new start summer program
TRANSCRIPT
09
New Start Summer Program
Incoming Student Comparative Analysis
Dr. Nolan L. Cabrera & Dr. Jeffrey F. Milem
Center for the Study of Higher Education
College of Education, The University of Arizona
1
Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2
Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 2
Demographic Characteristics of Students ................................................................................... 4
Pre-College Neighborhood ....................................................................................................... 10
High School Context ................................................................................................................. 14
College Choice Process............................................................................................................. 18
Culture and Connection to Home ............................................................................................. 19
First Year Living Situation and Anticipated Involvement ........................................................ 22
Academic Expectations & Self-Ratings.................................................................................... 24
Role of Finances ....................................................................................................................... 26
Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 28
References ..................................................................................................................................... 31
2
Introduction
In 2009, the New Start Summer Program at the University of Arizona, celebrated its 40th
anniversary. Over the past forty years, it has served over 12,000 students1. During this six-
week, intensive summer program, the New Start Summer Program staff enrolls, instructs, and
guides approximately 250 incoming freshman at The University of Arizona to help acclimate
them to college life to smooth the transition to their first year of college. While all entering first-
time, full-time freshmen are eligible for program participation, New Start Summer Program has
been especially effective at serving the University of Arizona’s student populations that tend to
have low rates of matriculation (i.e., low-income, racial minority, and first-generation college
students). While there are numerous anecdotal examples highlighting the importance of this
program in supporting incoming students to The University of Arizona, there have only been a
handful of evaluations conducted on the New Start Summer Program. This report, based upon
survey data collected from incoming New Start Summer Program students during the summer of
2009, is the first step in conducting a longitudinal analysis of how this program affects both the
academic and social development of participants.
Methodology
To begin assessing how the New Start Summer Program affects students entering The
University of Arizona, we administered a questionnaire to the 2009 cohort of New Start Summer
Program students on the first day of the program. The questionnaire is broadly focused on the
following areas:
Students’ college choice process
Students’ pre-college experiences
Students’ expectations of their college experience
1 http://www.ui.arizona.edu/newstart/welcome.html
3
Students’ goals and aspirations
Students’ self-ratings
The questionnaire was administered online to students in a computer lab using DatStat Illume™
software. Of the 271 students who began the questionnaire, 255 completed yielding a 94.1
percent response rate2. These responses will be the baseline sample from which future
questionnaire administrations will explore both student growth as well as isolating the impact
New Start Summer Program has on student academic and social adjustment to college.
To determine the relative impact of New Start Summer Program participation on
students, we also surveyed a comparison group of students from the general undergraduate
population. All freshmen were invited via email to participate in the survey during orientation,
resulting in 1,400 total survey completers representing just over 20 percent of the incoming class.
Even though the survey was not created and administered as an evaluation of the relative impact
of the AZ Assurance Scholars program3, a number of survey completers were also students (see
Table 1).
TABLE 1. Arizona Assurance Scholars and New Start Students, Incoming
Student Survey Completers
n
% of Program
Students
% of Total
Sample
AZ Assurance Scholar in Sample 212 27.6 15.1
Total AZ Assurance Scholars 769
New Start Students in Sample 252 93.0 18.0
Total New Start Students 271
New Start + AZ Assurance in Sample 84 81.5 6.0
Total New Start + AZ Assurance 103
Note: Sample of incoming students, n=1400.
2 The percentages subsequently reported in this report are not in relation to 255, but rather, the number of
participants who responded to the survey item. 3 https://financialaid.arizona.edu/assurance/default.aspx
4
Just under 28 percent (n=214) of all AZ Assurance Scholars were surveyed representing
approximately 15 percent of our total sample. In addition, there is an overlap regarding New
Start and AZ Assurance participation. Of the AZ Assurance Scholars (n=769), 13.4 percent
(n=103) were also New Start Summer Program students. The current sample captured just under
82 percent (n=84) of all AZ Assurance Scholars who were also New Start Summer Program
students which offers a number of analytical possibilities. There is representation in the
following categories:
New Start Summer Program student only (n=168, 12.0 percent of sample)
AZ Assurance Scholar only (n=128, 9.1 percent of sample)
AZ Assurance Scholar + New Start Summer Program student (n=84, 6.0 percent of
sample)
This creates an opportunity to determine the impact of participation in each program as well as
the impact of both programs in combination. With this representation of students in these four
categories (New Start student, AZ Assurance Scholar, participant in both programs, and
participation in neither), the remainder of this report focuses on the similarities and differences
that exist among these groups of incoming freshmen at the U of A.
