AN EMPIRICAL-EXAMINATION OF THE CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY OF GOAL COMMITMENTIN THE PERSISTENCE PROCESS

This study represents the first published investigation into the const ruct validity of goal commitment as it affects the persistence process . Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that goal commitment could be decomposed into multiple indicators of the same latent construct: a sp ecial factor called goal commitment that groups items related to goal importance, specificity of goals, and situational influence; a second factor represented by items indicating certainty of purpose; and a thi rd factor consisting of items related to goals in general. The predict ive validity of each subcomponent on different outcomes related to stu dent persistence was established. While goal commitment was found to h ave a significant direct effect an both students' intents to persist a nd actual persistence behavior, neither of the other two factors were as equally predictive as measures of student retention.