Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Student Loan Debt And The Decision To Pursue Higher Education: A Qualitative Case Study Of African American High School Students, Adrian J. Wilkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to examine African American high school students’ perceptions surrounding potential student loan debt burden and its perceived influence on the decisions to enter HEIs. The purpose of this study stems from the current status of student loan debt as a significant factor in the decision-making process for potential higher education students as well as current students and those who have graduated. The central research question of this study was what are African American high school student perceptions of student loan debt, student loan debt burden, financial aid, and how are those perceptions influencing …

An Exploration Of The Role Persistence Plays For First-Generation, African American Males Enrolled At Four-Year, Primarily White Institutions: A Phenomenological Study, Daniel Michael Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many first-generation, African American male students who enroll in primarily White institutions do not persist. This phenomenological study aimed to understand academic persistence in first-generation African American male students enrolled at a four-year, primarily White institution. The theory guiding this study is the theory of human motivation developed by Abraham Maslow. Maslow's theory of motivation provided the necessary framework that assisted in understanding the basic needs required first-generation, African American male students to persist academically. A qualitative research methodology was appropriate as it is designed to increase understanding of first-generation African American male students' lived experiences as they endeavor to …

The Unvoiced Barriers Of African American Females Who Did Not Persist To Graduation From A Predominantly White Technical College: A Phenomenological Study, Alisa F. Kinnebrew

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of African American female past students, regarding unvoiced barriers, at Seven Hills Technical College. The theory guiding this study was Tinto’s theory on student integration. Tinto believed that a student’s academic and social interactions are indicators of whether a student will be successful. The interpretive framework utilized in this study was critical race theory. The central research question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of African American female past students who did not persist to graduation from a predominantly White technical college? The …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Second-Year African American Male Students On Predominantly White Campuses Through Critical Race Theory, Craig S. Pickett Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Title: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Second-Year African American Male Students on Predominantly White Campuses through the Lens of Critical Race Theory

Abstract:

The critical nature of the first year has pushed thousands of colleges and universities across the United States to create intentional programs specifically for first-year students. Less understood are the experiences of students during their second year – a different and, at times, even more challenging period. Second-year students face a myriad of issues, including achieving competence, desiring autonomy, establishing identity, and developing purpose, with many experiencing a phenomenon called the sophomore slump. …

Academic Advising, Academic Integration And First Year African American College Student Intention To Persist, Cassandra Graham

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The U.S. college persistence rate for African American students, remains lowest in comparison to other race/ethnicities. Academic advising and other forms of academic integration are emphasized in prior research as associated with positively influencing persistence outcomes. However, a gap exists in the literature regarding their impact for four-year African American students and success factors for persistence of these students. Existing academic advisement studies are primarily institutional with a small sample size, as opposed to a national sample, and very few are focused on quantitative data analysis.

Therefore, through the analysis of national data from the 2018 National Survey of Student …

Female African American Deans’ Rise To Success: Navigating And Conquering Self-Sabotaging Behaviors By Taking Back Their Power, Davina Bailey

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-method study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by female African American Deans in higher education and to explore the impact these behaviors had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by female African American Deans in higher education to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: This sequential explanatory mixed-method study explored the lived experiences of nine female African American deans who acknowledged they had experienced self-sabotaging behaviors throughout their careers. The researcher distributed an electronic Likert scale survey to the participants to identify the most …

Yes, We Can Rule The World- Advancing Our Black Male Mentoring Programs, Trevor D. Mccray

The Vermont Connection

This article will address the lived experience of a Black male higher education practitioner who served as an advisor over a Black male mentorship program. While the summer of 2020 brought awareness to the life of individuals who identify as Black and Brown, with the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, there have been numerous attempts to right some wrong in America. This practitioner will share his experience, expertise, and perspective on the performative anti-racist measures, anti-Black rhetoric, and lackluster efforts of universities and colleges investing into people of color mentoring initiatives. As a result, higher education administrators have …

White Racial Identity Development And The Tenure Process Of African American And Black Community College Faculty, Royce M. Carpenter

Dissertations

Diversity of student racial and ethnic identities are increasing at predominantly white community colleges. The faculty is not diversifying at the same rate as the student population. The majority of faculty and administrators identify as White. The purpose of this study was to explore how White Racial Identity of White faculty and administrators impacted the tenure process of African American and Black faculty. I used narrative inquiry as the methodology. Interviews were chosen to center the voices and experiences of African American and Black tenured faculty. One Midwest institution was the focus of the study. Based on the data findings, …

