University persistence: A study linking communication satisfaction to student retention

Institutional researchers have explored issues of college retention for well over thirty years. The relationship between student involvement and educational achievement has been a primary focus. Most research has focused on the traditional, residential and community college domains.; This study attempted to determine what, if any, link existed between communication satisfaction and a student's decision to remain enrolled in college. Specifically, this study employed three instruments and a conceptual model of student departure to determine the relationship between perceived interpersonal and organizational communication satisfaction and a student's decision to remain in school. First-generation college students and their traditional peers as well as persisting and stop/drop out students were included in this inquiry. Questionnaires were administered in person and by mail to 131 students at a specialized commuter university in the southwest.; Results indicate a high perception of communication satisfaction, both interpersonally and organizationally, by persisting students. Results also indicate a low perception of student-faculty interpersonal communication satisfaction by persisting first-generation students. Significant differences were also found between persisting students and their stop/drop out peers in areas of social and academic integration. Overall data supports the call for multi-disciplinary approaches to developing theoretical frameworks for student retention.