DIFFERENCES IN PERSISTENCE AND GRADUATION RATES BY THE INSTITUTIONAL STATUS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGES: A MULTIYEAR, STATEWIDE STUDY

Purpose The first purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the degree to which 1-year persistence rates differed by the institutional status (i.e., stayed or transferred) of International students who were enrolled in Texas community colleges in 15 academic years (i.e., 1999-2000 through 2013-2014). The second purpose was to determine the extent to which 2-year persistence rates differed by the institutional status of International students who were enrolled in Texas community colleges in 14 academic years (i.e., 1999-2000 through 2012-2013). The third purpose was to determine the degree to which graduation rates differed between International and White students who were enrolled in Texas community colleges in 12 academic years (i.e., 2003-2004 through 2014-2015). The final purpose was to identify trends, if any, that were present across these academic years. Method A non-experimental causal-comparative research design was used for this journal-ready dissertation. Archival data were obtained from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Interactive Accountability System and were analyzed herein. For the first study, the 1-year persistence rates of International students were analyzed for 15 academic years (i.e., 1999-2000 through 2013-2014). For the second study, the 2-year persistence rates of International students were examined for 14 academic years (i.e., 1999-2000 through 2012-2013). For the third study, graduation rates of International and White students were compared for 12 academic years (i.e., 2003-2004 through 2014-2015). Findings In all academic years, the 1-year persistence rates of International students who stayed at the same Texas community college were statistically significantly higher, at least 10 times higher, than the 1-year persistence rates of International students who transferred to a different Texas community college. These differences in the 1-year persistence rates all represented very large effect sizes. Similarly, the 2-year persistence rates of International students who stayed were statistically significantly higher, at least two times higher, than the 2-year persistence rates of International students who transferred. These differences in the 2-year persistence rates represented large and medium effect sizes. Finally, International students had statistically significantly lower graduation rates, with large to moderate effect sizes, than White students in all academic years