Term of Award

Spring 2002

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Administration

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Department

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development

Committee Chair

Michael D. Richardson

Committee Member 1

Mia D. Alexander-Snow

Committee Member 2

John R. Diebolt

Abstract

The search for a better understanding of student retention issues at Georgia's Technical Colleges and the role that administrators play in student retention determined the following research question: What are the perceptions of administrators at Georgia's Technical Colleges concerning their roles in student retention activities? All 34 institutions in the Georgia technical college system were included in the study. Specifically, the Presidents, Vice Presidents of Instruction, Vice Presidents of Student Services, and Vice Presidents of Satellite Operations were surveyed. Responses were received from 93 administrators. Descriptive statistics and ANCOVA were performed to analyze the results.

Administrators perceived that they were actually somewhat to highly involved in the retention strategies listed in the survey. Administrators also indicated that ideally they should be somewhat to highly involved in the retention activities listed in the survey. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the level of involvement. Administrators perceived they should be more involved than they presently were.

There was no statistically significant difference between administrators' perceptions of their roles in retention based on their position in the organization. The demographics of sex, race, and years in position were controlled in order to have no effect on the results.

The study demonstrated that administrators at Georgia's Technical Colleges perceive that retention activities are important and deserve their attention, but they also perceive they should be more involved than they presently are. The results provide information not found before concerning the Georgia Technical College administrators' perceptions which can be used to strengthen and enhance student retention activities on technical college campuses.

Copyright

To obtain a full copy of this work, please visit the campus of Georgia Southern University or request a copy via your institution's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department. Authors and copyright holders, learn how you can make your work openly accessible online.

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