MINDSET DATA UPON ENTRANCE TO CHAFFEY COLLEGE: Mean Mindset Scale Score of First-Time Students, Fall Cohorts, 2013 through 2015

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1 of First-Time Students, Fall Cohorts, 13 through Fall 13 Fall 14 Fall 15 of First-Time Students Fall Semester umber Assessed 2,57 2,692 4, Source: Chaffey College Accuplacer Database, Mindset Scale Score (Score Range: through ) Chaffey College introduced the Mindset Scale into its assessment processes in March 13. Predicated on the work of Dr. Carol Dweck, mindset can be categorized as either growth or fixed. Individuals who possess a growth mindset believe that basic qualities they possess can be cultivated through effort and that change and growth continue to occur through application and experience. In contrast, individuals who have a fixed mindset assume that their basic qualities do not change that they have only a certain amount of intelligence, ability, personality, etc. and that these traits are not malleable. To assess the mindset of first-time, no prior college experience students, Chaffey College utilizes the Mindset Scale. The total scale is comprised of eight questions, reported on a fivepoint Likert scale (5 = strongly agree; 1 = strongly disagree). Total mindset scale scores range from through. Utilizing this information, Chaffey College is able to identify growth/fixed mindset levels of assessed students who are primarily first-time, no prior college experience students. While mindset scale scores range from to, the mean mindset scale score reported for the past three fall cohorts has remained relatively consistent, ranging from to

2 Mindset Scale Score Distribution of Fall 15 First-Time Students umber of Scores Total Mindset Scale Score Distribution Mindset Scale Score Statistics, Fall 15 Cohort Mean Median Mode SD Skewness Q1 Q3 4, Source: Chaffey College Accuplacer Database, Total Mindset Scale Score (Score Range: through ) Total mindset scale scores range from to. As depicted in the chart and table above a relatively normal score distribution was observed among the 4,461 first-time, no prior college experience students who participated in Chaffey College s assessment process and subsequently enrolled in the fall 15 semester. Observed skewness (.376) suggests that score distributions are fairly symmetrical, with just a slightly positive skewness observed. The mean (25.76), median (25.0) and mode (.0) for the total mindset scale are relatively comparable. A review of first and third quartiles indicate that students who rank in the lowest quartile generate total mindset scale scores in the - score range, while students who rank in the highest quartile generate total mindset scale scores in the 27- score range. 2

3 of Fall 15 First-Time Students by Race/Ethnicity African American Asian Caucasian Hispanic ative American Pacific Islander Two or More Races Unknown by Race/Ethnicity African American Asian Caucasian Hispanic 2, ative American Pacific Islander Two or More Races Unknown All Students 4, Source: Chaffey College Accuplacer Database, Mindset Scale Score (Score Range: through ) Examining the mean total mindset scale score of first-time, no prior college experience students who enrolled in the fall 15 semester by race/ethnicity, statistically significant differences were not observed between racial/ethnic groups. As the data above indicates, highest mean total mindset scale scores were generated by Asian (mean = 26.), Hispanic (25.95), and Pacific Islander (25.90) students. Lowest mean mindset scale scores were generated by Caucasian students (mean = 25.44), African American students (25.46), and students who self-identified with two or more races (25.49). 3

4 of Fall 15 First Students by Gender Male Female Unknown by Gender Male 1, Female 2, Unknown All Students 4, Source: Chaffey College Accuplacer Database, Total Mindset Scale Score (Possible Score: through ) Statistically significant differences in mean mindset scores were observed between male and female students (F(2, 4,1) = , p.000). First-time, no college experience male students who enrolled in the fall 15 semester generated a mean mindset scale score of 26.10, while their female counterparts generated a mean mindset scale score of Students whose gender was unknown/not reported generated a mean mindset scale score of

5 of Fall 15 First-Time Students by Age Range or Younger to 25 to to to 39 to or Older by Age Range 19 or Younger 3, to Years of Age to 29 Years of Age to 34 Years of Age to 39 Years of Age to 49 Years of Age Years of Age or Older All Students 4, Source: Chaffey College Accuplacer Database, Total Hope Scale Score (Possible Score: through 64) Statistically significant differences in mean mindset scores were observed between students 19 years of age or younger and students 25 to 29 years of age and 35 to 39 years of age (F(6, 4,317) =.927, p.000). Among the age ranges examined, students 19 years of age or younger exhibited the highest mean mindset scale score (25.94); conversely, students 35 to 39 years of age (mean =.46) and students 25 to 29 years of age (25.14) exhibited some of the lowest mean mindset scale scores. While students to 49 years of age (mean =.79) and 30 to 34 years of age (.95) exhibited lower mean mindset scale scores than students 25 to 29 years of age, smaller population sizes for these subgroups contribute to the lack of observed statistical significance between these students and students 19 years of age or younger. Students to years of age (mean = 25.62) and students 50 years of age or older (25.76) also exhibited higher mean mindset scale scores than most other age groups. 5