Demographic Characteristics of Students
Despite recent improvements, underrepresented minority (URM) freshman retention and
six year graduation rates are lower than their majority counterparts (Retention Coordinating
Group, 2005 April, p. 34). Within this context, the following statement was issued to guide
campus-wide retention efforts:
Optimal student retention can only be fully achieved when all students – including
students of color, first-generation students, transfer students, and students with
disabilities – experience success in degree completion at the same rate as the
majority population. (emphasis original, Retention Coordinating Group, 2005, April, p.
20)
5
While the report was focused on improving the aggregate undergraduate matriculation rate for
the University of Arizona, the Retention Coordinating Group argued that this goal could not be
realized without accounting for the specific needs of students of color and first-generation
college students. New Start Summer Program helps address this need first and foremost based
upon the student populations they serve.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2009), The University
of Arizona full-time undergraduate population is 65 percent White, 16 percent Latina/o, 6
percent Asian American, 3 percent Black, and 2 percent Native American. The incoming
freshmen completing this survey came from a wide range of socio-demographic backgrounds. In
terms of racial/ethnic diversity, most of the students of color are either New Start Summer
Program students or AZ Assurance Scholars (See Figure 1).
6
The overwhelming majority4 of those who were some type of New Start Summer Program
students were students of color, with a large portion of these being Latina/os. This is the inverse
of the general student body survey completers who are over 70 percent White. Interestingly,
White students also had the largest single racial/ethnic group representation among the AZ
Assurance Scholars who were not New Start Summer Program students. This makes a certain
amount of intuitive sense. Even though there are significantly higher proportions of racial
4 For program participation n, please refer to p. 4. For the sample of students who did not participate in either
program, n=1020.
9.6%
30.5%
54.2%
79.8%
2.1%
3.1%
6.0%
7.1%
.6%
1.6%
2.4%
2.4%
6.5%
7.0%
8.9%
6.0%
10.3%
12.5%
14.9%
1.2%
71.0%
45.3%
13.7%
3.6%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
Figure 1. Racial/Ethnic composition of sample
by program participation
White/Caucausian
Biracial/Multiracial
Asian American/Pacific Islander
Native American/American Indian
African American/Black
Hispanic/Latino
7
minorities who are low-income relative to Whites, low-income Whites comprise a larger
absolute number of those who are low-income (Oliver & Shapiro, 2006).
Among students of color, the strong majority of survey completers were female. For
African Americans, 61.0 percent (n=25) were women, as were 69.5 percent (n=66) of Asian
American/Pacific Islanders, 71.4 percent (n=10) of Native Americans, and 65.1 percent (n=192)
of Latina/os. For racial minority students, this is part of a larger national trend where women of
color tend to outnumber men of color approximately 3:2 in terms of their representation as first-
time, full-time freshmen at four-year institutions (Allen, Jayakumar, Griffin, Korn, & Hurtado,
2005; Chang, Park, Lin, Poon, & Nakanishi, 2007; Hurtado, Sáenz, Santos, & Cabrera, 2008;
Sáenz & Ponjuan, 2009).
There is also a sizeable proportion of Whites in this sample who are female (66.0 percent,
n=532), however, this is likely a function of a different phenomenon. According to Edwards
(2008), the 2008-2009 first-time, full-time freshmen at the U of A were 53.2 percent female and
two-thirds of the students were White. Thus, the 66.0 percent of White students in the current
research who are female appears to represent a sampling bias. This hypothesis is corroborated
by a nationally-representative sample of first-time, full-time freshmen. Sax, Gilmartin, and
Bryant (2003), found that women were significantly more likely than men to complete surveys
than men. Hence, the oversampling of White women from the general student population is
likely an artifact of this trend.
