Title

Impact of Academic Advising on Grit and Retention Among Students of Color in Community College

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Department

Higher Education Leadership

Date of Award

Spring 2022

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships of academic advising, and grit’s impact on retention among students of color in the community college. Additionally, the study examined differences in the length of time spent receiving academic advising and level of grit with the retention in students of color. A total of 32 community college students of color were sampled amongst a 2-year community college campus located in the Southeast Region of Dallas, Texas. This study yielded a small sample size due in part to the data collection being performed during the 2020–2021 academic school year at the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Race/ethnicity the study sample consisted of 65.60% Black or African Americans college students, 28.10% Hispanic/Latino college students, and 6.3% Asian college. The study applied a multiple regression correlational research design approach, and the data was collected using the Short Grit-S Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009), the Student Advising Scale (Lance et al., 2006), the Turnover Intention Scale (Mitchell et al., 2001), and a demographics questionnaire were used to collect the data. A multiple linear regression correlation coefficient approach was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed no significant difference in the grit and retention levels in community color students of color. Thus, academic advising was nonsignificant in explaining higher level of grit or retention among students of color in community college. Although there was no significance difference, grit levels were higher in female participants than male participants, Black/African Americans than Hispanic/Latino and Asians. The higher grit levels among these groups could have been a result of having more access to the academic advising center and other student services at the community college. Age group 55+ I found grit levels higher than the other age range groups of this study Maturity levels and lengthy study times as well as more access to the academic advising center group. Conversely, I found the 35–44 years age range group grit level was significantly lower than the others. This could have been due to personal commitments limiting them from frequenting campus advising center services

Advisor

Kibum Kwon

Subject Categories

Education | Educational Leadership | Higher Education

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