Date of Award
2010
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Minority college student enrollment has doubled from 15 to 32 percent within the past thirty years (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009b), with the growth expecting to continue into the near future. While there are gains in the enrollment of minority students in higher education, there remains a completion gap for minority students. This study examined the role of learning strategies, use of campus services and beliefs about intelligence on college persistence of 203 minority and 571 non-minority undergraduate students from the University of Rhode Island. Survey results revealed significant differences in use and trust of campus services and beliefs about intelligence between minority and non-minority students. In addition, trust, confidence, and learning strategies were found to be strong predictors of college predictions. A prediction model using path analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups. Minority students reported less trust of campus services and lower confidence in their academic abilities which in turn influenced college persistence. Furthermore, learning strategies were a direct predictor of college persistence but also were mediated by trust of campus services and confidence, both for minority and non-minority students. It was also found that for minority students, their perceptions about how the helpfulness of campus services, significantly related to their level of trust for these services which will, in turn, influence persistence. Specifically, for minority students, trust in campus services and increased confidence in their academic behaviors are two important mediators for their persistence.
Recommended Citation
Kue, Mailee Ong Xiong, "Predictors of college persistence: Learning strategies, use of campus services, and beliefs about intelligence" (2010). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 2352.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/2352
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