ERIC Number: EJ1119399
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 10
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1068-3844
EISSN: N/A
Promoting Native American College Student Recruitment & Retention in Higher Education
Mosholder, Richard S.; Waite, Bryan; Larsen, Carolee A.; Goslin, Christopher
Multicultural Education, v23 n3-4 p27-36 Spr-Sum 2016
This is the third report of a longitudinal project to improve recruiting and retention of Native American students at a large open-enrollment teaching university in the intermountain West where such students are greatly underrepresented. In the first study (Mosholder, et. al, 2013a), grounded theory was employed to create and evaluate a survey used to generate Native American student perceptions and experiences as they related to the key elements affecting recruitment and retention. In a follow-up study (Mosholder, et al., 2013b) the researchers duplicated methods used during the prior year. They found an improvement in the perceptions of Native students towards the institution. In contrast to the group in the previous study, almost all now felt that a college education was important, supported by their parents, and that they fit in at the university. In the year between the first and second studies, enrollment and retention of Native students increased, by 20% and 15%, respectively. In their report on the second study, the researchers noted a number of implications for further research. Students in the previous study had identified a number of issues about Native American students that the researchers wanted to know more about in terms of their effects on recruiting and retention. There were unresolved issues about how best to communicate with Native students and to establish effective mentoring and advising relationships. In extending the results of their previous two studies, and to develop the survey they used for the current study, the authors employed an assets-based approach. They wanted to understand what contributes to Native American success in a very Eurocentric environment and what role an institution could play in facilitating that success. The study added a great deal to the authors' understanding of factors that contribute to Native American student success in a very Euro-centric environment.The faculty and staff at the university created a significant number of Native American-centered programs and curricula (Mosholder, et al., 2013b). Parents, other family members, and elders were invited to attend the programs and many did. The implementation of these programs and curricula correlated with Native American student perceptions that they and their communities were welcomed and valued and there were enough courses and activities to make a culturally informed career choice. During this time Native American student persistence increased.
Descriptors: Student Recruitment, American Indian Students, College Students, Academic Persistence, Grounded Theory, Student Attitudes, Student Experience, Cultural Relevance, Success, Family Involvement, Program Effectiveness, Statistical Analysis, Hypothesis Testing, Qualitative Research, Online Surveys, Content Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A