A qualitative case study of educational resilience in at-risk inner city college graduates

Abstract

This study examined which supporting external factors significantly influenced the educational resilience of at-risk inner city college graduates. The research question asked, “How did the external factors of home, school, and community contribute to the educational resilience of at-risk inner city students who graduated from a four-year college?” A qualitative multi-case study was conducted with 10 participants using individual interviews and a focus group to determine which factors were most influential, based on individual experiences. Within-case and cross-case analyses were completed to determine the similar and dissimilar factors of educational resilience, based on participant responses. The study found that the participants credited their educational resilience to home factors and school factors, as well as their own intrinsic motivation. Parental support, strong peer groups, and influential mentors were common motivators for the participants. Although community factors did not contribute to the educational resilience of at-risk inner city students, recommendations were provided for increased community involvement in struggling neighborhoods. Implications of the finding were presented based on the prominent themes, which stressed the importance of collaboration among home, school, and community factors. Recommendations were made for a longitudinal study with a larger sample size of a similar population, to expand on the existing research of educational resilience.