December 15, 2006

AtD Update #9:  December 15, 2006

Male Participation and Success at Lone Star College System-Part 2

 

The December 4th AtD Update compared the percent of men enrolled at Lone Star College System with the general population as well as with male enrollment at other colleges within our region.  This AtD Update looks at some of the success data for male students.  Whether looking at high school data or college data, the success indicators for young men, particularly minorities, are troubling.  For example, in the TEA Region 4 which is comprised of Houston-area ISD`s, the 04/05 Regional Performance Report found that young men were:

• Less likely to graduate from high school than women (78.8% as compared to 86.8% for women);
• More likely to earn a GED than young women (5.5% as compared to 3.15% for  women);
• More likely to need to continue in high school after their class graduated (10.6% compared to 6.2% for women); and
• More likely to drop out completely (1) (5.1% compared to 4% for women) (2).

 

Young men are also less likely to attempt college-prep curriculum such as that found in Advanced Placement (AP) classes.  Again, referring to the TEA Region 4 04/05 report, while 21.7% of high school women enrolled in AP classes, only 18% of the men elected to participate in AP.  Over 71% of the women graduated with the recommended or distinguished diploma while only 61% of the men graduated with these more rigorous diplomas.

 

Once in college, men earn fewer degrees. For example, men earned 39% of the associate's degrees (3), 43% of the bachelor's degrees and 41% of the masters degrees awarded nationally in 2003/2004 (4).  Only in doctoral degrees did men outpace women with 52% of those awards being granted to males.

 

In Texas, twice as many 2005 associate's degrees were awarded to women.  Almost three times the number of Level 2 certificates were awarded to women as men and there were almost twice as many women who completed advanced technology programs.

 

Community College Degree and Certificate Awards by Gender (2005, Statewide) (5)	Associate's	Certificate 1	Certificate 2	Advanced Technology Completers
Male	11,466	9,966	581	24
Female	21,714	8,161	1,657	44

 

At Lone Star College System, an even small proportion of degrees are being awarded to males with 29% of the associate's degrees awarded in 2004 and 2005 going to men, up from 27% in 2000.

 

Lone Star College System Degree and Certificate Awards by Gender (2005) (6)	Associate's	Certificate 1	Certificate 2	Advanced Technology Completers
Male	519	256	14	2
Female	1,224	327	147	8

 

There are some interesting reports coming from two sources, one an unpublished report on NHC 2006 Summer Bridge students and a second from the 2006 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) which may provide clues as to why men are participating less and are less successful in college.

 

In Summer 2006, 90 NHC Summer Bridge (7) students (60 women and 30 men, over 90% minority) took a Noel-Levitz assessment to determine their level of academic risk in areas such as academic motivation, general coping abilities, and their receptivity to assistance to help them cope academically, financially, and socially with college.  In area after area, the men in this group were consistently more at risk academically than the women; more prone to dropout, and possessing poorer study habits, a weaker commitment to finishing college and a poorer attitude toward educators.  With the exception of personal counseling, men were less receptive to assistance.  Of particular concern was the fact that the males in this group reported less family emotional support than the women.

 

NHC 2006 Noel-Levitz Results For all of the scales, the national norm is the 50th percentile. Higher scores indicate levels of the characteristic described in the scale name." (8)  Therefore, a higher score in dropout proneness indicates that members of that group are more prone to dropout.  A high score in desire to finish college means that the group had a greater desire to finish college.
Major Scales	Females	Males	Total
Dropout Proneness	64.3	66.2	64.9
Predicted Academic Difficulty	58.2	60.4	58.9
Educational Stress	34.8	49.2	39.6
Receptivity to Institutional Help	75.3	71.5	74.0
Study Habits	57.3	51.2	55.3
Intellectual Interests	56.3	51.2	54.4
Desire to Finish College	68.6	56.9	64.7
Attitude Toward Educators	63.8	57.2	61.6
Family Emotional Support (9)	60.2	54.0	58.1
Sense of Financial Security	46.4	46.1	46.3
Receptiveness to Academic Assistance	68.1	61.5	65.9
Receptiveness to Personal Counseling	55	63.6	57.9
Receptiveness to Social Enrichment	75	70.3	73.4
Receptivity to Career Counseling	69	62.4	66.8
Receptivity to Financial Guidance	72.7	65.5	70.3

 

The areas where the men scored more positively included:

Major Scales	Females	Males	Total
Verbal Confidence	48.3	55.0	50.6
Math and Science Confidence	39.7	48.9	42.8
Sociability	58.3	62.3	59.6
Receptivity to Personal Counseling	55	63.6	57.9
Career Closure (9)	49.0	53.1	50.4

 

In other words, the young men in this group were more social, more confident in their verbal, math and science skills and more committed to their career choice but seemed to possess fewer resources to earn a degree than women.  On the positive side, the men in this group appear receptive to personal counseling which might help them overcome some of the risk factors.

