Running head: SOCIAL INTEGRATION AS RETENTION PRACTICE

Social Integration as Retention Practice for African American Students in Community Colleges

Alexandra Brookhart

Seattle University

Dr. Thai Nguyen

SDAD 5590: The American Community College

June 11, 2018

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Community college students have different needs than their counterparts enrolled at
traditional four-year institutions. Since more than half of postsecondary education students are
enrolled in the American Community Colleges system (AACC, 2017), and African American
men only represent 4% of total undergraduate enrollment in the country (Strayhorn, 2012), it is
imperative to examine and understand the unique needs of these students. There are several
retention strategies in higher education, such as advising, that institutions often times utilize.
However, African American community college students require a distinctive support to aid in
student success and retention
According to Hagedorn, Maxwell, and Hampton (2002), social integration is defined as
“student peer relations consisting of friendship, informal academic discussions and efforts, and
shared extracurricular activities”. The more socially and academically integrated students are, the
more likely they will be retained (Strayhorn, 2012). Socio-academic integrative moments, a
concept coined by Deil-Amen (2011), explains instances in which elements of both social and
academic integration are instantaneously combined. I argue that community colleges should
focus retention efforts for African American students on the socio-academic integration of these
students. Further, I will examine how intentional goal setting, supportive faculty and staff, on-
campus involvement, and satisfaction construct social integration for African American
community college students.
This reflection focuses on the retention of male and female African American students
who are enrolled in the community college system in both urban and rural contexts. Within this
report, retention is defined as continued enrollment through degree attainment or through
transfer. African American students are disproportionately more likely to enroll at a community
college than at a four-year institution (Glenn, 2001), making the retention efforts of this
particular student group vital. According to Hagedorn, Maxwell, and Hampton (2002), the
retention rate for African American males in the community college system is less than 10%.
According to Wood and Palmer (2013), students who have taken time to create goals,
incorporate those goals into how they identify themselves, and are actively engaged in reaching
those goals are more likely to not engage in hazardous behaviors. This shows the importance of
setting intentional goals for oneself, as students who set goals are more likely to stay on track
and stay enrolled at the institution. Hagedorn, Maxwell, and Hampton (2002) conducted a study
to further understand correlates of retention for African American males in community colleges.
They found that the number of courses attended, certainty of major, and specific occupational
goals were all predictors of retention. In their study, male students that identified completing
college as a goal of high importance were more likely to continue being enrolled, or retained, and
persist to graduation.
Hagedorn et. al argue that community colleges should aid African American students in
identifying these goals early on in their college experience as means of retention. Individuals on
campus such as faculty and staff, particularly student affairs educators, should be points of
contact and support in helping students realize and formulate goals for themselves. By doing so,
students will not only be setting themselves up for success by creating a goal-orientated plan of
action, but will also be making meaningful connections and receiving essential mentorship from
faculty and staff. Socio-academic ties, such as this, can be gateways to imperative information
where students’ strategies in goal attainment are enhanced (Deil-Amen, 2011, p.21). This
practice will aid students in feeling a deeper connection to campus through these socio-academic
integrative moments (Deli-Amen, 2011).
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Relationship building is key to social integration. Strayhorn and Johnson (2014) found
that female African American students’ satisfaction was greatly influenced by their involvement
with faculty. In fact, involvement with faculty was the second most influential factor in regard to
satisfaction for this particular student group. The importance of relationships with faculty and
staff is further affirmed by Gipson, Mitchell, and McLean’s (2017) research. Gipson et. al found
that 81% of African American students who had not seriously considered leaving the institution
agreed that faculty and staff cared about their academic success, as opposed to the 59% of their
peers who had considered leaving the institution (p. 294). In other words, the majority of
students who never considered leaving college felt more cared for and supported by faculty and
staff than students who had considered leaving the college. Further, Deil-Amen (2011) argues
that connections with faculty about academics enhances feelings of belonging for minoritized
students, in addition to providing academic support. This illustrates how important caring faculty
and staff is in relation to the retention of African American community college students.
Not only can faculty and staff assist students in formulating and achieving goals, but they
can also be very influential in providing academic and personal support. On-campus relational
support is a pertinent benefit to student success (Gipson et. al, 2017). Faculty and staff can
provide African American students with the support, affirmation, and guidance necessary to help
them become more integrated in the institution and ultimately retained. According to Deil-Amen
(2011), faculty were recognized as main sources of social capital, in and out of the classroom, for
community college students. Further, Glenn (2001) found that helpful teachers, counselors, and
a friendly campus atmosphere are key influences specific to the retention of male African
American students.
While building positive relationships with faculty and staff is key in retaining African
American students, building positive relationships with their peers is just as important. Peer
relationships can be developed in and out of the classroom. Student organizations, clubs, and
other on-campus involvements are the ideal avenue to doing so and furthering social integration.
For African American community college students, cultural student organizations are the most
impactful and involvement in them is linked to retention. According to Gipson et. al (2017),
