Life Happens (Outside of College): Non-College Life-Events and Students' Likelihood of Graduation

Students' lives outside of college can have dramatic effects on academic outcomes (e.g., grades, persistence, graduation). However, the manner in which students' lives outside of college are referenced in college-effects models suggests some uncertainty among scholars as to which, and how,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inResearch in higher education Vol. 57; no. 7; pp. 823 - 844
Main Authors Cox, Bradley E., Reason, Robert D., Nix, Samantha, Gillman, Megan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer 01.11.2016
Springer Netherlands
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
College Environment
College graduates
College Students
Colleges
Datasets
Death
Ecological modeling
Education
Educational Research
Family members
Friendship
Grade point average
Graduation
Graduation Rate
Graduations
Grief
Higher Education
Life cycles
Outcomes of Education
Parents
Psychological aspects
Regression (Statistics)
Student Experience
Psychological
Graduation
Non-college life-events
Financial
Death
College students
Grieving
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Summary:Students' lives outside of college can have dramatic effects on academic outcomes (e.g., grades, persistence, graduation). However, the manner in which students' lives outside of college are referenced in college-effects models suggests some uncertainty among scholars as to which, and how, student experiences outside of an institution affect college student outcomes. Using longitudinal data from a racially diverse sample of 3914 students (997 White, 1051 Black, 915 Hispanic, and 951 Asian) attending 28 institutions, this study employs logistic regression models to examine relationships between three types of non-college life-events and students' likelihood of graduation. Specifically, we examine the impact of financial disruptions, grieving a friend's or family member's death, and other family situations that likely cause psychological distress for students. Results suggest that major life-events are both common (i.e., affecting over 52 % of students) and consequential (i.e., negatively affecting graduation rates), thus warranting increased attention from researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners.
ISSN:0361-0365
1573-188X
DOI:10.1007/s11162-016-9409-z