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Version 1.3 – Updated November 2024

Retention

Overview

  • Influence: Retention
  • Domain: Classroom
  • Sub-Domain: Classroom climate
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have a negative impact
  • Influence Definition: The practice of retaining a student in a single grade-level in the next academic year because she or he has been prevented from making adequate progress.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 10
  • Number of studies: 339
  • Number of students: 27,408
  • Number of effects: 4,456
  • Weighted mean effect size: -0.24
  • Robustness index: 4

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Journal of Research and Development in Education Holmes USA The Fourth R: Retention. 1983 Retained vs. non-retained 7 0 527 -0.42
Review of Educational Research Holmes & Matthews USA The Effects of Nonpromotion on Elementary and Junior High School Pupils: A Meta-Analysis 1984 Retention on all students on elementary students 44 11,132 575 -0.37
Conference paper Holmes USA A synthesis of recent research on nonpromotion: A five year follow-up. 1986 Retained vs. non-retained 17 0 217 -0.06
Research and policies on retention Holmes USA Grade Level Retention Effects: A Meta-Analysis of Research Studies 1989 Retention on all students 63 0 861 -0.15
Dissertation Yoshida USA A meta-analysis of the effects of grade retention on the achievement of elementary school children. 1989 Retention on elementary students 34 0 242 -0.38
Conference paper Drany & Wilson USA The impact of design characteristics on study outcomes in retention research: a meta-analytic perspective 1992 Retained vs. non retained within same year 22 0 78 -0.66
California School Psychologist Jimerson USA A synthesis of grade retention research: Looking backward and moving forward. 2001 Retained vs. non-retained 20 2,806 175 -0.39
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis Allen, Chen, Willson, & Hughes USA Quality of Research Design Moderates Effects of Grade Retention on Achievement: A Meta-Analytic, Multilevel Analysis 2009 High quality studies on retention 22 13,470 207 0.04
Dissertation Bright USA A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Grade Retention of K-6 Students on Student Achievement, 1990-2010 2011 Retained vs non-retained 26 0 245 -0.50
Educational Research Review Goos, Pipa, & Peixoto Belgium Effectiveness of grade retention: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021 Retention on all students 84 0 1,329 -0.04
TOTAL/AVERAGE 339 27,408 4,456 -0.29
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