Date
8-18-2022
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Ellen Ziegler
Keywords
African American males, higher education, persistence, and retention
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Ellis, Jill Triplett, "A Transcendental Phenomenology to Understand the Persistence of African American Males at a Historically Black Liberal Arts College" (2022). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3813.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3813
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences that contributed to the persistence of African American males at a historically Black college. The problem was that the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old African American males enrolled in the nation's colleges and universities over the past two decades has been lower than the rates of White and Hispanic men and women, as well as African American women. The guiding theory in this study was Tinto's persistence theory. This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to obtain individual living experiences of African American male students enrolled in a historically Black, all-male, liberal arts college. Twelve participants were chosen for this study. The participants differed in classification, age, major, and family status. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and survey questions were used to collect, synthesize, and analyze the data obtained on the participants' lived experiences as African American male students enrolled in a historically Black, all-male, liberal arts college. The data lead to significant themes contributing to the satisfaction and ultimately the retention of African American males in higher education. The findings of the study provided a better understanding of the experiences that influenced their college achievement and identity formation as African American males in the United States.
