TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively explore the association between low self-control and college student retention.Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from 369 undergraduate students in the USA and combined with follow-up data on retention. Factor analysis was used to develop and validate the abbreviated eight-item low self-control instrument. Propensity score matching, an analytic technique that permits the assertion of causality without the need for experimental design, was used to examine the relationship between low self-control and second-semester college retention. Use of propensity score matching permitted the pairing of survey respondents under the defined circumstance of low self-control with those respondents not having low self-control under multiple relevant covariates.Findings The results showed a relationship between low self-control and college retention. Specifically, in the matched sample, those students with low self-control were 8 percent less likely to be retained at the institution at the onset of the second year than their counterparts with higher self-control.Practical implications The results of the study prompt the important question of how colleges and universities can alter their structures and processes to better support students with low self-control. Key managerial and administrative implications from the findings of this study revolve around the recognition, motivation, and subsequent performance appraisals of those students with low self-control.Originality/value This study extends the quite limited research on how low self-control correlates with retention and subsequently offers insights on how to further support students with low self-control as a way to improve retention outcomes. Additionally, the validated eight-item survey provides a quick, low-cost assessment tool for interested researchers and managers.
VL  - 34
IS  - 5
SN  - 0951-354X
DO  - 10.1108/IJEM-07-2018-0208
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2018-0208
AU  - Stephenson Amber L.
AU  - Heckert D. Alex
AU  - Yerger David B.
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - Examining college student retention: a closer look at low self-control
T2  - International Journal of Educational Management
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 953
EP  - 964
Y2  - 2024/05/05
ER  -