| Description |
The purpose of this phenomenological research was to gain an understanding of what services are available to minoritized students in a sample of post-secondary institutions and to describe the perceptions of high school counselors, who counsel and refer multicultural students to post-secondary education. Qualitative data were obtained through personal interviews with high school counselors and higher education multicultural program directors. The data were collected and analyzed using grounded theory for this small-scale research project. Using Bronfenbrenner's theory of system development, it is necessary for each of the players, the students, the programs directors, faculty/staff and the institutions to create and implement programs necessary to create an environment that will allow multicultural students to feel validated and affirmed. From the interviews I conducted, it became clear that program directors and high school counselors want to provide a space for students to develop cultural awareness and become connected to a larger community. The increased graduation rates among minoritized students, development of multicultural programs on campuses of higher education and awareness of multicultural issues within our society all point in the direction that multicultural student services are providing students with a space of inclusion and awareness. |
