Academic Encounters of American Indian Freshmen

American Indian college student graduation rates remain the lowest of any other group in the United States. Non-cognitive factors relating to adjustment, motivation, and perceptions, such as self-concept and leadership experience, may be more significant predictors for Native students than traditional intellectual factors. Using Pascarella's college impact model that draws on multiple lenses to predict academic success, rather than merely predicting with test scores, the author examines the extent academic success of Native freshmen students is impacted by pre-college, during-college, and non-cognitive factors. Non- cognitive factors relating to adjustment, motivation, and perception are measured using Sedlacek's Non-Cognitive Questionnaire designed to assess attributes not typically measured by other instruments. Integrating this method may provide a more effective assessment and evaluative approach for predicting student ability. By identifying factors that promote success during the first year of college, this book provides administrators, faculty and counselors with additional tools to understand and improve student achievement.