| With the diversification of the student population of community colleges, problems concerning the retention of students persist. The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between increased financial aid administrative funding and student retention at the California community colleges. This study used system-wide archival data for the quantitative portion of a sequential mixed methods approach. Chi square analysis of these data revealed no statistically significant support for the hypothesis that simply increasing funding for financial aid administration would positively affect retention rates at California community colleges. Interviews conducted for the qualitative portion of the study queried 14 purposefully sampled administrators about actions taken directly as a result of the increased administrative funding. Using a grounded theory approach, open coding was conducted through a line-by-line investigation of participants' responses, followed by axial coding whereby categories and concepts were clustered together into emergent themes. Themes that emerged largely paralleled Chickering's model of student development. The qualitative analysis illuminated the quantitative finding that simply increasing funding did not necessarily impact retention. Instead, retention did improve when financial aid administrators deployed programs that recognized students' needs, showed respect for those needs, and responded to those needs through flexibility, collaboration, and commitment to student success. Best practices were observed when these elements evolved into a student-centered culture of engagement. These findings contribute to positive change in the financial aid profession since they offer a model to evaluate and implement best practices. When incorporated, these practices have helped to retain students and contributed to the development of a better educated taxpayer base. |
