The University of Toledo The University of Toledo Digital Repository Theses and Dissertations 2013 The impact of institutional support services, policies, and programs on the completion and graduation of African American students enrolled at select two-year colleges in Ohio Martino Harmon The University of Toledo Follow this and additional works at: http://utdr.edu/theses-dissertations Recommended Citation Harmon, Martino, "The impact of institutional support services, policies, and programs on the completion and graduation of African American students enrolled at select two-year colleges in Ohio" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The University of Toledo Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The University of Toledo Digital Repository.
For more information, please see the repository's About page. A Dissertation entitled The Impact of Institutional Support Services, Policies, and Programs on the Completion and Graduation of African American Students Enrolled at Select Two-Year Colleges in Ohio by Martino Harmon Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education Administration __________________________________________ David Meabon, Ph., Committee Chair __________________________________________ Mary Ellen Edwards, Ph., Committee Member __________________________________________ Bettina Shuford, Ph., Committee Member __________________________________________ Donald White, Ph., Committee Member __________________________________________ Dr. Patricia Komuniecki, Dean College of Graduate Studies The University of Toledo December 2013 Copyright © 2013, Martino Harmon This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no parts of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author.
2 An Abstract of The Impact of Institutional Support Services, Policies, and Programs on the Completion and Graduation of African American Students Enrolled at Select Two-Year Colleges in Ohio by Martino Harmon Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education Administration The University of Toledo December 2013 Two-year colleges are grappling with need to focus on student success outcomes driven by increasingly strict accountability standards implemented by state and federal government, while at the same time facing declining resources and increasing enrollments of diverse, underprepared students. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (2010), more than 40% of all African American students enrolled in postsecondary education are enrolled in two-year colleges. A review of the literature indicated that improving persistence and completion rates for African American students is a challenge that two-year colleges face. This study examined whether institutional support services, policies, and programs influenced the completion and graduation of African American students at select Ohio’s two-year colleges.
The study examined (a) general institutional interventions, such as advising, mentoring, orientation programs and courses, tutoring, and departments or programs that specifically target African American or other underrepresented students, as well as (b) special programs or staffing configurations dedicated to supporting the needs of African American students. iii Two major gaps in the literature were addressed in this study: 1) the impact of interventions on African American completion and graduation enrolled at two-year colleges; and 2) the impact of interventions which specifically focus on the completion and graduation of African American students, e. Culture centers, Office of Minority Affairs, or Multicultural Centers. The researcher’s interest in this study is due to his work in the field of college student retention and student success as well as the desire to gain and share knowledge about the impact of specific interventions in promoting the success of African American college students enrolled at two-year colleges.
The researcher’s working knowledge of the subject matter and familiarity with many of the two-year colleges in the population aided in completion of this study; however, to prevent bias, the researcher used the literature and the findings to guide his conclusions. The research included an observational study in which institutional intervention data were collected using a questionnaire sent to chief student affairs officers (CSAOs) at 14 (61%) of Ohio’s 23 of two-year colleges with an enrollment consisting of a minimum of 5% African American students. The CSAOs were asked whether particular interventions were used at their institutions; if so, these CSAOs were also asked to rate the impact of the intervention on completion and graduation rates for African American students. The respondents were given the choice of rating the intervention as having “no impact,” “some impact,” or “high impact.” In addition to the survey, institutional data were collected from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and analyzed to determine whether the iv predictor variables influenced the outcome variable, three-year completion and graduation rates of first-time, full-time African American students.
A total of 52 variables, including institutional characteristics, student enrollment, and institutional interventions, were included in this study. The 13 institutional and student enrollment variables were determined based on the IPEDS website, and 39 institutional intervention variables were determined using the questionnaire. Two of the 13 institutional characteristics and student enrollment variables—(a) the percentage of African American students enrolled and (b) the percentage of African American students enrolled in remedial math and English classes—were found to be significant predictors of African American completion and graduation rates. A total of 16 of the 39 institutional intervention variables from the survey were rated by the CSAOs as having a high impact on completion and graduation rates.
Although the results were not statistically significant, they do reflect relationships that may be of practical significance. The 16 intervention variables were grouped into the following categories for analysis: Developmental education/at-risk student interventions Early alert/warning systems New-student orientation programs or courses for credit Advising for first-year students (mandatory) Mentorship programs Special office or department which targets the needs of African American or underrepresented students v Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the following variables were correlated with African American completion and graduation rates : (1) use of the early alert/warning system; (2) use of supplemental orientation program or course for African American, at-risk, or underrepresented students; (3) implementation of mentorship program for students in select academic programs; (4) implementation of mentorship program for at-risk, African American, or underrepresented students; and (5) use of peer mentors. A sixth institutional intervention (i., special office or department that provides programs or services targeting African American students) was included in the analysis due to the importance of that intervention to this study. Jenkins (2006) has emphasized the importance of interventions that target African American students by stating that “the clearest difference in high and low impact colleges is targeted support and specialized services for minority students” (p.
