Underrepresented minority undergraduate students: phenomenological perspectives of successful students and graduates

Abstract

More than half of the 400,000 freshmen minority students enrolled each year in colleges and universities in the United States fail to graduate within six years and some not at all. Many barriers impact student retention in college, especially for underrepresented undergraduate minority students. Studies in the past have focused on the causes of attrition of underrepresented undergraduate minority students, revealing a significant gap in the research on what leads to their success in higher education. A phenomenological study was used to allow participants to share their experiences from their individual perspectives. This qualitative research study investigated the social psychological attrition barriers encountered by successful undergraduate underrepresented minority students from African American and Latino groups. Exploring the perspective of successful students deepened the understanding of the barriers that minority students face in higher education, how they addressed these barriers, and what helped them to successfully graduate. Through in-depth interviews, this study explored the perceived barriers to student success encountered by successful undergraduate underrepresented minority students in a PWI. Participants' strategies for success was be examined and discussed.