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ERIC Number: ED315102
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1989-Mar
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Comparison of Locus of Control and Achievement among Remedial Summer Bridge and Nonbridge Students in Community Colleges in New Jersey.
Fitts, Jean D.
A study was conducted to determine whether participation in a summer bridge program influenced students' locus of control and improved their performance in community college. A comparison was made between two groups of full-time student participants in a state-supported academic and financial aid program for disadvantaged students with incomes below $12,000. One group of these Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) students attended a six-week summer bridge program, consisting of remedial courses, college orientation, counseling, and achievement motivation activities, before attending one of five community colleges. The control group did not attend the bridge program. The original sample consisted of 155 randomly selected EOF freshmen between the ages of 17 and 46. The majority (52%) were Black, 25% were White, 14% Puerto Rican, 6% other Hispanic, and 3% other minority students. The final sample consisted of 100 subjects since 55 of the original 155 left college before the end of the fall semester. All these students were pretested prior to the summer bridge program and post-tested after one semester for basic skills and locus of control. Credits attained and cumulative grade point average (GPA) were also used as measures of achievement. Study findings included the following: (1) there were no differences between the bridge and non-bridge students in terms of changes in locus of control, achievement in basic skills, and GPA; (2) Black bridge students earned the highest number of mean credits, and male bridge students were the most successful in terms of both GPA and credit earned; (3) bridge students significantly increased their reading comprehension, essay, and algebra test scores on the post-tests; (4) 92% of the bridge students felt more in control of their environment after one semester, with those aged 31 and above the most inclined toward personal control. (WJT)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Jersey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A