Abstract
This study evaluated the measurement equivalence/invariance (ME/I) of a ten-construct factorial measurement model of college student attrition based on self-reported attitudes of entering college freshmen. Establishing metric invariance is the first step towards validation of constructs relevant for an early warning system to prevent college student attrition. The study uses a survey administered annually from 1995 to 1999. This allowed students from the last cohort either to graduate or to drop out by 2004. It discusses ten constructs that resemble the Cabrera, Nora, and Castañeda (1993) model of first-second year of college student persistence. The Cabrera et al. (1993) model claims that college persistence is affected by external factors or student background variables, and endogenous factors such as academic integration, social integration, institutional commitment, goal commitment, academic performance, and intent to persist. We included additional background measures of high-school attitudes towards academics. We also introduced measures of social integration, political interests and concern-for-the-disadvantaged because these were suitable to the type of college from which we drew our sample. Results of the measurement invariance tests revealed full metric invariance and validity for seven of the ten constructs of our model. We discuss implications for future research. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]