College Libraries Contribute to Student Retention

As enrollment and retention remain top priorities for universities, colleges, governments, parents, and students themselves, this book offers a formula for student success to retain and graduate students.

One of the reasons why we should care about college student retention is that the student's development of critical thinking skills and to critically analyze an issue to make a decision, whether deciding on a political candidate or what kind of merchandise to purchase is learned at college. Learning to wade through jargon, images and the like and ascertain the story behind the story from newspapers, television, radio, web and cell phones.

Vital information available to the student through education can be obtained from periodicals, professional associations, conferences, books and skill enhancement helping student achieve their academic goals and develop a thirst for lifelong learning and to be successful in life.

Retaining a student from admission to graduation is retention. A student who stays from beginning year to graduation is persistence.

Persistence decisions are influenced by different variables/constructs. One of the variables/constructs includes academic and social integration.

In academic and social integration students are not integrated. They interact with a range of people and situations on campus, both academic and social and they derive meaning from the interactions in ways that may lead them to feel at home and/or a member of a place or community. They feel they "belong."

The integration of students in classroom discussions, collaborative learning experience and study groups are all a part of an underlying process affecting the adjustment of students to college, their academic performance and their decision to remain enrolled to graduation.

The influence of a student's social integration into their environment on student's persistence decision has been confirmed and substantiated among different student groups and a variety of institution types.

Findings reveal that social connectedness and commitment to college have direct positive effects on retention.