Education Commons^™

Ripple Of Hope: Understanding The Lived Experience And Academic Achievement Of Latinx Students At Arrupe College And Dougherty Family College: A Case Study, Richard P. Virgin

Dissertations

One of the most common and important entry points into higher education for Latinx and other underrepresented students is through community college. However, national completion rates for Latinx community college students have been trailing their white peers. This gap in academic achievement has prevailed since the 1990s. The trailing rates of degree completion for Latinx students can lead to lower lifetime salary earnings, lack of career advancement, greater risk of losing employment, and an increased chance of living in poverty. However, a successful community college model may be seen as a disruptor in the educational sector due to its much …

Round Ii: Exploring The Experiences Of Black, First-Generation Graduate And Professional Students At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Derrick D. Lathan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores the experiences of Black, first-generation (first-gen) students pursuing advanced degrees at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), following the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice movements like Black Lives Matter. Additionally, this study examines the present-day motivations to pursue advanced degrees, particularly the benefits of doing so at an HBCU. The main research question guiding this study is: What are the experiences of Black, first-gen graduate and professional students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)? The sub-questions are:

1. How do Black, first-gen graduate and professional students describe being a first-gen student?
2. What barriers and supports impact …

We Are Stronger Together: Faculty Reflections On Competency-Based High School Completion For Adults In Washington State, Elizabeth J. Flanagan

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Situated in Washington State during the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this qualitative, insider-practitioner study examined the instructional context of four instructors engaged in a competency-based, high school completion for adults faculty praxis on community and technical college campuses through a state-supported program called High School+ (HS+). Guided by three areas of inquiry, this research sought to (1) explore how HS+ faculty describe their instructional praxis in the context of personal identity; (2) probe the cultural, structural, and administrative challenges HS+ faculty face when enacting competency-based instruction on community and technical college campuses oriented toward seat-time models of instruction; …

The Importance Of Validation In Latine Student Success, Maria Del S. Nava

The Vermont Connection

Latine students are the fastest growing ethnic group currently in higher education and yet they experience lower undergraduate completion rates than their white peers. In this paper I explore Validation theory, in combination with community cultural wealth and the Bicultural Orientation Model and Influences on Latino Identity, and the ways in which they can be used to support Latine students. Validation is defined as a positive external affirmation to students that positively impacts their own belief to succeed. With the Latine undergraduate student population growing, validation theory can be an important tool to address the issues relevant to students from …

“We All Fly Together, We All Fall Together”: A Fourth Generation Evaluation Of The Experiences Of Students Of Color In A Strengths-Based Postsecondary Access Program, Allyson Gunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most persistent barriers within the education system preventing students of color from accessing and persisting in higher education is the deficit lens that the education system uses to judge college-worthy students. To combat this deficit lens, strengths-based programming has shown promise in validating the strengths and students bring to their postsecondary journey. This fourth-generation program evaluation amplifies the experiences of students of color within a strength-based postsecondary access program in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. Through interviews and focus groups, students, and alums of color in the Cornerstone program shared the experience that was most meaningful to them, and …

Network Of Folx: Applying The Use Of Community Cultural Wealth To The Experiences Of Black First-Generation Hbcu Students, Maurice Williams Jr

All Dissertations

Despite improvements in the rates of college admission over the past few decades, college persistence and graduation rates continue to be problematic, particularly for marginalized students—students of color and students from low-income and/or first-generation families at all institutional types. When attention is shifted to Black first-generation students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), persistence research neglects to include how Black first-generation college students own their educational experience to gain access to college and persist through graduation nor does the research examine cultural factors that help these students persist through the college-going process. Building from both student persistence and community …

Higher Education Scholars Challenging Deficit Thinking: An Analysis Of Research Informed By Community Cultural Wealth, Hannah L. Reyes, Antonio Duran

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

As postsecondary scholars continue to challenge deficit-based thinking that harms Students of Color and other minoritized populations, researchers have called for an increased understanding of how they mobilize anti-deficit thought in scholarship and practice. As one example of a theory that pushes against deficit perspectives, Yosso’s community cultural wealth (CCW) framework has risen in popularity. To better comprehend how scholars apply CCW in higher education literature, this content analysis investigated research that examined, broadened, and operationalized the CCW framework. In particular, we analyzed 85 peer-reviewed journal articles. Findings revealed which forms of capital were most prevalent in studies, to whom …

Higher Education Scholars Challenging Deficit Thinking: An Analysis Of Research Informed By Community Cultural Wealth, Hannah L. Reyes, Antonio Duran

