COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
A
Profile of Incoming Hispanic Freshmen at the
University
of Maryland, College Park, 1989-1990
Jairo
Fuertes and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report # 1-90
This
study was sponsored and partly conducted by the Counseling Center and the
Office of Minority Student Education at the University of Maryland, College
Park. Computer time for this project was provided by the Computer Science
Center of the University of Maryland, College Park.
COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
A
PROFILE OF HISPANIC FRESHMEN AT THE
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, 1989-1990
Jairo
Fuertes and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report # 1-90
Summary
The University New Student
Census for 1989-1990 was administered to 935 entering freshmen students
at the University of Maryland, College Park. The ethnic make-up of the
students was White (70%) , Blacks (13%) , Asians (11%) , Hispanics (3%) , other
(2%), and Native Americans (<1%) .
Generally, Hispanic students felt that their weakest
academic. areas were their study habits (260), their math skills (26%), and
their writing skills (13%); however, most tended to agree that they knew how to
use the library well. About 26% felt that they would not drop out from UMCP for
any reason, and appeared to be in college for practical, career-oriented
reasons. They tended to be primarily concerned with developing skills in
college directly applicable to an occupation. Hispanic freshmen appeared to be
interested in intercollegiate sports and other fitness activities, and would
consider seeking counseling for educational/vocational issues, but not for
emotional/social issues.
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During the decade of the 1980's, Hispanics grew at five
times the rate of the rest of the U.S. population. (U.S. Bureau of the Census,
1989). Their increase in numbers has been evident in higher education,
specially during the ten year period from 1976-1986 (Evangelauf, 1988).
Statistics show that in 1986, there were 624,000 Hispanic students enrolled in
higher education, compared with 384,000, in 1976; that is a 63% increase in
enrollment, compared with 9% for White students during the same period (U.S.
Department of Education, 1988). However, like most minority students, Hispanics
have found it difficult to adjust to academic and social life in predominantly
White colleges (Garza & Nelson, 1973; Hunt, 1975; Lyon, 1973; Olivas, 1982;
Sedlacek, 1987). Hispanics have reported not feeling welcome at predominantly White
colleges and of being treated like uninvited guests in a strange land (Parker
& Scott, 1985).
Research on Hispanic students is scarce, and the limited
research that has been done on Hispanics has found them to be a heterogeneous,
complex group, originating from over 20 different countries, each with
differences in language and culture (Quevedo-Garcia, 1987). White and
Sedlacek (1987) point out that the attitudes of White students toward Hispanics
are somewhat more positive than they are towards Blacks, though they are still
negative. Their social behaviors on campuses differ depending on geographical
location in the U.S. (Patterson, Sedlacek, & Perry, 1984) , and
acculturation (Fuertes, Sedlacek, & Westbrook, 1989) .
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It seems logical that in order to better retain and
develop these students, research will have to be done to assess their needs in
the U. S. college environment. The purpose of this study was to create a
profile of freshman Hispanic students entering a predominantly White
institution in the Northeast by assessing their attitudes toward the
university, extra curricular activities, academic life, and counseling.
The University New Student Census (UNSC) was administered
to 935 Freshmen (52% male) attending a summer orientation program at a
predominantly White, eastern university. Of the 935 students, 70% were White,
13% Black, 11% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 20 other, and <1% Native American. Since
nearly all new freshmen attend orientation at this university, the sample of
students that take the UNSC can be considered representative of all freshmen at
this institution. The UNSC consists of 79 items which assess demographical and
attitudinal information from students. A descriptive analysis of the responses
given by Hispanic students (n=31, 52% male) to selected items is reported by
percentages. Gender differences are not reported due to the low number of
respondents.
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Results
The majority of the students (68%) lived in the suburbs
before entering the university, and reported having grown up in neighborhoods
in which 25% or less of the residents were Hispanic (55%) . The majority of the
students reported they would live on campus their first semester (65%), and
tended to agree that they would identify primarily with their residence hall mates.
Hispanic students selected the university largely because
of its geographical location (30%), and because of the quality of a specific
program in a department (27%). The remaining reasons included the university's
overall academic reputation (23%), its affordable tuition (17%) , and its
athletic programs (17%) . Most students heard of the university through
university publications (37%), visits (37%), and college guides (17%). The
majority of the students responded that the university was their first choice
(58%) among schools they had applied to, and that their parents (42%) and other
students (16%) were most influential in helping them decide on a school.
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Attitudes toward Academic Life
Hispanics felt their weakest academic areas were their
study habits (260), their math skills (260), and their writing skills (13 %) .
When asked why they would likely drop out of school, 26 % reported that they
would not drop out of school for any reason, 23% attributed rising school costs
to their dropping out, and 16% considered lack of interest in school work for
possibly dropping out. The majority reported that in high school, they usually
studied between 4 and 8 hours per week. In addition, 37% of them reported that
in high school they usually kept up with their work, and 33% reported that
sometimes they fell behind. The majority of the students agreed that they knew
how to use the library well.
Most students appeared to be enrolling in the university
for very practical, career-oriented reasons. The majority of the students
(61%) responded that their most important educational objective was to learn
skills directly applicable to a job. Other educational objectives were to
decide upon a career path (16%), and to become independent in thinking and
behavior (10%). This
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job-oriented thinking was further reinforced by the
answers students gave to an item related to educational philosophies.
