AN INVESTIGATION OF FACULTY INFLUENCE ON PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES AFFECTING THE PERSISTENCE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AT PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Open Access
- Author:
- Ward, Shakoor A.
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 20, 2010
- Committee Members:
- Edgar I Farmer Sr., Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Edgar I Farmer Sr., Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Robert W Clark, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
William J Rothwell, Committee Member
James B Stewart, Committee Member - Keywords:
- African Americans
psychosocial variables
student persistence
faculty influence - Abstract:
- The study investigated the relevance of psychosocial variables as they relate to the persistence of African American students at a predominantly white university (PWU). Although it is difficult to measure persistence (i.e. the desire and action of a student to stay within the system of higher education from beginning through degree completion), this study ranks African American undergraduate student perceptions regarding non-faculty and faculty influenced factors that arguably helps or hinders persistence. Repeated themes arose from the literature review that identified salient factors associated with African American undergraduate student persistence at PWUs. The study analyzed the responses of 327 web survey participants. The population of interest is African American undergraduates attending The Pennsylvania State University. The target population was asked to rank the levels of importance placed on psychosocial factors of persistence as perceived by them. The study found that psychosocial variables are significant contributors to the persistence and retention of African American students at PWUs. However, the results do not support that African American undergraduate students at PSU have expectations that are significantly motivated by culture or are significantly affected by perceptions of prejudice and racism as the literature may suggest. According to Berlak and Moyenda (2001), it is widely accepted that teachers of color are fundamentally better equipped to provide culturally relevant curriculum and instruction to students of color. However, the study concludes that faculty behaviors that may be more supportive of African American students are not exclusive to African American faculty. Moreover, the results show that the nonacademic entry characteristics of African American students may have greater effect on their persistence than their social-communicative exchanges at PWUs. For example, students from higher socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds more than likely have already acquired or are more easily able to adopt characteristics that are ideal for persistence (e.g. commitment to personal goals, biculturalism, and intrinsic motivation) than students from lower SES backgrounds. Therefore, it is recommended to consider within group distinctions when conducting racial, ethnic, and cultural related studies in an effort to obtain a more comprehensive assessment of the role of various factors on persistence outcomes.