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

As postsecondary scholars continue to challenge deficit-based thinking that harms Students of Color and other minoritized populations, researchers have called for an increased understanding of how they mobilize anti-deficit thought in scholarship and practice. As one example of a theory that pushes against deficit perspectives, Yosso’s community cultural wealth (CCW) framework has risen in popularity. To better comprehend how scholars apply CCW in higher education literature, this content analysis investigated research that examined, broadened, and operationalized the CCW framework. In particular, we analyzed 85 peer-reviewed journal articles. Findings revealed which forms of capital were most prevalent in studies, to whom …

Community Cultural Wealth In Latinx Applicants To Nationally Prestigious Awards, Susy Gomez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latinx applicants to nationally prestigious awards that have an international component. Students from minoritized backgrounds are underrepresented in these awards (Gerz-Escandon, 2017; Brownstein, 2001; Pinto-Alicea, 2001). While research suggests that Latinx students often lack the resources, backgrounds, or preparation to excel in higher education (Gandara, 2017; Salas, 2016; Trevino & DeFreitas, 2014; Bastedo & Jaquette, 2011), community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) highlights less traditional types of capital that minority students bring to higher education.

Using narrative analysis, I examined the application stories of nine Latinx students who had applied …

Understanding Latina Undergraduate Engineering Student Persistence, Yarissa I. Ortiz-Vidal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In summary, this study focused on understanding the persistence of 20 Latina undergraduate engineering students enrolled at two public four-year Hispanic Serving Institutions. Key findings in this study showed that in order to contribute to their own persistence in engineering majors these Latina students activated their community cultural wealth: (a) not only to resist different forms of oppression, but also to thrive and excel in academic settings, (b) to take control of difficult and challenging experiences, (c) to take/receive knowledge from others, but also to give/share their knowledge (cyclical tendencies of CCW), (d) as well as revealing that helping others …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing First-Generation College Students' Ability To Graduate College: A Delphi Study, Ashley C. Gray Benson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation serves as a counter-narrative to the standard deficiency model in published research that characterizes most first-generation college students as feeble and unequipped when it comes to thriving in, persisting in, and graduating from college. This is one of the few studies that examines the success of first-generation college students from the students’ perspective. First-generation college students who graduated from college participated in a Delphi study that addressed this question: What factors influence first-generation college students' ability to graduate college? Three rounds of data collection resulted in ten themes, roughly in order of importance based on feedback from study …

Empowering Filipino American Young Adults Through Culturally Relevant Leadership Experiences, Donnaly Y. Atajar

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership development of Filipino American young adults. As an advisor for Lakas Mentorship Program in the Inland Empire, I explored the following question among program staff and mentors: How could I use culturally relevant curriculum to foster personal and professional development for young Filipino American leaders? I evaluated the impact of four cycles centered on leadership training and improving program practices to understand how to deepen engagement and facilitate positive transformation. I found that the following contributed to meaningful engagement: intentional leadership opportunities, institutionalized program structure, and peer mentorship and community …

Undocumented Students’ Access To Higher Education In San Francisco, Bay Area, Sandra Miklosic

Master's Theses

This paper will explore the question: “in what ways does DACA status influence undocumented students’ ability to access higher education in San Francisco and Bay Area, California?” Even though DACA does not encompass any direct policies regarding access to education, there is a very strong correlation between having DACA status and accessing higher education for the undocumented students. In this research, I highlight the voices of undocumented students through the method of testimonio. Each participant reflects on their personal experiences with DACA while accessing postsecondary education. In this research, I explore how testimonio, as a methodology and a theoretical framework, …

Understanding How The Interaction Between The Community College And The Underprepared Student Positions The Student's Developmental Educational Outcomes, Alberta Mary Jaeger

Theses and Dissertations

Underprepared urban community college students from low socioeconomic backgrounds face numerous challenges as they pursue a college degree. They can have weak academic skills that places them in non-college credited developmental education courses, which many do not complete. This qualitative case study used Bourdieu’s (1977) theories of cultural capital, habitus, field, and practice as a critical test of a significant theory (Yin, 2009) to understand how the interaction between the urban community college and these students positioned the students’ educational outcomes. Developmental reading/writing courses were observed. Students enrolled in these courses, faculty who taught the courses, and administrators who interacted …

Resilience And Resistance: How First Generation College Students Leverage Community Cultural Wealth And Social Capital To Successfully Transfer From A Community College To A Selective Four-Year Institution, Christina Teller

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how first generation college students leverage both traditional forms of social capital and community cultural wealth in the process of transferring from a California community college to a selective four-year institution, using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) paradigm, and a framework including Stanton-Salazar’s (1997) network analytic theory and Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth. The current study adds to the literature by critically analyzing the post-secondary education experiences of first generation community college transfer students, focusing on the students’ strengths and gaining a better understanding of what institutional and …