 

One of the findings highlighted in the 2006 CCSSE report was the fact that men reported studying less than women.  For example, among all the CCSSE college surveying in 2006, 52% of the fulltime women verses 46% of the fulltime men reported spending between 6 and 20 hours preparing for class.  By contrast, 46% of the fulltime men (verses 33% of the women) reported spending less than five hours per week preparing for class. (10)

 

In summary, a quick review of the data presented in both this and the December 4^th update indicate that on the state and national level:

• The problems begin early.  Young men are more likely to dropout, settle for a GED or continue in high school after their graduating class has moved on than the women;
• The number of men in college is not proportional to the number of men in the larger society and men are not going to school at the same rate as young women; and
• A significantly higher percentage of the associate, bachelors, and masters degrees are being awarded to women than to men.
• Findings from the 2006 CCSSE are showing that men study less than their female peers.

 

Within Lone Star College System, similar trends are evident:

• The percentage of men in our student body is about 39% and lower than at the majority of other institutions in the region (See November 4^th Update).
• In 2005, the percentage of degrees awarded to men is about 29% compared to 35% nationally.
• Limited though they are, results from the Noel-Levitz survey of NHC Summer Bridge students hint at the possibility that young men are consistently more at risk academically than the women.

 

A fundamental goal of Achieving the Dream is to help colleges create an organizational culture in which decisions about student success are driven by data.  As we strive to improve student success, it is critical that we ask some fundamental questions about the participation level and success of our male students.

• Is the participation level and success of Lone Star College System's male students what was expected and desired?
• What information and from whom do we need to gather information to better understand the gaps in participation and success between men and women?
• What strategies does information gathered from talking with students as well as educational research and/or other data suggest we should do to improve the participation and success of male students?

There are many theories about why young men do not go to college or fail to complete their degrees and it is sometimes difficult to resist the urge to accept these hypothesis as fact based on stereotypes or antidotal evidence.  While it is appropriate that these hypotheses generate questions and serve as a starting point, it is critical that we not validate any hypothesis as truth until the research is completed.

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1.        Dropout is defined as failing to earn either a GED or a high school diploma.

2.        Source:  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2005/region.srch.html (select AEIS Report, Region 4).

3.        Source:  http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d05/tables/dt05_248.asp

4.        Source:  http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d05/tables/xls/tabn252.xls

5.        Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactive/Accountability/CC_Success_Detail.cfm?FICE=445566&Load_Year=2005

6.        Source:  http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactive/Accountability/CC_Success_Detail.cfm?FICE=011145&Load_Year=2005

7.        The Summer Bridge allows recent high school graduates who test into the upper level developmental classes to complete the developmental work they need in an intense, 4 week summer session and move directly into college-level classes in the fall.  Integrated into the 4-week session is information on such topics as study skills, test taking strategies, and how to take advantage of academic support systems at NHC.  For more information on this award-winning program, please contact Martha Whitley at extension 5511.

8.        Unpublished report, 2006 NHC Noel-Levitz.  Please contact Martha Whitley at extension 5511.

9.        From the Noel-Levitz handbook:  Career Closure.  This scale measures the degree to which the student has defined a career goal and developed a firm commitment to it.  Because career aspirations are often the central foundation upon which academic motivation is based, students with low scores should be strongly encouraged to seek career counseling.  In a more general way, the scale can be useful in assessing the student's progress in moving from the exploratory and adventurous attitudes of adolescence to the adoption of greater realism and responsibility typical of young adulthood. (p. 19)

Family Emotional Support.  This scale measures students' satisfaction with the quality of communication, understanding, and respect they have experienced in their family.  These are factors that can influence their ability to adapt to the stresses of college life.  An advisor can offer encouragement and empathy to low-scoring students, or they can refer these students for personal counseling.  Low family support has repeatedly emerged in the validity studies as a strong correlate of attrition, particularly for academically successful students. (p. 18)

10.     Act on Fact:  Using Data to Improve Student Success, Executive Summary, page 3:  http://www.ccsse.org/publications/CCSSESummary2006.pdf

 

The AtD Updates are produced by the Lone Star College System Core Team and distributed to the Lone Star College System community in an effort to inform as well as promote discussions on issues critical to improving student success. Should you have any questions about the information contained in the AtD Updates, need clarification about the data or simple wish to comment please contact Lea Campbell, Director of Student Success Initiatives (832-813-6584, carol.l.campbell@lonestar.edu).