Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1988

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Psychology

Major Professor

Lawrence M. DeRidder

Committee Members

Donald Cunningham, Bob L. Cochran

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to explore and survey how successful The University of Tennessee, Knoxville has been in its retention efforts of Black students. Additional purposes of the study were to gain knowledge about the academic profile of the successful Black student; to gain knowledge about the academic profile of the unsuccessful Black student; to see if there were differences in the academic preparation and in persistence by sex, choice by major at entry, residency classification at the time of initial enrollment; and according to the students, what support systems were available and beneficial in facilitating retention. The population for the study consisted of 182 first-time Black freshmen enrolled at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville for Fall Quarter, 1981.

Eleven variables, consisting of 7 academic or academically-related variables, and 4 primarily demographic variables, all taken from information available from the subjects records in the Offices of Admissions, Academic Records, and Financial Aid, were used in testing hypotheses associated with persistence and non-persistence of Black students enrolled at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Multiple regression equations were derived to determine how well a student will perform at the University. Hypotheses were tested using the Two Sample Variance Test for Independent Samples and the responses from the questionnaires completed by the subjects were analyzed.

Major results of the study included the following:

1. Persisters had a significantly higher college grade point average, a significantly higher high school grade point average, a significantly higher Composite ACT Score, Social Studies and Natural Sciences sub-test scores than non-persisters;

2. There were no significant differences in females and males with respect to the high school grade point average and the college grade point average;

3. There were no significant differences among out-of-state and in-state students with respect to the high school grade point average and the college grade point average;

4. Engineering students had a significantly higher high school grade point average and a significantly higher Composite ACT score vis a' vis all other students included in the study.

5. Liberal Arts students had a significantly lower Composite ACT score vis a' vis other students included in the study;

6. There were no significant differences in the rate of persistence of Engineering and Liberal Arts students vis a' vis other students in the study;

7. According to the students, the retention/ persistence programs of the University were helpful in facilitating retention;

8. For persisters the multiple regression equation yielded an R2 of .32 and included the English ACT score and the high school grade point average, each of which were significant coefficients at the .01 level; for non-persisters the multiple regression equation yielded an R2 of .38 and involved the Social Studies ACT score and the high school grade point average, each of which were significant coefficients at the .01 level.

Suggestions for further research in the area of minority student retention were identified and presented.

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