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.
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.
Students are more likely to withdraw as the result of stress that they cannot successfully respond. Two common sources of stress for students related to school are academic erosion stress (feeling that they aren't important) and academic stagnation stress (feeling like they are at a dead-end and losing sight of purpose).
Working with students to change to a positive paradigm can help students cope with stress and remain in school.
I intend to apply this knowledge by focusing more on setting clear, realistic expectations from the very beginning of the admissions process and ensuring consistent support throughout the student journey.
In learning about many avenues of stress and stressors, Attribution in other words "quitting" is the result of many levels of stress which tarnishes a student's self-motivation to succeed. For example, General Adaptation Syndrome is when students are able to handle issues that are beyond their control, the student then wants to fall back his/her will to drive on their career goals. Students who find that other students are successful, simply by nature and they fall short of success, thoughts of quitting settle in.
This is what is called General Adaptation Syndrome. Many first-time college students experience this level of stress, because competition with others may be a factor. This is a form of Power of the Paradigm. Many students fall into this category of stress due to self-doubt and lack of confidence. At this point, students would be a "good fit" to meet with a human services professional much like a life coach, mentor, and/or counselor.
I would like to contribute to my students the importance of self-confidence by controlling stressors that trigger feelings of quitting or dropping out. There are many ways to overcome these feelings by simply:
1). Acknowledgment 2). Plan of Action 3). Execution. As success leaders, it is our duty to get our students to open up those hidden feelings which includes Academic Erosion Stress, Academic Stagnation Stress, and School Commitment. As a result, once these areas of student concerns are acknowledged, then and only then, the student(s) will have an opportunity to overcome these stressors and stay on the road to success.
#WeWin!!!!
Faculty and staff (insturctors) should take their role in retention more seriously. A lot of subliminal or passive remarks are made typically about what knowledge students should already have when engaging in classes...instructors/professors/teachers seldom are as committed to "retaining students" as the support staff are. Practice mindfulness and intentionality from root to fruit.
Stress comes in many forms, and impacts a student's ability to stay focused and positive on academic success. Students must feel that faculty and administrators care about their success to feel supported through stressful times.
I believe now that Understanding Attrition involves examining why students leave an institution before completing their program, and identifying patterns and contributing factors that may be preventable.
