Framing the College Experience for Underprepared Students: A Comparative Study of Three Four-Year Institutions

• In Event: Roundtable Session 38
  In Roundtable Session: Division J Section 6 Roundtable 7

Abstract

This ethnographic multi-case study examined how underprepared student programs were understood by served students and faculty/administrators at 3 four-year colleges. Data sources included: (1) individual and group interviews with past and present program participants and faculty/administrators at each institution; (2) institutional and program documents; (3) informal campus observations. A grounded theory approach was used for data analysis.

Study findings demonstrated a reflexive relationship between institutional structures and experiences of underprepared students. Underprepared programs were best supported by an institutional identity/mission statement that included underserved populations definitively and was embraced overall. The mission statement permeated resource allocation and customization of the program to meet individual needs. This filtered down to faculty/administrators’ and students’ perceptions of the program and its student participants.

Authors

• Mary Ellen Mulvey, Medaille College

• Bridget K. Mulvey, Kent State University