Exploring Research Designs and the Relationship to the Research Question
The goal of this study is to examine the various factors affecting the retention rates of first year college students. The main guiding research question for the study is: what are the factors that affect the student retention rates of first year college students.
Research questions
The following are the research questions for this study:
1. How does financial background affect student attrition rates of first year college students?
2. What is the relationship between academic and social integration and student retention rates?
3. Is institutional commitment an effective administrative strategy for increasing student attrition rates?
Research Design
Research design primarily depends on the nature of the main research question. Social research aims at providing an explanation for current state of affairs using predetermined variables. It is worth noting that social research significantly depends on probability, therefore, providing an explanation why a given variable plays a significant role in determining the outcome. Since this study aims at determining the various factors that affect student retention rates, a correlational research design will be adopted (Nardi, 2003). Under this research design, a quantitative analysis is adopted in order to determine if there is a relationship or a co-variation between two quantitative variables, which in this case comprise of mainly determining the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Theoretically, any two quantitative variables can be correlated provided there are scores measurements obtained from the participants. This study will make use of approximately 100 participants in order to increase reliability and validity of the study (Neuman & Kreuger, 2006). The correlational research design was used since the research began by description of concepts such as the variables affecting the retention rates of first year college students, after which it will involve an analysis of empirical evidence. Therefore, a deductive approach was used because the research study commences with a research hypothesis and terminates with empirical measurement, analysis and evaluation of research findings. A correlation will be done to determine the relationship between student persistence (dependent variable) and the identified potential factors (independent variables) that are likely to influence student attrition. Bivariate comparison will be used to determine the relationship between the variables and the retention rates of first year students in a local community college.
The research structure will entail analysis of the available theory, followed by formulation of hypothesis. After that, an observation is made in order to confirm or refute the already formulated hypothesis. Therefore, this research structure will deploy the use of a top down approach. The deductive approach is more preferable because it narrows down to a specific objective that is primarily concerned with the confirmation of the hypothesis. The goal of this research design is to find the correlation between each of the independent variables (financial background, academic and social integration, socio-economic status, and institutional commitment, institutional environment and student’s decision on a major career) and dependent variables, which is the student retention rate among first year college students.
Hypotheses for the study
H1: There is a positive correlation between low Socio-economic Status (SES) and student retention rate
The hypothesis is true if there a low SES accompanied by low SES and vice versa; otherwise, the hypothesis is null.
There is a positive correlation between institutional commitment and student retention rates.
The hypothesis is true if there is a high institutional commitment and student retention rate and vice versa; otherwise the hypothesis is null.
Modifying the research question to reflect another research design
Since research designs depend on the nature of research questions or hypothesis, there is a possibility to alter the research hypothesis so that a different research design could be adopted for this study. The research design can be changed from correlation to quasi-experimental research design, which can result from studying various differences that exist between mutually formed groups (Neuman & Kreuger, 2006). With regard to this new design and new research design and hypothesis, the study will aim at finding a local college that has implemented effective intervention strategies and high levels of institutional commitment, and another college that completely lacks intervention strategies to curb student attrition and has low commitment towards the persistence of its students (Ruane, 2005). As such, the following hypothesis is formulated.
High levels of institutional commitment increases student retention rates among first year college students.
This hypothesis is true when high levels of institutional commitment results to high student retention rates.
The goal of quasi-experimental design is to make a casualty statement basing on the differences between the groups, which account for the dependent measures. The college that has low institutional commitment and lacks intervention strategies functions as the control group. The limitation with this design is that there is a possibility of differences occurring that are not related to the variables being studies. In this case, there is the likelihood that differences can occur not because of the institutional commitment.
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