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.
Supporting our students on all levels. Seeing them as a whole, they are not just a student. They are a whole person with a story that comes with them way before they started school. Stressors are unavoidable but helping them during the cycle is what will help them see to that they can keep going and achieve their dream.
Most students leave programs because of personal issues that have nothing to do with the program. It is important to make students feel seen and heard. This can make a big difference and maybe offering the solutions that they may not have thought of.
I learned the difference between Academic Erosion Stress (feeling unimportant) and Academic Stagnation Stress (feeling dead-ended). Each contribute to student attrition. However, both are affected by School Commitment. If a student feels a sense that there is someone, or a number of individuals, at the institution who cares about their progress and success - they are likely to persist.
Understanding attrition helped me realize that students often leave programs for reasons beyond academics alone. Personal challenges, financial stress, lack of confidence, poor time management, and feeling disconnected can all contribute to a student withdrawing from school. This module showed me how important it is to recognize early warning signs such as poor attendance, missing assignments, low participation, or sudden changes in behavior before the situation becomes irreversible.
I also learned that attrition is not just a student issue — it reflects how well institutions and educators support student success. Strong communication, mentorship, encouragement, and creating a welcoming learning environment can have a major impact on student persistence. Sometimes students do not need perfection; they need someone who notices they are struggling before they disappear quietly into the shadows of the roster. That part stayed with me.
I intend to apply what I learned by being more attentive and proactive with students who may be at risk. I want to continue building positive relationships, checking in regularly, and offering guidance or resources when students seem overwhelmed. As a dental assisting instructor, I know the program can feel fast-paced and intimidating, so I want my students to feel supported, capable, and motivated to keep going even during difficult moments. A little encouragement can travel farther than people realize.
I learned that intervention is most effective when it's timely. I will apply this by treating every support ticket as a 'timely intervention' to keep the student on track and feeling supported by the school.
Learning about Academic Erosion and Academic Stagnation has been very helpful. I can see where certain personality issues, such as low self-esteem (or the converse - egoistic students who think they are academically bright and should be at the top of the class all the time), need extra support to overcome Academic Erosion.
Comment on Rhisalyn Cruz's post: Good points, Rhisalyn! I agree that students don't quit because they are incapable. In my role as an Admissions Coordinator, I am having to detach myself from the notion that I must have been wrong about a candidate I decided to admit. It makes me feel guilty, and hampers the building of a positive connection with that student, which I think is necessary for them to break free of the stress mindset.
Comment on Crystal Arnold's post: Stress and attrition certainly go hand in hand. I'd say that stress itself is inevitable, and even healthy--meaning if a student doesn't feel a little stressed, are they really trying hard enough? My question (I just started this course, haven't reached the meat of it yet) is how to help students move past the paralysis and the "fear" response that often accompanies stress. I think one can be stressed but not afraid. Perhaps it's the fear we need to work on removing.
One idea (something that has helped me) is to create spaces - whether in classrooms or through peer or alumni mentorship - where students can feel their contributions matter and they can experience "success" through instructor feedback.
I learned General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
Student stress and attrition go hand in hand. Supporting students is essential while understanding that some attrition is healthy.
One thing I learned from this lesson is how much stress can affect a student’s mindset, motivation, and decision-making. Sometimes students do not quit because they are incapable, but because they feel overwhelmed or unsupported. It also reminded me that retention is everyone’s responsibility, and I intend to apply this by being more understanding, supportive, and proactive when helping struggling students.
In this course I learned that stress and attrition could go hand in hand. If students have no idea how to handle it, eventually they will withdraw from the course. Because of this thought process, I've learned to get the students involved in the class to help them from entering that stress/attrition phase in class; its been helping students stay focus and complete the courses.
Supporting your students not only on a profession level but also a personal level is as important as teaching your students. Notice early signs of changes in their demeanor and/or attitude and try to connect with them 1 on 1
Be aware and show compassion for students having stress issues and try to help.
I learned that student attrition is often caused by a mix of academic, personal, and engagement factors. Recognizing early warning signs like poor attendance and low participation is key to preventing drop-offs.
I plan to apply this by staying proactive with student outreach, addressing concerns early, and working closely with instructors to provide timely support and keep students on track.
I intend to have my faculty answer the question "If the student doesn't care, why should I?"
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I have learned that making the students feel important and truly caring about their success can help to decrease attrition!
A long story but it happened to me. I saw a student crying. She was almost at the end of the LPN program. I sat down with her away from others, and she explained the stressors of having an infant at home, the father left and financially strapped. I did not know about the "GAS adaption " but I knew that the the higher the stressors ,the higher the stress it put on the heart and blood vessels. So , I had a chat with her to explain the "fight or flight "response the body goes through when under stress. .She listened ,when I informed her that she has to stay strong because the " little boy " as she called him, has no one else but you ,she froze for a moment and stopped crying . Something happened to her at that moment. She stopped crying .. She found a " nice person to baby sit" and remained in the program and graduated . I put the nursing pin on her. Today I learned that I was able to flatten the "initial dip " on the curve on the GAS system. We do not see things around us some time when we are busy including myself. It was a teachable moment for me . I became a better teacher since that day.
Comment on Saraliz Jimenez's post:
