Date of Award

4-19-2010

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Margaret Healy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine student persistence in professional programs by expanding the definition of academic integration as defined in the current literature using both traditional and professional variables. The professional academic integration variables were identified for aviation education. Due to the impending pilot shortage for the aviation industry, this particular study focused on students enrolled in a professional flight program. The primary focus of this research was to examine pre-entry attributes and academic integration variables in order to predict student persistence and academic success in a professional flight program. The data set constructed for this study was drawn from a sample of 390 full-time, first-time students enrolled at the University of North Dakota who declared Commercial Aviation as their academic major at the time of entry. The data examined the students' academic progress for the first year to the second year of enrollment. Pre-existing data were gathered from the student's institutional record, financial aid record and flight record. The variables used in this study were grouped into three categories for further analysis: pre-entry attributes, traditional academic integration, and professional (flight) academic integration. Each grouping of variables was then analyzed to assess their ability to predict student persistence and academic success. Multiple regression analysis was used to calculate the degree to which each grouping of variables predicted student persistence and academic success. The study found significant relationships between all three sets of variables (pre-entry attributes, traditional academic integration and professional (flight) academic integration) in determining student persistence and academic success. Pre-entry attributes accounted for 9.6% of the variance in persistence, and 32.3% of the variance in academic success. Traditional academic integration variables accounted for 21.8% of the variance in persistence, and 26.8% of the variance in academic success. Professional (flight) academic integration variables accounted for 14.2% of the variance in persistence and 36.3% of the variance in academic success. However, when all of the significant variables from the three groupings were combined together 25.5% of the variance in student persistence was in account. These findings are important for educational researchers and practitioners in order to gain a better understanding of the complex student persistence puzzle. From a researcher's perspective the importance of analyzing academic integration within a chosen field of study can be much more significant. Likewise, if practitioners within an academic program more fully understand the persistence puzzle, more can be done to help retain students in academic programs that may have otherwise chosen to depart.

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