Persistence toward bachelor degree completion of students in Family and Consumer Sciences

College Student Journal, Sept, 2006 by Lee Blecher

In the group, 19.8% were males, while 80.2% were females. Their ages when they began were between 17 and 48 years, with a mean of 19.85 years. The ethnic diversity of the sample included: White, non-Hispanic (65.6%); Black, non-Hispanic (6.7%); Hispanic (16.1%); Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%); and other (6.2%).

This study focused on students attending four-year institutions. Within the sample of 9,939 students used for this study, 69.3% initially attended a public, four-year institution, whereas 30.7% initially attended a private, four-year institution. The students indicated their major specialization within Family and Consumer Sciences and were coded in the data base as follows: Dietetics (30.0%); Textiles (7.9%); FCS-all others (23.4%); Vocational FCS-child care/guidance (13.1%); and Vocational FCS-others (25.6%).

Variables and Their Measures

The following is a description of the variables and the way in which they were measured:

Gender (GENDER): A dichotomous variable coded 1 for males and 2 for females.

Age (AGE): A continuous variable of the subjects' ages when beginning the study.

Parents' Education (PAREDUC): An ordinal-scaled variable measuring the highest education level of either parent.

Parents' Income (PARINC): A continuous variable indicating parents' income regardless of student's dependency status.

Derived SAT Scores (SATSCORE): A NCES derived variable that measures a student's SAT combined score (verbal and math), or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT score.

Initial Educational Aspiration (EDUGOAL): An ordinal-scaled variable obtained by asking students during the first year what was the highest level of education they expected to achieve.

Academic Integration (ACADINT): A continuous variable available in the BPS database that indexes the overall level of academic integration the respondent experienced at their initial institution during the 1995-96 academic year. It was derived from the average of the responses indicating how often they had (a) participated in study groups, (b) had social contact with faculty, (c) met with an academic advisor, and (d) talked with faculty about academic matters outside of class.

Social Integration (SOCINT): A continuous variable available in the BPS database that indexes the overall level of academic integration the respondent experienced at their initial institution during the 1995-96 academic year. It was derived from the average of the responses indicating how often they had (a) attended fine arts activities, (b) participated in intramural or nonvarsity sports, (c) participated in varsity or intercollegiate sports, (d) participated in school clubs, and (d) gone places with friends from school.

Satisfaction at Initial Institution (SATISFY): A continuous variable computed by the NCES that indexes the overall level of student satisfaction with their initial institution during the 1995-96 academic year. It was derived from the average of the responses indicating the satisfaction with each of the following: (a) the campus climate regarding students of different racial or ethnic backgrounds, (b) class sizes, (c) cost of attendance, (d) any counseling services they had used, (e) course availability, (f) any cultural activities they had participated in, (g) instructors' teaching ability, (h) their intellectual growth, (i) any job placement services they had used, (j) the prestige of the school, (k) social life, and (1) sports and recreational facilities.