Career development events as a predictor of fall-to-fall retention of first-year college students

Abstract

Career development events (CDEs) play an essential role in agricultural education programs and the National FFA Organization. The competitive events are promoted as tools to develop career and college readiness of high school students. This study examined whether participation and performance in agricultural education CDEs in high school can predict retention of first-year, first-time, full-time college students enrolled in agricultural sciences at a regional, Midwest, public university. For the quantitative study, the predictive correlation design utilized chi-square tests and binomial logistic regression analyses. The study results indicate that a significant relationship exists between participation in CDEs and college retention. Also, results signal performance in CDEs has a minimal impact on student retention. Recommendations for further research include conducting the same study on a larger scale, including additional states and universities, examining the effect of CDEs on degree program selection, and the impact of nontraditional predictors for student retention.