Where You Go, What You Do, What You Know? Understanding the Influences of Campus Experiences on the Academic Achievement and Self-Concept of Black Undergraduates

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Where You Go, What You Do, What You Know?
Understanding the Influences of Campus
Experiences on the Academic Achievement and
Self-Concept of Black Undergraduates
Kimberly A. Griffin Walter R. Allen University of
California, Los Angeles AIR Annual Forum 2007
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Academic Achievement and Academic Self-Concept

• Self-concept Beliefs about ones abilities in
  relation to the abilities of others
• Exploration of self-concept, especially in
  education, to improve achievement
• Which comes first high self-concept or high
  achievement?

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Reciprocal Effects Model(Marsh and Colleagues)
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Black Students Relationship Between Achievement
and Self-Concept

• Lower levels of academic achievement than peers
  BUT higher self-concept
• Gender differences mixed evidence of higher
  self-concept for Black males
• Unclear evidence regarding environmental
  influences on college achievement and
  self-concept

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Research Questions

• Reciprocal effects model does it work for Black
  students?
• Influence of college experiences on achievement
  and self-concept for Black undergraduates?
• Different factors important for Black men and
  women?

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Reciprocal Effects Model
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College Effects Model
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Methods

• Structural equation modeling (SEM) used to assess
  how well empirical data fit the conceptual models
• Combines factor analysis and regression
• Goodness of fit assessed with Root Mean Square
  Error of Approximation (RMSEA) and Comparative
  Fit Index (CFI).
• RMSEA lt.05 close fit .05-.08 fair fit
  .08-.10 mediocre fit
• CFI gt.9 acceptable fit gt.95 good fit
• EQS 6.1 Software

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Data Source

• Cooperative Institutional Research Program,
  Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA
• Large, national study of over 400,000 students
• Longitudinal study
• Assesses influence of college experiences and
  environments on students academic achievement,
  career aspirations, and attitudes.
• Each student in the sample completed 2 surveys
• 1994 Student Information Form (SIF) high school
  experiences, demographic characteristics, and
  high school achievement
• 1998 College Student Survey (CSS) students
  college activities, perceptions, and academic
  achievement

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Sample

• 529 African American students
• Enrolled at Historically White Institutions
• 352 women, 177 men
• 95.5 graduated from high school in 1994
• 51-100 miles from home
• 81.4 aspired to graduate or professional school

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Measures

• Academic Achievement (1994 1998)
• Self-reported GPA
• Academic Self Concept (1994 1998)
• Academic ability
• Drive to achieve
• Intellectual self-confidence
• Campus Engagement
• Voted in student election
• Time spent in clubs/groups
• Time spent doing volunteer work

• Faculty Interaction
• Offered advice and honest feedback
• Showed respect and offered emotional support
• Discussed homework, developed academic skills,
  offered intellectual challenge
• Satisfaction with sense of community on campus

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Limitations

• Self assessments of GPA and self-concept
• No measure of experiences with racism or own
  sense of community
• 4 year gap

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Findings

• Reciprocal Effects Model
• Black Women
• Black Men
• College Experiences Model
• Black Women
• Black Men
• Comparison

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Reciprocal EffectsBlack Men Women

• Poor Fit
• WOMEN RMSEA .115 CFI .894
• MEN RMSEA .119 CFI .892
• Validity of Reciprocal Effects Model
• High school GPA positively related to high school
  self-concept and college GPA
• High school academic self-concept related to
  college self-concept
• NO RELATIONSHIP between high school self-concept
  and college GPA

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Black Women Reciprocal Effects
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Black Men Reciprocal Effects
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Findings

• Reciprocal Effects Model
• Black Women
• Black Men
• College Experiences Model
• Black Women
• Black Men
• Comparison

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College Experiences Black Women

• Fair fit
• RMSEA .046 CFI .963

PREDICTORS OF KEY OUTCOMES

• College GPA
• Direct Effects
• High school GPA
• Faculty Interaction
• Indirect Effects
• n/a

• College ASC
• Direct Effects
• High School ASC
• College GPA
• Faculty Interaction
• Indirect Effects
• Faculty Interaction
• High School GPA

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College Experiences Black Women
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College Experiences Black Men

• Fair fit
• RMSEA .063 CFI .924

PREDICTORS OF KEY OUTCOMES

• College GPA
• Direct Effects
• High school GPA
• Campus Engagement
• Indirect Effects
• High school GPA

• College ASC
• Direct Effects
• Sense of community (negative)
• High School ASC
• College GPA
• Indirect Effects
• High School GPA

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College Experiences Black Men
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Comparing Total Effects on College GPA
Faculty interaction had an significant influence
on the college GPA of Black women, but NOT Black
men. Campus engagement had a significant
influence on the college GPA of Black men, but
NOT Black women
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Comparing Total Effects on College ASC
Faculty interaction had an significant influence
on the college ASC of Black women, but NOT Black
men. Campus engagement had a significant
influence on the college ASC of Black men, but
NOT Black women
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Conclusions

• College experiences are important in shaping both
  achievement and self-concept
• Different factors are related to academic
  achievement and self-concept for Black men and
  women.
• Women Faculty interaction
• Men Campus engagement

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Implications for Institutional Researchers

• Improving Black students self-concept may not
  influence academic achievement
• High self-concept may limit help-seeking behavior
• Institutions must acknowledge gender differences
  when developing retention and academic support
  programs
• Women facilitate interactions with professors
• Men facilitate their engagement in campus
  activities

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Future Directions

• Compare findings to outcomes for students
  attending Historically Black Institutions
• Test conceptual model for all undergraduates
• Explore the influence of satisfaction with sense
  of community

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Thank you!

• If you have any questions or would like a copy of
  this paper, please contact
• Kimberly Griffin
• kag_at_ucla.edu