Exploring the Impact of Holistic Campus Experiences in Conjunction with Other Factors of Retention for Underrepresented Students at HBCUs, MSIs, and PWIs
Abstract
Retention has been a trending issue throughout the history of higher education. Over time, various factors have been explored as reasons why students stop out, drop out, and simply are not retained. As previous research has shown, various factors impact the retention of African American students. This research stems from the researcher’s interest in understanding improving student retention for African American students. The researcher found prior research conducted by Moffett (2008) that studied student retention factors but left room for exploring more variables. Further researching this topic, with the expansion of the student perspective of cultural capital, the researcher hopes to add to the body of research on student retention and provide methods to improve higher education’s holistic, student-centered landscape.The selected population were self-identified underrepresented undergraduate students 18 years of age or older attending historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs), minority serving institutions (MSIs), and selected predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The first location type was small and mid-sized HBCUs in the United States with a student population ranging from approximately 1,000 to 13,0000 undergraduate students. No less than 60% of the students served by these institutions identified as African American. The second location type selected was small and midsized PWIs in the United States with a student population that ranged from approximately 1,000 to 15,000 undergraduate students. A minimum of 19% of the students served at these institutions identified as African American. The third location type was small and mid-sized MSIs in the United States with a student population ranging from approximately 1,000 to 20,000 undergraduate students. No less than 20% of the students served at these institutions identified as African American. The data collection was completed using mixed methods. The conceptual framework used in Moffett (2008) informed the original conceptual framework, the MAM Logic Model utilized for this research. The instrument was composed of 28 items; six of those items utilized Likert scales to quantify students’ perceptions on various retention factors. This answered Research Question 1. To answer Research Questions 2 and 3, the researcher employed follow-up web-based open-ended individual surveys with students at various stages of their collegiate journey to discuss their experiences. The researcher utilized descriptive analysis to understand the relationship between student perceptions of selected variables related to academics and student engagement experiences on their ability to matriculate and be retained. Utilizing mixed methodologies allowed theresearcher to conduct a more comprehensive investigation and satisfy concurrent triangulation. The researcher recognized that the definition of variables and terms could have been a limitation when utilizing surveys. The researcher also recognized that theCOVID-19 Pandemic could cause limited responsiveness of students due to the impact of virtual learning and less students being accessible on actual campuses. The findings demonstrated that participants were generally satisfied with the front-line offices that impact the recruitment of students, those who impact student records, writing and tutoring services, and academic classroom spaces. The findings also demonstrated that participants were generally dissatisfied with institutional concern, institutional values, racial harmony, representation among faculty and student populations, representation of their lived experiences in the curriculum and co-curricular activities, and faculty attitudes toward the student populations. The recommendations for future research included replicating this student with a more substantial sample, conducting the open-ended survey as a standalone study, utilizing the MAM Model to further quantify the data surrounding cultural capital, and conducting a Longitudinal Study utilizing the Holistic Student Experience Survey instrument.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Higher education|Higher Education Administration|Educational evaluation
Recommended Citation
Hunter, Allison D, "Exploring the Impact of Holistic Campus Experiences in Conjunction with Other Factors of Retention for Underrepresented Students at HBCUs, MSIs, and PWIs" (2022). ETD Collection for Fayetteville State University. AAI29169706.
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/dissertations/AAI29169706