Hassles to Tassels: Institutional Inhibitors of Student Success

Much of the research and literature pertaining to college student retention, graduation,
and completion focuses on student behaviors and choices. While this perspective provides a clear focus for targeted programs and intervention initiatives with specific groups or individuals (such as early alert systems, student orientation, tutoring, supplemental instruction, etc.), it overlooks the possibility that an institution’s policies, practices, and procedures may also inhibit students’ progress and persistence. This product dissertation offers a workbook containing a set of three tools for use in examining potential institutional structural, procedural, and cultural inhibitors to student progress.
In creating the workbook, the researcher first developed the typology of potential
institutional barriers using a card sorting activity completed by 14 current practitioners in the field of student success. Participants were given a concept deck of 120 cards, each containing a statement or idea that had been generated by workshop attendees, about potential institutional inhibitors to student persistence and completion. Participants were asked to sort the statements into broad categories, or themes, and give each category or theme a label. These labels were then submitted to the researcher, who was able to search for common themes across the participants, developing the typology of potential institutional inhibitors. Analysis revealed five major categories of potential inhibitors to student success: Assumptions, Attitudes, Policies, Procedures, and Information Gaps. The researcher used the typology generated by the analysis to inform the development of the three tools: an Inventory instrument to identify specific examples of potential barriers; a Facilitator Guide to conducting a campus audit of potential institutional barriers; and a Focus Group protocol to help institutions understand the student perspective related to potential institutional barriers and the reasons for attrition. The three tools can be used separately or in combination by student success practitioners engaged in and concerned with increasing credential attainment.