Student Retention: An Integrated Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Campus Social Environment

The goal of this study is to contribute to the significant body of research focused on student retention in higher education, specifically by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB) with measures of campus place attachment and campus social capital. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to analyze survey data collected at a mid-sized American college, our results show that TPB constructs (i.e., attitude toward major, attitude toward campus, perceived graduation-related norms, perceived behavioral control) were strong predictors of intention to re-enroll. Additionally, both emotional and functional institutional attachment significantly predicted TPB constructs, and bridging social capital significantly predicted campus place attachment. We discuss the potential implications of these results for both administration/policy and future research.