A comparison of white and black student academic success using noncognitive variables: A LISREL analysis

The structural relation of the seven noncognitive dimensions proposed by Sedlacek and Brooks in 1976 and traditional definitions of academic ability, as indicated by Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, to first semester grade-point average (GPA) and persistence after three and five semesters was examined in this study. Random samples of entrants at one predominantly white state university were administered the Non-cognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) during summer orientation in 1979 and 1980. The NCQ results and the SAT scores were used to derive structural models (using LISREL) or early academic success for both black and white students. The structural models for the black and white students were found to be very different. For black students, traditional academic ability was related to first semester GPA, but neither GPA nor academic ability was related to persistence. Only the noncognitive dimensions were predictive of black student persistence. For white students, academic ability was the best predictor of first semester grades, and these grades were the major predictor of subsequent persistence. The noncognitive dimensions were not important in white student academic success, whereas they were crucial in black student academic success.     

Noncognitive Variables and Student Learning in Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the relationship between participation in Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) at California Valley College (CVC) (one of the 113 California Community Colleges in California) and several measures of student learning. An embedded survey design was developed using William Sedlacek’s noncognitive questionnaire (NCQ), items from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), items based on Marcia Baxter Magolda’s epistemological reflection model of cognitive complexity, and items based on student learning outcomes for learning in EOPS. The survey had a 43.7% response rate. Students’ demographic characteristics, progress data, and grades were also collected. The survey concluded with four open-ended questions examining students’ perceptions about their learning. GPA (grade point average) as an outcome measure, and several NCQ scales were positively correlated with the Learning in EOPS Scale. Qualitative and mixed methods analyses extended statistical findings, highlighting the importance of positive outlook, positive self-concept, realistic self-appraisal, and support for learning. Finally, the study found that students’ academic and social involvement played a noteworthy role in students’ development, especially as related to cognitive complexity and learning in EOPS.     

Discussion and implications

In this chapter, conclusions are drawn and implications are suggested. Of the noncognitive variables included in the study, the students’ priorities were the most important in predicting GPA. In general, noncognitive variables provided important admissions information. Furthermore, explicit conceptual models, analyzed with relatively sophisticated statistical techniques, are needed to further our understanding of variables directly and indirectly related to college success.     

THE EMERGING LOUISIANA COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM: BACK TO BASICS AND DOWN TO BUSINESS

Online Student Service provides all Houston Community College (HCC) students and its surrounding community access to college information 24/7. Queries may be made regarding the admissions process, financial aid, testing, veterans' affairs, international admission, tuition costs, and programs and courses offered at each HCC location. Also available to system users are interactive online advising and access to a variety of general information.     

“双一流”大学招生倾斜政策下弱势学生发展的追踪研究

倾斜性招生政策是近年来我国面向贫困地区弱势学生实施的重要举措。使用国内某“双一流”大学追踪调查数据,分析国家专项与高校专项两类学生的在学发展情况。研究发现,两类专项学生受惠于倾斜性招生政策得以被录取,尽管高考成绩显著更低,但在各类能力自评得分方面没有劣势。不过,进入大学后,国家专项学生在自我认知方面和高校专项学生在批判性思维发展方面的自评得分均存在显著劣势。此外,高校专项学生入学时的毅力优势也在大三消失。在学业成绩方面,受学业基础较差影响,两类专项学生大一课业成绩显著偏低,且均在人文学科方面表现不佳。国家专项学生所获得的高考降分越多,大一挂科率和挂科数均显著越高,平均成绩显著越低,且在人文学科中尤为明显。研究认为,“双一流”高校在制定和实施国家专项招生政策时,应根据各自往年生源情况科学分配各学科专项招生名额,给予专项生更多的志愿填报指导,尝试放宽专项生转专业限制,并为专项生提供富有针对性的发展支持,在保障弱势学生入学机会的同时,更好地促进其在大学期间的良性发展。     

Noncognitive predictors of achievement in introductory college chemistry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive relationship between initial student attitudes, admissions test scores, years of high school math taken, and subsequent achievement in introductory college chemistry. Included in this study was a sample of 179 students who began as new freshmen during the same fall semester and took an introductory chemistry course during their first year of college. The results of this study indicated that noncognitive variables were significant predictors of student performance. These findings also indicated that, for some types of academic outcomes, noncognitive variables may be better predictors of achievement than traditional measures such as admissions test scores.     

Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Academic Achievement Among African American Students

Abstract

The authors of this cross-sectional study used surveys based on the noncognitive model of W. E. Sedlacek and C. G. Brooks (1976) to determine psychosocial factors associated with African American students' high school achievement Psychosocial variables explored included community service, academic motivation, social support, and students' methods of handling unfair treatment. Results showed that after gender and absenteeism were controlled for, only the method of handling unfair treatment was positively associated with grade point average (GPA), p < .05. Those findings suggest that students who talk to others about being treated unfairly instead of keeping it to themselves are more likely to have higher GPAs; the findings also have important implications for individuals involved in the counseling and education of high school students. Sedlacek and Brooks's model provides an effective guide for predicting academic achievement and for developing programs to improve academic achievement among students of color. Further research is needed into psychosocial factors and their effects on academic achievement.     

The Influence of Student Characteristics and the Community College on Bachelor’s Degree Attainment

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in baccalaureate degree attainment among transfer students with associate’s degrees, transfer students without associate’s degrees, and university-native students. The study also investigated if demographic characteristics or academic preparation characteristics (i.e., transfer cumulative grade point average [GPA], transfer hours earned, cumulative overall grade point average, and cumulative credit hours earned) predicted graduation rates. Participants included transfer students from all community colleges and native students from one university in one southeastern state. The study utilized a causal-comparative research design. The chi-square test of independence was used to determine if differences in graduation rates existed, and logistic regression was used to determine if demographic characteristics and academic preparation predicted graduation rates. Community college students graduated at higher rates than native students. The academic preparation variables made a significant contribution in the prediction of graduation, with the strongest predictor being the cumulative overall GPA.     

EFFECTS OF TRANSFER ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS AT THE FOUR‐YEAR INSTITUTION

This study presents an in‐depth meta‐analysis of transfer shock, the grade point average (GPA) drop experienced by many community college transfer students. The purpose of the study was to identify all possible studies dealing with transfer shock and to report the magnitude of GPA change from the last quarter or semester at the community college to the end of the first quarter or semester at the senior institution. The study also researched the amount of recovery of GPA obtained by the community college transfer students at the 4‐year institution.

The search revealed 62 studies that reported the magnitude of GPA change. The studies showed that although community college transfer students in 79% of the studies experienced transfer shock, the majority of the magnitude of GPA change was one half of a grade point or less.

Of the studies that showed that community college transfer students experienced transfer shock, 67% reported that students recover from transfer shock, usually within the first year after transfer. Significantly, 34% of these studies showed community college transfer students recovered completely from transfer shock, 34% showed nearly complete recovery, and 32% showed partial recovery.

Because admission criteria for community college transfer students are based almost solely on academic performance, it is important for admissions personnel to consider the GPA recovery phenomenon in the decision process, not just the transfer‐shock phenomenon.     

College Course Grades for Dual Enrollment Students

This study compared college course grade outcomes, both during and after high school, of dual-enrollment students to those of traditional students. The study was based on a large, multiyear sample of Iowa high school and community college students. The results showed that while in high school, dual-enrollment students consistently outperformed traditional students in community college courses. However, much of the difference might be due to underlying differences in the two groups associated with the type of college the students chose to attend after high school (i.e., four-year vs. two-year). Dual enrollment students tended to perform about the same as traditional students in terms of post-high-school community college course grades. For students who enrolled in four-year institutions after high school, analyses of college course grade data suggested a small positive effect of dual enrollment on first-year college grade point average (GPA).     

