Keywords
Community college, first generation, student success, qualitative, higher education
Abstract
This study explored how first-generation, minority community college women who participated in a Student Success course understood their higher education experiences. The researcher used a basic interpretive qualitative methodology to uncover how the value of higher education was constructed within those discussions. Five purposively selected students participated in one-on-one semi structured interviews. The participant's understandings were highlighted independently, reflecting a wide range of sentiments that were largely self-directed in essence, at times ambiguous and yet, complex in nature as the women made sense of their experiences. Through the use of thematic analysis, three dominant discourses about the value of higher education were identified as opportunity and defined as: 1) Personal Fulfillment and Intrinsic Motivation, 2) Financial Stability and College as Insurance against Poverty, and 3) Social Obligations: Breaking Stereotypes and Setting Examples. The data coupled with researcher reflections serve as the basis for implications for Student Success faculty and administrators in the areas of pedagogical strategy, marketing, resource creation, and program restructuring. Lastly, recommendations were made for future research studies.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2014
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Cintron Delgado, Rosa
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Education and Human Performance
Department
Dean's Office, Education
Degree Program
Education; Higher Education
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0005255
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005255
Language
English
Release Date
5-15-2019
Length of Campus-only Access
5 years
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Education and Human Performance; Education and Human Performance -- Dissertations, Academic
STARS Citation
Sheel, Antonia, "Discovering Self, Leaving Struggle Behind, and Setting Examples: Perspectives from First-generation, Minority Community College women on the Value of Higher Education" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4655.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/4655