The Effect of Ethnic Minority College Students’ Engagement in Effective Educational Practices on GPA and College Satisfaction, the Case of a Mid-Sized U.S. University
Abstract
This study assesses the extent to which five effective educational practices (level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interactions, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment) are correlated with two desired college outcomes: GPA and college satisfaction at a mid-sized U.S. university. All five effective educational practices identified in the model show a positive effect in explaining both college satisfaction and GPA, and altogether explain about 27 percent of the variance in college satisfaction (R2=.27) and about 9 percent of the variance in GPA (R2=.09). ANOVA tests revealed a significant difference in GPA between ethnic minority students (mean=3.11) and non-ethnic minority students (mean=3.23). Implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.