2013 - How Well Does the SAT and GPA Predict the Retention of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Business Students

Attribution: Rohr, Samuel L.
Researchers: Samuel L. Rohr
University Affiliation: Purdue University
Email: slrohr@pnw.edu
Research Question:
This study examined if a higher college preparatory GPA and a higher aggregate score on the SAT helped predict the retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students.
Published: Yes
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Journal of College Student Retention
Journal Entry: Vol. 14, No. 2, Pp. 195-208
Year: 2013
Findings:

– College preparatory GPA and the aggregate SAT score were predictors of retention of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business students.
– For every point increase in GPA, the odds were more than twice as much that the student would be retained.
– For every point increase in SAT, there was 0.3% increase in retention.
– Although a higher SAT score increases a student’s chance of retention, the increase was only slight.
– Colleges should place emphasis on the college preparatory GPA for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business applicants.

 

Scholarship Types: Journal Article Reporting Empirical ResearchKeywords: BusinessGPARetentionSATSTEMRegions: MWMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: Administrative DataAnalysis Methods: Descriptive StatisticsMultiple Regression Sampling Frame:STEM and Business Students
Sampling Types: Non-Random - PurposiveAnalysis Units: StudentData Types: Quantitative-Longitudinal
Data Description:

The data for the study was obtained from a small, private, liberal arts college in Indiana. The admissions criteria are comparable to other institutions in the Midwest of similar size. The population was limited to a 6-year period, 1992-1998. The sample consisted of 691 first-time, full-time
students. The student sample consisted only of persons who chose a major of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or business.

Two independent variables were examined. The variables included college preparatory grade point average (GPA) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). College preparatory GPA was based on grades in English, Foreign languages, Math, Lab science, and Social sciences.

The DV was a dichotomous variable that measured if students were retained in the program. Students who transferred were counted against the retention rate.

Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:STEM Persistence and Retention
Archives: K-16 STEM Abstracts