1. Analysis of Reverse Achievement Gaps in College of Humanities Courses
Eunai Shrake, Asian American Studies Department
College of Humanities

2. Guiding Questions Guiding Questions:
1. How can we promote student success among URM students at CSUN?
2. How can we close traditional achievement gaps between URM and Non-URM students?
Research Questions:
1. Are there reverse achievement gaps in CoH courses?
2. What are the factors that contribute to reverse achievement gaps in CoH courses?
Guiding Questions
OPPORTUNITY GAP refers to inputs—the unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities—
while ACHIEVEMENT GAP refers to outputs—the unequal or inequitable distribution of educational results and benefits.

3. Characteristics of CoH Courses with Reverse Achievement Gaps
• # of COH courses with reverse gaps: 14
with over .30 reverse gaps: 13
# of sections of these courses: 86
• Disciplines & Subject Areas of the Courses
1 AIS, 4 AAS, 3 CAS, 6 CHS, 2 ENGL, 2 LING, 4 MCLL, 2 PHIL, 3 RS
• Upper /Lower Division Courses: 16:11
• Courses with reverse gaps 2 consecutive semesters
AAS 113, AAS 340, CAS 100, CHS 445, LING 417, PHIL 344, PHIL 348,
SPAN 102
• Content Areas of the Courses
Stretch Writing, Ethnic History, Ethnic Art, Ethnic Culture, Ethnic
Philosophy, Ethnic Women, Ethnic Religions, Foreign Language,
American Writers, Playwriting, Philosophy & Feminism
Overview of Data CSU Student Success Dashboard & IR Data (Fa 2015-Sp 2017)
Total # of courses with reverse gaps in : 91 courses
AIS 333 (Am Ind Phil)
AAS 113AOP, BOP (Stretch writing), AAS 340 (AA women)
CAS 100 (Intro to CAS), CAS 311 (Cen Am Diaspora)
CHS 111(Chicano & Art), CHS 115 (Stretch Writing), CHS 310 (Region Mus/Mexi), CHS 345 (His Mex Peop), CHS 351 (Surv Mex Phil Tho),
CHS 445 (Hist of Chicano)
ENGL 275 (Maj Am Writ), ENGL 310 (Playwriting)
LING 403 (Morphology), LING 427 (Lang Dev/Acq)
JAPN 304 (Adv Gramm), FLIT 370 (Mod Jap Cul), SPAN 102 (Elem. Span)
PHIL 344 (Chin Phil), PHIL 348 (Phil Feminism)
RS 307 (Rel in Am), RS 383 (Asian Religious Texts), RS 365 (Islam)

4. Findings Within-College Factors of Reverse Achievement Gaps
Subject-Areas: Ethnic/Area/Language Studies (AIS, AAS, CAS, CHS, LING, MCLL) tend to have more reverse gaps
Specific Course Contents in Traditional (non-Ethnic studies) Disciplines: related to minority studies (e.g., Phil & Feminism, Chinese Phil, Islam, Asian Religious Texts, Ethnic Literature)
Instructor Race: Out of 86 sections, 56 sections were taught by non-White instructors, indicating a high rate of Racial Match between Instructors and Enrolled Students
Student Racial Composition of the classes: More URM students
Lower vs. Upper Division—11:16 (Lower division courses are multi-sectioned, having higher impact than upper division courses on URM students’ achievement )
GE Section F (Comparative Cultural Studies): 6 out of 16 (38%) Upper Division courses were GE section F
Findings •

5. Concluding thoughts & Recommendation
Consider hiring more URM faculty to promote student- instructor racial match
Expand Ethnic/Area Studies Curriculum
Reassess the validity of GE section F
Provide Academic Advising (Major/Course Selection) at the Dept. Level
Next steps: To understand why specific courses show reverse achievement gaps, more qualitative research to find contextual factors through course content analyses (syllabi analysis), classroom observation (pedagogy & classroom climate & learning environment), student interviews, etc.
Concluding thoughts & Recommendation