Persistence of Parent and Non-Parent College Students: A Comparative Study

- The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine the factors that contribute to the persistence among undergraduate college students in San Agustin Institute of Technology who are parents compared to those students who are not parents. The study employed a descriptive research design. Descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation and t-test were used. The study took place in San Agustin Institute of Technology with one hundred thirty-one (131) respondents. To achieve the objectives of the study, an adapted questionnaire was used. Significant findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents are between 21 to 24 years old, female, enrolled in Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) course, and mostly are non-parent college students. The level of persistence of parent college students of San Agustin Institute of Technology is extremely high. Similarly, the level of persistence of non-parent college students is also extremely high. However, a significant difference on the level of persistence of the parent college students and non-parent college students is found. Henceforward, amidst the changing educational landscape, institutions need to focus on efforts to persistence strategies for the parent college students.