An Analysis of College Choice Information Provided on Graduate Program Websites: Implications for Improving Applicant Diversity in Educational Measurement

Abstract

There has long been a concern about the lack of representation of ethnic minorities in the field of educational measurement. As previous research has shown that graduate programs primarily rely on their websites for recruiting efforts, the objective of this study was to conduct a content analysis of all U.S. educational measurement program websites to evaluate the availability of college choice information found to be useful for underrepresented ethnic minority applicants. In terms of program climate, results revealed that less than 10% of programs directly encouraged ethnic minorities to apply or included an antidiscrimination statement with regard to application review on their websites. Moreover, only a few program websites indicated the availability of flexible programming—previously found to be important for underrepresented ethnic minority students—such as part‐time options (16%), evening courses (10%), and online course/program availability (8%). Recommendations for how measurement programs can improve their websites to include desirable college choice information for underrepresented ethnic minority applicants are discussed.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Doctoral Graduate Supply in the Educational Measurement Field

“…Measurement scholars have suggested that this shortage in measurement specialists can be attributed to, at least in part, the lack of ethnic minority recruitment in the field (Brennan & Plake, 1990; Sireci, 2000). Still increasing calls for a more diverse assessment community (Sireci, 2000; Rios, Randall, & Donnelly, 2019) have gone largely unanswered. To be sure, developing and maintaining a well‐trained and diverse pipeline of measurement specialists is critical to the field.…”

Surveying the Measurement Profession to Assist Recruiting in the United States

“…In their review of measurement program websites, Rios et al. (2019) found that only 16% of reviewed programs encourage diverse students to apply, and only 5% specifically encourage ethnically diverse students to apply. To support these efforts, they advocated for programs to portray their commitment to diversity through inclusion of a statement of support on their websites.…”

“…This shortage can be traced to sluggish enrollment and stagnant growth of graduate education programs. From 2007 to 2016, conferred doctorate degrees in “educational evaluation and research,” “educational statistics and research methods,” and “educational assessment, testing, and measurement” ranged from a low of 128 in 2012 to a high of 157 in 2015 (Rios, Randall, & Donnelly, 2019). Over the same period, growth in international student graduates far outpaced American students (Randall, Rios, & Jung, 2021a), meaning the percentage of new American qualified labor decreased.…”

“…Finney and Pastor (2012) outlined effective techniques to advertise the field to students, and Rios et al. (2019) underscored the persistent shortcomings of diversity in the profession. To promote the field to students, Finney & Pastor (2012) emphasized providing a description of the field, an overview of jobs, the marketability of a degree, and compensation in the profession.…”

“…To create a more diverse workforce, Rios et al. (2019) emphasized three primary needs. First, graduate programs should look at more options of increasing graduate funding opportunities, while also promoting long‐term benefits of enrolling in measurement graduate programs (e.g., research opportunities and alumni success).…”