COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
Using
Noncognitive Variables to Predict the Grades
and
Retention of Hispanic Students
Jairo
N. Fuertes and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report #9-94
The
computer time for this research has been supported in full through the
facilities at the Computer Science Center of the University of Maryland,
College Park.
COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
Using
Noncognitive Variables to Predict the Grades
and
Retention of Hispanic Students
Jairo
N. Fuertes and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report #9-94
Summary
A ten-year study of 156 Hispanic college
students revealed that their ability to identify and combat perceived
interpersonal and institutional racism, as measured by the Noncognitive
Questionnaire, was predictive of their grades the first three semesters in
college. Results also showed that Noncognitive variables were not predictive of
Hispanic student retention over a nine semester period. The implications of these
findings for student affairs professionals are discussed and a five-step
program for helping students identify and cope with racism is outlined.
Using Noncognitive Variables to Predict the Grades
and Retention of Hispanic Students
Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in
the United States and the second fastest growing minority group in higher
education (American Council on Education, 1993). During the 1980's their
numbers grew at five times the rate of the rest of the U.S. population, to a total
of 22,354,059 in 1990 (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census,
1991). In higher education Hispanics' enrollment increased by 61% between 1980
and 1990, from 472,000 students to 758,000, the second largest increase of any
ethnic group in the U.S. (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1992) .
Given the increasing presence of Hispanics in the
general population and in higher education, the admission and retention of
Hispanic college students has become of primary focus to student affairs professionals
(Chapa & Valencia, 1993; Fuertes & Sedlacek, 1993; Reyes &
Valencia: 1993). While colleges and universities continue to rely, at least in
part, on high school cumulative grade point averages
1
and SAT scores to select the best students, there
has been considerable debate as to whether SAT scores are the best predictors
of the academic success of minority students (Sedlacek, 1993). Arguing that non-academic
variables are of importance in student selection and retention, Tracey and
Sedlacek (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989) conducted a series of studies which
have shown that eight noncognitive variables, as measured by the Noncognitive
Questionnaire (NCQ; Tracey & Sedlacek, 1984), are better predictors than
SAT scores of the grades and retention of non-traditional (e.g., African
American, Asian-American) and traditional students. It has not been
shown, however, if noncognitive variables are valid predictors of Hispanic
students' grades and retention in college.
The noncognitive variables that make up the NCQ are
the following: a) Positive self-concept or confidence, i.e., the student
demonstrates a strong self-feeling, strength of character, determination,
and independence; b) Realistic self-appraisal, especially academic. The
student recognizes and accepts any deficiencies and works hard at self-development;
c) Understands and deals with racism. The student is a
2
realist based upon direct or indirect experience of
racism. He or she is assertive and resourceful in coping with prejudice; d)
Prefers long-term goals to short-term goals, i.e, is able to
respond to deferred gratification; e) Availability of a strong support person
to whom to turn to in crisis; f) Successful leadership experience in any area
pertinent to his/her background (e.g., church, sports, noneducational groups);
g) Demonstrated community service. He/she has been involved in his/her cultural
community; h) Knowledge acquired in a nontraditional field. The student
exhibits an ability to obtain and retain, and retrieve information in non-academic
areas.
The purpose of this research study was twofold.
First, whether the eight noncognitive variables listed above predict the grades
and retention of Hispanic college students will be determined and second, a
model based on noncognitive variables for helping Hispanic students improve
their academic performance in college will be presented.
3
Method
Procedure
The NCQ was administered over a ten-year
period to 156 (51% female) entering Hispanic freshmen at a large, predominantly
White university in the northeast. During their visit to the Counseling Center
as part of their orientation to the campus, students were randomly selected and
invited to complete the NCQ. More than 90% of all students attend orientation,
thus the sample is considered to be representative of new students at the
campus.
Instrument
The NCQ is designed to assess the eight noncognitive
variables described above via 23 items. There are two nominal items on
educational expectations, 18 Likert-type items (range: 1 to 5 from strongly
agree to strongly disagree) on expectations about college and self-assessment,
and three open-ended questions on present goals, past accomplishments,
group memberships, and offices held (range: 1 to 3). Test retest reliabilities
of the NCQ items over a two-week interval ranged from .70 to .94 for each
item, and the median test-retest reliability was found to be .85
4
(Tracey & Sedlacek, 1984). Construct validity on
the eight noncognitive dimensions was demonstrated using factor analysis
(Tracey & Sedlacek, 1984).
Analyses
NCQ scores were used to predict grades (GPA) and
retention using Pearson Product Moment correlations and discriminant analysis
at the .05 level. Students' grades and enrollment status were retrieved from
university records; confidentiality was strictly observed.
Results
Table 1 shows Pearson Product Moment correlations of
NCQ scores and grades. The noncognitive variable "ability to identify and
cope with racism" was correlated with GPA for the first and third
semesters in college. The remaining noncognitive variables were not predictive
of students' GPA on any of five semesters analyzed over a four and a half year
period. Discriminant analysis results showed that the NCQ did not predict
Hispanic student retention.
Discussion
These results partially support previous research
findings (e.g., Bandalos & Sedlacek, 1989; Barbarin,
5
1981; Boyer & Sedlacek, 1988) which showed that
nontraditional students (e.g., ethnic minorities, immigrants, and international
students) who understand racism and are prepared to deal with it perform better
academically at predominantly White schools.
