The factors that influence retention of African American undergraduate college students at a historically Black college or university
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the demographic and educational factors that contribute to the successful retention of African American undergraduate students at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). In the current study, cumulative college grade point average (GPA) was used as a representative measure of academic achievement and retention. This extended previous studies that have used first-year cumulative college GPA to predict academic achievement and retention outcomes (Briceno-Parriott, Gifford & Mianzo, 2006; DeBerard, Julka, & Spielmans, 2004). The 100 African American undergraduate students who participated in the study completed three questionnaires aimed at exploring overall retention. The three questionnaires the participants completed included: The Demographic Questionnaire (Oatis-Ballew & Popkin, 2008), The Education Questionnaire (Oatis-Ballew & Popkin, 2008), and The Baruth Protective Factors Inventory (Baruth & Carroll, 2002). Descriptive statistics were explored through an examination of the frequency distributions of several of the demographic variables. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine whether demographic factors, protective factors, and student’s satisfaction with their mentorship experiences significantly predicted cumulative college GPA. There were three null hypotheses developed for this study, the first of which yielded significant results. It was found that the demographic factors of family education history, family financial history, and high school GPA, significantly influenced cumulative college GPA, but that protective factors and mentorship experiences did not have a significant influence.
Subject Area
Asian American Studies|Psychology|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Aisha P Armstrong,
"The factors that influence retention of African American undergraduate college students at a historically Black college or university"
(2009).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI1473379.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI1473379