FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH STUDENT PERSISTENCE IN ENROLLING FOR NON-CREDIT CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES IN MARYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Statement of the Problem. The problem of this study was to determine the extent to which student persistence in enrolling in non-credit continuing education courses from a sample of eight Maryland two-year community colleges was independent of each of eight demographic and enrollment characteristics, as assessed by the Community College Non-Credit Course Enrollment Survey (NCCES). The study findings were interpreted for their implications regarding the development and marketing of non-credit continuing education courses in the eight institutions. It was hypothesized that eight demographic and enrollment characteristics (educational level, age, sex, employment status, income level, marital status, reason for enrolling, and number of courses enrolled in) were independent of student persistence in enrolling for non-credit continuing education courses offered by two-year community colleges. Procedures. A total of 500 study subjects, enrolled in non-credit courses in Fall 1976, were randomly selected from eight Maryland community colleges. The basic research method employed was the descriptive survey. The instrument used to elicit data was the Community College Non-Credit Course Enrollment Survey (NCCES), a questionnaire developed by the researcher. A test-retest method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. A first and second mailing of the survey packet resulted in 229 usable questionnaires being returned, or 51% of the 448 students comprising the adjusted study sample. The research hypotheses were tested by calculating the Chi-Square statistic and the associated probability, using the subprogram CROSSTABS in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The confidence level 0.95 was the standard against which independence was determined between student persistence in enrolling in non-credit courses and each of the eight demographic and enrollment characteristics. Major Findings and Conclusions. The major findings and conclusions of the study are: (1) Persistence in enrolling in community college non-credit continuing education courses is related to reasons for enrolling. Personal interest/self-enrichment as opposed to work or career related reasons for enrollment are more characteristic of persistent enrollees. (2) Persistence in enrolling in community college noncredit continuing education courses is related to the number of courses enrolled in for students enrolled for leisure, personal interest/self-enrichment, or social reasons, for female students, and for students who have completed no more than a high school diploma or G.E.D. Certificate. (3) Persistence in enrolling in community college non-credit continuing education courses is related to employment status for single students and for students who have completed at least an Associate Degree. (4) Persistence in enrolling in community college noncredit continuing education courses is related to marital status for single and formerly married students. (5) Persistence in enrolling in community college noncredit continuing education courses is related to educational level for students enrolled for leisure, personal interest/self-enrichment, or social reasons, and for unemployed students. (6) Persistence in enrolling in community college noncredit continuing education courses is related to sex for students enrolled in two non-credit courses. (7) Persistence in enrolling in community college non-credit continuing education courses is related to age for students enrolled for leisure, personal interest/self-enrichment or social reasons, and for students who have completed no more than a high school diploma or G.E.D. Certificate. (8) Approximately 54% of the students in the study sample re-enrolled in at least one non-credit continuing education course during the period 1977-1979. The remaining 46% did not re-enroll in a non-credit continuing education course and for no apparent causal reason.