An Intergenerational Examination of Nonfinancial Barriers to Postsecondary Education for Low-Income Students From Underrepresented Minority Groups

• In Event: Historically Marginalized Racial and Ethnic Groups' Experiences in College Access and Enrollment

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a federally funded qualitative study about non-financial barriers to post-secondary education for members of low-income underrepresented minority students. Ninety (90) semi-structured interviews were held in three Northeastern cities with youth and their parents or guardians. This study was grounded in intersecting frameworks of critical race theory (Delgado, Stefancic, and Harris, 2012), Perna’s (2006) college choice theory, and intersectionality theory (Collins, 2000; Crenshaw, 1991). The purpose of the study was to determine which non-financial barriers to post-secondary participation did students and their parents identify and how these perceived barriers influenced their decision-making. The perceived non-financial barriers identified by the participants included cultural alienation, lack of institutional support and a personal social cost.

Author

• Alana C. Butler, Queen's University