Post on 05-Jul-2020
Strategies for preparing low-income,
first-generation college students
for graduate school successTuesday, March 12, 2019 | 3:40 – 4:30 p.m.
Diamond 7 - JW Marriott LA LiveNorth Orange County Allied and other Health Careers Opportunity Program (NOCA HCOP)
Dr. Sora Tanjasiri – Founding Principal Investigator
Erin Manalo-Pedro – Project Director
Center for Research on Educational Access and Leadership (CREAL)
Dr. Dawn Person – Director
Nancy Carrada Zuniga & Aylin Gann – Graduate Research Assistants
Agenda
•Activity
•Overview •Center for Research on Educational Access and Leadership (C-REAL)•North Orange County Allied and Other Health Careers Opportunity
Program (NOCA HCOP)
•Methods
•Results
•Conclusions
•Discussion
•Questions
Learning Outcomes1. To identify at least one strategy for increasing equitable
opportunities for graduate education for diverse populations
2. To describe how workforce development grants can be used to improve the pathway to graduate-level professions for low-income, first-generation college students
3. To apply the concept of community cultural wealth to first-generation college students’ preparation for graduate school
4. To understand how connecting inner learning (reflective processes) and outer learning (intellectual activities) can be used to engage students of color in graduate school programs where they are underrepresented
ActivityMe & My Culture:
What object represents your culture, your journey, and your career?
Center for Research on Educational Access and Leadership (C-REAL)
•Solution-focused, data-driven research to solve educational inequities.
•Asset based perspective
•Student driven research center
Global Issues
DiversityAssessment & Evaluation
LeadershipEducational
AccessSocial Justice
Center for Research on Educational Access and Leadership (C-REAL)
Vision & Mission
C-REAL’s Purpose
Program
• Provide feedback for program improvement
• Assessing systematic change for creating a college-going culture in secondary educational settings
• Support student learning, success and access to college
Evaluation & Assessment
• Longitudinal mixed methods study of students’ college and career aspirations
NOCA HCOP
•North Orange County Allied and Other Health Careers Opportunity Program •U.S. HHS grant branded locally as the Allied Health Academy
•Aims to increase retention and graduation of this population through four key objectives: •1) academic preparation•2) personal development•3) formation cultural identity•4) career development
North Orange County Education & Race Demographics
54%19%
26%
1%
Anaheim Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic/ Latino
AAPI
Non-Hispanic White
Other
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
High school graduates Bachelor's degree or higher
Anaheim Orange County US
Purpose of NOCA HCOP Increase retention and graduation of
diverse underserved students
Return to their communities
Ensure positive outcomes for the healthcare field
Ensure long-term outcomes for underserved communities
Goals of NOCA HCOP
students interested in the allied and other health professions
predominantly Latino/a, Pacific Islanders, and Southeast Asian
students
from low socioeconomic backgrounds
the regional area of Southern California
Create an educational pipeline from high school
through graduate school for:
Strategies of NOCA HCOP
System
Institution
Community
Individual
• Coordinate across levels, early career exposure and admissions discussions
• Institutionalize through courses and student organizations
• Build community via mentorship and shared space
• Center marginalized narratives of students and guest speakers
CSUF Activities of NOCA HCOP
Undergraduate Academy
(academic year program)
• Career exposure
• Graduate student panels, mixers, taste of Graduate School mock class
• Navigation
• GRE test prep, letter of recommendation, study skills, grad application workshops
Pre-Matriculation Program
(4-week summer program for incoming graduate students)
• Academic boot camp
• Writing, reading, quantitative, and critical thinking
• Basic needs
• Meals, parking/transportation, afternoon/evening hours, resources
Community Cultural Wealth: Aspirational, Linguistic, Familial, Social, Navigational, Resistant
Holistic support:Wellness, social support, identity development, socialization, stipend, app fee reimbursement
Methods
• NOCA HCOP• Application• Likert-type items• Open-ended items• AH interest• MEIM-R: Ethnic Identity• Recommendations
• Pre-Matriculation (PMP)• Likert-type items• Open-ended items• Graduate Research prep• Recommendations
PMP Pre- and Post-surveys
PMP Focus Groups
General Pre –and Post-
survey
General Focus Groups
Cross-Sectional Hypotheses
Undergraduate
• When students are exposed to careers in allied health and receive assistance with graduate applications, they will experience more successful graduate acceptance rates.
