Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Sandra Street

Abstract

At the age of 18, foster youth are considered adults and typically released from the state’s custody and left alone to transition into adulthood with little to no support. The lack of support that these youth experience forces many of them to seek refuge at colleges and universities. Prior to completing this study, I discovered that there is no current research that explores the lived experiences of former foster youth in the state of Mississippi or the challenges that they may face when transitioning to a community college in the state of Mississippi. The focus of this research study was to explore the experiences of former foster youth who attended a community college in the state of Mississippi and engaged in campus-based support groups or received help from student services. In this qualitative, phenomenological study eight interviews were conducted that consisted of former foster youth that was guided by Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs theory. The interviews were conducted via video conference using the Zoom application. All interviews were transcribed and variations of the inductive approach was used to create codes, categories, and themes that communicate the interviewees' experience while also addressing the research question. The findings of this study suggested that former foster youth in the state of Mississippi need supportive relationships, college-entry programs, peer support organizations, mental health support services, and to be identified as a special population on community college campuses. Providing former foster youth with the different resources found in the study could lead to the social change of creating better retention rates, better student support services, better positive college experiences and better career opportunities for this population of students on community college campuses.

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