Understanding High-Achieving African American Students: A Quantitative Study at Grand Valley State University

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of high-achieving African American students attending Grand Valley State University (GVSU).A target population of 353 undergraduate students identifying as African American were invited to voluntarily participate in this study. These students possessed sophomore or higher status and maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or greater at the time of survey distribution. 101 students completed the survey resulting in a response rate of 28.6%.Due to the nature of the survey, descriptive statistics were utilized to report a majority of the results. However, a Chi Square Test of Independence with an alpha level of .05 was utilized, where applicable, to determine significant and non-significant relationships.Statistically significant findings include: that high-achieving African American students who live within one hour of GVSU are more likely to possess a 3.75 to 4.00 GPA; and as GPA increases, one is less likely to consider leaving GVSU. Many additional findings are also discussed.Expanding upon existing research, results from this study suggest that high-achieving African American students are most-frequently participating in the high-impact practices of service learning and internships. Additional expansions and affirmations of existing research are also discussed.