Clark and Trow (1966) devised a model to better understand
the educational philosophies of students. The model consists of four
philosophies, each expressing a different reason for being in college. The four
philosophies (Table 1) are Vocational, Collegiate, Academic, and Non-conforming.
The philosophies chosen by Hispanic students were Vocational (45%), Collegiate
(27%), Academic (22%), and Non-conforming (6%).
When Hispanics students were asked why they would stay at
the university until graduation, students responded that it would be because
they needed the degree to enter graduate school (33%), or because they needed
the degree to enter their chosen profession (26%). Only 17% answered that they
would stay in school until graduation because they were interested in ideas and
the pursuit of knowledge. Students responded that the highest academic degree
to which they aspired was the M.A. or M.S. (39%), the medical degree (23%) ,
and the B.A. or B. S. (20%) .
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Attitudes Toward Extra-Curricular Activities
Hispanic freshmen appeared to be most interested in
recreational or intercollegiate athletics (42%), student publications. (13 %), musical
or dramatic organizations (13%), and special interest groups (l0%). When
students were asked what contributed the most to their development in the last
year, they responded that their social life was most influential (32%),
followed by friendships made (16%), their jobs (16%), and contact with teachers
(13%). Most Hispanics tended to agree that they would participate in some kind
of recreational sport or fitness activity during their tenure at the
university.
The majority of the students tended to agree that they
understood human sexuality well, and were optimistic that they would be able to
find channels for expressing complaints at the university. Hispanics tended to
agree that would seek counseling for educational/vocational issues, but tended
to disagree that they would seek counseling for emotional/social concerns.
7
Discussion
Sedlacek (1987) has shown that a minority student that is
confident, realistic, and resourceful will most likely succeed in a
predominantly White environment. It is interesting to note that the percentage
of students answering that they would not drop out of school for any reason
(26%), is very close to the percentage of Hispanic students that graduate in 5
years or less on the average from this same institution. Tracey and Sedlacek
(1987) provide evidence that responses to that item as part of the
Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) correlate with the
graduation of minority students up to six years after initial matriculation.
Students reported their study habits to be their weakest
academic area. It may specially helpful to Hispanic freshmen students to
provide them with a study skills course that promotes the development of time-management
skills, note-taking skills, test-taking skills, etc.. This course could
also help Hispanic freshmen develop assertiveness skills which are essential
for college success (Quevedo-Garcia, 1987). Hispanics appear to enter
college for career-oriented reasons, yet they may not be able to initiate
career development behaviors their first year in college. Since they are
willing to engage in
8
educational/vocational counseling, the course mentioned
could provide students with assignments that require them go to a Counseling
Center on campus and find out about vocational testing and counseling.
9
Clark, B.R., & Trow, M. (1966). Determinants of
college student subcultures. In T. M. Newcomb, & E.K. Wilson
(Eds.), The Study of College
Peer Groups. Chicago, Aldine.
Evangelauf, J. (1988, March 9). Minorities' share of
college enrollments edges up, as number of Asian and
Hispanic students soars. The
Chronicle of Higher Education. pp. 33,
35-36.
Fuertes, J. N., Sedlacek, W.E., & Westbrook, F.D.
(1989). A needs assessment of Hispanic students at a
predominantly White university.
(Counseling Center Research Report #21-89). College Park: University of Maryland.
Garza, R.T., & Nelson, E.B. (1973). A comparison of
Mexican and Anglo-American student perceptions of the
university environment. Journal
of College Student Personnel, 14, 339401.
Hunt, C.L. (1975). Alternate patterns of minority group
adjustment in the university. Education Forum, 39,
137-147.
Lyon, J.E. (1973). The adjustment of Black students to a
predominantly White campus. Journal of Negro
Education, 42,
462-466.
Olivas, M.A. (1982). Federal higher education policy: The
case of Hispanics. Educational Evaluation and
Policy Analysis, 4, 301-310.
Parker, W.P., & Scott, A. C.
(1985). Creating an inviting atmosphere for college students from ethnic minority groups. Journal of College
Student Personnel, 26, 82-87.
Patterson, A.M., Sedlacek, W.E., & Perry, F.W. (1984).
Perceptions of Blacks and Hispanics of two campus
environments. Journal of
College Student Personnel, 25, 513518.
Quevedo-Garcia, E.L. (1987). Facilitating the
development of Hispanic college students. In D.J. Wright (Ed.),
Responding to the Needs of
Today's Minority Students. New Directions for Student Services, no. 38. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 49-63.
Sedlacek, W.E. (1987). Black students on White campuses:
20 years of research. Journal of College Student
Personnel, 28,
484495.
Tracey, T.J., & Sedlacek, W.E. (1987). Prediction of
college graduation using noncognitive variables by race.
Measurement and Evaluation in
Counseling and Development, 19, 177-184.
U.S. Bureau of the
Census, Current Population Reports, Series p20, No. 438. The Hispanic
Population in the
United States: March 1988. U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. 1989.
Philosophy A:
(Vocational) In college primarily to prepare for a career; view practical work
experience as more important than intellectual discussion or extra-curricular
activities.
Philosophy B: (Academic) Attaches greatest importance to
interest in ideas, pursuit of knowledge, and cultivation of the intellect;
often spends leisure time reading books not required for course work and in
intellectual discussion.
Philosophy C: (Collegiate) Highly involved in social and
other extracurricular activities. Considers learning from social relationships
as an important part of college experience.
Philosophy D: (Non-conforming) Emphasizes individual
interest and styles, concern for personal identity, and is generally critical
of and detached from the college, faculty and administration.
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