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How does being in a relationship affect academic performance
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The issue of student persistence and retention has garnered significant attention among institutions of higher education as they look at ways to increase student graduation rates and revenue. Freshman retention rates in the Midwest range from 89% to 55% (US News and World Reports, 2012). UIC’s first year retention rate hovers around 80%, but only about 50% of any cohort actually makes it to graduation (UIC Office of Degree Programs, 2009).
Students withdraw from college for a variety of reasons, but at the core of it is the inability to adjust, either emotionally, socially or academically or even a combination of the three. This inability to adjust can affect academic performance directly or indirectly, including through its effects on health
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For example, results from the 2010 National College Health Assessment (NCHA) survey revealed that 0.6% of students reported academic performance issues as a result of a sexually transmitted infection and 11%, 1.1% and 18.2% of students reported that relationship difficulties, pregnancy and anxiety, respectively, affected their academic performance (ACHA, 2010). Furthermore, DeBerard et al (2004) also found that health behaviors (such as smoking and binge drinking), physical and mental health quality of life, coping strategies and perceptions of social support among college freshmen were related to, and are in fact predictive of, academic performance. Persistence is, in turn, influenced by academic performance (Lotkowski, Robbins & Noeth, 2004).
While a myriad of retention interventions are being developed and tested for effectiveness in reducing college attrition rates, few explore the effect of wellness initiatives on student success and retention (Lotkowski, Robbins & Noeth, 2004). Health promotion in institutions of higher education is an integral part of the academic mission, as it supports student success by creating healthy learning environments. To be successful, health promotion models need to consider college based environments and design interventions that are developmentally appropriate and
Tough explains their analysis and conclusions, by which he reiterates, “… high school grades reveal much more than mastery of content. They reveal qualities of motivation and perseverance - as well as the presence of good study habits and time management skills - that tell us a great deal about the chances that a student with complete a college program” (Tough 153). As apparent in the above text, non-cognitive abilities such as motivation and perseverance are key predictors to the completion of a college degree. In essence, the researchers suggest that the increase in college dropouts is associated with an absence of these character
According to an article by Josephine Marcotty in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune from April 10, college students lead “hyper-enriched lives,” said Greg Kneser, dean of students at St. Olaf College. That’s what makes this generation of students distinct from its predecessors, he said. That is why more students who cannot cope with these feelings end up at college counseling centers with “increasingly serious mental-health problems.” 15 to 20 percent of college students nationally were diagnosed with depression. The second most common diagnosis was severe anxiety. According to the article, it is not unusual for mental-health issues to become apparent during a student’s college years.
Minorities are a growing segment of the population. However, this group continues to be underrepresented in the area of post secondary education. Obtaining an advanced degree remains a likely predictor of future career success. The problem facing the minority student is that barriers persist which continue to hinder enrollment, retention, and graduation rates in institutions of higher education. These barriers must be identified and examined and solutions offered if college completion rates are to be increased for this population.
The desire to expand and improve existing resources is not a new phenomenon within higher education, (Hossler, 2004) but is one that has begun to gain attention as institutions increasingly adopt enrollment management (EM) practices. EM is both an organizational concept merged with associated practices that help institutions exercise control over the characteristics of their student bodies (Hossler & Bean, 1990; Hossler, 2004; Kraatz, Ventresca, & Deng, 2010). EM is a controversial trend with varying definitions, values, and drawbacks.
Since the early 70s theorists have pondered the causes of college dropout. Generally referred to as “student attrition,” this problem has spurred numerous causal theories and theoretical models. Vincent Tinto led the research with his revolutionary 1973 study, which he later revised (1987) amid criticism from other luminaries in the field, most notably Bean, Astin, Terenzini, and Pascarella. It is on the work of these scholars (including also Tinto) that all modern research in the student attrition field is based. I found and will review in brief some of the extensive research from Tinto to the present, including the basic criticisms therein. I will further explain the steps some colleges are currently taking to counteract this increasingly important issue.
With the stress among college students at an all-time high, depression and stress has become another factor for college dropouts. Particularly, college freshmen are the ones more exposed to depression and stress. A 2014 research on more than 150,000 college freshmen found out that 9.5 percent of respondents had frequently felt depressed during their college year.4 Studies also showed that students are studying more and socializing less which can affect their mental health and cause them to feel under pressure. Some students have bad sleeping habit which can lead to unproductiveness and insomnia, this can lead to severe mental problems. It is critical for students to establish a balance between college and social life and also get enough sleep. Also, they must seek medical treatment and reach out for therapists to deal with college
Educators revisited ways to improve the graduation rate of students in The New York Times article, “Revamping Community Colleges to Improve Graduation Rates” by Alina Tugend. Five steps listed which led to changes at community colleges across the country to improve graduation rates were: offer more aligned courses, demand less remedial math and English courses, combine remedial courses with the corresponding subject courses, ensure better counseling services for academic and personal issues, and decrease the amount of tuition. Changes mentioned in this article, “Revamping Community Colleges to Improve Graduation Rates” that help students acquire degrees from community colleges across the United States.
