TY - JOUR TI - Motivational factors that influence African American students' decisions to pursue higher education DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T32R3TQS PY - 2016 AB - In the last fifty years, the number of African Americans pursuing a four year college education has significantly increased (U.S. Department of Education, 2012a). When higher education participation rates include two and four year institutions, the enrollment rates for Black students are even more noteworthy. Despite this progress, the rates of college and university enrollment among African Americans are lower than other racial and ethnic groups in the United States (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). This disparity has resulted in concerns that existing supports and/or programs in earlier grades, at home, and in communities are not as effective at encouraging more of these students to pursue higher education. Understanding the factors which motivate African American youth will help enable all systems in their lives to adopt strategies and policies directed at reducing disparities and continuing increases in enrollment. This study, expanding upon research investigating academic resiliency in this population, examined the factors that motivated currently enrolled Black college students’ decisions to pursue higher education. A grounded theory approach of qualitative methodology was used to analyze interviews of ten subjects (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). The study’s findings indicated several themes arising from multiple levels of support resulting in students’ decisions to pursue higher education, such as the influence of parents and other family members; positive high school environments in which teachers and other staff members encouraged students to go to college; peers similarly engaged in the process of furthering their education; and involvement in organizations promoting academic achievement through, in some instances, mentoring programs. Additional themes explored included the communication of the message from family members and school personnel that college was an expectation, and the value of personal characteristics such as self-motivation/self–determination. Implications for future research, and relevant information for high schools, teachers, counselors, school psychologists, parents and families, students and community organizations were also discussed. KW - School Psychology KW - African Americans--Education (Higher) KW - College attendance--United States KW - Motivation in education LA - eng ER -