FSRs correlate more strongly with persistence (r = .33) than with achievement outcomes in postsecondary settings¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r? · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 The pooled correlation between FSRs and persistence outcomes (retention, intent to persist) is r = .33, larger than for GPA or grades. → Fathi 2026

Evidence¶

Fathi 2026¶

Fathi, Z., Zarei, P., Fong, C. J., Saha, A. K., & Sharmeen, S. (2026). The Caring Professor: A Meta-Analysis of Associations between Faculty-Student Relationships and Postsecondary Student Success. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10100-9

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r?

Disaggregated meta-analysis by outcome type in Table 6: persistence effect sizes (k = 11 from 9 samples) pooled at r = .33 ("0.33**") with 95% CI [0.17, 0.50], t = 4.56, higher than GPA (0.17) and course grades (0.16).

"Persistence 11 9 0.33** 0.17, 0.50 4.56 343.67*** 0.045 0.001"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Motivation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Perceived faculty-student relationships show a small but statistically significant positive correlation with postsecondary students' academic outcomes (r = .18) — related
• Outcome type significantly moderates the FSR–outcome association, with persistence showing stronger correlations than achievement — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• FSRs correlate positively but weakly with GPA (r = .17) and course grades (r = .16) — related