African American students feel more comfortable when interacting with their peers who also
identify as African American or Black, as compared to students who are members of other racial
and ethnic groups. This upholds the notion of how important cultural student organization
involvement is in creating relationships among African American community college students.
Gipson et. al (2017) also found that involvement in student organization(s) aided in the
retention of students that had once considered leaving the institution. In the study conducted by
Gipson et. al (2017), African American Males pin pointed student organizations as critical for
their success, with 19% of African American males, and 2% of females, who had considered
leaving college identifying cultural organization involvement as an important draw to remaining
enrolled (p.295). Clearly, African American student involvement in on-campus activities is
critical in their socio-academic integration, building connections with other students, and
retention.
Involvement in student organizations also provide African American students with the
opportunity to employ their goals and utilize their involvements to develop skills and knowledge
that will aid them in meeting said goals. Research indicates that skills gained from community
engagement and leadership opportunities could be applied within the classroom and further
academic success among male African American students (Chickering, Peters, & Palmer 2006).
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In researching personal goals of African American males, Wood and Palmer found that
African American males were overwhelmingly more likely than any other group of males to
aspire to being a leader in the community (2013). With this in mind, faculty and staff can support
students in the realization of their goals, related to being a community leader or not, and connect
them to involvement opportunities that would provide them with the chance to hone in on their
leadership skills, collaborate with peers, and become a leader on campus. When all of these
moving parts come together, being involved on campus will help African American community
college students become socially integrated and thus retained.
Satisfaction with college is a strong correlate of retention among college students,
according to Strayhorn (2012). Satisfaction and social integration are strongly tied together,
especially when it comes to their influence on the retention of African American community
college students. Gipson et. al (2017) argues that one of the top three reasons African American
students considered leaving college is not feeling connected to the institution (p.295). This
insinuates how important it is for students to be socially integrated and satisfied with their
college.
Strayhorn and Johnson (2014) found that the second most prominent factor relating to
satisfaction for female African American community college students is connection with faculty.
Meaning that the interactions students have with faculty truly makes an impact. This finding also
exemplifies how the different facets of social integration, in this case satisfaction and
connections with faculty, mutually construct each other.
An important finding around African American student satisfaction with college is the
extent of impact that family responsibilities has. According to Gipson et. al, students’ satisfaction
increases as the effect of familial responsibilities decreases (2017). African American students
were, however, motivated to be successful because of their role in their family and found support
from family as essential in their pursuit of academic success. This is vital to note due to the
irreplaceable relational motivation and support that these students are receiving off campus from
their families.
Intentional goal setting, supportive faculty and staff, on-campus involvement, and
satisfaction are the facets of social integration for African American community college students.
These facets continually construct each other and support the importance of social integration as
a means of retaining African American students in the American community college system.
Student affairs educators should lead with a compassionate lens and play a vital role in ensuring
African American students are retained and persist. Educators can do this through supportive
relationships with students to help them recognize and create personal and occupational goals,
providing students with support throughout their time at the institution, which will help them
academically and personally, and connecting students to involvement opportunities on campus.
African Americans are disproportionally underrepresented in postsecondary education.
Community Colleges are crucial avenues towards success for African American students.
However, on average, African Americans enrolled at community colleges attain their degree or
certificate within 150% of normal time at a lower rate than their peers of other races and
ethnicities (Gipson et al, 2017). In order to stay true to their mission of access, community
colleges need to take the necessary steps to ensure social integration of these students and in turn
keep them enrolled, retained, and on to degree attainment. It is crucial for institutions of higher
education to uplift this minoritized student group of students and support them in reaching their
potential.
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References

American Association of Community Colleges. (2017). Fast Facts 2017.

Chickering, A.W., Peters, K. & Palmer, R.T. (2006). Assessing the impact of the morgan male

initiative on leadership and excellence (MILE) Morgan State University. MD: Baltimore.

Deil-Amen, R. (2011). Socio-academic integrative moments: Rethinking academic and social

integration among two-year college students in career-related programs. The Journal of

Higher Education,82(1), 54-91.

Gipson, J., Mitchell, D.J., & McLean, C. (2017). An investigation of high-achieving African

American students attending community colleges: a mixed methods research study.

Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 42(4), 289-301.

Glenn, F. (2001). The retention of black male students in Texas community colleges.

Hagedorn, L., Maxwell, W., & Hampton, P. (2002). Correlates of retention for African American

males in community colleges. Journal of College Student Retention, 3(3), 243-263.

Strayhorn, T. (2012). Satisfaction and retention among African American men at two-year

community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 36(5), 358-

375.

Wood, J., Palmer, R. (2013). Understanding the personal goals of black male community college

students: facilitating academic and psychosocial development. Journal of African

American Studies, 17(2), 222-241.