The Effect of Individual and Social Integration on Economic Student Retention

Abstract

This research aims to analyze student retention factors related to behavior in learning, both in the classroom and outside the classroom through learning community. Furthermore this research explores the social experiences and learning students in dealing with academic systems and environmental changes. This research is fundamental research that looks for sources of problems to be revealed and solved on empirical and theoretical basis, conducted with quantitative approach. The unit analysis of this research is all new students who have taken their first year of study at Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Semarang. The analysis technique uses Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling. The results of this study indicate that the 13 hypotheses tested, there are 7 hypotheses that have high significant effect, namely effect of academic integration on retention, academic integration on goals and institutional commitments, social integration on retention, social integration on goals and institutional commitments, goals and institutional commitments on academic integration, goals and institutional commitments to social integration, and goals and institutional commitments to retention. There are two hypotheses that have significant effect, namely effect of parental background on retention, effect of skills and abilities on retention, three hypotheses showed an insignificant effect, namely family background on goals and institutional commitments, the effect of skills and abilities on goals and institutional commitments, and the effect of previous education on retention. The theoretical implication of this research was the strong role of social factors and students’ individuals to continue and complete the entire learning process in facing challenges in the global era.

Keywords: Social Integration, Academic Integration, Retention.