There is also a great deal of socioeconomic diversity within this sample (see Figure 2).
Of the non-New Start, non-AZ Assurance sample who listed a parental income, more than 50
percent (n=371) came from families that made more than $100,000 per year. This contrasts with
8
the New Start Summer Program which had 55.1 percent (n=109)5 of its students coming from
families that made less than $50,000 annually.
These results regarding race and income were strongly related to those regarding first-
generation college status6. Not surprisingly, the New Start Summer Program students and AZ
Assurance Scholars were substantially more likely to be first generation college students (see
Figure 3). For those students who were both New Start Summer Program students and AZ
Assurance Scholars, more than two-thirds had parents who never attended college.
Approximately one-third of those who were either New Start Summer Program students or AZ
Assurance Scholars were also first-generation college students. These results stand in stark
contrast to the only 6.0 percent of students from the general student body who were first-
generation.
5 Just like the previous comparison, these numbers only include those who did not answer “I don’t know” to the
familial income question. 6 This term means those whose parents did not attend college. It is not to be confused with a reference to
immigration status.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Figure 2. Familial income by program type
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and NOT
NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
9
There was diversity embedded within the group of first-generation students. For
example, Latina/os comprised an absolute majority of first-generation college students (57.4
percent, n=120). This is consistent with national data where Latina/os comprise the single largest
racial/ethnic group among first-generation college students (Sáenz, Hurtado, Barrera, Wolf, &
Yeung, 2007). In addition to race, income played a large role in shaping these incoming student
contexts. Not surprisingly, the majority of first-generation college students (72.8 percent,
n=128) came from families that made less than $50,000 per year. Education and income are
frequently interrelated, and thus, it is not surprising that first generation status and coming from a
low-income family were significantly correlated (r=.441**). In addition to these demographic
variables, the surveyed students also provided a number of insights into their high school
experiences.
6.0%
31.1%37.2%
67.5%
94.0%
68.9%62.8%
32.5%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
Figure 3. Generational status by program
participation
Non-first generation college student
First generation college student
10
Pre-College Neighborhood
While the pre-college environment does not determine a student’s fate, it has a strong
influence on it (Astin, 1993). The New Start Summer Program participants and AZ Assurance
Scholars came from dramatically different contexts than their peers in the entering class. For
example, most of those who participated in the New Start Summer Program or who were AZ
Assurance Scholars, came from communities where the majority of adults did not graduate from
college (see Figure 4). For those who participated in both programs, almost 90 percent reported
they came from these communities. The story was dramatically different for non-program
participants.
For non-program participants, nearly three quarters came from communities where the majority
of adults graduated from college. Thus, the New Start Summer Program students and the AZ
Assurance Scholars, relative to their peers, were much less likely to have access to college-
related information or to college-educated role models.
25.4%
61.5%70.2%
88.9%
74.6%
38.5%29.8%
11.1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or AZ
Assurance Participant
NS Participant and
NOT AZ Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and AZ
Assurance Scholar
Figure 4. Most of the adults in community
have graduated from college
Yes
No
11
The New Start Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars also came from
different racial contexts than their non-program participating peers. The majority of New Start
Summer Program students came from pre-college environments where racial minorities were in
the majority (see Figure 5). AZ Assurance Scholars tended to come from less racially segregated
environments, but their neighborhoods had substantially higher concentrations of people of color
relative to their U of A peers who did not participate in either program.
The non-program participants tended to live in pre-college environments where Whites were the
strong majority. As residential segregation and school segregation are highly intertwined, it is
not surprising that a similar trend occurred when students described the racial diversity of their
high school environment.
