Dropouts from Higher Education: Path Analysis of a National Sample

Path analysis was used to test the Tinto model of college dropout using a sample drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Through path analysis, a more parsimonious causal model was derived. Pre-college characteristics predicted college integration, but did not directly affect the dropout decisions. Factors related to the integration of the student into the college's academic setting appeared to be far more important to subsequent dropout decisions than were factors related to integration into the social setting. The commitment of the student to the goal of college completion had the strongest positive effect on the decision to remain in school.