The process by which the student formulates conceptions of the university and the impact of this process on the decision to persist at the university were studied with first-time Mexican American college freshmen. A multiple-subject research design--a modified analytic induction technique--was employed in order to develop a descriptive model.…

Four profiles for success in minority degree achievement are examined: well-prepared, second-generation college students with commitment to higher education; first-generation students with a belief in education; first- and second-generation students who questioned the value of education; and first-generation students who never intended to go to…

The academic persistence of undergraduate students at Arizona State University was studied. Demographic and academic profiles were developed, and persistence rates were calculated for the overall population of 3,166 freshmen, and by gender and ethnicity. Additional demographic variables were residency status and age. The academic variables…

The relationships among motivational orientations of entering university freshmen, their involvement in social and academic systems, and persistence/attrition were studied at Arizona State University. Also considered was the applicability of Tinto's theory, which suggests that if background and commitments are equal, the greater the integration of…

This book presents a comprehensive model of how institutions adapt to improve the environments they provide African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students without relinquishing historical standards. The model is based on the experiences of ten institutions that have graduated higher numbers of minority students as compared to their…