Term of Award

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Committee Chair

Delores Liston

Committee Member 1

Ming Fang He

Committee Member 2

Jennifer Perry

Committee Member 3

April Garrity

Abstract

The purpose of this critical narrative inquiry was to collect the stories of foster care alumni (FCA) in higher education, and so that we may better understand how FCA describe their experiences and what colleges and universities can do to help FCA achieve their goal of degree completion. This study highlights the need for a culturally responsive and sustaining curriculum in order to create an environment supportive of FCA needs. Undergraduate FCA are considered one of the most underserved student populations in higher education (Johnson, 2021). While 70-84% of FCA wish to attend college and earn a two- or four-year degree (McMillen et al., 2003; Reilly, 2003; Wolanin, 2005), less than half of the young people with a history of foster care will graduate high school (Courtney et al., 2011). Overall, only 1-11% of FCA will graduate from college (Dworsky & Havlicek, 2010; Pecora et al., 2006).

Through snowball sampling, four FCA were selected based upon the following criteria: 1) 18-years or older and has a history of foster care, 2) Are either currently enrolled in a two or four-year institution of higher education, or have completed a two- or four-year degree within the last three years, and 3) Each participant was accessible for a minimum of two 60-minute semi-structured interviews. Based upon the analysis of each participant’s stories, five themes emerged: 1) Mental Health, 2) Lack of Community, 3) Lack of Support for FCA, 4) Lack of Opportunities, and 5) Lack of College Prep. Through the lens Chickering’s Developmental Vectors, which provided a baseline for exploring the challenges faced by FCA in higher education, and Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), which requires that all people recognize how trauma affects communities and individuals, the stories of the participants illustrated how peer support, providing better access to campus resources, and improving campus and classroom policies would potentially create an environment for FCA to thrive. Furthermore, stories from the participants illustrated a need to better inform college and university faculty and staff about the needs and experiences of FCA, but also encourage the adaptation of TIC principles and practices.

OCLC Number

1519569402

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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