An Examination of Relationships Between Precollege Outreach Programs and College Attendance Patterns Among Minority Participants
Author(s): Alhaddab, T. A., & Aquino, K. C.
Citation: Alhaddab, T. A., & Aquino, K. C. (2017). An Examination of Relationships Between Precollege Outreach Programs and College Attendance Patterns Among Minority Participants. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 29(1), 33-56.
Abstract
This study is an examination of the relationship between participation in precollege outreach programs and students’ college access patterns (i.e., enrollment patterns and timing in postsecondary institutions), comparing different racial/ethnic groups. The study included a series of logistic regression models to investigate relationships between participation in precollege outreach programs (GEAR UP, Talent Search, and Upward Bound) during secondary education (i.e., 9th through 12th grades) and college attendance for minority participants. The Education Longitudinal Study dataset (ELS:2002) was used, and the sample (N = 8,938) included precollege program participants (5% of the total sample) and nonparticipants (the reference group) who had finished their high school education and either enrolled in a postsecondary institution or joined the workforce. Results indicate a relationship between participation in precollege outreach programs, especially Talent Search, and college attendance patterns. The discussion addresses the role precollege programs play in the academic lives of historically underrepresented students and the potential that precollege programs have in narrowing the current racial/ethnic college-going gap.
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