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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Nationally, post-traditional students (PTSs) are denied access to public four-year universities because of previous academic failures and low scores on high-stakes exams. The purpose of this action research (AR) study was to learn from the methods and outcomes of a public four-year university that considered factors other than previous grade point average (GPA) and standardized exams scores in the admissions process for PTSs. An AR team of higher education professionals worked with the Admissions Appeals Committee at a regional public four-year university to reconstruct the admissions appeals process to include mindset and grit as influential predictors of future academic success. AR methodology was used to systematically evaluate the mindset and grit of PTSs who had been denied admission.
To evaluate the PTSs’ mindset, the AR team used the frame of Dweck’s (1986) theory of implicit intelligence to assess a growth or a fixed mindset. To evaluate PTS’ grit, we used Duckworth’s (2007) work focusing on the ability to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Two research questions guided this study: (1) What can be learned from considering mindset and grit as factors related to academic success of PTSs at a public four-year university? (2) What are the conditions necessary to support the use of alternative metrics in the admissions process for PTSs at a public four-year university? Consistent with the literature, this short-term study provided further support for a relationship between mindset and future academic GPA. Also consistent with Duckworth’s (2016) studies connecting grit with persistence, grit was found to be related to retention in this study. The AR team also learned that collaboration, incorporating new voices, pre-understanding, role duality, and access were significant factors in creating the conditions necessary to support the use of alternative metrics in the admissions process at this four-year public university. This study highlights the potential utility of mindset and grit in the admissions process for PTSs, and they should be explored further.
INDEX WORDS: Action research, Post-traditional students, Nontraditional students, Adult students, Testing, Higher education, Admissions, Academic success, Alternative metrics, Alternative methods, Mindset, Grit, Non-cognitive methods, Nontraditional methods
Nationally, post-traditional students (PTSs) are denied access to public four-year universities because of previous academic failures and low scores on high-stakes exams. The purpose of this action research (AR) study was to learn from the methods and outcomes of a public four-year university that considered factors other than previous grade point average (GPA) and standardized exams scores in the admissions process for PTSs. An AR team of higher education professionals worked with the Admissions Appeals Committee at a regional public four-year university to reconstruct the admissions appeals process to include mindset and grit as influential predictors of future academic success. AR methodology was used to systematically evaluate the mindset and grit of PTSs who had been denied admission.
To evaluate the PTSs’ mindset, the AR team used the frame of Dweck’s (1986) theory of implicit intelligence to assess a growth or a fixed mindset. To evaluate PTS’ grit, we used Duckworth’s (2007) work focusing on the ability to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Two research questions guided this study: (1) What can be learned from considering mindset and grit as factors related to academic success of PTSs at a public four-year university? (2) What are the conditions necessary to support the use of alternative metrics in the admissions process for PTSs at a public four-year university? Consistent with the literature, this short-term study provided further support for a relationship between mindset and future academic GPA. Also consistent with Duckworth’s (2016) studies connecting grit with persistence, grit was found to be related to retention in this study. The AR team also learned that collaboration, incorporating new voices, pre-understanding, role duality, and access were significant factors in creating the conditions necessary to support the use of alternative metrics in the admissions process at this four-year public university. This study highlights the potential utility of mindset and grit in the admissions process for PTSs, and they should be explored further.
INDEX WORDS: Action research, Post-traditional students, Nontraditional students, Adult students, Testing, Higher education, Admissions, Academic success, Alternative metrics, Alternative methods, Mindset, Grit, Non-cognitive methods, Nontraditional methods