Gloria Crisp

Student Characteristics, Pre-College, College, and Environmental Factors as Predictors of Majoring in and Earning a STEM Degree: An Analysis of Students Attending a Hispanic Serving Institution:

This study examined the demographic, pre-college, environmental, and college factors that impact students’ interests in and decisions to earn a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree among students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Results indicated that Hispanic students were well represented among STEM majors, and students’ decisions to declare a STEM major and earn a STEM degree were uniquely influenced by students’ gender, ethnicity, SAT math score, and high school percentile. Earning a STEM degree was related to students’ first-semester GPA and enrollment in mathematics and science “gatekeeper” courses. Findings indicate that HSIs may be an important point of access for students in STEM fields and may also provide opportunity for more equitable outcomes for Hispanic students.

Mentoring Students: Conceptualizing and Validating the Multi-Dimensions of a Support System

Many students do not receive the adequate academic and social support during their enrollment in a higher education institution that could positively impact their abilities to succeed in college (Astin, 1984; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Nora, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991). These support systems can be viewed as providing a holistic mentoring experience to students. Because of the many possible benefits to be derived from mentoring, the study of effective mentoring of undergraduates is paramount. Unfortunately, the utility of existing mentoring studies is limited due to definitional, methodological, and theoretical flaws (Jacobi, 1991). The purpose of the present study was to identify the multi-dimensions associated with mentoring through a proposed conceptual framework. Four major domains were identified in the literature: 1) psychological or emotional support, 2) goal setting and career paths, 3) academic subject knowledge support, and 4) the existence of a role model. Secondary data were analyzed from a sample of 200 students at a two-year institution in the south-central area of the United States in the 1997 academic year. Three statistically reliable latent variables (educational/career goal-setting and appraisal, emotional and psychological support, academic subject knowledge support aimed at advancing a students knowledge relevant to their chosen field) were identified as comprising the mentoring experiences of the survey participants. Findings suggest that mentoring programs aimed at providing experiences designed to assist students in adjusting to college life and becoming fully engaged in classroom and out-of-class activities should focus on providing support for the latent variables identified.

Examining the tangible and psychosocial benefits of financial aid with student access, engagement, and degree attainment

Research on financial assistance points out the impact of aid on academic achievement, educational commitments, student engagement, and persistence to graduation. What is more, the availability of funds to meet tuition and other college-going expenses not only bears on a student’s decision to attend college but also affects to a great extent the choice of college made by that student. This article looks at the influence that financial aid exerts on different aspects of a student’s life, provides a financial aid profile of first-time-in-college students across 6 academic years, and reviews different financial resources used by low-income students.

The Impact of Developmental Education on Community College Persistence and Vertical Transfer

Developmental education has been cited as one of the most difficult issues facing community colleges. Despite the controversy and changes to educational policy regarding developmental education, there is a notable dearth of rigorous research measuring the causal effect of remediation on community college student outcomes. The present study uses data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 04/09) to measure the impact of developmental education on community college students’ odds of persistence and vertical transfer after controlling for enrollment in remediation and institutional-level variables. Propensity score matching results reveal that students who enroll in developmental courses are systematically different from community college students who do not remediate in gender, ethnicity, first-generation status, academic preparation and experiences during high school, and delayed college entry. Moreover, post-matching hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) findings demonstrate that developmental education may overall serve to decrease community college students’ odds of successfully transferring to a 4-year institution, with negative impacts on students enrolled in English and mathematics courses. Implications for research, policy, and practice are addressed.

Service Learning at Community Colleges: Synthesis, Critique, and Recommendations for Future Research.

The purpose of this paper is to review and critique empirical work done, to date, specific to service learning experiences at the community college level. A review of the literature was conducted in order to examine the empirical work that has been developed regarding service learning, a form of experiential learning, at community colleges. The narrative defines service learning, describes types of service learning taking place on community college campuses, and synthesizes and critiques the service learning empirical work done to date. The review closes with specific recommendations for both researchers and practitioners regarding future research.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Measure of “Mentoring” Among Undergraduate Students Attending a Hispanic Serving Institution

The present study validated the underlying domains that comprise the mentoring experiences of students attending a Hispanic Serving Institution. Mentoring was hypothesized to comprise four interrelated components as measured by the College Student Mentoring Scale. T test results indicated different groups of students received similar mentoring experiences, whereas confirmatory factor analyses revealed the mentoring model was valid. The factor structure was found to be significantly different between White and Hispanic students. El estudio actual validó los dominios subyacentes que componen las experiencias de mentoría de estudiantes de una Institución al Servicio de los Hispanos. Se hipotetizó que mentoría sería compuesta de cuatro componentes interrelacionados como medidos por el College Student Mentoring Scale. Los resultados de la prueba t indicaron que distintos grupos de estudiantes recibieron experiencias de mentoría semejantes mientras que análisis factorial confirmatorio indicó que el modelo de mentoría fue válido. Se descubrió que la estructura factorial fue significativamente diferente para estudiantes angloamericanos y estudiantes hispanos.

A reconceptualization of CCSSE's benchmarks of student engagement

As a great deal of importance is now placed on student engagement, it is just as imperative to establish the soundness of constructs underlying those survey instruments and benchmarks used in providing indicators of such. This study investigates the dimensionalities of student engagement among community college students as measured by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and tests the degree of predictive validity of its five benchmarks on academic performance. Moreover, the researchers propose a reconceptualization of a theoretical framework on student engagement, one that focuses predominantly on both behavioral and attitudinal facets.

Undergraduate Latina/o Students A Systematic Review of Research Identifying Factors Contributing to Academic Success Outcomes

A systematic review was conducted to produce an up-to-date and comprehensive summary of qualitative and quantitative evidence specific to the factors related to undergraduate Latina/o student academic success outcomes during college. The purpose of the study was to make sense of and provide critique to this rapidly growing body of research, as well as to direct future research efforts. Findings indicate that a combination of (a) sociocultural characteristics; (b) academic self-confidence; (c) beliefs, ethnic/racial identity, and coping styles; (d) precollege academic experiences; (e) college experiences; (f) internal motivation and commitment; (g) interactions with supportive individuals; (h) perceptions of the campus climate/environment; and (i) institutional type/characteristics are related to one or more academic success outcomes for Latina/o students. The article concludes with specific recommendations including the use of additional methods, frameworks and perspectives that we hope will be useful in advancing this line of work.

Community College Student Success Programs: A Synthesis, Critique, and Research Agenda

A narrative review was developed to add to the discussion and dissemination of research on community colleges. The review adds to existing work by synthesizing and critiquing the empirical research to date specific to three of the most prevalent programmatic efforts presently seen on community college campuses: (a) learning communities, (b) student success courses, and (c) supplemental instruction. Empirical investigations or evaluations of student success programs from academic journals, conference presentations, dissertations, unpublished policy reports, and book chapters were identified, summarized, and critiqued. The review concludes with a proposed research agenda to advance research on program effectiveness at community colleges and implications for practice.

Understanding the Racial Transfer Gap: Modeling Underrepresented Minority and Nonminority Students' Pathways from Two-to Four-Year Institutions

This study models student- and institutional-level factors that influence vertical transfer among a national sample of White and underrepresented minority (URM) community college students. Results indicate that the predictors of transfer are different in many ways for White and URM students. Most notably, findings suggest that enrolling in vocational programs may hinder students’ odds of vertical transfer for URM (but not White) students. Implications for research, theory, and practice are discussed.