Evaluating Iowa community college student demographics, characteristics, enrollment factors, and educational goals influence on retention rates

This study examined the influence that previously researched and affirmed persistence and early withdrawal factors such as student demographics, enrollment status factors, student characteristics, and student educational goals had on Iowa community college retention rates for the 2005, 2007, and 2009 academic years. It is the researcher's aspiration that Iowa community college decision-makers may find the study's findings informative and useful in developing more effective student-centered retention policies and procedures that are proactive in assisting students to obtain their educational goals.;This quantitative survey research study incorporated a descriptive and a trend analysis, as well as an inferential analysis in the form of a multiple regression analysis. Through this statistical analysis, this study sought to achieve an enhanced comprehension of which and to what degree of influence various known persistence and early withdrawal factors such as student demographics, enrollment status factors, student characteristics, and student educational goals have on Iowa community college students' decisions to persist to educational goal attainment or to leave before attaining their educational goal. This quantitative research study utilized data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which are publicly available aggregate data sources, to investigate this study's research question. What relationship do student demographics, enrollment status factors, student characteristics, and student educational goals have on Iowa community college retention rates? The findings and conclusions of the statistical analysis indicated that Iowa community college students do not always respond to known persistence and early withdrawal factors that influence institutional retention rates as indicated in previous research studies. The trend analysis and descriptive analysis also do not mirror national trends. The study concludes with proposed recommendations for Iowa community college decision-makers and the general Iowa community college leadership to consider, as well as recommendations for future research related to Iowa community colleges.