Figure 1
The illustration is a flowchart divided into sections representing factors influencing student retention, both before and after admission. At the top, two main sections labeled “Prior to Admission” list “Student Characteristics” and “Student Skills.” “Student Characteristics” includes Age, Ethnicity & Gender, Intellectual Development, Academic Performance, and Academic Preparation. “Student Skills” mentions Computer Literacy, Information Literacy, Time Management, Reading & Writing, and Computer-based Interaction. An arrow leads to “After Admission,” which is divided into “Internal Factors” and “External Factors.” “External Factors” include Finances, Hours of Employment, Family Responsibilities, Outside Encouragement, Opportunity to Transfer, and Life Crises. “Internal Factors” are split into two subcategories: “Tinto” and “Bean & Metzner.” The “Tinto” section includes Academic Integration, Social Integration, Goal Commitment, Institutional Commitment, and Learning Community. The “Bean & Metzner” section lists Study Habits, Advising, Absenteeism, Course Availability, Program Fit, Current GPA, Utility, Stress, Satisfaction, and Commitment. Another subgroup under “Student Needs” mentions Clarity of Programs, Self-Esteem, Identification with School, Interpersonal Relationships, and Accessibility to Services. Below “Internal Factors,” “Pedagogy” lists Learning Styles and Teaching Styles. Arrows also indicate the flow between “External Factors” and “Internal Factors,” leading to a box labeled “Persistence Decision.”A conceptualization of Rovai’s (2003) composite persistence model (p. 9).