Retention of College Students in Private Schools Coursework

Retention of College Students in Private Schools - Coursework Example This is a very thorough introduction to the steps and processes required in writing an extensive study on an education-related topic. There are comprehensive notes and references attached to each chapter, and the book could also be used as a textbook in class since there are exercises too. One useful feature is the â€Å"Key Concepts† section which recaps the most important themes and provides definitions that can be used in any dissertation. Chapters 4 and 5 on â€Å"Research Design in Quantitative Research† and â€Å"Experimental Research† give a lot of good information on how to set up data gathering procedures and how to evaluate the results. Methods such as surveys, interviewing and videotaping are also discussed with some very practical guidelines on how to avoid common mistakes. It is written in a complex and academic tone, but the effort of reading it is rewarded by many insights. Henderson, D. and Henderson, J. (2002) The Retention of Entering and Returning Freshmen enrolled at Florida A&M University’s School of General Studies during the Fall Semesters 1997-2001. Education 123 (1), 210-212. This short paper looks at the importance of the first year in the retention of students at a college with mainly African-American students. It collated figures on students who attended for the first time, and students who had switched their major and made a recommendation for strategies to enhance student retention based on these figures. Some issues were clearly concluded, such as the importance of developmental courses, interdisciplinary classes, advisement on demand and an attitudinal shift by the faculty and staff, but the article did not find ways to deal with variables.