The relationship between traditional student success variables with retention of the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship Program

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a relationship existed between a set of prescribed student success quality indicators and retention of the Tennessee lottery scholarship after 24 attempted semester hours. There were two primary research questions: • Research Question 1 (RQ1): Does a relationship exist between lottery scholarship retention (LSR) and any single or combination of student progression variables for first-time, full-time enrolled freshmen after 24 attempted semester hours? • Research Question 2 (RQ2): Does LSR relate to continuous enrollment at the initial awarding institution after the first 24 attempted semester hour checkpoint? Data were collected about lottery scholarship recipients enrolled at a moderately selective higher education institution in the southeastern region of the United States. A Pearson chi-square analysis was administered to examine RQ1. The results revealed a) a strong relationship with high school grade point average, cumulative attempted hours, and overall college grade point average; b) a moderate relationship with standardized admission test score; and c) a weak relationship with gender, residency status, and race/ethnicity with retention of the lottery scholarship. Pell grant eligibility, college, and parent adjusted gross income did not indicate a relationship with retention of the lottery scholarship. Logistic regression analysis revealed two variables, college grade point average and cumulative attempted hours, had a significant value in predicting retention of the lottery scholarship. Correlation analysis for RQ2 demonstrated retention at the initial awarding institution and retaining the lottery scholarship award were strongly related. Students who retained the award were more likely to return to the initial awarding institution. Additionally, a review of the frequency distribution revealed that every student who retained the lottery award returned to the initial awarding institution. Ultimately, this type of research could assist universities with understanding and predicting success characteristics of incoming students. Higher retention and persistence rates within post-secondary institutions potentially impact economic growth through increased completion rates (Angrist, Oreopoulos, & Williams, 2014). Additionally, if students are able to maintain lottery eligibility, the findings from this study might permit institutions to reallocate funds from internal scholarship accounts toward student success programs.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Freeman, Yancy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rausch, David W.
• Crawford, Elizabeth K.; Banks, Steven R.; Prioleau, Ashlie A.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• College attendance -- Tennessee
• Academic achievement -- Tennessee -- Evaluation
• Lotteries -- Tennessee

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/560

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1718