While community colleges benefit from an increase in African American (AA) male students enrolling at their institutions, a disproportionate number of AA males enroll in college and do not complete a certificate or degree compared to those who earn a certificate or degree. This qualitative study explored how AA male students at community colleges…

The problem with Black male persistence and retention on the community college level is largely presented from a deficit perspective. Even though the causes include multiple factors, such as deficits in literacy and mathematics, and lack of preparation on the K-12 level, first-year writing is also a major stumbling block to persistence. These…

This study explored the perspectives and experiences of African American male students. enrolled in the Brothers Achieving Excellence (BRAVE) program at a medium sized, two-year community college institution in Southern New Jersey. The purpose of this study is to understand African American male BRAVE students' perceptions of academic support and…

Community colleges serve as the primary educational pathway for Black American males. Despite years of high enrollment by Black American males in community college, their persistence rates in community college continue to decline. The continued persistence decline has concerned community college leaders. Community colleges have attempted to…

This qualitative case study focused on the perceptions of challenges and experiences of African American males who attended community college and participated in mentoring programs. Involvement in a mentoring program can help African American males develop a greater sense of racial identity and increase commitment to achieving the academic goals…

This study aimed to describe Black men's self-worth and lived experience in community college. According to research, community colleges are the first option for many Black men. Through qualitative research methods, this study examines the believed self-worth of Black men enrolled in community college and matches its findings to Jay Z's (1998)…

Although much progress has been made in expanding equitable access to institutions of higher education, there is still a paucity of evidence of successful persistence strategies among first-generation, 18-32-year-old Black male college students. The problem is persistence rates of first-generation, 18-32-year-old Black male college students in the…

This qualitative case study explored self-efficacy and sense of belonging among African American males who participated in Men of Vision and their perception of community college. Ten students of the community college participated in the study through individual, in-depth interviews with the participants addressing three primary research…

Community colleges have historically faced significant challenges in retaining students, particularly from underserved populations. While extracurricular activities like athletics have been shown to enhance student engagement and persistence, the specific impact of athletic participation on retention and sense of belonging among diverse student…

Using the crossover capital framework (Salinas, 2015), this study situated the lived experiences of 12 Black and Latino men community college students across multiple places and spaces, with each space having the potential to oppress and/or privilege the individual. This qualitative phenomenological study revealed that participants actively…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how high-achieving African American males attending community college describe how social support contributed to their academic experience in the United States. The theoretical foundations included The Self-Efficacy Theory and The Scholar Identity Model. There were three research…

Academic underachievement among Black students, particularly Black male students, is a troubling trend that has long attracted scholarly attention. The prevailing consensus is that the shortcomings of some Black male students in academic achievement may be attributable to traumatic experiences arising from environments of violent, inner-city…

Since the late 1960s, the enrollment of African American students in higher education has steadily increased. Furthermore, the community college system and specifically the California community college system has seen the highest rise in the enrollment of African American students. Despite the rise in their numbers, African American male students…

Hispanic males, including Mexican-Americans, are enrolling in community colleges at a high rate, especially in Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) that are in urban low-income areas. Unfortunately, these students are not graduating at the rate at which their population is growing in colleges. They are often stereotyped as unwilling to learn, but…

The present study sought to examine unique challenges that first-generation Latino male students (FGLMs) face, along with contributing factors that helped to shape their college experience when adjusting to two community colleges in southern California. The selected institutions were large community colleges located in urban settings within Los…