Minority
Student Retention and Academic Achievement in Community Colleges
ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges
By Katalin Szelényi
EDO-JC-01-02
February, 2001
The American college campus,
like society as a whole, is experiencing an expansion of racial and ethnic diversity.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Census, ethnic minorities represented 28 percent
of the population in 1998. By 2050, minorities are projected to account for
47 percent of the population (Aragon, p.2). These demographic trends are also
apparent in the enrollment patterns of American colleges and universities: ethnic
minorities accounted for more than half of the 30 percent expansion in student
enrollment between 1976 and 1994 (Aragon, p.2). As a result of their geographic
accessibility, open-doors admissions policies, and reduced costs, community
colleges are especially likely to serve a diverse student body. Currently, ethnic
minorities comprise approximately 30 percent of student enrollments at American
community colleges (Laanan, p.19).
With the continuing diversification of the student population of community colleges,
problems concerning the educational attainment and retention of ethnic minority
students persist (Sanchez, p.35). While in 1997 22.8 percent of all associate
degrees were awarded to minority students, a 7 percent increase from 1987, compared
to their share of total student enrollment, minorities remain underrepresented
in degree awards (Aragon, p. 3). This reflects general trends throughout higher
education, in which minority students tend to have lower persistence and graduation
rates, as well as lower levels of academic preparedness and achievement, compared
to their white counterparts (Jalomo, pp. 8-10). This Digest, drawn from "Beyond
Access: Methods and Models for Increasing Retention and Learning Among Minority
Students" (New Directions for Community Colleges, Winter 2000), reviews
recent approaches and models for diverse learning environments, with specific
emphasis on fostering the retention and educational achievement of ethnic minority
students at community colleges.
Diverse Students, Diverse
Needs
The culture-specific values and experiences that students bring to the educational
environment may significantly contribute to their individual learning preferences.
For community colleges, shaping the instructional climate of classrooms in a
way that best benefits the individually and culturally influenced differences
in learning styles, value systems and educational preferences of their student
population holds special significance.
Educational Choices
Community college students are influenced by a variety of distinct factors when
making educational and career-related decisions. In the case of minority students,
family and academic support factors emerged as playing a significant role in
enhancing academic achievement and success (Laanan, p.23). In a nationwide study,
using data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program housed at the
University of California, Los Angeles, Laanan found slight differences between
the educational choices made by minority and non-minority students. Of eight
items studied, minority students were more likely than white students to report
that the following factors were important reasons for college attendance: (1)
parental influence; (2) inability to find a job; (3) desire to gain a general
education; (4) desire to improve reading and study skills; (5) desire to become
more cultured; and (6) desire to learn things that interested them. White and
minority students placed similar emphasis on getting a better job and making
more money as reasons for attending community college (Laanan, pp. 27-29).
Learning Styles
Research indicates that a close association exists between students' cultural
background and their preferred learning styles. Students' individual learning
preferences are typically accompanied by culturally determined tools that influence
the way they process information and, depending on the fit between teaching
and learning styles, facilitate or hinder their educational achievement (Sanchez,
pp. 37-38). Sanchez cited two concurrent studies examining the impact of culture
on the learning preferences of Hispanic and Native American college students
in the southwestern United States. In comparison to white students, both Hispanic
and Native American students exhibited a high propensity for participation in
active, concrete learning experiences, cooperative situations, and elaborative
processing (p. 42). Similarly, African-American students' achievement appears
to be positively related to oral experiences and interpersonal relationships
(Palma-Rivas, p. 78).
Enhancing Retention and
Learning
The successful integration of students into the college environment is a crucial
element of raising retention rates. Some common efforts at community colleges
to achieve such integration are freshman seminars, mentoring programs, and strategies
developed to create a supportive campus climate.
Freshman Seminars
The freshman seminar, otherwise referred to as student success course or extended
orientation course, may provide a suitable environment for facilitating interventions
to improve students' persistence. Freshman seminars assist students in identifying
campus resources, establishing relationships with other students and with faculty
members, and assessing and improving their academic and life management skills
(Stovall, p. 46). Students who have enrolled in a student success course generally
earn higher grade point averages, complete a larger number of first-term credit
hours, and increase their persistence and graduation rates (p.52). Stovall,
in a recent study examining a Midwestern public rural community college, found
that enrolling in a success course may be particularly beneficial for ethnic
minority students. When the academic achievement of course participants and
nonparticipants was compared, participation was associated with a .872 rise
in first-term grade point average for minority students, as opposed to a .401
increase for white students (p. 47).
