Academic Support as a Predictor of Retention to Graduation: New Insights on the Role of Tutoring, Learning Assistance, and Supplemental Instruction

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the relationship between the long-term use of academic support services such as tutoring, learning assistance, and supplemental instruction and retention to graduation. Little research has been devoted to the relationship between academic support and retention to graduation in both the literatures on retention and academic support. The authors use 6 years of data from the University of Louisville's Resources for Academic Achievement unit (REACH) to test the hypotheses that a larger quantity of time spent engaged in academic support services is associated with a higher likelihood of graduation and that cumulative GPA mediates the relationship between hours spent using academic support and graduation. The findings support these hypotheses, suggesting a relationship between academic support and retention to graduation that should be given serious consideration by scholars and administrators.