The Intersection of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Mindset: Predictors of College Success in a Community College

This quantitative study examines the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), sense of safety and support, mindset, and college success using survey and administrative datasets. Examining college success through the social work and education lens allows those in higher education as well as policy makers the opportunity to analyze college success using a novel approach. The sample for the study is 280 students in a self-paced, online, higher education platform in a community college. This study uses multivariate ordinary least squares linear regression and logistic regression models to evaluate the effects of ACEs, sense of safety and support, and mindset on college success. The empirical findings of this study depict that ACEs do not impact students’ college success. Socio-cultural variables such as racial identity, age in years, and economic disadvantage as well as sense of safety and support do impact student college success. The average ACE score was 3.14 and 90% of the sample had at least one ACE