Examining the College Preparation and Intermediate Outcomes of College Success of Avid Graduates Enrolled in Universities and Community Colleges.
2015; Volume: 43; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2326-9618
AutoresJeffery Huerta, Karen M. Watt,
Tópico(s)Higher Education Research Studies
ResumoAdvancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college readiness system that includes components such as rigorous curriculum, tutoring, and other forms of college preparatory scaffolding for students who are in school and high school. Students selected for AVID are identified as being in the academic middle and are mostly first generation college-going stu- dents. AVID students enroll in rigorous curriculum, such as Advanced Placement and other courses for college credit, and they receive extra academic and social support in the form of tutoring and peer mentoring (Mehan, Villanueva, Hubbard, & Lintz, 1996).In addition to academic support, AVID provides students with a social support structure through the AVID elective class that not only strengthens their academic skills but also helps to improve their social skills with the intent of easing the transition from the secondary to postsecondary world. The elective also includes lessons that impart knowledge of financial aid, scholarships, and college entrance requirements.Research on the long-term benefits and impact of AVID components on students' performance in college is scarce. Slavin and Calderon (2001) found that AVID students in California completed more college credit-bearing courses in high school and enrolled in college at higher rates than nonAVID students. Mendiola, Watt, and Huerta (2010) examined a group of first generation Mexican American AVID graduates as they progressed through college and found that their success rate in college (measured by being on track to graduate within six years) was over two and a half times that of the institution's six-year graduation rate.Purpose of the StudyAVID is an elementary through postsecondary college readiness and educational reform system, but this research focuses on the postsecondary progress of samples of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) high school graduates. Upon graduation from high school, sizeable portions of AVID graduates choose to enroll in community colleges rather than universities. Therefore, the intent of this research was to examine differences between those two groups of students once they enrolled in their respective postsecondary institutions. College preparation and postsecondary progress data were gathered from a sample of AVID graduates to address the following research questions:1) What differences in college preparation and differences in intermediate outcomes of college success exist between graduates of AVID programs enrolled in universities and those enrolled in community colleges?2) Do students who participated in the high school AVID program exhibit higher first-year retention rates when compared to state and national data?3) Which high school achievements and college preparation/ readiness components, if any, predict students' intermediate outcomes of college success?4) How do AVID graduates attending universities and those attending community colleges differ with regard to college choice decisions, the use of AVID strategies in college, and academic aspirations?PerspectivesMany students enroll in postsecondary institutions but, for various and often unknown reasons, fail to graduate within six years. Only 45.4% of students who enroll in public, four-year colleges and universities persist to degree completion within a six-year period (ACT, 2012). In 2012, only 71.7% of college freshmen returned for their second year at public, four-year colleges and universities. Both of these figures are on the decline (ACT, 2012). In 2010, only 77.1% of freshmen returned to start their second year (National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, 2010). Such first-to-second-year retention rates at two-year public colleges, however, are much worse, lingering around 54% (ACT, 2012; National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, 2010). Reasons for this decline in college retention and completion include lack of college preparation, economic cost of college, and institutional quality (Bound, Lovenheim, & Turner, 2010; Light & Strayer, 2000). …
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