| Mathematics college readiness rates for minority students have been an ongoing concern in the K-12 and university settings. The purpose of this dissertation study was to analyze which demographic and academic factors affect college readiness in mathematics determined by students' Early Assessment Program (EAP) scores and to identify best predictors for minority students' college readiness in mathematics. In addition, this study was to determine if there was significant difference in students' EAP scores among diverse groups and among schools with different characteristics and programs. Data were collected from a total of 30,750 students in 15 Southern California public high schools. Stepwise regression was analyzed to identify significant predictors. One-way analysis of variance CANOVA) was used to test the significant differences among diverse groups and schools with different characteristics and programs. The results show that academic variables, such as Mathematics and English (English-Language Arts [ELA]) California Standards Test (CST) are the best predictors in comparison to demographic variables: gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), language spoken at home, and language fluency. The second best predictors were demographic variables: gender and language spoken at home. There was a significant difference found in EAP scores among gender groups, race/ethnicity, language fluency levels, SES status, and schools. A recommendation to add academic intervention and rigor for minority students, especially African-Americans and English Language Learners (ELLs), may assist in increasing mathematics knowledge for minority students' college readiness. |
