African American Male College Students' Transitioning Experiences at PWCUs and their Coping Strategies

Abstract

Qualitative methodology was used to explore the transitioning experiences of African American males at a large public university in the Midwest. Researchers facilitated a focus group in which seven African American male students described their transitioning experiences and coping strategies attending a predominantly White college and university (PWCU). An interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) guided by grounded theory was used to analyze the data. Results are discussed with recommendations for researchers and university practitioners.

Keywords

• african american
• males
• predominantly white colleges and universities (pwcus)
• research
• academic
• social
• integration
• matriculation
• race
• student-institution fit
• theory
• interview
• coping
• transition
• strategy