Date of Graduation

5-2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Higher Education (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Ketevan Mamiseishvili

Committee Member

Michael T. Miller

Second Committee Member

Jennifer M. Miles

Keywords

Admissions, CCCU, Christian education, Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, Institutional choice, Minority, Minority student

Abstract

The study examined the factors that affected minority students' choice to enroll at private faith-based 4-year institutions in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in the United States. These factors included: minority students' demographic and background characteristics, financial factors, perceived institutional characteristics, and institutional marketing strategies. The theoretical framework for this study focused on Maguire and Lay's (1981) college choice model as well as Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) three phase college choice theory. This study also drew on the Critical Race Theory as a lens through which to examine minority student college choice. The study utilized the data from College Board's ASQ PLUS survey. The final sample included 283 admitted minority students from eight CCCU member institutions, which participated in the ASQ PLUS survey between 2005 and 2010 years. The researcher used descriptive statistics, Chi-Square, t-Tests, and Logistic Regression to examine the data. The results from Chi-Square and t-Tests revealed that race, parents' income, high school GPA, institution's distance from home, financial aid awards (i.e., grants and loans), institutional recruitment strategies (i.e., campus interaction, electronic communication, and web site), and perceived institutional characteristics (i.e., extracurricular activities, recreational facilities, academic facilities, availability of majors, and academic reputation) all significantly related to minority students' decision to enroll at a CCCU member institution. However, in the final logistic regression, only high school GPA, campus interaction, and promotional materials remained significant. The findings of this study have important implications for policy and practice that can potentially aid CCCU member institutions to better recruit and serve minority student populations.

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