The New Start Summer Program students tended to attend high schools where racial
minorities were in the majority, although it was not as pronounced as the segregation of their
home neighborhoods (see Figure 6). The AZ Assurance Scholars attended high schools with
more White students than those participating in the New Start Summer Program, but this was not
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
All or
nearly all
people of
color
Mostly
people of
color
Half white
and half
people of
color
Mostly
white
All or
nearly all
white
Figure 5. Racial diversity of pre-college
neighborhood
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and
NOT NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
12
surprising given the high proportion of White students who are Assurance Scholars. Despite this
difference, the AZ Assurance Scholars still went to school with more people of color than their
peers who did not participate in either program.
While dramatic, these numbers are not unexpected. We currently live in a more racially
segregated society than at the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision (Orfield, 1996),
and there are also high levels of segregation within schools (Kozol, 2005; Oakes, 2005).
This heightened segregation limits the possibility for cross-racial interactions, and thus, it
is not surprising that students in the sample tended to describe their friendship groups as racially
homogenous (see Figure 7). The New Start Summer Program students, who tended to be racial
minorities, had the highest concentration of racial minorities in their friendship groups. Students
who did not participate in either the New Start Summer Program or AZ Assurance Scholars had
the highest proportion of White friends, and the AZ Assurance Scholars (who were 45.3 percent
White) were in the middle. The difference occurred in the magnitude of these trends. Almost no
New Start Summer Program students had friendship groups that were majority-White even
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
All or nearly
all people of
color
Mostly
people of
color
Half white
and half
people of
color
Mostly white All or nearly
all white
Figure 6. Racial diversity of high school
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and
NOT NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
13
though approximately 10 percent came from communities and high schools that were majority-
White.
Even with these dramatic differences, it is likely that the students who were not New Start
Summer Program students or AZ Assurance scholars over-reported the racial diversity of their
pre-college environments. There is a trend among Whites to overstate the amount of diversity in
their everyday environments (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). This can include overestimating the
concentration of racial minorities in a given environment and labeling racial minorities as friends
when they are more aptly described as acquaintances. Thus, it is likely that these differences
regarding friendship diversity are actually larger than reported in the survey data. Coming from
these differing social contexts can have a strong influence on the higher education experience of
these students. The New Start Summer Program students and the AZ Assurance Scholars come
to the U of A with more experience navigating racially diverse environments than the non-
program participants do. The influence that the diversity of these students’ social networks have
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
All or nearly
all people of
color
Mostly
people of
color
Half white
and half
people of
color
Mostly white All or nearly
all white
Figure 7. Racial diversity of high school friends
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and
NOT NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
14
on subsequent outcomes and experiences will be interesting to track as they progress through
college.
High School Context
Much of the higher education literature regarding college access focuses on the issue of
high schools and the development of a college-going culture (McDonough, 1997). A college-
going culture refers to the high school environment and whether or the school personnel promote
college-going among their students, and if so, whether students receive different messages based
upon their race, SES, or gender. Within this context, the New Start Summer Program students
and AZ Assurance Scholars who tend to be students of color and/or from lower income
backgrounds, had markedly different experiences than non-program participants. First, they
tended to come from high schools where the majority of their peers did not attend college (Figure
8).
27.2%
57.3%46.2%
63.4%
72.8%
42.7%53.8%
36.6%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or AZ
Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and
NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and NOT
NS Participant
Both NS and AZ
Assurance Scholar
Figure 8. The majority of graduating
seniors in participant's high school
attended a four-year university
Yes
No
15
In comparison, the students who were neither New Start Summer Program participants nor AZ
Assurance Scholars, three quarters attended high schools where the majority of their peers
attended four-year institutions upon graduation. These differences in high school college-going
culture also meant students had different levels of access to college-related information.
The non-program participants were more likely to rely on their parents and high school
peers for college-related information than the New Start Summer Program students and AZ
Assurance Scholars (Figure 9). This is in part due to the fact that participants in both programs
tended to have parents who did not attend college (Figure 3) and to attend high schools where
their peers did not attend college (Figure 8).
