Exploring counternarratives: African American student perspectives on aspirations and college access through a critical process of narrative inquiry

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dc.contributor.advisorYoung, Michelle D.en
dc.creatorHayes, Danielle Christien
dc.date.accessioned2009-11-02T21:51:53Zen
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-11T22:19:44Z
dc.date.available2009-11-02T21:51:53Zen
dc.date.available2017-05-11T22:19:44Z
dc.date.issued2009-08en
dc.descriptiontexten
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation explored the perspectives of African American youth aspirations for college, their support systems, and their academic and social development towards college. The narratives of 7 student participants were used to gather perspectives of their supports and school circumstances in order to understand how some youth overcome or navigate the path towards higher education. This exploratory study was situated around two primary research questions: (a) In what ways do student aspirations intersect with capacity building systems (supports and interventions) for college, and (b) how does that intersection impact the academic and social development of students aspiring towards college? This study contributed to two areas. The first area had to do with providing an outlet for African American youth’s perspectives, particularly on the role that their aspirations and support systems play in their ability to access college. In the liberating tradition of critical race framework, accessing the experiences and perspectives “of the people” is the defining element of this study. We often hear about the pitfalls of minority students; their families and the communities from which they hail. There is general emphasis on this deficit perspective as the public education system strains under a multitude of contending factors. This dissertation, through the narratives of students, explored what students believed to work, what they perceived to fail, and the direction that their perspectives might contribute towards improved policy and practice. Thus, a second potential contribution of this study is its application for policy studies in that a participant-centered perspective is articulated. This multiframed approach demonstrated a more informed space from which to shape policy.en
dc.description.departmentEducational Administrationen
dc.format.mediumelectronicen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/6675en
dc.language.isoengen
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.en
dc.subjectAfrican Americansen
dc.subjectYouthen
dc.subjectHigher educationen
dc.subjectCollegeen
dc.subjectCollege accessen
dc.subjectSupport systemsen
dc.subjectAcademic developmenten
dc.subjectSocial developmenten
dc.subjectPersonal narrativesen
dc.subjectCollege aspirationsen
dc.titleExploring counternarratives: African American student perspectives on aspirations and college access through a critical process of narrative inquiryen

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