Can Tinto's Student Departure Model Be Applied To Nontraditional Students?

While Tinto's student departure model has been tested and supported in numerous studies, it has not yet been applied to nontraditional students. This study attempted to find out whether Tinto's model, in particular the concepts of academic and social integration, can explain retention among nontraditional students. Attrition rates of 25 adult learner classes in a college of management and business were calculated. Four independent variables were entered into a regression equation in an attempt to explain attrition from these classes. They were: social, academic, and career integration; and the size of each class. The data showed that classes that were socially integrated and smaller were better able to retain their students than the less socially integrated and larger-sized classes. The data suggest that what keeps adult learners in educational programs is the social environment in which the learning takes place.