Abstract
It is a well-known fact that higher education can lead to better opportunities, career expansion, and greater economic stability. However, historically, this fact resonates more for urban students of higher income families compared to rural students of low-income families. The pathway to higher education for rural Black students can be filled with many speedbumps, roadblocks, and detours. Compared to urban students in the top quartile, rural Black students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile are eight times less likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree (Witham et al., 2015). Further, there is a deep misconception that White populations equate to rurality (Groenke & Roper, 2010), while Black populations reside in impoverished urban areas (Semuels, 2016). Rural Black students face greater barriers, such as a lack of academic access to financial funding and educational resources, which can inhibit them from completing their degrees. This research study uses qualitative methodologies, to allow for the collection of data on the academic access needs and perceptions of higher education among rural Black students. A qualitative comparative case study approach (CCS) is employed among two Universities; one located in the Southeast Region and one in the North Central Region of the United States.
Presenters
Roblena E. WalkerEquity Research Faculty Fellow, Advanced Analytics, WGU, Utah, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Education, Higher Education, Rural Education, Rural Black Students, Black Students