High school personnel (e.g., teachers and counselors) were very important in helping New Start
Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars navigate the college choice process. It is
not surprising that high school counselors were especially important in helping these students
achieve their aspirations as, “College counselors represent one of the single most important
forms of college and financial aid information for lower income children and their families”
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Figure 9. Sources of college-related information
while in high school
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and NOT
NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
16
(McDonough & Calderone, 2004, p. 1705). In addition to counselors, these students relied
heavily upon teachers and information from college representatives to help them navigate the
college going process.
Other messages the New Start Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars
received contributed to this lack of a college-going culture in their high school. For example,
despite the fact that more than three quarters of these students reporting being in the top quartile
of their graduating high school class, many reported they were advised to attend a community
college (Figure 10).
More than 40 percent of students who are both New Start Summer Program students and AZ
Assurance Scholars reported having school personnel direct them toward community college. In
contrast, only one quarter of those who did not participate in either program were guided toward
community college. There is nothing inherently wrong with community college attendance, as
Sólorzano (1995) demonstrates that a large proportion of Chicana/o PhDs attended community
colleges. However, community colleges can also be educational dead ends for many low-income
6.3% 7.2%12.6% 14.6%
19.9%22.8%
26.8%28.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Neither NS or AZ
Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and
NOT AZ Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and NOT
NS Participant
Both NS and AZ
Assurance Scholar
Figure 10. Had at least one teacher or
counselor advise community college attendance
Agree somewhat
Strongly agree
17
students and students of color (Wassmer, Moore, & Shulock, 2004), and being tracked into these
institutions is frequently a function of race and SES instead of academic ability (McDonough,
1997; Oakes, 2005).
Many students also reported they were recruited into military service but these efforts
were not equitably distributed across student groups (see Figure 11). Those who were both New
Start Summer Program participants and AZ Assurance Scholars were 17 percentage points more
likely to report that they were recruited by the military than their peers who did not participate in
either program.
This finding is not surprising as low-income and racial minority students are more likely to be
targeted for recruitment and enlistment in the armed services (Kleykamp, 2006; Korb & Duggan,
2007). The military strongly pursues these students; especially students who possess the
academic abilities to attain a college degree.
24.8% 27.4% 28.8% 25.4%
14.6%16.1%
22.1% 31.0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
Figure 11. Military recruiters talked to
participant about enlisting
Strongly agree
Agree somewhat
18
College Choice Process
Despite the barriers to New Start Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars
gaining access to college highlighted in the previous section, they still made it. However, their
college choice processes tended to be different than their non-program participating peers.
While the majority of all students indicated that they believed they would attend college since
elementary school, the rates were considerably lower for New Start Summer Program students
and AZ Assurance Scholars than for students who did not participate in either program (see
Figure 12). Student who did not participate in either program were 20 percentage points more
likely than those who participated in both to strongly agree that this described their college-going
aspirations.
While the majority of these students had early predispositions toward college-going, there were
still large proportions of program participants who did not. Not coincidentally, those who had
lower college-going aspirations tended to be low-income, first-generation, and racial minority
86.5%78.3% 76.6%
66.7%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or AZ
Assurance Participant
NS Participant and
NOT AZ Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and AZ
Assurance Scholar
Figure 12. Participant has been planning
on attending college since elementary
school (strongly agree)
19
students. These differences in college aspirations also related to the students’ college application
behaviors.
The majority of New Start Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars applied
to either one or two colleges (see Figure 13), and approximately three quarters applied to either
one, two, or three colleges (likely U of A, ASU, and NAU).
In contrast, 45 percent of the non-program participants applied to four or more colleges, and one
quarter applied to six or more. The non-program participants tended to come from backgrounds
that had increased levels of economic and social capital which meant their college options were
expanded relative to their low-SES and minority counterparts. Thus, they had expanded college
opportunities, and this became manifest in their college application behaviors.
Culture and Connection to Home
Much of the literature on college student persistence conceptualizes college as a time
where students separate from their families to create an identity independent from their family
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Figure 13. Number of colleges applied
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and NOT
NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
20
that becomes important as they navigate the university environment (Tinto, 1975, 1993).
