Are the inventories based on an assumed correlation between certain characteristics thought to predispose students to being at risk?
Yes. The inventories were developed based on Dr. Dietsche’s research into student attrition in Canada and the research of others, including Tinto, Swail, Pascarella, and Terenzini. The key findings of this research are: 1) educational outcomes (departure, grades) are the product of an interaction between learner characteristics (e.g. academic aptitude, basic skills, goals, career interests, attitudes) and the learning environment he/she encounters; 2) this interaction results in a positive or negative experience for each learner and sets the stage for persistence/departure decisions; 3) the highest rates of failure and/or departure occur in the first year and retention efforts should focus on this period; 4) many who leave postsecondary institutions are in good academic standing and leave for reasons over which the institution has some control; and 5) effective retention/success programs track learners to identify those “at risk” and intervene with targeted, personalized strategies. Th
