Assessing the Persistence to Graduation of Students Joining Fraternities at Western Kentucky University
Abstract
In the study, I assessed the persistence of students who joined fraternities at Western Kentucky University. Also included is a comparison between them and the general student population. The study includes 1467 students who joined fraternities between the Fall 1986 to Spring 1991 semesters. A five-year time period was used as the benchmark for graduation from the institution. Factors that were explored included race, initiation status, year in school when pledging, and organizational affiliation. Pearson Product-Moment Correlations and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. The results illustrated that students who join fraternities graduate at a higher percentage than the general student population. Black students who join fraternities graduate at a significantly higher percentage than black students who do not join. Pledge Year and Initiation Status proved to be significant factors.