Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education, Health & Behavior Studies

First Advisor

Zarrina Azizova

Second Advisor

Deborah Worley

Abstract

African Immigrant Adult Learners (AIAL) are considered an exclusive demographic group who left Africa and obtained permanent residency in the United States. They experience a wide range of challenges in their quest for postsecondary education, which impact their access, persistence, and academic success. The purpose of this qualitative study based on a phenomenological approach was to explore the factors that motivate African Immigrant Adult Learners and enable them to persist and remain resilient in their pursuit of higher education at community colleges in Minnesota. The theories that guided this research are the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (STT). A phenomenological approach was implemented by asking a sample of 14 adult respondents of African origin to share their lived experiences through semi-structured interviews. Three research questions were addressed by interpreting the results of a thematic analysis of the interview transcript. One main theme reveals that participants were motivated to enroll at community colleges because of the recommendations of family and friends, the provision of support from a U.S. government visa program, the ultimate achievement of academic qualifications, the geographical location of the colleges, and the low cost of tuition. Another main theme showed that participants persisted at community colleges through excellent professional support from the administrators and faculty, and the ability to transition from a two-year community college to a four-year University course. A third main theme identified the challenges participants faced while studying at community colleges including acculturative stress, language barriers, and coping simultaneously with family, work, and academic responsibilities. The personal reflections of the researcher, the study limitations, the theoretical implications of the findings, and the recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

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