A large majority of African American males begin their postsecondary education careers at two-year community colleges. This study estimates the impact of academic and social integration on retention rates for African American men at these insitutions. Findings suggest a statistical link between social integration and satisfaction in college. Implications for future policy and practice are presented.
- Satisfaction with college is a strong predictor of intent to remain at an institution which is highly correlated with actual retention.
- External factors such as age, background traits, and external commitments were most important in determining satisfaction.
- Older African American male students were less satisfied than their younger counterparts. This may reflect the negative impact of commitments that tend to increase with age such as family responsibilities, full-time work, children, and even health conditions.
- African American males whose family responsibilities have little to no affect on their school work had significantly higher levels of satisfaction.
- Social integration accounted for one-third of the variance in African American male satisfaction at these institutions.
- Grades were only marginally related to satisfaction with college among African American men at two-year community colleges.
DOI:
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- Community College Journal of Research and Practice