Variables affecting first-year student commitment during the transition to college in Ireland

Area of Science:

• Higher Education
• Student Affairs
• Public Health

Background:

• High international student attrition rates necessitate improved retention strategies.
• Student well-being is increasingly recognized as a critical public health issue.
• Traditional academic models for student persistence often overlook well-being factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of student well-being as a predictor in models of student persistence.
• To examine the impact of well-being and persistence variables on first-year student commitment.
• To explore the integration of well-being into academic retention frameworks.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to 574 first-year university students (aged 17-22) in Ireland.
• Data analysis focused on the relationships between academic, social, and well-being variables and student commitment.
• Statistical models were employed to assess the predictive power of various factors on student persistence.

Main Results:

• Student well-being significantly influences persistence and commitment during the college transition.
• Key variables impacting commitment include depression, self-rated health, academic environment, and peer connections.
• Perceiving the academic program as a suitable personal choice also emerged as a significant factor.

Conclusions:

• Educational institutions must adopt an integrated approach to student persistence and well-being.
• Student well-being is a vital component for ensuring student persistence and academic success.
• Retention models should evolve to incorporate student well-being alongside traditional academic metrics.