Differences between White and Minority students on factors related to persistence: a pilot study

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between White and Minority students on factors related to persistence. Persistence is defined as a student who completes a baccalaureate degree within four years or who is still enrolled four years after entering college (Astin, 1977). A total of 848 students were identified for the pilot study. The subjects were both White and Minority undergraduate students (African American, Asian, and Hispanic) enrolled in the College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the Spring of 1994 at Iowa State University. Only a total of 115 surveys were returned, a 14 percent return rate;The study examined students\u27 history traits (ACT, high school rank, and college GPA) provided by the registrar\u27s office. Also, factors as stated by the literature that relate to student persistence were examined through the use of a questionnaire created by the researcher;Two hypotheses were of significance (study skills and academic achievement as measured by ACT, high school rank, and college GPA) when using the t-test. The study skills hypothesis indicated that Minorities had a greater preference for studying in groups than Whites. The academic achievement as measured by ACT, high school rank, and college GPA hypothesis indicated that Whites had a higher college GPA than Minorities. In summary, insights and recommendations generated from this pilot study will benefit future studies related to student persistence. The findings point toward some possible consideration for future studies. However, caution is advised in interpreting these findings, due to the low return rate, differences existing in students\u27 backgrounds, and differences may be masked by combining groups