Student Access to Academic Support Services as a Mediating Variable for Increased Academic Performance and Graduation Rates Among Traditional Undergraduate Students: A Survival Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Although the trend in higher education is moving towards an emphasis on institutional mission-based funding and retention plans, little research has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated academic support programs for increasing student academic performance and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate if academic support based retention measures have an effect on student graduation and to examine if current academic support models positively influence academic performance in those populations that have access to them. A total of 27,176 students (N = 25,729 general population, 741 student athletes, 722 Greek students) from five cohort years (2001-06) were identified for analysis. Chi-square and rate ratio analyses were conducted to determine if graduation rates differed between the three groups and their likelihood of graduation. Survival analyses and Cox regression analyses were performed on each group to determine their efficiency of graduation events compared to the other groups.

Results of the Chi-Square and Rate Ratio analyses indicated that students with access to three academic support services (Greeks) and five academic support services (student athletes) were more likely to have a graduation event than students with access to one academic support service (general student population). Results of the Cox Regression analyses indicated that when controlling for all other variables, students with access to five academic support services are more likely to have a decrease in graduation events than students with access to one and three academic support services as the number of attempted credit hours increase. In addition, students with access to one academic support service are more likely to have an increase in graduation events than students with access to three and five academic support services as the number of attempted hours increase.

As this trend in graduation rates were found to be consistent across all Tennessee Board of Regent (TBR) institutions, the primary recommendation is for all academic support services found among the two subpopulations be made available to the entire student population. Future research recommendations include examination of academic support service utilization survival analysis.