The presentation will explore whether participation in service-learning is related to persistence in college with a focus on the University of Wisconsin- Parkside. Helen Rosenberg Professor University of Wisconsin-Parkside

1. Factors that Predict Persistence in College at the
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Following a Student Cohort from 2009 through 2012

2. Research
 Why focus on non-traditional students?
 UWP has greatest percentage of students receiving Pell grants in UW-
System
 Over 2/3rds of students work in addition to going to school full time
 UWP has the highest percentage of students of color in the UW-System
 UWP has the lowest retention rate in the UW-System, 30%
 20% of students do not return after the freshman year

3. Research
 Predictors of successful outcomes for UW-Parkside
students
 What is success?
 The dependent measure is persistence over time
 Persistence refers to long-term outcomes, while
retention is most often used to talk about re-enrollment
from freshman to sophomore year

4. Factors contributing to re-enrollment
Tinto (1975, 1997, 2005) identified four factors:
academic integration
social integration
financial pressures
psychological differences, i.e.,
family background, past educational
experiences

5. Identifying Non-traditional Students
24+ or 25 + years old
Employed Full-time
Married/Caregiving
Part time enrollment
First Generation
Students of Color (sometimes
referred to as “under represented
students”)
The term
"nontraditional
student" is not a
precise one (NCES, 2002)

6. Independent Variables
Measures of Non-traditionality
Age (24+)
Enrolled Part Time
First Generation College Student
Race (students of color)
Service Learning
Took service learning class or not
Demographics
Gender
Freshman/Transfer Students
GPA

7. Demographic Distribution of Students entering UWP
N=1155
Measures of Non-
traditionality
Age (24+)
Enrolled Part Time
First Generation College
Student
Race (students of color)
Service Learning
Took service learning class or not
Demographics
Gender
Freshmen/Transfer Students
GPA
Persistence to Graduation
Measure Fall,
2010
Fall,
2011
Fall,
2012
24+ 11.7% 12.0% 11.6%
Part-time 40.3% 56.9% 65.7%
First Gen 60.1% 60.4% 60.5%
Students
of Color
29.4% 27.4% 29.4%
Took SL 13.3% 24.2% 34.0%
Female 56.8% 56.5% 60.1%
Freshmen 71.7% 69.5% 68.1%
GPA 2.59 2.73 2.85
Re-
Enrolled/G
raduated
65% 51% 41%

8. Correlations Among Independent Measures
 Strongest relationship
 Full-time enrollment and GPA
 Positive relationships
 Students who enroll in CBL classes tend to be full-time
 Students who enroll in CBL classes tend to have higher
GPAs than students who do not take a class with CBL
 Conclusion:
 There is a strong relationship among full-time
enrollment, CBL course enrollment and GPA

9. Correlations Among Independent Measures
Demographic relationships to GPA
 Men and students of color tend to have lower GPAs than
women and Whites.
 There is no relationship between being a first generation
student and GPA
 Transfer students tend to be older and earn higher GPAs
than incoming Freshmen
 Older (24+) students are more likely to be part-time and
earn lower GPAs than younger students

10. Methodology
Logistic Regression Analysis
predicts reenrollment or graduation (coded 1) or non-
enrollment as a dichotomous dependent variable
Used backwards, stepwise technique for exploratory analysis
Allows entry of sets of variables in stepwise manner to assess the
relative effect explained by each variable in model
First step entered measures of non-traditionality and demographics
Second step entered if student enrolled in a CBL course
Third step entered GPA
Followed sample across 2010, 2011 and 2012
© 1998 G. Meixner

11. Significance of Service-Learning
Students who take service-learning courses are more
likely to persist.
 Service Learning has a consistently strong impact on reenrollment and
graduation.
 When full-time enrollment and GPA are added into the model, the
effects of service learning decline because of its strong relationship to
these variables

12. Significance of Demographics
Race
Race is an inconsistent predictor of persistence with white students more
likely to reenroll.
 Students of color are about 75% as likely to re-enroll and graduate as
are white students
Age
The effects of age are slight and insignificant over time
First Generation Status
The effect of being a first generation college student is slight and becomes
insignificant over time

13. Significance of Transfer Students
and Full-Time Status
Transfer Students
Entry status is an inconsistent predictor of re-enrollment with transfer
students more likely to persist.
Full-time Status
Full time status is a powerful predictor of reenrollment throughout all
years of the analysis
 The effects of full-time enrollment are very strong, but decline when GPA is
added to the model

14. Service-Learning has a positive effect on all
students (traditional and non-traditional)
Part-time enrollment seems to pose the greatest
challenges for non-traditional students in
relation to re-enrollment
Service learning was significant for freshmen and
juniors, but not for second year
Implications for UW-Parkside