Using Social Identity to Explore the Relationship Between Campus Experience and Persistence Among Black, Latin@, and Asian Students

Background & Purpose:

Dominican University (DU) is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) and has historically served first-generation college students (FGCS). Currently, about 42% of DU undergraduates are FGCS.  Research indicates that these students are less likely than their peers with college educated parents to earn a bachelor’s degree. While DU experiences success with retaining FGCS at equal or higher rates than non-FGCS peers, when looking at college retention rates by race, a different picture emerges. The graduation rates for entering cohorts between 2005 and 2008 are as follows:  41.1 % for African Americans, 46.4% for Asians, and 60.6% for Hispanics compared to 68.8% for Whites, 71.1% for FGCS, and 60.0% for students not FGCS (Silk, 2015). 

This data presents a multitude of questions such as how do both race and FGCS status intersect to shape student experiences. This contradictory and perplexing trend in institutional data suggests the need for further exploration of the experiences of students of color on campus, both FGCS and non-FGCS.

Method:

Data were collected through survey and focus groups recruited by a snowball sampling technique. 841 DU undergraduate students received surveys and information about participating in the focus groups and survey. We utilized a mixed methods approach to address the dualistic nature of social identity among our student participants that needed to be explored through multiple mechanisms. A survey sent via email asked questions about student experience, challenges, relationships with peers and faculty, and how these contributed to persistence.  In addition, a scale adapted by Jaret and Reitzes (2007) measured concepts such as self-efficacy, ethnicity, and social identity. Analysis techniques of the focus group data included various levels of coding and thematic analysis using Nvivo. The focus group data was utilized to construct exploratory and descriptive case studies for comparative analysis across cases.

Findings:

The findings suggest similar, but distinct campus experiences for each study group. Black students overwhelmingly highlighted the role of racial battle fatigue during on-campus encounters with institutional members (e.g. students, administrators, faculty) questioning their student status and intelligence. Latin@ students expressed challenges due to the lack of information in Spanish for parents, microaggressions in the form of invisibility in the classroom, lowered expectations, and negative assumptions. Asian students reported racially motivated stereotypes framed by a model minority lens and on-campus encounters that did not recognize the diversity of challenges faced by Asian students. Taken together, these findings suggest the need for addressing institutional mechanisms that negatively impact retention, mental health, and academic success among vulnerable student populations. 

Conclusion & Implications:

Data collected from this study will inform Dominican University and the wider higher education network, particularly universities of similar demographics regarding experiences that hinder and/or strengthen retention rates while attending college. Recommendations will be made specifically to Dominican University regarding potential interventions and changes to enhance support for these students.