Targeting Mentoring
Efforts:
Identifying Clusters of
Black Male Students
Presented by
Alexei G. Matveev, Norfolk State University
Nuria M. Cuevas, Norfolk State University
Mercy O. Azeke, Norfolk State University
2004 Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience
February 20-24, 2004
Addison, Texas
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
r Experience
Questions
2

How can colleges and universities
make their mentoring programs
more efficient and effective?

How can colleges and universities
provide more customized services
and support to students?
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Norfolk
r Experience
State
University
Founded in 1935
 Located in the downtown Norfolk,
Virginia
 Virginia’s largest public
historically black university
(HBCU)
 Seventh largest HBCU in the
nation
 7,000 culturally diverse students
 Wide variety of programs for
students seeking access to an
affordable high-quality education

3
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
r Experience
Gender Gap
Black males significantly lag behind
their female peers in terms of
educational attainment1
 Two-thirds of Black traditional-age
college students are women1
 Graduation rates: 35% for Black
males; 45% for Black females2
 NSU:

–
–
–
–
4
64% -- women; 36% -- men
Freshman level: 44.3% of Black students
are males
Seniors: 33.8% of Black students are
males
Degrees conferred: 30.4% of Black
graduates are males
2004 Annual C
onference on
Male
the ACCESS
First-Yea
r Experience
Mentoring Program
(AMMP)
Academy for Collegiate Excellence
and Student Success MMP:
 Increase the retention rates of
targeted students
 Increase participation of targeted
students in academic, career, and
personal development activities
 Expose targeted students to
college survival and study skills
 Expose targeted students to
campus resources
5
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Importance
r Experience
Mentoring
6
of

Most successful traditional-age
black male students tend to be
skillful at negotiating the
educational pipeline3

Mentors have the potential of
assisting Black males in negotiating
the enormous intricacies of the
higher education pipeline4,5,6

Mentoring is increasingly identified
as a powerful retention strategy for
undergraduate education7,8,9
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
r Experience
Types of Mentoring
Academic guidance
 Career-related guidance
 Psychosocial empowerment
 Leadership development


7
Mentoring programs cannot be
one dimensional8
2004 Annual C
onference on
of
the Principles
First-Yea
and Efficient
r Experience
Programs
8
Effective
Mentoring

Student-Centered Mentoring

Customized / Targeted Mentoring

Group Mentoring
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Student-Centered
r Experience
Mentoring

9
MentorCentered
Mentoring
–
How will I
mentor
students?
–
How well did I
mentor
students?

MenteeCentered
Mentoring
–
How will
students
learn /
develop?
–
How well did
students
learn?
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Customized
r Experience
/ Targeted
Mentoring Strategies

1
Student-Centered Mentoring is
based on the assumption that
mentors
–
Have rich information about the students
and their needs
–
Tailor mentoring strategies and tactics
according to this information
–
Effectively and efficiently implement
these strategies
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
r Experience
Group Mentoring
1

Improves retention by fostering a
sense of connectedness as a
means of healthy academic and
personal development

Culturally consistent with the
reality of the African American
experience and places an
emphasis on the concept of
community10,11

Efficient use of time and
resources
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
How to
r Experience
Identify
Mentoring Groups?

Categorical Variables
–
–
–
–

Categorization can produce large
unmanageable groups

Interval Variables and Cluster Analysis
–
–
–
–
–
1
Honors students
Students with disabilities
At-risk students
Others
Demographics
Personality types
Diagnostic assessment / placement data
Academic needs
Other
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Cluster
r Experience
Analysis:
An Overview

Cluster Analysis
–
–
–

K-Means Clustering Algorithm
–
–
1
Multivariate technique
Primary purpose is to identify similar
entities from the characteristics they
possess
Resulting clusters should ideally exhibit
high internal (within-cluster) homogeneity
and high external (between-clusters)
heterogeneity
Partition of students into a specified
number of clusters
Students then are reassigned by moving
them to the cluster whose centroid is
closest to that case
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Cluster
r Experience
Analysis:
Variables

College Student Inventory (CSI)
variables used in the study:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1
Predicted academic difficulty
Receptivity to academic assistance
Desire to finish college
Attitude toward educators
Academic confidence
Intellectual interests
Desire to improve Exam skills
Desire to improve Math skills
Desire to improve Reading skills
Desire to improve Writing skills
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Cluster
r Experience
Results

Sample
–

–
Smallest cluster: 4 mentees
Largest cluster: 10 mentees
Discriminant analysis
–
1
89 male freshman students identified by
Noel-Levitz as “needing academic
assistance”
13 clusters
–

Analysis:
96.6% of grouped cases correctly
classified
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Cluster
r Experience
Results
Analysis:
Predicted Academic Difficulty and
Receptivity to Academic Assistance
(Percentile scores)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Clusters
Academic Difficulty
1
Receptivity to Academic Assistance
13
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Cluster
r Experience
Analysis:
Results (cont’d)
Students' Desire for Specific Academic
Services
(1=weakest; 7=strongest)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Clusters
Exam Skills
1
Writing Skills
Math Skills
Reading Skills
13
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
Cluster
r Experience
Analysis:
Results (cont’d)
Academic Motivation
(Percentile scores / lower scores indicate lower
motivation)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Clusters
1
Intellectual Interests
Academic Confidence
Desire to Finish College
Attitude Toward Educators
13
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
r Experience
References
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
1
King, J. (2000). Gender equity in higher education: Are male students at a
disadvantage? Washington, DC: American Council on Education (ACE).
ACE (2003). Annual status report on minorities in higher education.
Washington, DC: American Council on Education (ACE)
Hrabowski, F.H., et al. (1998). Beating the odds: Raising academically
successful African American males. New York: Oxford Press.
Wilson, M. (2000). Reversing the plight of African American male college
students. Black Issues in Higher Education, 17 (18), 175.
Lavant, B.D., et al. (1997). Retaining African American men through mentoring
initiatives. In: Cuyjet, M.L. (Ed.), Helping African American men succeed in
college, 43-54. New Directions for Student Services, 80. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Spradley, P. (2001). Strategies for educating the adult Black male in college.
ERIC Digest ED464524. Washington, DC: ERIC-HE.
Jacobi, M. (1991). Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature
review. Review of Educational Research, 61 (4), 505-532.
Pope, M.L. (2002). Community college mentoring: Minority student perception.
Community College Review, 30 (3), 31-45.
Stromei, L.K. (2000). Increasing retention and success through mentoring. In:
Aragon, S.R. (Ed.), Beyond access: Methods and models for increasing
retention and learning among minority students, 55-62. New Directions for
Community Colleges, 112. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (1991). Recurrent themes in the treatment of AfricanAmerican women in group psychotherapy. Women and Therapy, 11, 25-40.
Utsey, S.O., et al. (2003). Therapeutic group mentoring with African American
male adolescents. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 25 (2), 126-139.
2004 Annual C
onference on
the First-Yea
r Experience
Contact Information
Alexei G. Matveev
Associate Director,
Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment
[email protected]
Nuria M. Cuevas
Associate Vice President for Academic
Affairs
[email protected]
Mercy O. Azeke
Executive Director,
Office of the First Year Experience
[email protected]
2