A study of University of Tennessee, Knoxville Evening School attrition from Fall Quarter, 1980, through Fall Quarter, 1981

The major purpose of this study was to identify and investigate specific causes of attrition in a selected group of Evening School undergraduates. Students who failed to register through the Evening School for four consecutive quarters following Fall Quarter, 1980, were considered for this study. A total of 281 subjects participated.

An appropriately designed questionnaire was used in conjunction with telephone interviews. Six interviewers were trained to conduct the survey. Each subject contacted was asked specifically why he/she discontinued attending the Evening School. Demographic data of age, marital status, college affiliation and University longevity were compared with reasons for discontinuing. Subjects were also asked if specific academic related reasons contributed to their discontinuance. The Chi Square test was used to measure significance.

The findings indicated by the present study include:

All subjects were able to, without any difficulty, identify a specific reason for their discontinuance.

The academic related reasons presented in the questionnaire were not considered to be major contributing factors toward discontinuance by the subjects.

Single and married subjects expressed different reasons for their discontinuance.

College affiliation and age had no major effect on reasons for discontinuance.

Subjects with one year or less University longevity discontinued at an abnormally high rate when compared to other subjects.