I Finished! Diverse College Students' Cultural Background and College Persistence
Advisor Information
Juan Casas
Location
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
2-3-2018 11:15 AM
End Date
2-3-2018 11:30 AM
Abstract
Tinto’s College Persistence Model (1975) has been the primary theory underlying universities’ strategies for college persistence in recent years. According to this theory, institutional academic integration and institutional social integration are the primary predictors of student persistence. This model appears to have strongly influenced current university programs whose purposes include recruiting and retaining minority student populations. However, many prospective college students may differ from current and previously typical college students in ways that may impact how they view college persistence. This longitudinal study followed 581, college freshman from diverse backgrounds for 3 semesters. Ethnic identity, acculturation, parental expectations, family belonging, and student motivations were analyzed as predictors of academic integration, social integration, and persistence. Data collection is ongoing as the larger project examines persistence over time; however, preliminary analysis found immigrant-origin students reporting higher academic integration by the end of their first, academic semester, t(252) = -2.12, p < .05, but no differences in social integration or intentions to persist. Also, immigrant-origin students’ bonds with family may be salient into the young adult years and therefore require new approaches to facilitate persistence, outside of the current social integration model. For example, immigrant-origin students predicted higher levels of overall academic achievement for themselves, over and above their U.S.-origin peers, t(571) = -2.59, p < .001, but also reported greater demands in supporting their family with behavioral tasks, t(571) = 2.05, p < .05. The importance of considering alternative relationships between college integration and subsequent persistence for immigrant-origin college students is discussed.
I Finished! Diverse College Students' Cultural Background and College Persistence
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Tinto’s College Persistence Model (1975) has been the primary theory underlying universities’ strategies for college persistence in recent years. According to this theory, institutional academic integration and institutional social integration are the primary predictors of student persistence. This model appears to have strongly influenced current university programs whose purposes include recruiting and retaining minority student populations. However, many prospective college students may differ from current and previously typical college students in ways that may impact how they view college persistence. This longitudinal study followed 581, college freshman from diverse backgrounds for 3 semesters. Ethnic identity, acculturation, parental expectations, family belonging, and student motivations were analyzed as predictors of academic integration, social integration, and persistence. Data collection is ongoing as the larger project examines persistence over time; however, preliminary analysis found immigrant-origin students reporting higher academic integration by the end of their first, academic semester, t(252) = -2.12, p < .05, but no differences in social integration or intentions to persist. Also, immigrant-origin students’ bonds with family may be salient into the young adult years and therefore require new approaches to facilitate persistence, outside of the current social integration model. For example, immigrant-origin students predicted higher levels of overall academic achievement for themselves, over and above their U.S.-origin peers, t(571) = -2.59, p < .001, but also reported greater demands in supporting their family with behavioral tasks, t(571) = 2.05, p < .05. The importance of considering alternative relationships between college integration and subsequent persistence for immigrant-origin college students is discussed.