This qualitative study applied a phenomenological research approach to explore the high school experiences of black males with their considerations to enroll in college. The research was guided by social network theory as a lens to understand Black males’ considerations to enroll in college upon high school completion. Ten Black male college students participated in semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the response data revealed two main themes: 1. socially influenced college enrollment considerations and 2. motivation rooted in self-confidence. The findings in this study highlighted the role authentic interpersonal relationships and self-determination play in Black males’ college enrollment considerations. Interview data emphasized how access and exposure to college culture, norms, and expectations, as well as intentional messaging and support, shaped Black males’ aspirations of postsecondary education and foster their college-going identities. Implications for practice call for schools to establish a college-going culture in the formative years of high school, promote identifiable representation within postsecondary education contexts, extend pre-college programming into post-secondary environments, and intentionally allocate funding to support Black male college enrollment. Future research should examine the systemic inequities that lead to ongoing discrepancies in college enrollment, external factors that contribute to high school experiences, and the inclusion of longitudinal data of Black males’ entire educational experience, versus high school only.
Keywords: college aspirations, considerations, academic motivation, postsecondary matriculation, social network
","abstract_html":"<p>This qualitative study applied a phenomenological research approach to explore the high school experiences of black males with their considerations to enroll in college. The research was guided by social network theory as a lens to understand Black males’ considerations to enroll in college upon high school completion. Ten Black male college students participated in semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the response data revealed two main themes: 1. socially influenced college enrollment considerations and 2. motivation rooted in self-confidence. The findings in this study highlighted the role authentic interpersonal relationships and self-determination play in Black males’ college enrollment considerations. Interview data emphasized how access and exposure to college culture, norms, and expectations, as well as intentional messaging and support, shaped Black males’ aspirations of postsecondary education and foster their college-going identities. Implications for practice call for schools to establish a college-going culture in the formative years of high school, promote identifiable representation within postsecondary education contexts, extend pre-college programming into post-secondary environments, and intentionally allocate funding to support Black male college enrollment. Future research should examine the systemic inequities that lead to ongoing discrepancies in college enrollment, external factors that contribute to high school experiences, and the inclusion of longitudinal data of Black males’ entire educational experience, versus high school only.</p> <p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><em>:</em> college aspirations, considerations, academic motivation, postsecondary matriculation, social network</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fernandes, Maria"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education (EdD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Audrey Rabas","Matthew Smith"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:42Z","subjects":["College aspirations","Considerations","Academic motivation","Postsecondary matriculation","Social network","Education","Higher Education","Other Education","Secondary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/70","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Audrey Rabas","Matthew Smith"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fernandes, Maria"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["College aspirations","Considerations","Academic motivation","Postsecondary matriculation","Social network","Education","Higher Education","Other Education","Secondary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/70"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This qualitative study applied a phenomenological research approach to explore the high school experiences of black males with their considerations to enroll in college. The research was guided by social network theory as a lens to understand Black males’ considerations to enroll in college upon high school completion. Ten Black male college students participated in semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the response data revealed two main themes: 1. socially influenced college enrollment considerations and 2. motivation rooted in self-confidence. The findings in this study highlighted the role authentic interpersonal relationships and self-determination play in Black males’ college enrollment considerations. Interview data emphasized how access and exposure to college culture, norms, and expectations, as well as intentional messaging and support, shaped Black males’ aspirations of postsecondary education and foster their college-going identities. Implications for practice call for schools to establish a college-going culture in the formative years of high school, promote identifiable representation within postsecondary education contexts, extend pre-college programming into post-secondary environments, and intentionally allocate funding to support Black male college enrollment. Future research should examine the systemic inequities that lead to ongoing discrepancies in college enrollment, external factors that contribute to high school experiences, and the inclusion of longitudinal data of Black males’ entire educational experience, versus high school only.
Keywords: college aspirations, considerations, academic motivation, postsecondary matriculation, social network
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Exploring The High School Experiences Of Black Males With Their Considerations To Enroll In College"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Audrey Rabas","Matthew Smith"],"dc:creator":["Fernandes, Maria"],"dc:description.abstract":["This qualitative study applied a phenomenological research approach to explore the high school experiences of black males with their considerations to enroll in college. The research was guided by social network theory as a lens to understand Black males’ considerations to enroll in college upon high school completion. Ten Black male college students participated in semi-structured interviews, and an analysis of the response data revealed two main themes: 1. socially influenced college enrollment considerations and 2. motivation rooted in self-confidence. The findings in this study highlighted the role authentic interpersonal relationships and self-determination play in Black males’ college enrollment considerations. Interview data emphasized how access and exposure to college culture, norms, and expectations, as well as intentional messaging and support, shaped Black males’ aspirations of postsecondary education and foster their college-going identities. Implications for practice call for schools to establish a college-going culture in the formative years of high school, promote identifiable representation within postsecondary education contexts, extend pre-college programming into post-secondary environments, and intentionally allocate funding to support Black male college enrollment. Future research should examine the systemic inequities that lead to ongoing discrepancies in college enrollment, external factors that contribute to high school experiences, and the inclusion of longitudinal data of Black males’ entire educational experience, versus high school only.
Keywords: college aspirations, considerations, academic motivation, postsecondary matriculation, social network
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/70"],"dc:subject":["College aspirations","Considerations","Academic motivation","Postsecondary matriculation","Social network","Education","Higher Education","Other Education","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["Exploring The High School Experiences Of Black Males With Their Considerations To Enroll In College"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:42Z"}