De Anza Research Project
Prepared by:
Kara Uy , Caitlin Tiffany, Lourdes Quiason
Survey
Analysis
Introduction
Q
Research Question: How does family background influence
knowledge about how to “play the game” of college?
• Prior research has focused on the educational effects of
unequal socioeconomic status. The finding asserts that
students from privileged socioeconomic backgrounds tend to
invest in scholastic pursuits and thereby obtain returns in the
form of academic achievement and degree attainment.
Literature Review
•
A study by Dr. Amy Strage found that there is a relationship between the success of a
student and their family background. A student’s confidence, persistence and task
involvement, which affect a student’s success in college, are significantly related to his or
her family background and environmental factors, which includes positive rapport with
their instructors and parenting styles
•
Another Study by Dr. Amy Strage found strong links between academic and social
integration and student outcomes across ethnic groups and for first-and later-generation
college students. Identified relationships among five indices of academic and social
integration (academic confidence, social confidence, perception of oneself as a leader
among one's peers, a positive rapport with one's teachers and parent’s, and an internal
locus of control) and success and mastery orientation in that environment
•
Mary J. Fischer found that Blacks and Hispanics more likely to be from low
socioeconomic backgrounds and more likely to be first generation college students
(as opposed to white and Asian students) The transition to college is important in
whether the student succeeds or fails in college. Minority status decreases the
likelihood that the student will succeed.
•
Hypothesis
Hypothesis 1: Parental socioeconomic status
(parents education, occupational status, and
income) has a positive effect on academic
achievement
• Hypothesis 2: Academic achievement
increases due to the positive effect of
parental guidance/expectation and college
preparedness
Research Methods
• Target Population: First time college students enrolled in
the summer or fall of 2008, planning to transfer to a 4- year
college, enrolled at De Anza at least half time
• Survey questionnaires were distributed by email to the
target population with emails on file. Only 90 out of 1,746
De Anza students responded
• Female: 786 (45%)
Male: 960 (55%)
• In depth interviews were conducted with 2 first time college
students and an academic counselor
Limitations
• The low response rate: only 90 out of 1746
• Students who were not enrolled full time were not surveyed.
• Survey questionnaires were only sent out to those with valid
emails.
• Most of the respondents were Asian-Americans, Caucasian,
and Hispanic therefore some of the ethnic groups are not
represented from our survey
• Time constraints
Findings
• Findings do not support our hypotheses
• Our analysis of the survey data suggests that
parental socioeconomic status had no
substantial meaning or statistical
significance to academic achievement.
Survey Analysis
• Our data is not completely representative:
Race/Ethnicity
Our Response Actual
African American
Asian American/Asian
3.3%
43.3%
5%
33%
Caucasian non-Hispanic
27.8%
Mexican American/ Hispanic 12.2%
Native American
0%
23%
22%
0%
Pacific Islander
Other
9%
3%
4.4%
8.9%
Survey Analysis
• Hypothesis 1: Parental socioeconomic status effects
academic achievement
• No relationship found between race/ethnicity,
income, or parental education and high school GPA
or other indicators such as Counseling 100, and
whether or not they knew what assist.org was
• Our analysis of the survey data suggests that
parental socioeconomic status had no substantial
meaning or statistical significance to academic
achievement.
Survey Analysis
As parental education level goes up, so does amount of
parental guidance
There is a 5%-10% chance that the results are due to
chance based on Chi Squared Test
Survey Analysis
• As parental guidance in high school goes up, taking
counseling 100 increases
Parental Guidance vs. Taking Counseling 100
40
35
30
Counseling 100
25
Yes
20
No
I don't know
15
10
5
0
Not at all
Occasionally
Parental Guidance
Frequently
Survey Analysis
• Parental Education level  More Parental Guidance
about academic path
• Parental Guidance  More likely to take
Counseling 100
• Seems to provide support for the second hypothesis:
parental guidance and expectations affect academic
achievement
• Maybe some indirect support for first hypothesis that
socioeconomic status affects academic achievement
• However…
Survey Analysis
Taking Counseling 100
90
Frequency of Taking Counseling 100
80
70
60
50
Series1
40
30
20
10
0
I have already taken I'm currently taking it
it
I plan to take it
I'm not going to take
it
Answers
I don't know
Blank
Qualitative Analysis
Interview Findings:
Orientation classes help students know how to play the game of college.
• Sara: “I did have orientation from the international services where they talked
about how many classes we have to take and how many hours we have to study
to succeed in our classes. That orientation really helped me. “
• Counselor: “I think one of our counselors told us based on numbers that he’s
seen that a student who has completed college orientation is more likely to
transfer on or complete or achieve their goal…There are the others, who come
in, don’t know anything about college, don’t take orientation to college. Those
are the ones, I think, who really fall through the cracks either end up going
away, or not being successful. .”
From our survey: Challenging aspect of college experience
•
Lack of information about college process 17.81
•
Lack of information about degrees 16.7%
Interview Analysis
Continued…
Students place great importance on pleasing their parents
• Bakti: “Most child in India want to please their parents so they are pressured
to work very hard. For me, I think I was okay, my parents just seemed to
want me to focus on school.”
• Sara: “A lot of people need that push and motivation to make their families
proud. I mean if you graduate from college, your parents would be very
proud of you and this would also make you feel better. That is why I think
family background helps a student be prepared and successful in college
because you do not want to disappoint your parents.”
• From our survey: Felt pressured by their parents to go to college
• 32.2% occasionally, 41.1% frequently
Interview analysis cont…
High tuition fees increases academic achievement
• Sara: “You know that my tuition is very expensive so I
would not want to waste my parents’ money by taking
classes that will not be counted towards my major, which
is nursing.”
• Bakti: “One of the hardest challenges…I have to pay a lot
of fees, I come from India. I mean I don’t have to worry
about money but it just seems a lot compared to other
students here, each course is close to 600 bucks so I have
to pass all my classes”
Main Points According to Our
Interviews…
• Orientation classes seem to be helpful tools to help
students understand the process of how to “play
the game” of college.
• Parents’ expectations seem to drive students to do
better and focus more in their classes.
• High tuition fess motivates students to work
harder in their classes.
Future Research
• Look at how knowledge about time
management affects how a student can
succeed in college
• Future research can also explore whether the
success of college students is heavily
influenced by positive rapport with peers and
instructors.
Future Research
•
Some prior research suggests that parental socioeconomic
status had no substantial meaning to academic achievement.
Other factors such as motivation and confidence played a
salient role in college success
•
Future Research can take a less traditional approach and
continue to explore these factors, hypothesizing that college
students can become academically liberated from their
socioeconomic origins
Recommendations
• Include teaching time management skills or
tips on “how to play” the game of college in
orientation classes for first time college
students.
• Require all brand new students to take the
orientation class.