"Do I Stay or Do I Leave? Factors Influencing Native American College Freshman Retention"

Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles (right) published with colleague Janice L. Templeton  of Fort Lewis College (first author) an article on Native American retention predictors in Future Review: International Journal of Transition, College, and Career Success.

The title of the article is "Do I Stay or Do I Leave? Factors Influencing Native American College Freshman Retention."

​Eccles is a member of the National Academy of Education, a World Scholar at the University of London, Visiting Professor at the University of Tubingen, Germany, and Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia. Her academic research focuses on gender-role socialization, classroom influences on student motivation, and social development in the family and school context. She is internationally recognized for her development of the expectancy-value theory of motivation and her concept of stage-environment. ​​Eccles directs UCI's Motivation and Identity Research Lab (MIRL).

Abstract

​Although college enrollment has increased for under-represented minorities, retention and graduation rates continue to lag behind non-minority peers. This study investigates the applicability of empirically validated retention predictors to Native American (i.e., American Indian/Alaskan Native) college student retention. Self-reported data collection began in week four of the fall semester from first time, full time freshman. Out of eleven predictors, fall GPA, institutional commitment, homesickness, academic self-efficacy, and social integration predicted whether or not Native American students returned the fall following their freshman year. Unexpectedly, students’ reporting greater social integration and self-efficacy were less likely to return the following fall. Results emphasize the importance of examining cultural influences on college retention.