A multi-level case study analysis of campus-based male initiatives programs and practices and the impact of participation on the perceptions of first-year African American male community college students in Texas

This study examined the differences in engagement among entering African American male students at two community colleges in the State of Texas. Three research questions provided the foundation for this study: (1) Is there a significant difference in the engagement levels among first-year male community college students by age group, (2) From the African American male students’ perspective, what are the specific educational programs and institutional practices that supported their retention and persistence during the first semester of enrollment in a two-year institution; and (3) In the case of the African American male students, what organizational and institutional factors influenced their decision to enroll for a second semester at a two-year institution? The series of research questions developed for this study were tested using survey research, casestudy analysis, and qualitative research. The descriptive analyses were conducted using a sample of the data collected from the 22 institutions selected to participate in the Survey of Entering Students Engagement (SENSE) pilot survey. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to compile the frequency statistics and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the 781 African American male study respondents. The effect size (Eta-Squared) was also calculated to identify relative magnitude of the difference between means that were found in the ANOVA results. The researcher also conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with first-year African American male students who enrolled in a community college. The results of this study indicated there were statistically significant differences among first-year African American male community college students by age group. The results also showed that African American male students who were involved in campus-based initiatives at their community college had higher levels of satisfaction during their first academic term. Finally, several of the focus group and individual interview participants indicated their participation in gender-specific programs influenced their decision to enroll for a second semester at a two-year institution.