Measuring Five Preconditions Of Success For African American Male Students In Community Colleges

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure and compare five preconditions for success of African American male community college students at community colleges by determining if there is a relationship between a) GPA and credits earned, utilizing Wood and Harris' (2012; 2016) Community College Survey of Men (CCSM, 2014) and Community College Success Measure (CCSM, 2016) as a tool, and b) five constructs that are aligned with the survey's four domains, all of which affect these students while attending college. These five constructs are positive perception of self, faculty care, tangible orientation, personal life factors, and campus environment support. The four domains within which they are arrayed are (1) Non-Cognitive, (2) Academic, (3) Environmental, and (4) Campus Ethos. Wood and Harris' (2012) Socio-Ecological Outcomes (SEO) model provided the theoretical framework for examining these variables. Inferential statistics were used to address the research questions and test the hypotheses. An alpha level of .05 was set. The results of this study were analyzed using Spearman Rho Correlation for years 2014 and 2016. Findings for the 2014 data revealed that the GPA and number of credits earned by African American male community college students are related to a) their positive perceptions of self, b) whether faculty provided tangible academic orientation in and outside of class, and c) campus environment support. Further, the results for 2016 data revealed that only the number of credits earned by these students was related to their positive perception of self. This study contributes to the limited body of literature examining reasons behind the retention rate of certain African American college students at community colleges. Recommendations for professional practice and further research are provided.