Although it was difficult to draw a meaningful quantitative conclusion from the findings related to the institutional interventions due to the small size of the sample in the study, the CSAO impact ratings provided information that supports the literature describing the importance of effective interventions in increasing completion and graduation rates for African American students enrolled at Ohio’s two-year colleges. The findings of this study provided opportunities for further research using a national population of two-year colleges that have a special office or department dedicated to serving the needs of African American students. This approach would ensure a sufficient sample size to make meaningful quantitative conclusions. Further research vi may also incorporate follow-up case studies focused on groups of CSAOs and administrators as well as student focus groups.
This research provided a foundation for developing an understanding of specific institutional characteristics that serve as predictors of African American student completion and graduation rates and how impact ratings by key administrators can be used to guide research on the impact of those interventions on African American student completion and graduation rates. This study added to the scarce body of research that has examined the impact of institutional support services, policies, and programs on the completion and graduation rates of African American students enrolled at two-year colleges. vii This work is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Beverly Marie Harmon, and to my father, James Daniel Harmon. Both parents always believed in me, and they instilled important qualities in me, such as care and concern for others as well as a strong work ethic—all of which were necessary to persevere and complete this goal.
I am also dedicating this dissertation to my daughters, Adrianne Dorothy Harmon and Sydni Marie Harmon. I hope this accomplishment will serve as an inspiration to both of you to reach for your highest goals. Finally, this is dedicated to all of the students and young people I have been blessed to associate with and inspire over the years. It is my desire that this research be added to the body of literature ultimately used to help students achieve success.
viii Acknowledgments I want to start by thanking my dissertation Chair, Dr. David Meabon, for leading me through this long journey. I appreciate his guidance, wisdom, patience, and willingness to meet with me at restaurants off of Interstate 75. I also want to thank the members of my committee, Dr.
Mary Ellen Edwards, Dr. Bettina Shuford, and Dr. Without their knowledge, expertise, patience, support, and flexibility, I would not have been able to complete this process. Next, I would like to acknowledge two amazing unofficial dissertation coaches: Dr.
Sunday Griffith and Dr. These two former colleagues provided coaching, consultation, and assistance that helped me through many laborious and time consuming processes. In addition, former dissertation cohort members and friends Bernice Ball-Metcalfe, Carolyn Schwartz, and Gwendolyn Walters provided assistance and counsel during some of the most difficult challenges towards the end of this process. Over the years, I have been inspired and motivated by several mentors and supervisors to make completion of my Ph.
a career objective: Dr. Dan Abrahamowicz, Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, Dr. Carol Bresnahan, Dr.
Paula Compton, Mr. Richard Eastop, Dr. Melissa Green and especially Dr. I have modeled my career after him, and I hope this accomplishment is a signal to him how he has influenced my life and my career.
Finally, there are many family members, friends, co-workers, former dissertation cohort members, and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers who have been supportive and encouraging to me. All of the individuals who provided encouraging words or prayers contributed to the completion of this dissertation. ix Table of Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgements ix Table of Contents x List of Tables xiii List of Figures xiv I. Problem Statement and Significance of the Problem 4 B.
Significance of the Study 16 G. Limitations, Delimitations, and Definitions of Terms 17 a. Definitions of Terms 19 II. Psychological Adjustment and Socialization of African American Students 22 B.
Student Success and Retention among African American Students Attending Two-Year and Four-Year Colleges 28 C. Targeted Programs, Services, and Policies Designed to Support x African American Students and Promote a Multicultural Environment 40 D. The History and Role of African American Culture Centers 49 III. Institutional Data Collection 77 E.
Validity and Reliability 79 F. Population and Sample 84 B. Institutional Characteristic, Student Enrollment, and Intervention Variable Groups 86 b. Student Demographic and Aggregate Enrollment Variables 88 d.
Analysis of Institutional Characteristic and Student Enrollment Variables from IPEDS 90 f. Analysis of CSAO Impact Ratings from the Survey 97 C. Research Question 1 101 xi D. Summary of Findings 109 G.
Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusions 114 A. Overview of the Study 114 B. Discussion of the Findings 118 a. Institutional Characteristics and Student Enrollment Variables from IPEDS 118 b.
Institutional Intervention Variables from the Survey 122 C. Implications for Policy and Practice 135 D. Implications for Theory 137 E. Limitations of the Study 138 F.
Recommendations for Further Research 138 G. Conclusions 141 References 143 Appendix 160 A. Survey Instrument xii List of Tables Table 1. Community Colleges with 5% or Higher Black Student Enrollment.
Basic Descriptive Data of the Sample and the Population. Black Student Enrollment and Graduation Rates. Variables Service as Predictors of Black Graduation Rates. High Impact at 40 Valid Percent or Higher.
No Impact at 30 Valid Percent or Higher .100 xiii List of Figures Figure 1.