The Relationship between Administrative Intensity and Student Retention and Success: A Three-Year Study

Abstract

Through the lens of complexity theory and by utilizing the methodological framework set forth in Gander’s 1999 article regarding internal and external organizational elements of administrative intensity, this secondary data analysis study linked the internal organizational elements of administrative intensity to institutional results as evidenced by higher education student retention and graduation rates. Representing institutional investments, efforts, and outcomes from 2004 to 2014, three years of data reporting were gathered from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Set (IPEDS) and were then cleaned per secondary data analysis techniques. Using canonical correlation analysis, the internal elements of administrative intensity were correlated with student retention and success. Findings indicate the relationships of internal elements of higher education institutions on student retention and success, which was measured by four-year, six-year, and eight-year graduation rates. The discussion includes education policy implications.