Graduation Semester and Year

2016

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

First Advisor

Barbara Tobolowsky

Abstract

This case study fills the gap in research on college and career readiness and the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) College Readiness System by examining the experiences of 11 AVID campus community members on a urban high school in Texas to gain their perspectives on the concept of family-feel, as identified by Watt, Johnston, Huerta, Mendiola, and Alkan (2008). It goes further by attempting to understanding the role family-feel plays in college and career readiness. Through their experiences in the AVID community at North High School, over the course of a three-year period, the students, teachers, tutors, and administrator were able to give their perspectives on their nonacademic interactions. In doing so, this study was able to show that, through the lens of social capital, that relationships and networks matter and that student success is influenced by the interactions that exist as community members share resources. Participants identified family-feel as informal, nonacademic interactions that fostered trust and encouraged reciprocity among community members. Students associated family-feel to their relationships with adults that focused on the importance of the student over the course curriculum, while adults sought to serve as role models and advocates for their students. Through these interactions, community members were able to forge bonds that allowed for them to share experiences that would enabled the students to feel more prepared for college by giving them a social context of the higher education environment.

Keywords

AVID, Social capital, College-readiness

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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