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Article
Effects of racial representation on the persistence of community college students: An examination of conditional and indirect effects
Journal of College Student Retention: Theory, Research, and Practice (2012)
  • Samuel D Museus, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • Uma M Jayakumar, University of San Francisco
  • Tom Robinson, University of Massachusetts Boston
Abstract
The failure of many 2-year college students to persist and complete a postsecondary credential or degree remains a problem of paramount importance to higher education policymakers and practitioners. While racial representation—or the extent to which a student's racial group is represented on their respective campus—might be one factor that influences the success of students at 2–year colleges, this relationship has received little attention in the higher education literature. The current inquiry focuses on the direct and indirect influences of racial representation on the academic success of Black, Latino, and White students at 2–year institutions. Results indicate that racial representation exhibits both direct and indirect effects on 2–year students' academic success and that the nature of the relationship varies across racial groups. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2012
Citation Information
Museus, S. D., Jayakumar, U. M., & Robinson, T. (in press). Effects of racial representation on the persistence of community college students: An examination of conditional and indirect effects. Manuscript accepted for publication in Journal of College Student Retention: Theory, Research, and Practice.