Goals and Distractions: Explanations of Early Attrition from Traditional University Freshmen.

This grounded theory study was designed to investigate the factors that influenced 20 "traditional" university freshmen to withdraw prior to the end of their first year at two Midwestern universities. A two-hour audio-taped interview was conducted with each of the participants, and the grounded theory method was utilized to analyze the interview data. Eighteen of the twenty participants had strong high school GPAs and ACT scores, and would not have been identified as being at-risk for attrition. The grounded theory that emerged from the participants' data indicated that an absence of clear educational goals, as well as individual and institutional distractions, interacted to contribute to the participants' withdrawal from their universities. Key Words: University Attrition, Grounded Theory, and Educational Goals and Distractions ********** More than 2.2 million first-time freshmen enter higher education in the United States each year (National Center for Education Statistics, 1992), and 25 to 30 percent of them do not return to their initial institution of choice for the second year (American College Testing Program, 1998). Institutions typically lose the greatest number of students during the freshman year, especially during the first semester (Porter, 1989; Upcraft & Gardner, 1989). Students moving directly from high school to a college or university face many new challenges concerning social and academic adjustment. This new environment can leave students feeling anonymous and isolated (Feldman & Newcomb, 1969), particularly if they held unrealistic expectations about college or university life (Boyer, 1987).When their social and academic expectations are not met, students are much more likely to withdraw before their second year (Tinto, 1998). It is disconcerting that otherwise qualified students, who have made a significant commitment to attend a university, might opt to leave school so quickly. Previous research has indicated that once students have successfully made the transition to the university environment, attrition is less of an issue. During a four year study, Horn (1998) reported that 61% of students who persisted to the second year went on to graduate after their fourth year, and an additional 15% were still enrolled after their fourth year, while pursuing their bachelor's degree. Why would students leave school as early as two weeks into their first semester at a college or university? Many researchers have utilized a quantitative risk-factor perspective to explain post-secondary attrition. Brawer (1996), for example, identified full-time employment, low grade point averages, ethnic minority status (excluding Asian), family responsibilities, and finances as correlates of attrition. Martinez and Munday (1998) identified low socioeconomic status, poor course placement, late application to college, having few friends, and lack of interest in, or satisfaction with courses as statistical risk factors. Horn (1998) found that students who were not integrated into the academic program (not involved with peers and faculty), or who were first-generation college students, were at greater risk for early departure. Thus, similar to the secondary education attrition literature (e.g., Benard, 1993), the post-secondary attrition literature has largely focused on the risk factors for attrition. However, the risk factor perspective may lead researchers in unproductive directions. Surface characteristics are imprecise in determining at-risk status, creating false negatives (i.e., overlooking students who do not fit into the traditional at-risk groups, but who may withdraw, which was found in this study) and false positives (i.e., falsely identifying students as being at-risk, when they may not be). Further, focusing on background or sociodemographic characteristics does little to advance understanding of the reasons why students with the identified risk factors might withdraw. …