Retention and Resources: An Exploration of How Social Network Resources Related to University Commitment

Abstract

Universities are increasingly interested in improving student retention. Furthermore, a student's university-affiliated social network may have an impact on how committed a student is to graduating from the university. A questionnaire study was conducted to evaluate the effect of freshmen's perspective of social variables on institutional commitment. Social variables measured included social network size, network satisfaction, and perception of available network resources such as personal, social, and instrumental resources. Regression analyses indicated that perceptions of resources available from the social network were highly correlated with network satisfaction. Satisfaction with one's university-affiliated social network was found to be positively correlated with institutional commitment.