{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1515"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1515","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"The retention of college students with disabilities: what encourages them to stay in college?","abstract":"This study explored the retention rate of college students with disabilities and the factors that encourage this population of students to successfully persist to graduation. The study explored the current lack of information in regard to the comparison of the retention rates of college students with disabilities to that of the general college population and the population of other minority college students. Through this qualitative study, disability-service offices at medium-sized, and four-year public universities in the southeast region of the United States were explored. Directors of these offices and students with invisible and apparent disabilities were interviewed. This study has determined that there are several factors that influence the retention of college students with disabilities. These factors range from the individual resiliency of students to the philosophy of service delivery adopted by directors in disability-service offices. The information gathered through this study is limited due to the size of the sample, but the gained information can be used as a starting point for further research.","abstract_html":"This study explored the retention rate of college students with disabilities and the factors that encourage this population of students to successfully persist to graduation. The study explored the current lack of information in regard to the comparison of the retention rates of college students with disabilities to that of the general college population and the population of other minority college students. Through this qualitative study, disability-service offices at medium-sized, and four-year public universities in the southeast region of the United States were explored. Directors of these offices and students with invisible and apparent disabilities were interviewed. This study has determined that there are several factors that influence the retention of college students with disabilities. These factors range from the individual resiliency of students to the philosophy of service delivery adopted by directors in disability-service offices. The information gathered through this study is limited due to the size of the sample, but the gained information can be used as a starting point for further research.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Rigler, Michelle"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Tucker, James A.","Delaney, John; Miller, Ted; Bernard, Hinsdale","College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:28Z","subjects":["College students with disabilities -- Education (Higher)","College dropouts -- Prevention"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/375","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Tucker, James A.","Delaney, John; Miller, Ted; Bernard, Hinsdale","College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Rigler, Michelle"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2013-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral dissertations","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["College students with disabilities -- Education (Higher)","College dropouts -- Prevention"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/375"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Education","Ed. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Education."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study explored the retention rate of college students with disabilities and the factors that encourage this population of students to successfully persist to graduation. The study explored the current lack of information in regard to the comparison of the retention rates of college students with disabilities to that of the general college population and the population of other minority college students. Through this qualitative study, disability-service offices at medium-sized, and four-year public universities in the southeast region of the United States were explored. Directors of these offices and students with invisible and apparent disabilities were interviewed. This study has determined that there are several factors that influence the retention of college students with disabilities. These factors range from the individual resiliency of students to the philosophy of service delivery adopted by directors in disability-service offices. The information gathered through this study is limited due to the size of the sample, but the gained information can be used as a starting point for further research."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The retention of college students with disabilities: what encourages them to stay in college?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Tucker, James A.","Delaney, John; Miller, Ted; Bernard, Hinsdale","College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies"],"dc:creator":["Rigler, Michelle"],"dc:date":["2013-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Education","Ed. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Education."],"dc:description.abstract":["This study explored the retention rate of college students with disabilities and the factors that encourage this population of students to successfully persist to graduation. The study explored the current lack of information in regard to the comparison of the retention rates of college students with disabilities to that of the general college population and the population of other minority college students. Through this qualitative study, disability-service offices at medium-sized, and four-year public universities in the southeast region of the United States were explored. Directors of these offices and students with invisible and apparent disabilities were interviewed. This study has determined that there are several factors that influence the retention of college students with disabilities. These factors range from the individual resiliency of students to the philosophy of service delivery adopted by directors in disability-service offices. The information gathered through this study is limited due to the size of the sample, but the gained information can be used as a starting point for further research."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/375"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["College students with disabilities -- Education (Higher)","College dropouts -- Prevention"],"dc:title":["The retention of college students with disabilities: what encourages them to stay in college?"],"dc:type":["Doctoral dissertations","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:28Z"}