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Abstract
This dissertation explored Black/African American students’ perceptions of college readiness through student demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group data. One objective of this study was to explore how advanced coursework contributed to the college readiness of Black students. Another objective of this study was to examine academic writing readiness for Black students, an under-researched aspect of college readiness. This study contributed to current research on college readiness for Black students, postsecondary outcomes for Black students as well as overall life outcomes for these students by employing an Afrocentric Social Capital Theory that addresses the connections between postsecondary degree attainment, social capital, and social mobility for Black/African Americans. The findings indicated that having a fostered college mindset, collegiate academic exposure, and being provided foundational skills and knowledge were aspects of advanced course participation that contributed to postsecondary success for the participants. In terms of writing readiness, writing opportunities and writing skill enhancement contributed to the participants’ college writing readiness and success. However, misalignment between high school and college expectations, misalignment of collegiate level writing expectations, and lack of citation knowledge were other areas related to college readiness that also emerged from the data. Policy implications as well as implications for teachers, school personnel, and teacher educators were also explored.