African American students’ college readiness: A qualitative study of their perceptions of contributing conditions

This study provided understanding of college readiness from the perspectives of African American college students who have successfully completed one to three years of college.  College readiness is one of seven national education priorities (U. S. Department of Education (USDE), 2000).  According to Greene and Forster (2003), a national study of college readiness rates found that 70% of all students in public high schools graduate qualified to attend colleges nationwide. However, for African American students’ college readiness rates were lower.  Roughly half graduate from high school and approximately 20% graduate with skills and coursework required for college.  Since the 1990s, achievement gaps have broadened between White and African American students in math, reading and standardized testing (USDE, 2011; National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2009; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009).  The rise in achievement gaps between groups of students can predict which students were ill- prepared in school and would have difficulties receiving a high school diploma, not to mention a college degree.  The disparity between which ones receive the academic preparation they need to succeed in college work and which ones continue to be left behind is not a new phenomenon: rather it is a historical problem that plagues the nation (Hu, 2007). ​Even as a college education becomes increasingly imperative to gain full access to our country’s economic, political, and social opportunities (Lloyd, 2007; Green et al., 2007), access to college is problematic for African American students.  This situation is due to issues of academic, social, and economic readiness (Hoyt, 1999; Valadez, 1993). Increasingly, decisions about college readiness were made by standardized assessments. In the recent past, some colleges maintained open-enrollment policies that allowed nontraditional students to enter the system, but that is changing. Standardized-test-based admissions may overlook nontraditional students' historical and cultural background that might include strengths as well as deficits related to readiness for college. ​This study explored the nature of college readiness from the perspectives of African American students. The participants of this study were graduates of a predominately (40% and higher) African American high school campus enrollment in West Texas and had one to four years of college experience.  From the standpoint of successful degree-seeking students who fit this definition of nontraditional, the researcher explored these four general questions: (1) What did successful African American college students perceive they bring to their college experiences that contributed to their success? (2) What high school pedagogy/classes did successful African American college students perceive contributed to their college success? (3) What specific high school programs did successful African American college students perceive influenced their college readiness? (4) What did successful African American college students perceive that their high school educators provided that contributed to their success? ​Five themes emerged from the study and were organized into the following categories: (a) Participants' perceptions of teachers/school officials and coursework as important for college readiness, (b) background factors and life experiences that contribute to college readiness, (c) participants' perception of self-concept, (d) perceptions of leadership and volunteerism influence for college readiness, and (e) participants’ college-career cultural experiences.

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