The Effects of Students’ Self-Perceptions of Behaviors, Attitudes, and Aptitudes on their First-to-Second-Year Persistence

The study used the data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey to examine the effects of first-year students’ perceptions of their behaviors, attitudes, and aptitudes on their first-to-second-year persistence at a small, private, faith-based institution. Logistic regression analysis revealed that attending a private high school, high school GPA, academic self-concept, and likelihood of college involvement positively influenced students’ persistence, while being a first-generation college student was negatively related to persistence to the second year. Implications of these results for practice and policy are provided.