Literaturnachweis - Detailanzeige
| Autor/in | Ben-Ami, Leah |
|---|---|
| Titel | An Exploration of the Benefits of College STEM Bridge and Retention Programs for High Achieving African-American Men |
| Quelle | (2019), (102 Seiten)
PDF als Volltext Ed.D. Dissertation, Northeastern University |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Dokumenttyp | gedruckt; online; Monographie |
| ISBN | 978-1-3920-7972-0 |
| Schlagwörter | Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Educational Benefits; STEM Education; School Holding Power; College Students; High Achievement; African American Students; Males; Summer Programs; Transitional Programs; Geographic Regions; Low Income Groups; Mentors; Extracurricular Activities |
| Abstract | The research design was shaped as a result of the chosen methodology, which was interpretive phenomenological analysis. I was back and forth between narrative inquiry and IPA for a long time but wanted to focus on capturing the lived experiences across subjects from similar backgrounds who experienced the same phenomenon, which in this case was a college STEM bridge and retention program, known as IGNITE throughout the research study. This summer bridge program was taken the summer prior to enrollment in a bachelor's degree at this private four-year research institution located in New England. Originally, the goal was to recruit from a STEM retention program or post baccalaureate program, but I was unable to recruit participants successfully over a course of four months, so I had to go with the second option as previously agreed upon by my dissertation chair. Participants needed to be African American men who completed the IGNITE program, employed full-time or enrolled in school full time. This was also a modification made since the focus was on post-baccalaureate achievements and milestones, where full-time enrollment in graduate school should be considered as such. They also needed to be considered high-achieving, low income, and first-generation college students between the ages of 25-45. The data analysis revealed 11 emergent themes, first coding transcribed, and video recorded interviews in Dedoose using IPA protocols allowing for the themes to present themselves. The researcher discussed the IGNITE program with the three participants (T'Challa, W'Kabi, and Zuri), and themes emerged around programmatic challenges and assessments and subsequent improvements. Two participants (T'Challa and W'Kabi) experienced challenges with housing due to taking advantage of study abroad opportunities and not meeting institutional deadlines as a result. This forced them to find their own housing and at least one subject (T'Challa) was left homeless, triggering traumatic memories of being homeless for a period of time as a child. Both T'Challa and W'Kabi experienced challenges with the program administrators throughout their time in the IGNITE program and throughout their academic experience. They also seemed to assume the role of "program poster examples" to donors, who they were required to meet and share their stories with. All three participants spoke to the challenges with the limited time they had during the IGNITE summer program given how structured it was. The good news is that the program made some positive changes that made the third subjects experience (Zuri) better, being asked to create a five-year plan and present it to his personal board of advisors and was able to leverage donors for experiential learning opportunities and not just to showcase the program. There were also new faculty and staff members of color hired to support the program, as the participant was reflecting on his experience that varied slightly from the first two participants. All participants benefited greatly from their experiential learning opportunities and all participants completed more than one experiential learning opportunity, including not just co-ops or internships but service learning and working or studying abroad. This ability to try stuff out really seemed to help them clarify their career pathways and gave them more confidence and broadened their networks as they completed these. All participants cited the IGNITE scholarship as helpful in terms of resource scarcity and creating a safe environment for them to "take risks" and try learning opportunities out. All coming from low income and first-generation backgrounds, this was a huge relief. Some unfortunately did experience triggers of resource scarcity (such as being temporarily homeless) that had the potential to derail the participants. Mentors -- whether informal or not -- had the anticipated positive impact across all participants. The most important attribute here is that the mentors were people of color who were also cited as empathizing with the participants upbringing and needs. The most surprising finding was that extracurricular activities had a positive impact across all participants, as they cited feelings of isolation at a predominantly white institution and how the extracurricular activities -- all of which put each participant in touch with other students of color through culture clubs, black fraternities, etc. -- severely reduced these feelings of isolation. In fact, these opportunities led to additional apprenticeship opportunities and experiential learning opportunities due to their expanding network with people of color. In summation, research findings indicated that a portfolio of experiential learning opportunities was beneficial for clarifying desired career pathway participation, and successful post baccalaureate careers as a result. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided). |
| Anmerkungen | ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml |
| Erfasst von | ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC |
| Update | 2020/1/01 |
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