However, this literature has been criticized for not describing the experiences of students of color
who tend to rely upon both familial support and cultural strength as the foundation for their
success in higher education (Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado, Carter, & Spuler, 1996; Tierney,
1992, 1999). The results from the incoming student survey indicate that students of color in the
sample place a high premium on maintaining both culture and familial connections while
pursuing their undergraduate degrees. This is evident in the importance these students placed on
living near home during their undergraduate years (see Figure 14). Less than 20 percent of those
who did not participate in either the New Start Summer Program or AZ Assurance Scholars
placed a high premium on living near home during the undergraduate years.
Conversely, approximately 30 percent of all program participants placed a high importance on
living near home while in college. This was not only a matter of maintaining culture continuity,
but is likely to reflect the familial responsibilities that they continue to have during their
undergraduate years.
5.1%10.1%
6.3%13.1%
13.9%
25.0%
22.7%
16.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and AZ
Assurance
Scholar
Figure 14. Importance of living near
home while in college
Very important
Essential
21
Students were asked if they hesitated to attend college due to their familial
responsibilities. Over 25 percent of those who participated in New Start Summer Program and
were AZ Assurance Scholars said they did (see Figure 15). By contrast, 15.6 percent of those
who did not participate in either program agreed with this statement.
This highlights the sometimes paradoxical relationship between racial minority families and
college success. While these familial and cultural ties are frequently the foundation of their
retention and achievement in higher education (Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado, Carter, &
Spuler, 1996; Tierney, 1992, 1999), this support carries with it responsibility. Unfortunately,
these responsibilities can also pull students away from their studies (Hurtado, Han, Sáenz,
Espinosa, Cabrera, & Cerna, 2007). This is important for institutions to consider because what is
frequently framed as racial minorities not caring about their education is, in reality, a
manifestation of individual responsibilities they have in relation to their families. While their
desire to stay near home may be driven by economics (i.e., it is substantially cheaper to live at
home than on campus), they might also be tied to strong familial ties. To relieve financial stress
9.9%13.1% 14.8% 15.9%
4.7%4.2%
9.4% 9.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
Figure 15. Hesitated to leave home due
to family responsibilities
Strongly agree
Agree somewhat
22
on the family, many live at home, which also allows them to help care for younger siblings,
grandparents, and household responsibilities.
First Year Living Situation and Anticipated Involvement
The college retention literature highlights the importance of both academic and social
integration into the college environment (Hurtado et al., 2007; Tinto, 1975, 1993). Not
surprisingly, those who live on campus tend to have more opportunities to engage the college
campus, and therefore, they have higher levels of matriculation than those who live off-campus
(Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Given the importance of family and culture, it is not surprising
that the largely low-income and minority students who participated in the New Start Summer
Program and AZ Assurance Scholars were going to live off campus during their first year at the
U of A (see Figure 16). Less than half of the students who participated in both programs
anticipated living on campus during their first year, where more than three quarters of those who
did not participate in either program were going to live on campus.
12.1%21.1%
32.5% 34.5%12.3%
18.7%10.8%
16.7%
75.7%60.2% 56.6%
48.8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
Figure 16. First-year living arrangement
Residence hall
Off-campus (not with parents)
With parents or relatives
23
This creates a difficult tension. Living on campus has a demonstrable, positive impact on
student retention and success (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). However, if the family and
cultural continuity is the basis for racial minority success and persistence (Tierney, 1992, 1999),
forcing on-campus living necessarily pulls these students away from their primary means of
support. This is a difficult situation for which there is no one simple answer. Rather, the U of A
needs to do everything in its power to ensure the decision to live off-campus is a choice rather
than a statement of need (i.e., that students simply cannot afford to live in a residence hall).
When students do live off-campus, institutional agents need to understand these students will
likely need additional support to be successful at the institution.
