A correlational study of confidence levels in mastering educational/career planning and exploration tasks and postsecondary matriculation of African American high school seniors

The central purpose of this Project Demonstrating Excellence (PDE) was to investigate factors that affect postsecondary matriculation among African American students. Applying partial correlation analysis to the data from a survey a group of students took towards the end of their senior year in high school, this study identifies the correlation between the level of confidence in mastering college research tasks and postsecondary matriculation among African American high school students.; This study was performed on 80 African American high school seniors (42 males; 38 females) from a predominately African American high school in Miami, Florida. They were systematically selected from the class ranking list and were asked to complete a survey consisting of questions from a published guidance competency evaluation survey that identifies confidence levels in the areas of financial aid and scholarship research, college tours, and college decision-making. Additional personal background information questions were also included in the survey and a follow-up interview was conducted to insure accurate college enrollment information.; Taking into account the variables of a students household income and GPA, as well as the level of educational attainment of the student's parents, the level of confidence in mastering college research tasks were significantly related to postsecondary matriculation among the study participants. The implications of this study suggest that increasing a student's confidence in performing college research tasks could be an effective strategy in increasing the number of African American high school graduates within the State of Florida who matriculate into postsecondary institutions.