Native American Student Experiences and Academic Engagement

Background/Specific Aim: Retention and graduation rates at the University of New Mexico (UNM) for male Native American (NA) college students are the lowest of any racial or ethnic group of either gender. At the start of fall 2012, the UNM NA male population was 599; there were 192 NA male freshman students. With attrition as one key marker influencing the decrease in student graduation rates, this cross-sectional study will compare the first-year cohorts with third semester students and beyond to see what differences exist between the groups. The goal is to identify factors with associations between first-year students and students continuing to third semester and beyond. This may inform future research examining predictive factors for the male NA students who graduate from UNM. The hypothesis is that there will be a significant difference between students participating in a summer bridge program and student not participating in regards to persistence. The second hypothesis is that SES and financial status will likely influence and contribute to a significant positive correlation in retention rates. The third hypothesis is first generation students will differ from other students who have parents/guardians that have college degrees, in that, first generation students will be less likely to persevere in continuing with their education