The good news from this survey is that despite New Start Summer Program students and
AZ Assurance Scholars are more likely to live off-campus, they expect to be involved in campus
life. Astin (1999) advanced a theory of student involvement in which he posits that students who
are more involved in the college campus are more likely to have greater educational outcomes
while in college. More than 80 percent of all students surveyed anticipated joining some type of
organization as an undergraduate (see Figure 17), however, the type of involvement varied. The
majority of New Start Summer Program students who were also AZ Assurance Scholars believed
that they would join an organization that promoted their individual cultural background.
24
In addition, a large proportion of these students also believed they would join an organization
that more generally promoted cultural diversity. Thus, these students are not only interested in
promoting their own racial/ethnic background, but also exploring others. When these students
are surveyed again in the Spring of 2010, it will be interesting to see if they are as involved as
they currently expect to be as well as whether or not their involvement is directed toward
organizations that are focused on culture and diversity.
Academic Expectations & Self-Ratings
Psychologist Albert Bandura (1991, 1997) argues that self-efficacy is developed via a
combination of both personal judgments of capabilities and the messages individuals receive
from the external environment. Students across programmatic participation tended to have high
levels of confidence in their personal abilities both socially and academically (see Figure 18).
The majority of students tended to rate themselves as strong in knowledge of their own culture,
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
Figure 17. Likelihood of organization
participation during undergraduate experience
(likely or very likely)
Join any type of club or
organization on campus
Participate in groups/activities
reflecting your own cultural-
ethnic background
Join an organization that
promotes cultural diversity
25
although the New Start Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars had higher self-
ratings than their other peers.
Program students also rated themselves highly on their ability to speak a language other than
English, which is not surprising given the large number of Latina/o students in this subsample.
In terms of self-confidence, there was relative parity in students’ self-assessments of their social
and intellectual self-confidence. The one exception was those students who participated in both
programs had markedly lower intellectual self-confidence (71.4 percent) than the rest of the
sample. Finally, there was relative parity in drive to achieve.
Related to these self-ratings are the students’ long-term educational goals. The
overwhelming majority of all students aspired to complete some form of graduate education (see
Figure 19) when they entered the university. Students who did not participate in the New Start
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 18. Self-Ratings (somewhat strong or a
major strength)
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance Scholar
26
Summer Program and were not AZ Assurance Scholars tended to report either the Bachelor’s or
Master’s degree as their highest anticipated degree objective.
However, those who participated in these programs were more likely to report they aspired to a
terminal degree (PhD, JD, and MD). As a whole those who participated in the New Start
Summer Program and/or were AZ Assurance Scholars tended to have higher educational
aspirations than those who did not participate in either program. The key to these aspirations is
translating them into degree attainment.
Role of Finances
Most research on finances and student retention finds, not surprisingly, students who are
more concerned about how they will pay for their education are less likely to persist (Pascarella
& Terenzini, 2005). As previously mentioned, the students who completed this survey tend to
come from very different SES backgrounds. Thus, it is not surprising given that the majority of
those students participating in the New Start Summer Program and/or were AZ Assurance
Scholars said their parents could not afford to pay for college (see Figure 20). This was
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Bachelor's
(BA or
BS)
Master's
(MA, MS,
or MEd)
Doctoral
(PhD,
EdD)
Law (LLB,
JD)
Medical
(MD, OD,
DDS, or
DVM)
Figure 19. Degree objective
Neither NS or AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance Scholar and
NOT NS Participant
Both NS and AZ Assurance
Scholar
27
especially true for those participating in both programs as almost 80 percent of them strongly
disagreed that their parents could afford tuition.
This speaks to the importance of financial aid in general, and the AZ Assurance Scholars
program in particular. These students overwhelmingly come from families that could not afford
tuition, and thus, the students would have to make up the difference by either taking out loans or
working. The financial support they received was therefore, integral in assuaging their financial
concern; allowing them the opportunity to enroll while helping them to become more
academically and socially engaged in campus life.
While this financial support is incredibly important, the majority of all students believed
they would have to work at least part-time as an undergraduate (see Figure 21). These numbers
are slightly skewed because AZ Assurance Scholars, as part of their financial aid, are required to
work during their undergraduate years.