Mentoring
Mentors, by providing career-related and psychosocial assistance to their protégés,
provide the individualized attention students need in dealing with the everyday
problems they encounter in the college environment. A widely used mentoring
model is AMIGOS™ -the acronym for Arranged Mentor for Instructional Guidance
and Organizational (or Other) Support. Under this model, after matching a protégé
with a mentor on the basis of a careful assessment of both mentor and protégé's
personality types, the pairs participate in problem-based activities, training
and information sessions about classes, assignments and other institutional
resources. Mentors and protégés also partake in social activities
either within or outside the institutional environment. AMIGOS™ is currently
used by many organizations and educational institutions nationwide. Preliminary
findings suggest that there is a positive association between participation
in a mentoring program and the persistence rates of minority students (Stromei,
pp. 59-61). A similar approach is taken by the Puente Project developed in California
to facilitate the retention and transfer rates of Hispanic students. The Puente
Project was initiated in 1981 and is currently in use at 38 two-year institutions.
The programs emphasize culturally relevant instructional programs and pair students
with Hispanic mentors and counselors. The programs have achieved high retention
rates and high transfer rates. Almost half of the students who complete the
Puente Project transfer to four-year institutions (Zamani, pp. 99-100).
Campus Climate
Having a campus climate in which diversity is valued is an important factor
contributing to the comfort and educational success of minority students on
community college campuses (Clements, p. 71). In a conscious effort to create
such a supportive environment, Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts
developed programs with an emphasis on supporting cultural diversity and global
awareness. Seven key initiatives included: (1) changing the focus of the orientation
program to emphasize the importance of valuing diversity; (2) developing an
easy-access program for English-as-a-Second-Language students; (3) revising
a portion of the student activities budget to focus on programs that address
issues of diversity; (4) creating international student fellowships; (5) creating
an international club on campus; (6) integrating the appreciation of cultural
differences into the freshman seminar curriculum; and (7) developing a student
improvisational theater troupe. Although minority student retention still lags
behind white student persistence at the college, the new programs reduced the
gap existing between the two groups (Clements, pp. 63-71).
Role of Faculty
Creating an environment in which minority students can thrive is also the responsibility
of individual instructors. White faculty members, who remain in the majority
in most community colleges in the nation, often emphasize the learning styles
influenced by their cultural background (Townsend, p. 90). However, these instructional
practices may not be congruent with the educational preferences of minority
students. Townsend suggested that an important step in overcoming these obstacles
is to become aware of how culturally determined frameworks shape one's attitudes
toward teaching. Faculty participation in study groups and workshops addressing
issues of racial identity is one way of facilitating conversations of the diverse
needs of today's student populations (pp. 89-90). In addition, teachers should
structure their instructional activities with consideration to the diverse learning
preferences represented in their classrooms (Sanchez, p. 43).
Conclusion
Community colleges are engaged in a variety of efforts to facilitate the retention
and educational achievement of ethnic minority students. Successful efforts,
whether institution-wide or in the individual classroom, place a strong emphasis
on consciously building upon the diverse needs of the student population and
facilitating the integration of ethnic minority students into the educational
environment. Studies conducted to examine the effectiveness of these efforts
indicate a positive contribution to retaining ethnic minority students. In order
to reap the full benefits of innovative practices, future research is needed
to further examine the programs already in place, with the ultimate goal of
developing models that two-year institutions can adopt and modify according
to the needs of their student bodies.
References
This Digest is drawn from "Beyond Access: Methods and Models for Increasing
Retention and Learning Among Minority Students." New Directions for Community
Colleges, Number 112, edited by Steven R. Aragon. San Francisco: Jossey Bass,
Winter 2000.
Aragon, Steven R. Editor's Notes. (pp. 1-6)
Clements, Evelyn. Creating a Campus Climate in Which Diversity is Truly Valued.
(pp. 63-72)
Jalomo, Romero, Jr. Assessing Minority Student Performance. (pp. 7-18)
Laanan, Frankie Santos. Community College Students' Career and Educational Goals.
(pp. 19-34)
Palma-Rivas, Nilda. Using Technology to Facilitate Learning for Minority Students.
(pp. 73-83)
Sanchez, Irene M. Motivating and Maximizing Learning in Minority Classrooms.
(pp. 35-44)
Stovall, Martina. Using Success Courses for Promoting Persistence and Completion.
(pp. 45-54)
Stromei, Linda K. Increasing Retention and Success Through Mentoring. (pp. 55-62)
Townsend, Barbara K. Integrating Nonminority Faculty into the Minority Environment.
(pp. 85-94)
Zamani, Eboni M. Sources and Information Regarding Effective Retention Strategies
for Students of Color. (pp. 95-104)
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.
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