Problem statement: It is not known if and to what extent pre-college outreach programs affect financial aid attainment, academic achievement and persistence of rural California community college students.

Research questions:

1. Are pre-college program participants securing financial aid at a higher rate than first year students who do not participate in pre-college outreach programs?
2. Do pre-college program participants have greater first-year academic achievement than first year students who do not participate in pre- college outreach programs?
3. Do pre-college program participants persist at a higher rate than first-year students that do not participate in pre-college outreach programs?

Intended research methodology: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design (NEGD) will be used to address the problem statement and research questions. Using the nonequivalent groups design is appropriate as sampling will not be random and focused on intact groups that are similar to the treatment and control group.

What are the critical attributes of this selected research design that will best support my study and why is it the best appropriate fit for the stated problem? Why would a qualitative methodology not be appropriate for my intended study?