Research Paper Undergraduate 867 words

Likert Scale Survey on Black Student Graduation Rates

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Abstract

This paper presents a Likert scale survey instrument designed to investigate low graduation rates among Black (non-Hispanic) students at a university. The survey comprises three targeted questions addressing institutional support programs, faculty-student interactions, and extracurricular activities. Each question is grounded in peer-reviewed research and accompanied by a rationale explaining how responses will be interpreted and applied to policy improvements. The instrument aims to identify gaps in campus resources, mentorship accessibility, and student engagement opportunities that may contribute to disparities in on-time degree completion for minority students.

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What makes this paper effective

Each survey question is directly paired with a scholarly rationale, showing the student understands why the question is relevant and what the data will reveal.
The paper connects each Likert scale item to measurable outcomes — higher and lower scores are explicitly interpreted in terms of policy implications, demonstrating analytical thinking beyond simply listing questions.
Citations are integrated naturally throughout the rationale sections, grounding each survey item in peer-reviewed literature on student retention and minority student success.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates operationalization — the process of translating a broad research question (low graduation rates among Black students) into specific, measurable survey items. Each question targets a distinct theoretical variable (institutional resources, faculty interaction, extracurricular engagement) drawn from existing literature, showing how abstract constructs become empirical data collection tools.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a central research question, followed by a brief explanation of the survey format. The body consists of three survey items, each presented with the Likert scale options and followed by a two-part rationale: first, a literature-supported explanation of why the variable matters for retention; second, an interpretation guide explaining what high and low scores signify for institutional policy. A formatted reference list closes the paper.

Research Focus and Survey Design

Central Research Question: How can the problem of low graduation rates among Black (non-Hispanic) students be addressed?

Institutional Support Programs

The survey requires students to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a set of statements using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).

Survey Item 1: The university offers adequate institutional support in terms of mentorship programs, career progression, and financial aid to help students complete their courses on time.

5 — Strongly Agree 4 — Agree 3 — Neutral 2 — Disagree 1 — Strongly Disagree

This question seeks to assess the overall effectiveness and relevance of on-campus institutional programs available to students to help them navigate challenges and complete their courses on time. Studies have shown that students are more likely to persist and graduate on time if they have access to campus resources such as financial aid, effective customer service, on-campus disability services, mentoring services, and career progression support (Haverila et al., 2020). According to Haverila et al. (2020), such services and interventions provide room for students to interact with others who share similar interests and goals, to feel comfortable, and to engage in knowledge-sharing about how to achieve personal goals. Ultimately, such programs help enhance students' overall well-being, making them more likely to persist in college (Haverila et al., 2020).

This question serves a two-fold purpose: to determine whether such programs exist at the institution and to gauge how effective and relevant students perceive them to be. Higher scores (4 and 5 on the Likert scale) indicate that students view the available support programs as effective in enhancing well-being and fostering retention. Lower scores, on the other hand, may indicate that such programs are either non-existent or ineffective in realizing their intended objectives. The insights obtained from participants' responses will reveal whether there is a gap in the available institutional support programs, and hence a need for policy improvements aimed at student retention.

Survey Item 2: Faculty members at the university are accessible and supportive as student mentors.

Faculty Accessibility and Mentorship

5 — Strongly Agree 4 — Agree 3 — Neutral 2 — Disagree 1 — Strongly Disagree

Studies have shown a positive association between faculty-student interactions and student retention, particularly among African-American students. According to Kennedy and Wilson-Jones (2019), such interactions foster students' motivation to excel, which in turn increases their engagement in academic activities. Increased academic engagement raises the likelihood of completing one's course on time. Furthermore, when faculty members serve as mentors, they help develop students' self-confidence by offering encouragement, thereby shaping students' perceptions of institutional culture. Frequent and effective faculty-student interactions also provide faculty members with opportunities to guide students toward realizing their personal goals, which helps enhance students' sense of belonging (Kennedy & Wilson-Jones, 2019).

This statement seeks to gather information from students about the frequency and effectiveness of formal and informal faculty-student interactions at the institution. Higher scores indicate that respondents perceive faculty members as supportive and accessible when students require mentorship or guidance. Lower scores indicate that faculty members are perceived as inaccessible and therefore not supportive as student mentors. Such results would signal a need for new measures to strengthen faculty-student interaction. Research on faculty mentorship and minority student success in higher education consistently highlights this relationship as a key driver of on-time degree completion.

Survey Item 3: It is important to make extracurricular activities an integral part of campus life for all students.

5 — Strongly Agree 4 — Agree 3 — Neutral 2 — Disagree 1 — Strongly Disagree

2 Locked Sections · 245 words remaining

Extracurricular Activities and Sense of Belonging · 185 words

"Survey item on extracurricular involvement and retention"

References · 60 words

"Cited peer-reviewed sources supporting survey design"

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Key Concepts in This Paper

Likert Scale Student Retention Black Students Institutional Support Faculty Mentorship Extracurricular Activities Graduation Rates Sense of Belonging Higher Education Policy Minority Achievement