ABSTRACT
Writing is a critical competency in 4-year college curricula. Yet, it is acknowledged that many students lack the writing skills required in college. College retention remains a national concern. However, to our knowledge, there is a research gap around the relationship between writing skills and retention in college. This chapter examines the potential for an innovative application of automated writing evaluation (AWE) to fill the gap in what we know about college writing skills and retention. Using AWE beyond its traditional function for automated scoring and feedback, the chapter applies AWE to assess multiple facets of students’ writing, using writing samples from their coursework and a standardized writing test. It then tests whether these AWE features predict retention. A sociocognitive writing achievement framework defined the evaluated components of writing. AWE was applied to 997 coursework writing samples from 476 students from six universities. A survival analysis was conducted to examine the implications of student writing for retention. Study findings show relationships between some AWE features and student retention. Findings from this research have implications for real-time analytics which can serve as a contributing support mechanism for college retention.