PMP
• Students who receive academic, professional, and social support from the Pre-Matriculation Program will be more prepared to enter graduate school and apply their degree to their community.
Findings
Undergraduates Ethnicity Year 1-3 (N = 140)
Hispanic/Latino/a Asian Black White Not Reported
Year 1 (n = 49) 28 15 3 3 0
Year 2 (n = 50) 35 11 3 0 1
Year 3 (n = 41) 19 17 3 1 1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Nu
mb
er o
f St
ud
ents
PMP Ethnicity Year 2 & 3 (N = 30)
Hispanic/Latino/a Asian Black White
Year 2 (n = 10) 5 1 2 2
Year 3 (n = 20) 14 4 1 1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Nu
mb
er o
f St
ud
ents
Undergraduate outcomes
•Graduate school acceptance rates: 29/29 (100%)
“Grad school was never something that I thought; it wasn’t in the picture. I went to see an advisor and she was like ‘Why don’t you just go to grad school?’”
“Through this program, it makes me realize…oh there’s various aspects but they all contribute to one thing, to get into grad school”
Undergraduate implications
Creating a learning community of AH students may facilitate motivation for graduate school
Faculty mentors and peer mentors may allow for better interactions and foster a sense of agency
PMP outcomesYear 2: Paired Samples t-test, n = 9 Year 3: Paired Samples t-test, n = 17
Graduate School
Preparedness
Mean
differencet
Significant
(2-tailed)Mean difference t
Significant
(2-tailed)
Overall, I feel prepared for
graduate school.
1.00 3.46 .009** 1.00 6.73 <.001***
I am familiar with graduate-
level academic assignments.
1.67 7.07 <.001*** 1.47 7.58 <.001***
I have the skills necessary to
be successful in graduate
school.
.889 4.44 .002** 1.05 7.85 <.001***
Community
I see myself as an advocate
in my community.
.556 3.16 .013* .58 3.40 .004**
Note: *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p <.001
PMP outcomesAttitudinal differences toward the Pre-Matriculation Program between Year 2 and Year 3: Independent Samples t-test, n =26
Mean Difference t Significant (2-tailed)
I feel the Pre-Matriculation program improved my research skills
.235 2.21 .041*
I feel confident in my professional communication skills (e.g., email etiquette, personal & professional social media)
.235 2.21 .041*
How likely are you to use the following resources during your graduate career? - Participating in research
.477 2.55 .017*
I am aware of the various sources of funding for graduate school
.294 2.58 .020*
Note: *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p <.001
PMP outcomes
• “Going through this program, I realized that I do have a lot of cultural value myself which I got from my parents who are also Korean, being aware of it [and] using it in the field.”
New Students
• “We ran our own data, and we learned to run tests like one-way ANOVA and the t-test.”
Returning Students
PMP implications
Students who feel prepared for graduate school also feel prepared to serve their community
When students are connected to their ethnic identity, they understand how valuable they are in their community
Overall Findings
Undergraduate Students PMP Students
• Exposed students to AH careers and graduate programs
• Provided students with the tools to navigate graduate school process
• Students gained confidence
• Students grasped the importance of serving in their community
Recommendations
Culturally relevant graduate school preparation (undergraduate & incoming graduate students)
Preparedness for first-generation graduate students should encompass research, resources, and funding
Discussion & Questions
• What challenges have your students faced in their pursuit of graduate school?Barriers
• How do you emphasize the community cultural wealth of your students?Strengths
• How can you connect psychosocial learning (reflective processes) with cognitive learning (intellectual/practical applications)?
Pedagogy
• What strategies could you incorporate on your campus?Application
Contact us
•Program•Erin Manalo-Pedro – emanalo@fullerton.edu•http://alliedhealth.fullerton.edu
•Evaluation•Dawn Person – dperson@fullerton.edu•http://ed.fullerton.edu/c-real/