The Effects of Counseling on the Retention and Academic Performance of Underprepared Freshmen

Abstract

Higher education administrators, faculty, and staff expend great effort to increase the academic success and retention of college freshmen. Underprepared college freshmen are of particular concern given their high risk for dropping out. While interventions such as specific orientation programs, remedial/developmental coursework, and special advisement are utilized to increase retention of these students, one area that appears promising is the provision of counseling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of individual counseling, grade point average (GPA), and failing remedial and other courses on underprepared freshmen's retention rates. Analysis of variance and logistic regression analyses revealed that counseling for 3 to 4 hours in the fall had a positive impact on fall GPA, and failing fall remedial courses was the most significant predictor of whether a student was retained or not. However, in the spring, GPA, the number of credits completed, and the number of remedial courses taken were the best predictors.