Adjusting the Cumulative GPA Using Item Response Theory

In college admissions, the predictive validity of preadmissions measures such as standardized test scores and high school grades is of wide interest. These measures are most often validated against the criterion of the first-year grade point average (GPA). However, neither the first-year GPA nor the four-year cumulative GPA is an adequate indicator of academic performance through four years of college. In this study, Item Response Theory (IRT) is used to develop a more reliable measure of performance, called an IRT-based GPA, which is used to estimate the validity of traditional preadmissions information. The data are preadmissions information and course grades for the Class of 1986 at Stanford University (N = 1564). Principal factor analysis is used as a precursor to determine the dimensionality of the course data and to partition courses into approximately unidimensional subsets, each of which is scaled independently. Results show a substantial increase in predictability when the IRT-based GPA is used instead of the usual GPA.     

Some Impacts of Science Telecasts

Abstract

The problem investigated in this study was to determine how accurately three related, yet distinct, groups could predict first semester college freshman GPA Data on seventy-six students, parents, and counselors were analyzed.

Correlation coefficients computed between predicted GPA by students, parents, and counselors and GPA actually achieved by the students were found to be 0.5443, 0.6010, and 0.5867 respectively. An analysis of variance of .4265 demonstrated no significant differences between the three groups' predicted GPA. The differences between the students' achieved GPA and the predicted GPA by each group were all significant at the .01 level.

Each group predicted about as well as the more objective measures of academic success; each group tended to predict about the same; and each group tended to over-predict.     

The performance of minority students beyond the freshman year: Testing a “late-bloomer” hypothesis in one state university setting

This study examines the validity of standard admissions variables for predicting the long-term performance of minority and nonminority students in one state university. Special attention is given to what may be termed a late-bloomer hypothesis, according to which minority students may be expected to show relatively greater improvement in performance following the freshman year than their nonminority classmates. This hypothesis derives from the plausible argument that minority students face unique problems of adjustment to college which adversely affect their first-year but not their long-term performance. The predictive validity of admissions variables was found to be higher for minority than for nonminority students regardless of the criterion under consideration, and somewhat higher for longer-term cumulative GPA than for shorter-term GPA. Minority and nonminority students were more sharply differentiated by overall cumulative undergraduate GPA than by first-year GPA, inconsistent with the late-bloomer hypothesis.     

Assessing Differential Prediction of College Grades by Race/Ethnicity with a Multilevel Model

Previous research notes the importance of understanding racial/ethnic differential prediction of college grades across multiple institutions. Institutional variation in selection indices is especially important given some states' laws governing public institutions' admissions decisions. This paper employed multilevel moderated multiple regression to study the variation of selection indices across 30 institutions and the accuracy of selection indices in predicting college grades for students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Several benefits of multilevel models for cross-institutional differential prediction studies were described and include: controlling for institutional differences in range restriction, providing reliability estimates of least squares estimates, and adjusting criterion scores for differences in coursework difficulty. The findings from this study provide evidence of institutional variation in selection indices, which challenges current laws aimed at standardizing them. Specifically, there was evidence that the predictor slope coefficients varied across institutions, in addition to the estimates that measured intercept differences for African and Asian American students. Across universities, the results mirrored previous findings: high school grade point average (GPA) differentially predicted grades for African Americans, SAT verbal scores differentially predict grades for Asian Americans, and SAT math scores were better predictors of Asian Americans' grades.     

Transfer Student Success: Exploring Community College,University, and Individual Predictors

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates community college transfer success by exploring the relationship between individual and institutional-level characteristics at students’ two- and four-year institutions. Using statewide administrative data from North Carolina, this study employs a cross-classified multilevel model to investigate the impact that a student’s community college and four-year transfer institution have on post-transfer success. Our findings offer important and compelling insights into the relationship between transfer students, the community college they attended, the four-year transfer institution, and educational outcomes. While individual effects were small, we find several institutional factors associated with student success. Attendance at a large community college or having a public university in the same county as their community college is positively associated with student success, whereas size of the university is negatively related to grades during the first year and persistence to the second year. While the four-year institution’s selectivity is negatively related to many of our outcomes, transferring to a Historically Black College or University is positively associated with GPA, college persistence, and degree completion.     

