SEM Quarterly Releases New Research
Recent research by Lorianne D. Mitchell, Edith Seier, and Michael H. Small looked at the decision factors of Tennessee African American and Latino American students in pursuing postsecondary education. Their investigation explored responses to the High School Senior Opinion Survey to identify trends between two subpopulations for strategic enrollment management (SEM). The authors discuss their research and findings in a recent SEMQ article.
Although previous investigations explored the between-race differences in college students’ outcome, comparatively fewer explored the factors that determine or influence students’ interest in college. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to delve deeper into the issue of college completion by first identifying college-going intentions of two historically underserved populations in Tennessee.
The researchers looked specifically at the motivators or de-motivators that influence African American and Latino American students’ decision to pursue post-secondary education. Some of the findings included:
For the students sampled in this study, the data indicated that female students are more likely to pursue higher education than male students.
Mothers’ education is more important than fathers’ education in predicting whether African American and Latino American students pursue higher education.
Students’ eligibility for the Tennessee lottery scholarship was an important determinant in their intention to attend a four-year college, as were academic performance and preparation.
Taken altogether, the results imply that Latino and African American students’ characteristics act as significant input factors to greatly influence the outcome variable of student intentions to pursue post-secondary education. The most significant factor is, perhaps, that students who perceive themselves as college-bound also tend to engage in college-readiness activities (e.g., higher academic achievement via GPA, college entrance examinations like the ACT, financial aid applications like the FAFSA).
The article also included implications for practice and further research.
The April issue of SEMQ, which welcomed Clayton Smith as the new Editor-in-Chief, also included the following articles:
Explore the AACRAO SEM Quarterly Journal focused on the ongoing evolution of enrollment management.