Predictors of Student Success for Addiction Studies College Students

This study examined student success at a community college addiction studies program. Student success is a composite variable that was statistically created using principal components analysis and consisted of self-reported measures of academic success and achievement. Although there have been several studies that have examined traditional college student success, addiction studies students tend to be more non-traditional, and few studies have examined this population. There were 118 participants in this study. We used traditional path analysis to assess the impact of 14 predictor variables relating to student success. We created a model that predicted 33% of the variance (R2 = .332, p < .001). We found some of the most important variables in the model were meaningful friendships, valuing classmates, hours of studying, leadership, learning excitement, instructor quality, and career relevance. We also used discriminant function analysis to uncover a latent construct, which we called dynamic optimism, which was something the most successful students seemed to have in common. We define dynamic optimism as the tendency to see high value and relevance in people and in everyday situations, approaching opportunities with initiative, enthusiasm, positivity, and a strong desire to seek out positive development and change. Overall, these outcomes help us identify key lines of influence when examining student success in addiction studies programs.