18.1%
35.3%
61.7%
79.5%
19.7%
27.5%
20.3%
14.5%
34.0%
28.1%
15.6%3.6%
28.2%
9.0%
2.3% 2.4%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or AZ
Assurance
Participant
NS Participant and
NOT AZ
Assurance Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and NOT
NS Participant
Both NS and AZ
Assurance Scholar
Figure 20. Family can afford to pay for college
Strongly agree
Agree somewhat
Disagree somewhat
Strongly disagree
28
Regardless, the financial aid provided by being an AZ Assurance Scholar is incredibly important,
and these results highlight how students face additional financial pressures beyond simply paying
tuition, room, and board. Sometimes this entails paying a cell phone bill, and others, it means
sending money home to help the family pay bills. Regardless, finances play a central role in
these students’ lives even though a large proportion of them have been addressed by this
important financial aid program.
Discussion
The incoming New Start Summer Program students and AZ Assurance Scholars of 2009
are indeed distinct groups of students. They come from a variety of backgrounds that are quite
different than the general undergraduate student population at The University of Arizona. They
tend to be racial/ethnic minority students and are likely to be first generation students; two
populations specifically targeted for increased retention efforts university-wide (Retention
Coordinating Group, 2005, April). While the students tend not to have family members who
attended college, they demonstrate a great deal of resourcefulness in finding other social
21.0% 24.4% 25.0% 25.3%
53.4% 47.0%67.2%
49.4%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Neither NS or
AZ Assurance
Participant
NS Participant
and NOT AZ
Assurance
Scholar
AZ Assurance
Scholar and
NOT NS
Participant
Both NS and
AZ Assurance
Scholar
Figure 21. Will work at least part-time
while in college
Very likely
Likely
29
networks to receive information and support regarding college-going. This is a motivated group
of students who have high levels of self-confidence and who aspire to graduate or professional
school.
This begs the question, why are the New Start Summer Program and AZ Assurance
Scholars program therefore important? There is the issue of the aspiration/achievement paradox.
Racial minority students frequently have elevated degree aspirations relative to their White
peers, but these aspirations do not necessarily translate into increased attainment (Sáenz &
Ponjuan, 2009). Therefore, something occurs during the undergraduate experience that takes
academically competent and motivated students, and leads them to underperform educationally.
Part of the equation could be stereotype threat, whereby the additional stress placed upon
minority students as implicit representatives of their entire group, makes them vulnerable to
academic underperformance (Chang et al., 2009; Steele, 1997).
An additional component of this phenomenon lies in the formation of informal study
groups. Racial minority students tend to study by themselves and not seek outside assistance
relative to their White and Asian American counterparts (Fullilove & Treisman, 1990). This
highlights the importance of a “hidden curriculum” of New Start Summer Program. The
students are forming interpersonal bonds during the summer which can translate into academic
success networks once they begin college. Being connected to these academic networks can
have long-term, positive consequences on student achievement and matriculation by promoting
social and academic integration while simultaneously maintaining ties to their own cultural
contexts; especially for those traditionally excluded from participation in these networks
(Fullilove & Treisman, 1990; Treisman, 1985).
30
In addition to the importance of these social networks, New Start Summer Program
attempts to connect students to academic support and advising services that can help them
transition, persist, and matriculate. This objective was also articulated by the students as the
majority believed they would need to seek out support, especially academic, during their time at
the University of Arizona. The importance of this goal in promoting undergraduate student
success is corroborated by research (Swail, Redd, & Perna, 2003), and the success of these
efforts will be determined by subsequent survey administrations and analyses.
While these students enter the University of Arizona with many academic and social
assets, they need additional support if they are going to be successful and graduate. New Start
Summer Program is currently designed to address many of the issues these incoming students
potentially face that can affect their academic achievement and college persistence. In
subsequent analyses, we will address the role New Start Summer Program plays in influencing
these outcomes among students.
31
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