Abstract
Educators, administrators,
and government officials alike are interested in reducing the
rate of student withdrawal at Canadian postsecondary institutions.
Aside from the loss of financial resources, there are other negative
effects associated with early departure from community college
or university. This article outlines research into first-semester
student withdrawal from engineering technology programs at a campus
of the College of the North Atlantic in St. John's, Newfoundland.
The research was designed to investigate various aspects of withdrawal
of first-semester students enrolled in Engineering Technology
programs at the College. The research design incorporated focus
groups, interviews, and the collection and statistical analysis
of quantitative data. Results of this study showed that 24.9%
of first-semester Engineering Technology students withdrew before
the winter 2000 semester, and that students' academic difficulties
play a significant role in their decisions to withdraw or persist
at the College. These results were consistent with Tinto's (1993)
Student Integration Model.
Copyright © AJER, the Faculty of Education, and the University
of Alberta, 2002.
Last revised: January 30, 2002.
Designed by G.H. Buck