Persisting Hispanic American College Students: Characteristics That Lead to Baccalaureate Degree Completion.

A study was done to determine whether there were notable differences in the characteristics of Hispanic American students who completed the baccalaureate degree at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University as compared to Hispanic American students who enrolled but did not complete the baccalaureate degree. The study examined demographic factors: academic, financial, personal, and familial circumstances; social and performance factors: social and academic integration, high school achievement record, ACT scores, and overall college grade piont average; and bicultural orientation. The study population consisted of 95 Hispanic American male and female students (49 persisters and 46 non-persisters) who completed a mail survey questionnaire. Study results indicated that the Hispanic American persisters' success resulted from prior attributes, brought with them to college, as well as from their almost equal involvement in the academic and social systems, both formal and informal, as they pursued the Bachelor's degree. Thus, students who were competent members of the social and the academic communities tended to persist. Hispanic American non-persisters were less likely to be involved in the informal social and academic domains. Included are 11 tables, 1 figure, and 50 references. (JB)