The Relationship between First-Year Expectations and Persistence for Students Who Self-Identity as Having Not Declared a Major

This research aligned with protocols established by the Florida Board of Governors in 2016 to form a new funding model tied to the institution's performance. The literature review highlighted a disparity between students' expectations and the reality of college which could negatively impact persistence, and therefore funding to the institution. This quantitative study utilized the Beginning of College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) to explore the correlation between incoming, undeclared FTIC students' expectations of co-curricular involvement, faculty interaction, and learning support services utilization and their persistence to the end of the second fall semester. The sample consisted of 1,042 respondents and was collected during orientation for the cohorts of 2017 and 2018. Logistic regression was employed to evaluate the relationships. The results showed no significant relationship between co-curricular involvement, faculty interaction, learning support services utilization, and first-year persistence. This study emphasized the substantial gap in understanding the current undeclared student population in a state with a competitive funding model that rewards metrics like first-year persistence and timely graduation rates. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]