A Model for Language-Minority Student Persistence in the Community College

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Meeting the Needs of Long-Term Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

Community colleges are important places for language minority student to access higher education. Unfortunately, this group of students is the least likely to persist in terms of re-enrollment, degree completion and transfer to 4-year institution. In this study we used structured equation modeling to build a persistence model based on theoretical and empirically based variables from 10, 637 language minority students’ responses from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement. Students’ perceived relationships with others in the community college and their involvement in learning communities were critical to their intent to re-enroll. ESL and Developmental English courses, however, did not have a significant effect on language minority students’ intent to re-enroll. We discuss implications for future research and practice.

Authors

• Margarita Huerta, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Tiberio Garza, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Hugo Alberto Garcia, Texas Tech University