The Color Of Conduct: A S.I.S.T.A.'S Tale Of Race, Housing, And Higher Education, Natasha Gibson-Winston

Dissertations

S.I.S.T.A., suffering in silence to be acknowledged, is an acronym that symbolizes the hidden voices of Black women in higher education and abroad. This study examined the experiences of a graduate student woman of color impacted by university housing policies and practices as a judicial student conduct officer at a historically white institution. Using autoethnography as a methodology, grounded in critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study aims to highlight the ways Black women can and have been harmed in predominantly white spaces and processes within higher education. The application of the aforementioned frameworks found the …

The Experiences Of African American Graduate Students Attending Colleges Of Chiropractic: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology, Darren De'un Howland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study is to discover and interpret the campus experiences of African American graduate students attending colleges of chiropractic in the United States. A sense of belonging within a campus environment is essential to all students that encounter a university. The campus environment has an important role in the retention of African American students. The theory guiding this study is the Culturally Engaging Campus Environment Model which examines cultural engagement within the campus environment. The central question leading this research study asks, “What are the lived experiences of African American graduate students attending colleges of …

Finding The Yellow Brick Road: Bridging The Gap Between African American Foster Care Youth And Higher Education., Chyna Hart

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This critical action research thesis addresses the need for a university-based bridge program for African American foster care youth seeking to obtain a college degree. The reviewed literature explores a plethora of barriers experienced by African American foster care youth, which are brought on by social and systemic racism and inequity. In examining this literature, I have proposed and justified an intervention plan coined “The Yellow Brick Road Program”. This program will help to combat the barriers that hinder accessibility for African American foster care students by creating an on-campus hub that provides these students support services that address their …

#Blackfemaleteachersmatter: The Experiences Of Three African American Female Teachers Who Left The Classroom During Their Induction Years, Ashlye Victoria Wilkerson

Theses and Dissertations

This study captured the lived experiences of three African American, female classroom teachers who left the profession within three years of beginning their careers. The main goal that led this research was to center the perspectives of African American women in the conversation about teacher retention, turnover, and attrition percentages that plague the field of education. The primary questions that guided this study were: (1) “What can be learned from the life stories of former African American female teachers who left the teaching profession from South Carolina public classrooms during their induction years?”, (2) “What do their life stories reveal …

Exploring The Impact Of The Achievement Gap On Shame And Resilience In African American College Students, Brittany R. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The achievement gap refers to the stark difference that occurs between racial or gender groups, as one group performs significantly higher than the other. An achievement gap has the propensity to produce psychological distress, as well as buffering techniques that are necessary for survival and success. Growing research shows that African American college students experience unique levels of trauma, shame, hardship, macro, and micro-aggressions, suggesting that these students learn to self-preserve as early as 10 years old. This study used a Pearson correlation, Independent T-Test, and a Moderated Multiple Regression to explore the impact of the achievement gap on shame …

The Effects Of The Superwoman Schema On African American Women Receiving Their Graduate Degree At Rowan University While Also Holding An Assistantship, Corrine Smith

Theses and Dissertations

As an African American or Black woman, there is an expectation to be strong at all times. They are often glorified for their resiliency. Unfortunately, that strength and the expectation of it, can prove to be detrimental to African American or Black women's health. The Superwoman Schema, originally studied in 2010 by Woods-Giscomb, is the double edge sword that is handed to African American or Black women at a young age. The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand Wood-Giscomb's research by examining the perceptions of the impact of the Superwoman Schema on African American or Black graduate students …

A Study Of Social And Cultural Capital In Graduation For African American Students In Four-Year Colleges, Andrew Oni

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The prevalence of the persistent low graduation rate among African American students in four-year colleges gave rise to the examination of the role of social and cultural capital in improving graduation for African American students. This study examines the role played by the relationship between social and cultural capital and other factors for African American students’ graduation. Guided by social and cultural capital as the theoretical framework which presents social and cultural capital as acquired by parents’ and students' social networks and cultural endowment and tenets. These two levels of social and cultural capital are available for students to utilize …

Black Male College Students' Perspectives On The Contribution Of Black Student Organizations To Their Development Of Soft Skills, Shanice Angela Glover

