Recommendations to Address the Problem of Low Graduation Rates among Black Non-Hispanic Students at Glendale Community College

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September 21, 2022

Recommendations to Address the Problem of Low Graduation Rates among Black Non-Hispanic Students at Glendale Community College

This section reviews literature around the factors influencing students rates of college completion and strategies for increasing retention.

Factors Influencing College Completion Rates

Academic Factors Influencing College Completion

Grade Point Average (GPA) and Academic Program

In their Saudi-Arabia-based study, Almenaie (2018) found that both grade point average (GPA) and the nature of ones academic discipline influenced the likelihood of timely completion. Students were more likely to graduate if they had high GPAs and if they were taking medicine or scientific-related courses as opposed to humanities (Almenaie, 2018). These findings partly mirror those of Guzman et al. (2021), who also found a positive association between a students course average and timely college completion. However, differently from Almenaiae (2018), Guzman et al. (2021) found that academic discipline per se had no effect on the likelihood of completion. The only significant factor was whether the student was satisfied with the course they were taking students with higher levels of satisfaction were more likely to complete their courses on time (Guzman et al., 2021).

Past Academic Performance

Studies found that past academic performance significantly influenced the likelihood of timely course completion and thus, students who perform better in high school were more likely to complete their college courses on time (Guzman et al., 2021; Almenaiae, 2018). However, Almenaie (2018) found that students performance in pre-admission aptitude tests predicted their rate of completion better than high school performance. As such, the author recommends that such tests are adopted as part of the admission requirements as they are more accurate indicators of the risk of non-completion.

Participation in Extra-Curricular Activities

In their study, Scott and Castles (2017) sought to determine the factors that influence completion rates among student athletes...

They found a significant positive association between the numbers of hours spent preparing for class and timely completion. However, participation in extra curricula activities had no significant effect on course completion (Scott & Castles, 2017).

Institutional Factors Influencing College Completion

Staff Quality and Student-Staff Ratio

Studies contend that a positive school or campus climate increases the chances of students completing their courses on time (Buckman et al., 2021; Guzman et al., 2021; Srairi, 2021, Fleming et al., 2017; Bengesai & Paideya, 2018; Afable et al., 2022). Researchers study different variables of school climate to analyse their impact on college completion. Srairi (2021) found a significant negative relationship between both staff quality and student-staff...

…Guzman et al. (2021) was carried out at an American university in a rural setting. Different contexts have different influences on gender roles and are associated with different responsibilities and support systems for males and females in college.

Socioeconomic Factors Influencing College Completion

Financial Aid and Employment in College

Studies contend that generally, socioeconomic factors have a weaker influence on completion rate than the other factors (Margarit & Kennedy. 2019; Almeniae, 2018). Margarit and Kennedy (2019) found a significant positive association between availability of financial aid supports and timely graduation among community college students. However, the study, like Almeniae (2018), found that being employed while in college did not significantly affect students completion rates. A possible reason is that some students work to support their college education and will put in more effort to ensure that they still complete their courses on time. As long as one finds ways to compensate for the time they spend working, being employed has a minimal effect on completion.

While a lot of literature exists on the topic, most of it focuses on university students, leaving a knowledge gap in the area of community colleges. Unfortunately, the two differ in features, and hence, findings from one area may not be generalizable to the other. The proposed study seeks to address this gap by…