Negation and affirmation: the lived experience of non-majority students in a community college dual enrollment program
Date
2009
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Abstract
This qualitative study explored the lived experience of non-majority high school students enrolled in a community college dual enrollment program. Through a systematic analysis of data collected from personal interviews with twelve non-majority students from a community college two groups of themes emerged: Themes of Negation and Themes of Affirmation. The Themes of Negation included Racism and Bias, and Mixed Messages. Racism and Bias describes pre-college experiences in which participants were devalued, discouraged or distracted from their studies because of their race or ethnicity. Mixed Messages describes contradictory messages participants received from family members which created an atmosphere of ambiguity about the value of college or which guided them away from college. The Themes of Affirmation included Positive Expectations, Respect and Equity, and Confirmation. Positive Expectations describes experiences in which influential others predicted successful academic outcomes for participants that encouraged college pursuits. Respect and Equity describes experiences of being valued, included, and welcomed in the college environment. Confirmation describes experiences which confirmed participants' motivations, acknowledged their academic successes, and sustained their participation in college. Through the contrasting experiences of negation and affirmation, participants experienced Identity Clarification because they were identified in the dual enrollment context as college students rather than as minorities. The findings are interpreted in the context of the literature.
Description
Rights Access
Subject
affirmation
community college
dual credit
dual enrollment
minority
negation
non-majority
postsecondary option
community college education
bilingual education