Theses and Dissertations

The following study is an exploration of the views Black male college students have of the soft skills they have developed through participation in a predominately Black student organization. I used a focus group moderator guide with questions, adapted from Stansberry and Burnett (2014) and modified from Evans (2016) and Saraceno (2019) to serve as the instrument for this qualitative study. I gathered data from a focus groups consisting of Black male college students who are enrolled at Rowan University and participate in Black student organizations on campus. The focus group discussion pertained to the participants' experiences with predominantly Black …

The Underrepresentation Of African American Doctoral Students In College Of Education Disciplines At Hispanic Serving Institutions And Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions In The Southwest United States (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada And Colorado), Matthew Lloyd Atterberry

Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are underrepresented in higher education, especially in the graduate and doctoral level. Furthermore, research has identified numerous factors influencing African Americans to pursue doctoral studies in College of Education disciplines at postsecondary institutions of higher learning. However, there is a gap in the literature pertaining to factors influencing African Americans to pursue graduate and/or doctoral studies in College of Education disciplines at Hispanic Serving Institutions and Emerging Hispanic Institutions of higher learning in the Southwest United States. The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap pertaining to demographic factors in relationship to motivation and self-efficacy (Confidence) …

The World Of Oneness, Anita D. Sanders

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Using data derived from a real-time focus group experience, this session will address strategies for improving retention and recruitment of minority faculty members and students at institutions of higher education. This focus group was comprised of alumni minority students from a rural university. The questions for this group were composed by faculty members trying to ascertain the perceptions of the minority students. The data collected provided answers to the proposed questions, but revealed information validating the experiences of other minority stakeholder groups and the impact to programs. Information from unfair expectations to feeling unchallenged were revealed. In addition, it will …

Black Minds Matter: A Phenomenological Inquiry Examining The Prevalence Of Racial Trauma Among Black Doctoral Students, Jazmyne Markeeva Peters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Systemic and institutionalized racism is endemic to life in the United States and contributes to the daily marginalization of Black people. While the negative psychological and physiological effects of racism have been well-documented, the notion that racism can be experienced as a trauma is a newer theory. Racial trauma has been understudied and underappreciated, though it is a theory that clinicians should incorporate when working with Black clients and other clients of color. Exploring the ways in which Black doctoral students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI) have experienced racism is an essential contribution to the existing racial trauma literature. …

Faring Better Or Worse: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Success Outcomes Of The Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program At Eastern Michigan University, Kimberly J. Brown

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Intergenerational poverty is a problem of immense concern within the African American community, where approximately 32% of children under the age of 18 reside in impoverished conditions. Although acquisition of a college degree is the sole determining factor most influential for social mobility of families in the lowest income bracket, only 10.13% of total degrees conferred in 2015-2016 were to African American students. Additionally, being first-generation and low-income, stressors are intensified and perpetuate cessation of enrollment in postsecondary studies. Utilizing a non-randomized sample, a causal comparative/quasi experimental analysis was conducted to evaluate whether African Americans, or students from low-income and …

Persistence Of African American Students At Predominately White Institutions, Candace Thompson

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology, the persistence of African American students at predominately White institutions was analyzed. This was conducted through semi-structured interviews by six participants which evaluated African American students’ overall persistence. Participants expressed what determined their selections of institutions as well as what institutional and personal factors negatively and positively affected their matriculation throughout the institution. In addition, the study provided recommendations to student affairs professionals to better serve this population.

Seeking Success: A Case Study Of African American Male Retention At A Two-Year College, Richard Latroy Moss

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a problem in higher education in the United States. African American students, specifically males, are not being retained and graduating. This problem is even more evident for students that attend two year colleges. African American male students lag behind white males, Hispanic males and African American females, in retention and graduation rates. This problem has caught the attention of many leaders. Policy makers and college leaders are among those who seek to understand the why and find solutions to the challenge of African American male student retention at two year colleges, as two year colleges are becoming the …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study That Examines African American Male Students' Perception Of Factors That Contribute To Academic Success At A Four-Year College, Brian Kelley Nix

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine African American males’ perceptions of factors contributing to academic success. The central research question that guided this study is as follows: What factors do African American male students perceive as contributing to their academic success in attaining a four-year college degree? The information in this study could provide knowledge to other African American males, their families, and teachers regarding how these men could experience the same academic success as the participants. The participants consisted of 14 African American males from East Tennessee who graduated from a four-year college. The …