Using Explanatory Item Response Models to Analyze Group Differences in Science Achievement

Correlational evidence suggests that high school GPA is better than admission test scores in predicting first-year college GPA, although test scores have incremental predictive validity. The usefulness of a selection variable in making admission decisions depends in part on its predictive validity, but also on institutions’ selectivity and definition of success. Analyses of data from 192 institutions suggest that high school GPA is more useful than admission test scores in situations involving low selectivity in admissions and minimal to average academic performance in college. In contrast, test scores are more useful than high school GPA in situations involving high selectivity and high academic performance. In nearly all contexts, test scores have incremental usefulness beyond high school GPA. Moreover, high school GPA by test score interactions are important in predicting academic success.     

Comparison of Community College Students’ Sexual Health Dimensions

ABSTRACT

Sexually active college students in the United States have alarming rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Varying degrees of sexual health knowledge and attitudes among college students are an outcome of sexuality education in the K-12 school systems with abstinence-only or comprehensive focus. Community college students (n = 737) aged 18–24 years, 57% from a college in an abstinence-only sex education state and 43% from a college in a comprehensive sex education state, both in the Mid-Atlantic region, took the Sexual Health Survey in October 2016, which measures sexual health knowledge and attitudes. Gender and ethnicity differences, as well as other sources of sexuality information were evaluated. Students from the comprehensive sex education state, New Jersey had higher sexual health knowledge and attitude scores than the students from the abstinence-only sex education state, Pennsylvania. Male students in New Jersey scored significantly higher in sexual health knowledge compared to male students in Pennsylvania, while female students in New Jersey had higher sexual health knowledge scores compared to the male students. Analysis of ethnicity revealed the New Jersey college sample had healthier sexual attitudes as compared to the Pennsylvania college sample, with notable distinction among Black students. The Internet, friends, and personal experiences were chosen by 75% of all students across both colleges as the top reported sources of sexuality information. In addition to advocating for comprehensive sex education, recommendations are made for sexual health initiatives in community colleges to provide sexual health instruction and support.     

Food Insecurity Among Community College Students: Prevalence and Association With Grade Point Average

This study investigated the prevalence of food insecurity among community college students (N = 301) and the relationship between food insecurity and student grade point average (GPA). It employed a cross-sectional intercept survey, utilizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Household Food Security Survey Module, student self-reported GPA, and demographic variables. The research setting was two community colleges in Maryland—one located in a low income urban area and one located in an affluent suburban area. Results demonstrate that 56% of the students in the overall sample were classified as food insecure. Students at higher risk of food insecurity included those who reported living alone and those who reported being single parents. Students identifying themselves as African American or as multiracial were also at increased risk for food insecurity. Food insecure students were more likely than food secure students to report a lower GPA (2.0–2.49) versus a higher GPA (3.5–4.0). Data suggest that food insecurity is an issue for a large percentage of the community college student sample. Food insecurity may have adverse effects on student academic performance and is a factor to be considered by college administrators, faculty, and students.     

The success of college students with learning disabilities: factors related to educational attainment.

This study reports on the educational attainment of 62 college students with learning disabilities as compared to a sample of 58 peers matched on gender and ACT composite score (+/- 1 point or exact match). All students were native English speakers and were enrolled as degree candidates in a small, competitive, private, midwestern college. Groups were compared on age, high school preparation and performance, college grades, GPA at the end of each year of study, graduation and academic failure rate, and time taken to complete degree. Factors that may have influenced outcomes are discussed as are implications for college admissions officers, college students with learning disabilities, service providers, and academic advisors.