshmen who received interventions. Data obtained from the analyses were determined not statistically significant. Future studies should be designed to obtain additional information on what aids students retention, potentially using a mixed method approach