Michael J. Boivin. Timothy M. Beuthin. Garnet Hauger. Spring Arbor College. Abstract. Independent studies were conducted by separate programs at a small ...
The Journal of The Freshman Year Experience, 1993, Vol. 5, No.1, 93-125
Why Christian Students Leave Christian Colleges: Evaluating the Dynamics of Adjustment in a Christian Community Michael J. Boivin Timothy M. Beuthin Garnet Hauger Spring Arbor College
Abstract. Independent studies were conducted by separate programs at a small Christian liberal-arts college in Michigan, and the major findings and conclusions between the studies were compared. In both studies, the entire freshman class was evaluated on a wide range of academic, attitudinal, social, personality, and religious indicators in an attempt to find persistence factors. In general, our findings were consistent with Tinto's (1975)model of college attrition. The levels of high school academic achievement and initial commitment to the institution were the best objective predictors of persistence, regardless of degree or depth of Christian commitment. Furthermore, a subsequent telephone interview with students who had left revealed four major complex reasons for their leaving which were consistent with the major factors identified by Noel (1975): a sense of isolation, social dissonance, boredom, and a low perceived cost/benefit ratio for the educational experience.
A unique aspect of higher education in America is the relatively large number of colleges that claim an evangelical faith perspective as a part of the academic and social life of the campus (e.g., the 83 member colleges of the Christian College
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Christian Colleges
Coalition). Most of these schools are small, tuition-driven institutions that must rely primarily on student fees and financial gifts from supportive constituency, churches, and foundations to meet yearly operating expenses. Student enrollment and retention are critical considerations in the financial well-being of these schools. To maximize retention, many Christian colleges are involved in developing program strategies that are truly innovative in their attempts to facilitate student adjustment. Despite these innovations, the average freshman-to-sophomore-year dropout rate for member schools of the Christian College Coalition is 27% with a retention range of 44% to 95% (Dilts, Martin, & Zidzik,1990). This is very close to the national average for all private BA/BS level colleges of 27.4%. The national dropout rate is even lower at colleges and universities that are classified as highly selective (11.4%) and selective (20.1 %) (ACf Institutional Data File, 1987). These figures are especially perplexing for Christian colleges because many of the highly selective schools cannot attribute their higher retention rates to innovative program features and strong religious and denominational ties to the students they attract. Thus, Christian colleges are increasingly motivated to further evaluate and understand the major factors contributing to student retention. Traditionally, retention research at colleges and universities was based upon theoretical models that emphasized person/ environment interactions within a psychosocial context
