Creating access for all: A qualitative examination of student and staff involvement in the summer component of the upward bound program

Since the summer of 1965, the Upward Bound Program has served as a federally funded program that seeks to motivate high school students to pursue postsecondary education. Literature on this program focuses on structural and statistical data that a program yield. Much of the literature lacks the necessary student perspective on program implementation. Through a qualitative lens, this research explores the perceptions of student and staff involvement in the Upward Bound Program. The objective of this research is to not only understand student and staff perception of the program but also their experiences in it, with hopes that the program yields postsecondary education aspiration for underrepresented students. Understanding their experiences and perceptions of the program will inform and help develop future programming targeted toward educating low-socioeconomic, underrepresented students. Snowball sampling was used to form a focus group of six participants and follow-up interviews. This research provides a lens of student experiences in the program. This study provides data that can shape educational programming and structural development for future programs.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Wade, Harojuanis T

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dyson, Anne
• Trent, William T
• Pak, Yoon
• Molina-Guzmán, Isabel
• Baber, Lorenzo

• Student Involvement
• Trio
• Low-socioeconomic
• Program
• Underrepresented
• Perception
• Postsecondary Education

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Harojuanis T. Wade

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117597

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F117597