The Impact Of Two Residential Models For African American Students At A Historically Black Institution

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative casual comparative study was to determine if there is a difference in successful outcomes for African American students residing in university-managed housing and African American students residing in university affiliated privatized housing at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Astin's I-E-O Model for Student Involvement (Inputs-Environment-Outputs) served as the theoretical framework for guiding this study. Using Astin's model, the inputs or covariates, for this study were (a) sex, (b) age, (c) academic classification, and (d) type of student (native or transfer student). Environment, the independent variable, consisted of (a) university-managed housing, and (b) university-affiliated privatized housing. The dependent variables, outputs, were students': (a) Quality of Effort, (b) Estimate of Gains, (c) Perception of College Environment, (d) Student Satisfaction, and (e) Academic Performance. The College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) was used to collect the data. This instrument measures students' responses to the learning process and their progress towards successful college or desired institutional outcomes. The measures from the instrument provide an estimate of the reciprocal engagement between the student and their institution. SPSS was used to conduct the analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were employed to analyze the data. Specifically, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to address the research questions and test the null hypotheses. The alpha level was set at .05. The results of the study suggest that participants residing in university managed-housing experienced higher levels of desired institutional outcomes than students who reside in university affiliated privatize housing. Of the five dependent variables, there was a statistically significant difference found in the composite score for Perception of College Environment between students residing in university managed-housing and students residing in university affiliated privatized housing. Additionally, there were nine statistically significant differences found in the subscales for the dependent variables. These findings are consistent with the literature. The results from this study add to the limited research that examines student outcomes and the significance of housing for African American students attending a HBCU. Recommendations for policy, practice, and further research were provided.