Despite the very extensive literature on dropout from higher education, much remains unknown about the nature of the dropout process. In large measure, the failure of past research to delineate more clearly the multiple characteristics of dropout can be traced to two major shortcomings; namely, inadequate attention given to questions of definition and to the development of theoretical models that seek to explain, not simply to describe, the processes that bring individuals to leave institutions of higher education.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1170024.pdf

Dropout from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of Recent Research

Even a casual reading of the extensive literature on student development in higher education can create confusion and perplexity. One finds not only that the problems being studied are highly diverse but also that investigators who claim to be studying the same problem frequently do not look at the same variables or employ the same methodologies. And even when they are investigating the same variables, different investigators may use completely different terms to describe and discuss these variables. My own interest in articulating a theory of student development is partly practical—I would like to bring some order into the chaos of the literature—and partly self-protective. I and increasingly bewildered by the muddle of f indings that have emerged from my own research in student development, research that I have been engaged in for more than 20 years. The theory of student involvement that I describe in this article appeals to me for several reasons. First, it is simple: I have not needed to draw a maze consisting of dozens of boxes interconnected by two-headed arrows to explain the basic elements of the theory to others. Second, the theory can explain most of the empirical knowledge about environmental influences on student development that researchers have gained over the years. Third, it is capable of embracing principles from such widely divergent sources as psychoanalysis and classical learning theory. Finally, this theory of student involvement can be used both by researchers to guide their investigation of student development—and by college administrators and

/pdf/student-involvement-a-developmental-theory-for-higher-2udw7046jd.pdf

Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education.

This study examines the evidence for the effectiveness of active learning. It defines the common forms of active learning most relevant for engineering faculty and critically examines the core element of each method. It is found that there is broad but uneven support for the core elements of active, collaborative, cooperative and problem-based learning.

/pdf/does-active-learning-work-a-review-of-the-research-2erhef7d09.pdf

Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research

Arthur Chickering is Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at Memphis State University. On leave from the Directorship of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Memphis State, he is Visiting Professor at George Mason University. Zelda Gamson is a sociologist who holds appointments at the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan.

Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education

To better define levels of accomplishment for publishing journal articles in strategic management, a bibliometric study was performed on the publication records of 96 doctorates in the field whose first post-degree job was in academics. By examining 20 journals that are outlets for research in strategic management, publication records were developed for each individual for the first 5-10 years following receipt of the doctoral degree. Two factors influenced the publication records of these new faculty. Having publications prior to receiving the doctorate and getting a first job at an institution with a graduate program in management were associated with more frequent publishing after an academic career began. As expected, the number of papers published was related to the likelihood of receiving tenure. However, despite the fact that they had produced more papers during the first 5 years than male faculty members and had higher citation rates, female faculty members were less likely to receive tenure. The findings are discussed in terms of institutional policy for hiring and evaluating new faculty.

Publication records and tenure decisions in the field of strategic management

The invisible colleges

A new method for evaluating the "Ph.D. productivity" of undergraduate institutions was applied to a sample of 265 institutions. It was found that a college's actual Ph.D. output can be predicted relatively accurately from an "expected" output based on the sex, major fields, and intelligence level of its students. Public institutions were found to be significantly overproductive, and eastern men's colleges and universities were found to be significantly underproductive. Previous findings indicating that the faculty had a causative effect on productivity were not confirmed. These results suggest that Ph.D. productivity may not be a sensitive measure of the effectiveness of undergraduate institutions.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/136/3511/129.full.pdf

"Productivity" of Undergraduate Institutions: New analyses show that a college's output of doctors of philosophy depends largely on its input of students.

Why Not Try Some New Ways of Measuring Quality

THIS paper is concerned with clarifying certain issues regarding criterion measures and their use in educational and psychological research. The problems to be considered will be discussed separately in three general categories. 1. The Nature and Role of the Criterion (definitions, common fallacies about criteria, and certain logical and technical considerations in developing criterion measures) . 2. Criteria and Test Development (the function of criteria in the construction and validation of tests). 3. Criterion-Centered Research versus Construct Validity (similarities and differences between the two approaches, and the case for criterion-centered research) .

Alexander W. Astin

Papers

The invisible colleges

"Productivity" of Undergraduate Institutions: New analyses show that a college's output of doctors of philosophy depends largely on its input of students.

Why Not Try Some New Ways of Measuring Quality

Criterion-Centered Research

Meaning and Spirituality in the Lives of College Faculty: A Study of Values, Authenticity, and Stress.