Date
5-20-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Patricia Ferrin
Keywords
West African immigrant students, Social networks, Campus belonging, Educational equity, Cultural identity, Immigrant inclusion, Social capital, Higher education, Hermeneutic phenomenology, Cultural identity negotiation, Institutional inclusion, Networked belonging and support
Disciplines
Education | Special Education and Teaching
Recommended Citation
Akwari, Martin Chukwusolum, "Social Networking Influences in the Challenges of West African Immigrant College Students In Kentucky – A Hermeneutical Qualitative Study" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8409.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8409
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study is to explore how social network groups modulate the lived experiences of West African immigrant students in colleges and universities in Kentucky. Grounded in Bourdieu’s social capital theory and informed by a social constructivist interpretive framework, this study explored how shared experiences within social network groups influence how West African immigrant students interpret their academic and social environments during college years. The study is anchored on a central research question: How does social interaction with others influence how immigrant students of West African origin interpret their lived experiences in higher education institutions in Kentucky? Data were collected through in-depth interviews, a focus group session, and a structured questionnaire from West African immigrant students across colleges in Kentucky. An interpretive thematic analysis identified patterns in participants’ narratives to understand the meanings they ascribed to their experiences, through four interrelated themes: networked belonging and support; racialized communication barriers; cultural identity negotiation; and institutional inclusion and policy. These themes were used to explore the research questions and to provide insight into how social network groups modulate students' experiences in institutional contexts. This study contributes to existing scholarship by providing a better understanding of how West African immigrant students interpret their experiences and by suggesting more inclusive, supportive practices to better integrate students into academic and social life.
