Date

5-16-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Breck Perry

Keywords

academic advisors, BIPOC, college students, identifiable relationships, underdeveloped relationships

Disciplines

Educational Leadership | Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the underdeveloped identifiable relationships with assigned academic advisors for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) at a public higher education institution. The theory guiding this study was the relational cultural theory (RCT), as it assisted with understanding the importance of BIPOC students developing identifiable relationships with assigned academic advisors. This study's central research question asked, "What are the experiences of BIPOC students building positive relationships with assigned academic advisors?" A qualitative research design was chosen for this study to explore further the experiences shared among BIPOC undergraduate students who have underdeveloped identifiable relationships with assigned academic advisors. This phenomenological study occurred at a public higher education institution. The participants were enrolled at a public higher education institution and identified as BIPOC. I have selected individual interviews, focus groups, and protocol writing as the three data collection methods to connect to the purpose of my study and the central research question to attain triangulation. The collected data is analyzed using a hermeneutical framework. The thematic findings for this study were lack of relationships, positive advising experiences, motivation and encouragement, lack of empathy, creative problem-solving, the importance of culture focusing on a sense of comfort and relatability, race not being a primary factor with a focus on shared experiences, creating friendships, and frequent communication.

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