Students of Color: Confident and Motivated to Access Graduate and Professional Study!

• In Event: 16.058 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 16.058-11 - The Significance of Institutional Optics and Actions in the Postsecondary Pipeline

Abstract

The benefits of possessing a graduate and professional degree are well documented. Although studies have examined minority students’ graduate and professional program choices, no studies have explored the origins of minority sophomores’ academic self-confidence and motivation for graduate and professional school. This is concerning given the paucity of minority students in postgraduate programs and the economic and career benefits of an advanced degree. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study will identify how the Academic Community of Excellence (ACE) program influences minority sophomores’ self-confidence and motivation for graduate or professional study. Findings will reveal best practices for increasing minority graduate and professional educational participation, improving educational equity and mobility, reducing educational and economic disparities, and transforming universities into equity-seeking institutions.

Authors

• Kim Misa, Loyola Marymount University

• Steven Neal, Loyola Marymount University