Selected economic, social and demographic variables as related to grade point average of Black students in the Big Eight

The purpose of the researcher in this study was to examine the relationship between Black student academic success as measured by grade point averages in relationship to selected variables (participation in Black Student Government, participation in any student activity, hours of working while attending school, high school participation in activities, financial concerns). The study was conducted on the campuses of the Big Eight Conference schools and involved 560 random sampled students from an estimated population of over 5,000 African American students. The research questions were as follows: Question 1. What relationship did membership in Black Student government have to grade point average? Question 2. What relationship did participation in student activities have to grade point average? Question 3. What relationship did socio-economic status of Black students have to grade point average? Question 4. What relationship did high school participation in school activities have with college grade point average (success)? Question 5. What relationship did the number of hours studying per-week have with grade point average? Question 6. What relationship did the number of hours of work have with grade point average? Question 7. What relationship did location of housing while attending college have with the grade point average of Black students? The most significant findings were seen in research questions five and six. Question five findings were; as the number of hours Black students studied increased, the college cumulative grade point average also increased and this was a positive correlation in the Pearson Product Moment. Question six findings were; as the number of hours the students worked increased, their cumulative grade point average decreased; which was a negative correlation in the Pearson Product Moment. It was equally important to note that the socio-economic background of the student had no relationship to the cumulative grade point average of the Black students sampled. Further research is recommended on the same population but a focus on more of the attitude and perceptions of African American students on predominantly White campuses is needed