Four-Year College and University Environments for Minority Degree Achievement

Table of Contents

“…Some studies show that minority students must contend with circumstances that may prevent them from taking full advantage of learning opportunities, especially at PWIs (Crosson, 1988;Feagin, Vera, and Imani, 1996;Pierce, 1989;Turner, 1994). To some degree, it may be the result of cumulative disadvantages associated with substandard precollege educational preparation (Garcia, 2001;O'Brien and Zudak, 1998).…”

The challenge for higher education: Retaining students of color

“…Many graduate from high schools that ill prepare them €or college. Patricia Crosson (1988) stated that "student attributes when they enter college are related in important ways to their performance, persistence, and degree achievement" (p. 368). Crosson noted that students of color as a group do not perform as well as white students on standard measures of academic performance in college, primarily as a result of less academic preparation.…”

The challenge of diversity: Implications for institutional research

“…However, we do not know much about the nature of these dynamics for minorities. Some researchers have found evidence of a direct role for student involvement in predicting student success; others have found significant racial and gender differences in the kinds of involvement that are important; and others have found evidence only for an indirect role for measures of involvement (Crosson, 1988;Nettles, 1988;Pascarella, 1985;Tinto, 1987). Nevertheless, the institutional involvement theme is pervasive enough that it must be taken seriously.…”