Predicting Persistence to Degree of Male College Students

Abstract

Men are underrepresented within the ivory tower. When the intersection of race and gender is examined, enrollment gaps widen even further. Currently, more opportunities than ever before are available for African Americans and Hispanics to attend college; however, their rates of attaining a bachelor's degree are significantly lower when compared to other ethnic/gender combinations. Select personal characteristics (i.e., race, SES) are known to play a role in men's academic achievement. Beyond those, however, are issues of efficacy. The purpose of this study was to determine what efficacy factors predict persistence to graduation of male students when personal characteristics are controlled for. A modified version of the Bandura et al. (1996) theoretical model was used that identified three factors that influence self-efficacy, hence academic success: familial, peer, and self. The findings suggest that race and select parental and peer factors can have both negative and positive effects on the persistence of male students in college.