Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Anthony Annunziato

Second Advisor

Richard Bernato

Third Advisor

Ceceilia Parnther

Abstract

College and career readiness became a point of interest in the education system 56 years ago when President Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and it has continued into the 21st century with the Every Student Succeeds Act (New York State Education Department Office of Accountability, 2020). The main purpose of this research was to identify the impact of social support networks on college readiness across genders in hopes of producing findings that could help future students become college-ready. The 18 participants (n = 18) were 18 to 22-year-old undergraduate students with various backgrounds and genders. This qualitative case study involved interviews, journals, and surveys used to examine how different social networks affected the participants’ college preparation. A case study exemplified the importance of who surrounds the student, showing those individuals may strongly affect the student’s drive and knowledge to be college-ready. This research relied on computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software to organize, save, and analyze the data collected in interviews, journal entries, and survey responses. The software helped with reducing and displaying data and drawing conclusions. The theoretical framework of social capitalism guided the analysis. The significance of this research is that it revealed an overlooked resource that all students, including students with disabilities, English language learners, and students with low socioeconomic status can leverage to be college-ready.

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