A DIFFERENT WORLD: AFRICAN AMERICAN, FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE WOMEN AT A SELECTIVE UNIVERSITY

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorFries-Britt, Sharon L.en_US
dc.contributor.authorJohnson, Jennifer Michelleen_US
dc.contributor.departmentEducation Policy, and Leadershipen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-10-04T05:30:22Z
dc.date.available2013-10-04T05:30:22Z
dc.date.issued2013en_US
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the academic and social experiences of African American, first generation college students attending a selective university. Following interpretive case study methodology, the major research questions guiding this study were: How do African American, first generation college students describe their academic and social experiences attending a selective institution of higher education? And How do African American, first generation college students mitigate barriers to college persistence? Through demographic questionnaire responses and individual semi-structured interviews with five African American women attending the University of Pennsylvania, participants identified the ways that their collegiate experiences were shaped by their social identities, precollege academic and social experiences, and interactions with members of their campus and home communities. Findings indicated that African American, first generation college women graduate from high school with a strong academic sense of self, developed after years of parental encouragement for academic achievement and positive precollege experiences with teachers and counselors. This academic sense of self contributed to students' ability to adapt to the academic competiveness and classroom expectations of their given major upon matriculation. With time and self-reflection, students began to engage in academic behaviors linked with success. Socially, early experiences of isolation or alienation primarily occurred during students' first semester, but were mitigated through interactions with peers or engagement in campus organizations and activities. Students identified availability of financial resources, their strong support networks, and their intrinsic motivation and academic self-efficacy as factors that contributed to their college persistence within the setting of a selective university. Finally, students specifically described how five salient aspects of their identity - their race, class, academic sense of self, gender, and spirituality, influenced not only the ways they individually engaged with the college environment, but also their perceptions of various members of the campus community. The findings of this study contributes to the complexity of understanding how African American, first generation college women experience a selective campus environment. Implications for campus policies and practices, as well as recommendations for future research are presented.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/14517
dc.subject.pqcontrolledHigher educationen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEducation policyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledFirst Generation College Studentsen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledHigh Achievingen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledIntersectionalityen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledPersistenceen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledSelective Collegesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledWomenen_US
dc.titleA DIFFERENT WORLD: AFRICAN AMERICAN, FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE WOMEN AT A SELECTIVE UNIVERSITYen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Johnson_umd_0117E_14481.pdf
Size:
1.54 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

UMD Theses and Dissertations
Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership Theses and Dissertations