THE STRUGGLE IS REAL: HOW AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS PERSIST DESPITE BASIC NEEDS CHALLENGES

Abstract

This qualitative multi-case study explored the experiences, motivation, and persistence factors for African American college students with basic needs issues while attending a four-year public, urban, predominantly white institution (PWI) in the Mid-Atlantic region. The study addressed two primary research questions: 1) What motivates Black students with basic needs challenges to persist in college? 2) How does experiencing basic needs challenges affect Black students' overall collegiate experiences? The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and observation data to gather first-hand experiences of five matriculated students in their last four semesters of undergraduate coursework and have faced some form of a basic needs problem, using sense of belonging as the conceptual framework. Through analysis of the data, insight was provided into the lived experiences of African American college students with basic needs challenges. Subsequently, seven major themes emerged: Motivation, Lived Experience, College Environment, Faculty and Staff Interactions, the COVID-19 Effect, The Struggle is Real (Resiliency), and Participant Advice. Finding suggests that African American college students’ motivation for seeking a degree is due to the ability to propel themselves out of their current situation, and the needed support from their institutions, faculty and staff, and families to overcome their basic needs challenges. Implications for practice and policy and areas of future research are discussed.