ERIC Number: EJ1200796
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1542-3077
EISSN: N/A
How Do Students of Color Find "Home" on College Campuses?
Samura, Michelle
Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, v30 n2 p27-43 Fall 2018
First-year students often search for spaces in which they feel comfortable, safe, and at home. Even though existing research emphasizes the value of spaces in which college students, particularly students of color, are understood, little is known about how they navigate their search for home. Drawing upon a symbolic interactionist approach and employing qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with six students of color, this study examined students' meanings of home and the processes by which they found home on college campuses. The inquiry focused on students' choices of living in race-themed special interest halls during their first year and revealed the assumptions they had about shared culture and assumed bonds among co-ethnics. The study revealed that students do not merely discover home, they actively create it. Insights gained from this research can inform the work of higher education staff, administrators, and scholars developing more inclusive campuses.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, College Freshmen, Campuses, Minority Group Students, Hispanic American Students, African American Students, Asian American Students, Pacific Islanders, On Campus Students, Student College Relationship, College Environment, Sense of Community, Dormitories, College Housing, School Safety, Student Attitudes, Interviews
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. University of South Carolina, 1728 College Street, Columbia, SC 29208. Tel: 803-777-6229; Fax: 803-777-4699; e-mail: fye@sc.edu; Web site: http://sc.edu/fye/journal/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A