ABSTRACT
The chapter begins with a number of caveats relating to the findings of the surveys. The findings are then discussed with reference to various aspects of the research surveys, which are grouped with reference to ‘the student experience’, background characteristics of students, and effectiveness and efficiency. The subdivisions in this chapter are not particularly ‘tidy’ since the components overlap each other at a number of points. During the discussion markers are laid down regarding the sources of possible action designed to reduce noncompletion where this is feasible, and these markers are brought together in a section which concentrates on strategies aiming at the improvement of retention. In an inversion of the sequence of Chapter 2, the empirical then gives way to the theoretical, with Tinto’s theorizing being revisited in the light of the empirical evidence that has been presented. A short coda revisits the empirical deficit and indicates ways forward for research.