Unfortunately, our community college is confronted with a problematic issue of retention. Kramer (2007) emphasizes that colleges and universities experience a significant loss of revenue due to retention. As a result, some institutions suffer a loss of support from public sectors and private benefactors. But our college is more concern about our student 's welfare. With that said, to combat the community college problems
Studies have shown that many college students are not able to handle the stress while in school, which hinders the ability for the brain to act in a normal way (Shahrokh and Hales, 2003). If a person is unable to deal with the stress that one is being faced with, it will have negative consequences in terms of causing several psychological disorders (Canby et al., 2014). Entering post-secondary education is a completely new environment for students, as it can be tough for many to adjust to the new surroundings. There are many factors that cause stress when students enter college, as it can include having the ability to deal with lower marks (Struthers et al., 2000) and having to create a new social life. Once and if a social life is established, it can cause more stress among students because it can lead into peer pressure that results in risky behavior. In particular, peer pressure can cause alcoholism or drug abuse (Seiffge-Krenke, 1990) or it can also cause unprotected sex. Not only does stress revolve around peer-pressure, but it can also be caused by headaches and lack of energy. If a student is constantly staying up late to finish assignments or to study, it can cause headaches from the lack of sleep; thus causing stress. With all the given factors, it can be hard to overcome these external factors which can ultimately lead to stress among
It is a new world transitioning from high school to college, and it is very easy for bad habits to form or worsen. Students are over whelmed with a new environment, assignments, studying, meetings, and planning for their future careers. This leaves for no time to focus on healthy habits and leading a healthy life. How do we motivate college students to be active, without taking away their focus and time for class work? Lakeland College’s campus needs to start changing its environment to start promoting an active lifestyle. Yes, Lakeland College has a fitness centers and offers open-gym times for students to do recreational activities, but those facilities are often daunting for first-year, international, and low-fitness or skill-level students. This is way Lakeland College’s exercise facilities are often utilized by the healthier and athletic population of the student body. The key is to start targeting the entire student body, and, in particular, the inactive ones. The campus has started to make a healthier change by implementing their Wellness Champion program, but their needs to be more, in order to motivate students. The best way to incentivize and teach unexperienced students to be active is by giving college students what they need: credits. This way, while students are working out, they will not feel guilty spending valuable time away from their school work. They will actually be productive because they would be receiving the credits for their sweat and hard work. The wellness classes credits could be applied to general credits or as an elective
In Higher Education there are various issues that have yet to be addressed, including: the policies of admission, graduation rate, financial cost of institutions, violence, and several other policies that have questioned individual’s pursuance towards achieving a higher education. In Higher Education there is a consistence of students’ dropping-out from a two year associate program to a four year bachelor program. Students are no longer graduating at their expected rate of time instead students’ are either completely dropping out or requiring additional years to complete their degree. This includes in part students transferring from different universities as well as part-times student. One primordial factor for the decrease on graduation rate would be the financial cost of higher institution. Thus, if
Pascarella, E.T., and Terenzini, P.T. (2005). How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
However, dropping out of college is not always negative, in fact, familiar problems can yield positive results. In terms of financial support we know that college costs money, so a lot of students cannot afford it. For example, there are families were the parents are divorced, and one parent has to burden all the family expenses. Often, it happens that one of the parents die, and the children have to grow up with many difficulties.
Given the increasing fiscal constraints of many post-secondary institutions, there is a great need to not only increase enrollment, but retain the students that matriculate. Attrition rates in the United States for first year college students is reported to be between 30 and 50 percent; furthermore, attrition rates directly correlate to lost revenue (O’Keefe, 2013). Barbatis (2010, p.16), noted that locally, “college administrators perceive student retention rates as indicators which measure the quality of faculty instruction, support services, and student success. Statewide, subsidies have been paid to institutions to help fund the education of students who left after one year (O’Keefe, 2013). Not only are the effects of attrition felt at the local and
Education is the key to success and there are multiple ways to boost a student’s confidence while attending high school to enhance a better future for his/herself. It is our job as parents and faculty to keep the students engaged and aware of the repercussions of dropping out and to do everything in our power to keep the students productive and interactive to ensure a bright