Transitions and Pathways: HBCU College Choice Among Black Students With Foster Care Experience

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Author(s): Amechi, M. H., Stone, B. D., Jr., & Williams, J. L.

Citation: Amechi, M. H., Stone, B. D., Jr., & Williams, J. L. (2020). Transitions and Pathways: HBCU College Choice Among Black Students With Foster Care Experience. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 32(2), 9-24.

 

Abstract

This qualitative study explored contextual factors that inform the college choice process among Black students with lived experience in foster care. Drawing exclusively upon in-depth interviews regarding the college choice process, specifically at a historically Black university, we identify three central themes: (a) self-motivation and resilience from adverse childhood experiences, (b) the importance of a foster care-focused college support program, and (c) the role of extended family in facilitating college enrollment. Implications for research, policy, and practice emphasize strategies that college administrators, researchers, policymakers, and other advocates can implement to improve Black foster youth's college choice process and success.

 

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