Beating the Odds: An Intergenerational Examination of Cultural Barriers to Postsecondary Education Among Racialized Low-Income Youth in Ontario, Canada

• In Event: Money Matters: Low-Income Students, Financial Aid, and Work

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study about cultural barriers to post-secondary education among racial minority youth from low-income families. Forty-six (46) semi-structured interviews were held in three Ontario cities with youth and their parents or guardians. The overlapping theoretical frameworks include Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory (1976; 1977;1986), critical race theory (Delgado et al., 2012), Perna’s (2006) college choice theory, and intersectionality theory (Collins, 2000; Crenshaw, 1991). The purpose of the study was to determine whether perceived cultural barriers to post-secondary participation influenced their decision-making about post-secondary education. The main themes identified from the youth interviews were cultural alienation, institutional support/mentoring and from the parent/guardian interviews were sacrifice and payout and institutional support.

Authors

• Alana C. Butler, Queen's University - Kingston
  Presenting Author

• Liying Cheng, Queen's University
  Presenting Author

• Sean Corcoran, Queen's University - Kingston
  Presenting Author

• Hussain Raza, Queen's University - Kingston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maria Shaikh, Queen's University
  Non-Presenting Author