Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Earl Thomas

Abstract

AbstractA local community college was experiencing poor retention rates among African American students, an issue that has challenged community colleges across the United States. To improve this group’s retention, college administrators instituted a mentoring program; however, they later indicated a need to better understand which mentoring strategies were most effective. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how students in the program perceived the effects of mentoring, which mentoring strategies they found to be effective, and whether they perceived mentoring as positively impacting their retention. Tinto’s student integration theory provided the conceptual framework to show a connection between mentoring and improved retention among African American students. Two questions guided the study—one related to how African American students attending the community college mentoring program described their experiences, and one focused on which elements of the program students perceived as having the greatest influence on their retention and ability to graduate. A basic qualitative research design was employed. Ten African American students who participated in the mentoring program were recruited via social media for interviews, which were transcribed for thematic analysis. Findings indicated that participants perceived the mentoring program as supporting their ability to remain in school and graduate. These findings may give the local college administrators insight into the mentoring methods that may be most effective in helping African American students succeed. Findings have social implications for community college administrators seeking a better understanding of how mentoring impacts African American students’ retention and completion rates.

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