Liu and Liu (2000) examined the impact of social and academic integration on college students’ satisfaction and retention in the theoretical context of Tinto. Results showed that academic integration, social integration and academic performance all had positive influences on student satisfaction (with social integration as the most influential factor). Academic integration, academic performance and student satisfaction all influenced student retention and persistence. Social integration was not significant, however. Liu and Liu offer two definitions of social integration to clarify this point. One definition of social integration is the “absence of estrangement and alienation” which is presumed to be “positively associated with persistence.” Yet, when defined in terms of “frequencies of social interaction” with others, the “relationship between persistence and social integration is not necessarily positive.” Neither gender, age, nor ethnicity showed any impact on either satisfaction or retention.
McKay and Estrella (2008) did a study on whether academic and social integration were enhanced for students who took a course in a community service training program which was given by the faculty. Results seem to suggest that the training program could well do so, given that much interaction takes place between the students and the faculty members (conducting the course). Ultimate success relies on academic and social integration, both of which could be determined wholly or partially by communication between said parties. Their results also indicate a strong relationship between the quality of the interaction and the students’ belief about achieving their academic goals.
Tinto (1997) explored a special program of Seattle Central Community College. Called the Coordinated Studies Program (CSP), its aim was to give its students a different kind of classroom experience by linking courses to one another based on some theme rather than the traditional system of separated, individual courses with no significant links to other courses. The other aspect of the CSP is fostering a collaborative environment by having the students learn interdependently. Still in the realm of student persistence, this study redirects attention to the importance of the classroom experience in terms of retaining students. While a great deal of effort in student retention programs deal with the issues outside the classroom (student affairs), this focuses on the issues within the classroom. Research into the CSP showed significant differences in terms of satisfaction with the learning environment, as students enrolled in the special program had a greater amount of satisfaction than those enrolled in the conventional course curriculum.
Kanfer et al. (2010) looked at how to predict academic and job performance by testing college students’ cognitive ability (verbal, numerical and spatial) and non-ability traits (personality, motivations, interests, self-assessment). Both were found to be important predictors of academic performance. Their study, though not directly related to this one, is good to consider for conducting research on the subject of retention