#CSAM18 Day 24: Non-traditional student success
I was introduced to Bean & Metzner through David Vacchi, who researches and writes about student veterans and their success. I enjoy working with the theory because it provides a framework for understanding why older students leave or stay on our campuses.
They developed a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. They defined non-traditional as older than 24, not a residential student, and/or a part-time student. They found that the primary reasons for these student to attend are primarily academic, instead of both academic and social. They developed a model to better understand the different factors that contribute to dropping out of or remaining in college. When I talk about this theory, usually when discussing student veterans, I describe Bean & Metzners findings based on two axes. The first axis has Academic Variables on the x-axis and Environmental variables on the y-axis. Good academic variables = supportive department, flexible scheduling; Good environmental variables = supportive family, daycare opportunities, flexible employment. The other end of the spectrum are opposites of those. If there is no or poor environmental support, such as a lack of child care or flexible work schedules, no amount of academic support can make up for it But, good environmental support can make up for poor academic conditions.
The second axis we have an x and y axis here, with psychological outcomes on the x-axis and academic outcomes on the y-axis. High academic outcomes = good GPA, successful in course work, positive relationship with learning; high psychological outcomes = Connecting to what they’re learning, think it applies to their goals. Even if students are succeeding academically, if they don’t think the knowledge is useful or pertains to their goals, they may drop out. If students are not high-achieving, but feel their learning connects to their lives or goals, they may continue to persist.
If you read the actual article, it contains a rather messy drawn model.
Title of theory: A Conceptual Model of Nontraditional Undergraduate Student Attrition
Year theory was published: 1985
Students originally studied: Bean & Metzner utilized multiple models from literature to build their model
Background of the author: I couldn't find any biographical information on Barbara S. Metzner.
John Bean, PhD, is an Associate Professor Emeritus at Indiana University.
How theory can be used now: When we talk about success, we should start defining it. When we talk about the struggles our students face, we should be difining those. Bean & Metzner's model does both of those things for students older than 24 years old. By diving into the many reasons older students may success or choose to leave, we can begin to understand how we might play a role in those decisions.
Words of warning: Bean & Metzner's theory has been studied a few times, you can find the results, so we should probably take their model with a grain of salt. It's also a pretty messy model that can be hard to digest or use when discussing it to advocate for certain things on campus.
Bean, J. P., & Metzner, B. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of educational Research, 55(4), 485-540.
https://education.indiana.edu/about/directory/profiles/bean-john-p.html
They developed a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. They defined non-traditional as older than 24, not a residential student, and/or a part-time student. They found that the primary reasons for these student to attend are primarily academic, instead of both academic and social. They developed a model to better understand the different factors that contribute to dropping out of or remaining in college. When I talk about this theory, usually when discussing student veterans, I describe Bean & Metzners findings based on two axes. The first axis has Academic Variables on the x-axis and Environmental variables on the y-axis. Good academic variables = supportive department, flexible scheduling; Good environmental variables = supportive family, daycare opportunities, flexible employment. The other end of the spectrum are opposites of those. If there is no or poor environmental support, such as a lack of child care or flexible work schedules, no amount of academic support can make up for it But, good environmental support can make up for poor academic conditions.
The second axis we have an x and y axis here, with psychological outcomes on the x-axis and academic outcomes on the y-axis. High academic outcomes = good GPA, successful in course work, positive relationship with learning; high psychological outcomes = Connecting to what they’re learning, think it applies to their goals. Even if students are succeeding academically, if they don’t think the knowledge is useful or pertains to their goals, they may drop out. If students are not high-achieving, but feel their learning connects to their lives or goals, they may continue to persist.
If you read the actual article, it contains a rather messy drawn model.
Title of theory: A Conceptual Model of Nontraditional Undergraduate Student Attrition
Year theory was published: 1985
Students originally studied: Bean & Metzner utilized multiple models from literature to build their model
Background of the author: I couldn't find any biographical information on Barbara S. Metzner.
John Bean, PhD, is an Associate Professor Emeritus at Indiana University.
How theory can be used now: When we talk about success, we should start defining it. When we talk about the struggles our students face, we should be difining those. Bean & Metzner's model does both of those things for students older than 24 years old. By diving into the many reasons older students may success or choose to leave, we can begin to understand how we might play a role in those decisions.
Words of warning: Bean & Metzner's theory has been studied a few times, you can find the results, so we should probably take their model with a grain of salt. It's also a pretty messy model that can be hard to digest or use when discussing it to advocate for certain things on campus.
Bean, J. P., & Metzner, B. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of educational Research, 55(4), 485-540.
https://education.indiana.edu/about/directory/profiles/bean-john-p.html
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