| This study employed a trend analysis of longitudinal data for three entering American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) cohorts at Arizona State University (ASU). Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze data obtained on 147 subjects entering the focal university in three different base years: 1989, 1990, and 1991. The data were obtained from the Arizona State University Office of Institutional Analysis to track subjects through a minimum period of six years.;This study sought to answer three research questions: (1) What are the pre-college academic profiles (i.e., age, high school GPA, class rank, academic deficiencies in high school core courses, ACT math score, ACT English score, ACT composite score, SAT verbal score, SAT math score, SAT composite score) of first-time, full-time freshmen AI/AN students at ASU in 1989, 1990, and 1991? (2) To what extent are AI/AN entering freshmen students engaged in the academic life of ASU (i.e., receiving financial aid, working on-campus, enrolled in sufficient credit hours, enrolled in a diversity of academic programs)? (3) What are the academic outcomes of AI/AN entering freshmen students at ASU (i.e., persistence rates, graduation rates, semester average hours/credits earned, last GPAs of graduates, majors/degrees earned)?;In terms of pre-college academic profiles of AI/AN students, the study found that when using traditional means of measurement, such as high school GPA and academic test scores, these students were marginally prepared to succeed at ASU.;In terms of academic engagement in the life of ASU, students were enrolled full-time, receiving monthly grants or financial aid, not participating in federal work-study, and taking courses mainly in the College of Arts and Sciences.;Considering the academic outcomes of AI/AN students, the study found that their academic success, when measured in persistence and graduation rates, is substantially lower than Whites and other minority groups. |
