Understanding Attrition | Origin: RT101
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Improving Retention through Timely Intervention --> Understanding Attrition
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
The school showing commitment to their students' success will help the students stress out about their choice.
The schools show of commitment to the wellbeing of the students means EVERYTHING to retention. I will remember this through every student interaction and do my best to promote this between instructors as well.
Personal stressors play a major role in students giving up and withdrawing from courses. I learned from this course that for a student to remain in school, the student needs to be aware of the personal interest and concern of a faculty member. It's important for faculty to build a trusting 1:1 rapport and relationship with students so that students feel they are well supported. This relationship also allows for faculty to intervene early if stressors are identified.
As staff, it’s important to build committed one-on-one relationships with students to recognize shifts in their stressors and guide them in decision-making, while remembering why they began their journey. All students, regardless of academic standing, benefit from timely support and a safe space where they feel comfortable expressing themselves.
People often write of Stress like it's a bad thing. It just means a situation that forces a person to adapt and change. Sometimes that stress is good, sometimes bad. I think that Stress can be useful because it gives the student something to overcome and improve. Granted, stress like a broken vehicle, no childcare, or similar are not something that we can assist with and would be more negative in their lives. We just have to know that sometimes we can do something to help, sometimes we can't.
Acknowledging how the faculty affect both stagnation and erosion is an important aspect of ensuring that students stay with the program. Faculty can make or break student success by either adding to or reducing student stress.
Stress is the root of most students giving up and also the root of all disease!
stress is a big factor that causes students to withdraw from the course.
It is important all around that our school supports our students not only with their studies but any challenges they face that is or could affect their education. Going through training periodically is very helpful as it keeps challenges students face in the forefront as we all can forget how to help our students in these areas. Understanding what Academic Erosion Stress and Academic Stagnation Stress is can be useful when working with our students.
Doing our best as an institution to take care of our employees and students can help manage stress levels across the board to increase retention rates.
Students go through a lot of new changes as they start college on their own. Stress of finding balance between life, school, and work. As they navigate this challenge and constantly question whether it's worth going through school that is taking all of their time and focus away from what they used to enjoy. We as an educator can help them navigate these challenges by showing empathy and providing advice or a resource that will give them hope and inspiration. Focusing on how we can provide support as they go through life as a college student will help with retention and student satisfaction.
Student stress can come from many factors. The type of stress they are dealing with can affect them physically. Stress is not just a feeling, it can cause physical ailments. Speaking with students to try to support them when stressed can help to improve their experience. Often their stress can be from managing academics with outside life responsibilities.
Students stress can come from outside or inside the school. Support the student and encourage their success.
Recognizing the extent of how stress impacts the student's academic performance is an integral aspect of driving retention. Academic institutions should ensure that there are programs about stress management and mental health support in place for the students.
Students perceive an institution’s commitment to them through the resources provided and the manner in which they are delivered. Stressors affect all students during their academic journey. Helping them cope with these challenges, guiding them through difficulties, and showing empathy can empower students to see possibilities rather than obstacles. Having someone to talk to during unexpected situations enables them to better manage both school and stress. The support offered must be genuine, as students can easily sense when they are being dismissed or inadequately supported in their time of need.
When we recognize stressors, knowing how to intervene can help with attrition. The commitment of the school to student success can impact attrition in a positive way.
The easiest way to deal with being overly stressed is to eliminate or to escape the stressors. If that were an easy task, we would have done it before our problems became overwhelming. For many students, escaping stress in many facets of their daily routine may not be possible because they don't (or believe they don't) have power over the stressor. In other situations they can eliminate stress by flight from the perceived source of stress.
If school is seen as a source of stress, they can eliminate the problem by dropping out. To them, the only answer that appears workable is to quit – a result that only serves to decrease their self-esteem, rob them of the dollars and time invested so far, and strengthen the habit of coping-through-quitting. The challenge is to help the student identify the actual source of stress and develop a remedial course of action before the problem becomes too acute.
The ability to detach from temporary changes in outlook and select a constructive paradigm is a powerful success enhancer. Practically everybody can do this under some circumstances, but the ability to control and direct it is when it really counts is a truly mature skill. It is important that school personnel nurture positive, constructive, hopeful paradigms among students.
I appreciated the science behind the stress, the causes, the ups and downs and the different, and even better, places to intervene.
How we help students with stress and how approachable we make ourselves for students to come to us for help can make a huge difference in retention. If a student is stressed but not feels comfortable to talk to us about it then they will try to deal with it in their own way that will possibly fail and cause them to leave. Or they will try to get rid of it by simply leaving and not trying anything.
