The Role of the students’ family background, individual attributes and pre-college schooling in student retention

Yehya Skaf ¹

Diala Yassin²

1-Lebanese University-Lebanon

2-Lebanese International University-Lebanon

ABSTRACT:

This communication aims at explaining a relation of causality between the student’s background factors and student retention. It uses the Tinto theory as theoretical background. A survey was conducted on 1,400 students in first year and 1,000 students in third year in universities. The researchers used SPSS version 22, the Chi-square and t-test methods are use in order to analyze data. The study shows the family background, the individual attributes and the pre-schooling college affects significantly the retention decision. The English level of the student is a major factor in retention; this opens the door for a re-consideration of the educational system based on foreign languages. The study is particularly useful for universities. In fact, the universities can use the findings to draw forecasts about the student’s schedules for continuance and to develop strategies for student retention.

Key words: Student, University, Retention, Background.