Find The Most Here: The Academic Success Of First-Year African American Students At The University Of Mississippi, Earl Presley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three researchers, Shawnboda Mead, Earl Presley, and Alexandria White, collaborated to complete this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) which includes three manuscripts. The three-member team identified the academic success of first-year African American students at predominantly White institutions as a complex problem of practice. Bean and Eaton’s (2001) Psychological Model of Student Retention and Rodgers and Summers (2008) Revised Model of Retention for African American Students at Predominantly White Institutions provided the theoretical framework for this study. The study examines the relationship of academic success and first-year African American students who participated in the 2015 and 2016 Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic …

Find The Most Here: The Academic Success Of First-Year African American Students At The University Of Mississippi, Shawnboda Deanne Mead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three researchers, Shawnboda Mead, Earl Presley, and Alexandria White, collaborated to complete this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) which includes three manuscripts. The three-member team identified the academic success of first-year African American students at predominantly White institutions as a complex problem of practice. Bean and Eaton’s (2001) Psychological Model of Student Retention and Rodgers and Summers (2008) Revised Model of Retention for African American Students at Predominantly White Institutions provided the theoretical framework for this study. The study examines the relationship of academic success and first-year African American students who participated in the 2015 and 2016 Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic …

Necessary Resilience: Experiences Of African American Men Athletes In Community Colleges, Julian Springer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research has shown that African American men have the lowest enrollment and completion rates within higher education. While community colleges’ athletic programs may offer access points for students, experiences of African American men who are student athletes enrolled in community colleges has gone under researched. As such, this study explores the experiences of eight African American men student athletes at community colleges. Specifically, this qualitative case study aimed to better understand how these men experienced barriers and support on their campus, as well as their perceptions of their campus climates. Findings suggest that participants felt academically underprepared in their classrooms, …

Find The Most Here: The Academic Success Of First-Year African American Students At The University Of Mississippi, Alexandria White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three researchers, Shawnboda Mead, Earl Presley, and Alexandria White, collaborated to complete this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) which includes three manuscripts. The three-member team identified the academic success of first-year African American students at predominantly White institutions as a complex problem of practice. Bean and Eaton’s (2001) Psychological Model of Student Retention and Rodgers and Summers (2008) Revised Model of Retention for African American Students at Predominantly White Institutions provided the theoretical framework for this study. The study examines the relationship of academic success and first-year African American students who participated in the 2015 and 2016 Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic …

Mattering Versus Marginality: African American Student Perspective At Rowan University, Dante Dandridge

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gauge the perceptions of African American students in the areas of social interaction, classroom climate, faculty interactions and administrative support and determining if these students felt marginalized or if they matter in those areas. The study also intended to find correlations between mattering and academic success as well as active campus participation with a feeling of mattering. The survey used was adapted from Lovely Durham, who condensed the survey Perceptions on Community, and handed out to a portion of the African American students at Rowan University.

Leadership From The Middle Pays It Forward: An Academic Administrator Of Color’S Career Development Narrative In Postsecondary Education, Cecil Dean Campbell

The Qualitative Report

The ongoing underrepresentation of administrators of color in higher education suggests that traditional career pathways make racial equities in administrative leadership elusive. This personal narrative explores middle-manager educational and career experiences—some often-overlooked aspects of higher education administration. Using leadership and career development theories, I draw on qualitative approaches to examine my own career journey as one academic affairs administrator of color who has experienced a history of career change, lay-off, and non-traditional moves within and across diverse institutions. Through an inductive approach for analyzing data in my career narrative, emergent themes incorporate data references “calling,” citizenship, and cultural change in …

African American And First-Generation Students’ Perceptions Of And Experiences With An Academic Cohort, Kim Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Underrepresented student populations are faced with numerous barriers and are often overlooked on many college campuses. The aim of this research was to better understand academic cohorts and if they help reduce some of the barriers faced by African American and first-generation students which can ultimately affect retention and persistence to graduation. In order to gather this information, interviews and surveys were conducted with students once enrolled in the foundations for academic success track (Fastrack) program at the University of Mississippi. Results from the interviews and surveys indicate that while the Fastrack program seemed to support successful social transitions for …