Institutional Support Mechanisms for African American Males at Community Colleges: A Mixed Methods Study on the Perceptions of Support Mechanisms for Academic Success at Community Colleges

摘要

Institutional Support Mechanisms for African American Males at Community Colleges: A Mixed Methods Study on the Perceptions of Support Mechanisms for Academic Success at Community CollegesududClyde Wilson Sanders Pickett, Ed.D.udUniversity of Pittsburgh, 2017 ududududThis study contributed to the greater understanding of institutional support mechanisms for African American male community college students. The goal of this study was to add greater contributions to the support to the academic success of African American males, ultimately leading to the completion of a degree or certificate program. Utilizing the Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework of Harper (2010, 2012) and Wood’s (2012) Conceptual Model of African American Male Success, influenced by Mason (1998), this study aimed to expose and document what institutional support mechanisms were most influential and impactful in the pursuit of a degree or certificate program. Utilizing research, answers to the following questions were pursued: (1) What institutional support mechanisms did African American male students identify as most influential in completion/graduation at community colleges? (2) Based on student feedback, what additional steps can faculty and staff take to support African American male success in a degree or certificate program? and (3) Based on student feedback, how can researchers support African American male student success and completion at community colleges? To examine this question, three (3) focus groups (10 students), three (3) one-to-one one interviews, and a random distribution of a 27-question survey to 50 students was executed.