Sedlacek (1993) has described his use of the term
"racism" as generic, i.e., it is intended to include all
"isms". He describes high scorers on this variable as students who
understand the role of the "system" in their life and how it treats
nontraditional persons, often unintentionally. They have developed a method of
assessing the cultural/racial/gender demands of the system and respond accordingly,
assertively if the gain is worth it, passively, if the gain is small or the
situation ambiguous. They do not blame others for their problems or appear as a
"Pollyanna" who does not see an "ism" that works against
them. Low scorers are described as unsure or ignorant of how the
"system" works and are preoccupied with racism or do not feel racism
exists. They blame others for their problems and react with the same intensity
to large and small issues concerned with racism. They do not have a successful
method of handling racism that does not
6
interfere with their personal and academic
development.
These results suggest that Hispanic students who are
"high scorers" on the racism variable as described above, i.e., they
are knowledgeable, assertive, and flexible in coping with unfair university
policies and/or inter-personal treatment, demonstrate the best academic
progress early in their academic career (in this case, the first three
semesters in college).
Model
for Improving Academic Performance
The next section will present a five-step
model for helping Hispanic students cope with racism during the first year in
college. The model is intended to help student affairs professionals who are
interested in promoting the academic performance of Hispanic students.
Step 1
We begin by suggesting that Hispanic students be
sensitized during summer orientation to the difference between individual and
institutional racism and shown how to cope with it. It has been shown that
Hispanic students are often able to identify racism at an interpersonal level,
but are often unaware of institutional policies or "realities" that
tend to work
7
against their best interests (e.g., lack of Hispanic
faculty, staff, and/or bilingual student affairs professionals; Fuertes,
Sedlacek, & Westbrook, 1993). Students could be sensitized via video
vignettes or skits prepared by upper-class students on how to identify and cope
with racist attitudes and behaviors from other students and/or professors.
Step 2
Hispanic students should be made aware of support
units and services (e.g., the counseling center) on campus which are in place
to mediate occurrences of racism, sexism, etc. The results from this study seem
to suggest that students who know their rights and responsibilities, as well as
those of other students, staff and faculty members, are best able to cope
academically the first three semesters on campus. Students could be made aware
of these policies and procedures as part of summer orientation or included as
part of a 1-credit student development course offered to first-semester
freshmen.
Step 3
Fuertes, Sedlacek, & Westbrook (1993) found that
Hispanic students who exhibited bicultural attitudes
8
and behaviors (i.e., they had positive feelings
about participating in Hispanic and non-Hispanic activities and groups)
were most likely to have support networks in college and to feel a part of the
campus community. Salazar (1990) suggests that Hispanics who accommodate to the
campus majority culture, instead of assimilating or isolating themselves from
it, are most likely to succeed academically in college. We suggest that during
summer orientation, in first-year student development courses, and in
overall campus activities programming, an emphasis be made to Hispanic students
that they participate in Hispanic-related and other culture(s)-related
activities. Students could be rewarded for their activities by credit, a
reward, or a certificate of recognition.
Step 4
Involves peer feedback sessions during the first
year on campus on positive or negative experiences at the university. These
sessions can serve as an emotional outlet as well as a social event for new
students on campus. Such sessions could be organized by the counseling center,
the department of resident life or any other support unit on campus. These
group
9
peer feedback sessions should attempt to simulate
group psychotherapy sessions so that issues such confidentiality, an
emotionally safe climate, and the processing of painful material are addressed.
Step 5
The last aspect of our model includes a mentoring
program in which the student is matched with an graduate student, staff, or
faculty member, who acts as a mentor and advocate for the student during the
first year on campus. The mentor may serve as a direct source of help for the
student or could be trained to provide referrals so that students get the help
they need.
Limitations
and Future Research
This study has demonstrated the validity of the NCQ
in predicting Hispanic students' grades their first three semesters in college.
However, more research is needed in the areas of Hispanic student selection and
retention. This study did not examine the predictive validity of high school
GPA's on Hispanic students' grades and retention in college. Future research
should examine the role of high school GPA's in Hispanic students' performance
in college,
10
particularly, in comparison to the NCQ.
Additionally, Fuertes & Sedlacek (In press) found that SAT scores predicted
Hispanic students' grades up to seven semesters after matriculation in college.
Future research may focus on developing a parsimonious model of academic
performance prediction for Hispanics which incorporates, high school GPA, SAT
or ACT scores, as well as noncognitive variables. Researchers may examine the
validity of such a model with Hispanic students in different areas of study in
college, for example engineering vs. psychology majors.
For some students, high SAT math scores and certain
noncognitive variables may be the best predictors of academic performance (both
grades and retention), and for others SAT verbal scores and certain
noncognitive variables may be best predictors of academic performance. Finally,
researchers need to consider within-group differences and pay close
attention to the role of variables such as acculturation level, race, and
socioeconomic status in mediating the academic performance of Hispanics in
higher education.
Table 1:Zero-Order Correlations Between NCQ Scores
and Cumulative GPA* |
||
NCQ |
Semester |
|
|
Sem1 |
Sem2 |
Self Concept |
0.1 |
0.08 |
Realistic Self Appraisal |
0.05 |
-0.02 |
Handling Racism |
.22* |
.20* |
Long Range Goals |
0.12 |
0.1 |
Support Person |
0.07 |
-0.03 |
Leadership |
0.1 |
0.09 |
Community |
0.03 |
0.01 |
Nontraditional Knowledge |
-0.04 |
0.05 |
* Significant at the .05 level
12
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