ERIC Number: ED668796
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 179
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5346-9863-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Predictors of Thriving in Black and Latino Men at Christian Colleges and Universities
Whittington Collom Goodwin
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D./HE Dissertation, Azusa Pacific University
Black and Latino men are attending college at rates that are greater than ever before. However, success for these students, as measured by graduation rates, has not increased with greater access. Black and Latino men face greater barriers to their success than do White and Asian men. The ethnic disparity seen in graduation rates extends to gender disparity within Black and Latinx student populations. The challenges to timely graduation are even greater on Christian colleges (Goss, 2018). A new concept of student success that considers the psychological engagement of students in their academic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal pursuits and activities is called thriving (Schreiner, 2016b). This new paradigm of student success focuses on supporting students to function optimally academically, socially, and psychologically. The purpose of this study was to determine the campus experiences that contribute to the variation in thriving among Black and Latino men on Christian college campuses, after considering their demographic characteristics. The research question that guided this study was: What are the predictors of thriving in Black and Latino undergraduate men in Christian colleges and universities? Using a sample of 369 Black and Latino men from 35 Christian colleges and universities, I conducted a hierarchical multiple regression analysis on the outcome variables of the mean score of the Thriving Quotient (TQ; Schreiner, 2016) and its 5 scale scores. Seven blocks of independent variables were entered into the regression equation sequentially, beginning with student demographic characteristics, spirituality, structural qualities of their college experience, level of involvement in campus organizations and events, student-faculty interaction, institutional integrity scale, and psychological sense of community. The final model predicted 53.5% of the variation in thriving within Black and Latino men in the aggregate. Because race was a significant predictor of thriving, separate regression equations were conducted on the 133 Black men and 236 Latino men. The final model explained 67.1% of the variation in thriving among Black men and 53.5% of the variation among Latino men. Among Black men, the significant predictors of thriving included psychological sense of community ([beta] = 0.489), spirituality ([beta] = 0.305), student satisfaction with faculty ([beta] = 0.175), major certainty ([beta] = 0.169), degree aspirations ([beta] = 0.111), and first-generation status ([beta] = -0.148). Among Latino men, the significant predictors included institutional integrity ([beta] = 0.254), psychological sense of community ([beta] = 0.209), spirituality ([beta] = 0.150), and household income ([beta] = -0.122). Although many of these variables align with previous literature, new findings emerged about the role of generation status and household income in thriving for Black men, as well as institutional integrity having the largest effect on thriving in Latino men. The implications of the findings for Christian colleges and universities are outlined, particularly the role of spirituality, sense of community, and perceptions of institutional integrity in supporting Black and Latino men's ability to thrive in this environment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: African American Students, Hispanic American Students, College Attendance, Graduation Rate, Barriers, Racial Differences, Christianity, Religious Colleges, Success, Student Experience, Predictor Variables, Undergraduate Students, Ethnicity, Gender Differences, Religious Factors, Student Satisfaction, College Faculty, Academic Aspiration, First Generation College Students, Sense of Belonging
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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