Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Hoiwah Fong
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Mary Christopher
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Scott Strawn
Abstract
In tThis dissertation the researcher exploreds the correlations between high school GPA, ACT Math, ACT cComposite scores, and first -semester GPA for first-time freshmen at a mid-sized university in the Midwest. This quantitative correlational study uses multiple regression analysis to discover correlations that may exist between these interval variables. Data for this study was collected through a request to the study site’s oOffice of pPlanning and aAnalysiss at the university and was all archival data at a record level for the students. Data had been collected through the admissions process and was stored in Banner and SLATE, both data management platforms used by the institution. The sample size for this study was 77 students, 63 of whom had standardized test scores. Key results for this study showed that the high school GPA was the only predictive factor of success for a first -semester college GPA outcome, and that the ACT scores were not statistically significant. Recommendations based on these findings include early intervention from STEM faculty and staff, and that a contextualized, holistic approach to admissions may be more beneficial than the use of test scores and GPA alone. Future research could be conducted, if data is available, about gatekeeper coursework, such as calculus, biology, and chemistry, performance during high school and how those successes or failures correlate to first-semester performance in college STEM majors.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Butler, Elizabeth L., "Predictive Factors of Academic Success During Transition to Undergraduate Studies in STEM Programs in Kansas" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 956.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/956
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