1. Survey of Academic Orientation Scores Predict Retention of College Freshmen Hall P. Beck Mary Francis Hill Appalachian State University William D. Davidson Angelo State University Mariah Sizemore Janni Merkle Appalachian State University

2. Why Retention Is An Important Issue 1)Loss of funding to universities 2)Counselors and advisors often do not know if students are at-risk until it is too late 3) Loss to society of a skilled individual 4) End of student‘s dream of professional fulfillment and a decrease in life‘s expections

3. SAO Measures Student‘s Perceptions of the Academic Environment Structure Dependence: I like questions that have definite right and wrong answers. Creative Expression: Learning new things is thrilling. Reading For Pleasure: I like to look through the library for books that spark my interest even when I am not working on a specific course assignment. Perform the actions necessary to accomplish the objective via automated or manual control.

4. SAO Measures Student’s Perceptions of the Academic Environment Academic Efficacy: I sometimes wonder if I am college material. Academic Apathy: I try to work just hard enough to get the grade that I need in a class. Mistrust of Instructors: Some instructors enjoy giving students poor grades. Perform the actions necessary to accomplish the objective via automated or manual control.

5. Previous SAO Research 1) Established the validity of the SAO 2) Determine that the SAO can be used to identify students: a) At-risk of obatining a low GPA b) Experiencing high levels of academic stress c) Likely to be more self-actualized 3) The purpose of the present study is to determine if the SAO could identify students unlikely to reenroll for their sophomore year. Perform the actions necessary to accomplish the objective via automated or manual control.

6. Procedure 1) SAO administered to 566 freshmen from a comprehensive university in the southwestern United States 2) Students granted permission to obtain SATs from the registrar

7. Results of Logistic Regression BSE B WalddfpOdds Ratio SAT0.00 18.981.011.00 Structure Dependence-0.050.041.791.18.95 Creative Expression0.040.031.381.241.04 Reading for Pleasure0.02 0.651.421.02 Academic Efficacy-0.080.036.161.01.93 Academic Apathy0.130.0317.811.011.14 Mistrust of Instructors-0.010.030.061.81.99 Constant1.521.630.871.35

8. That‘ s All Folks