FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE SUCCESS OF AFRICAN-

Factors That Influence the Success of African-American Teacher Education Students: Case Study

Factors That Influence the Success of African-American Teacher Education Students: Case Study

Chapter 2

Thesis Statement

Race relations still exist among African-American teachers and their white counterparts professionally black teachers still feel insecure about their presence in the profession based on experiences of discrimination of the past.

Factors Affecting Recruitment and Retention

Quarterman (2008) researched how motivation and support affected the recruitment of minority students to graduate programs. The study was based on the opinions of a sample of graduate coordinators and directors, whom demographically were White males (42.5%), White females (27.5%), Black males (25%) and Black females (5%), at 50 Mid-Western universities in the United States. The purpose of this investigation was to identify barriers and strategies of recruitment and retention of a minority graduate student population as perceived by the coordinators and directors. In analyzing the responses of the administrators several barriers emerged that were believed to minimize the recruitment and retention of a diverse graduate student population. The barriers identified in this investigation were: (a) The need for planned recruitment and retention programs; (b) lack of financial funding to support recruitment; (c) an insufficient number of eligible students; (d) student's feelings of social isolation/alienation and loneliness; (e) geographical location of the school; (f) lack of academic preparedness; (g) lack of faculty and staff as role models and mentors; and (h) poor dissemination of information to minority students. The above mentioned findings were congruent with those of Dumas-Hines, Cochran, and Williams (2001), as expressed by deans and directors of nursing programs in the State of Florida. For example, the deans and directors identified that having available minority advisors and making visits, recruitment fairs and career days are two of the most dominant strategies for recruiting ethnically diverse students. The findings also seem to resemble some of the most popular recruitment strategies recommended for colleges and universities at the undergraduate levels (i.e., pipeline strategies, outreach programs, financial incentives and marketing approaches). For example, facilitating personal contact with diverse student population and establishing partnership agreements with institutions with large minority enrollment are practices of pipeline strategies (Dumas-Hines, Cochran, & Williams, 2001). Visits, recruitment fairs and career days at HBCUs and advertisement and promotion of distinct programs are practices of "outreach programs". Scholarships and grants are two of the main financial incentives for recruitment and retention of a diverse graduate population. Successful ways of marketing graduate degree programs through pamphlets and brochures illustrative of diversity have also been recognized as ways to increase a diverse student population enrollment (Garman & Mortensen 1997; Nolan, Levy & Constantine 1996).

The coordinators and directors in this survey were asked to refer to successful strategies that can be utilized to enhance the retention of a diverse graduate student population for each of their respective graduate degree programs. While there is no single solution, the coordinators and directors recommended a few proactive steps to assist those who coordinate and direct graduate programs ...