Principals' Perspectives of the Impact of Faculty Engagement, Self-Efficacy, and Resiliency on First-Year African American College Student Retention

Abstract This study examined principals’ perceptions of the impact of faculty engagement, student resiliency, and student self-efficacy on the retention of first-year urban and rural African American college students. The aim of the study was to determine why students from this demographic leave their higher education institutions after the first year. In the United States, about 30% of students, regardless of race or ethnicity, drop out of college after the first year. Further, given 6 years, about 50% of students drop out before obtaining a degree. Researchers have identified African American students as having a high college dropout rate. This qualitative study, with an interpretative phenomenological analysis focus, was viewed through the lens of Pascarella’s theory of faculty engagement, Swail’s theory of geometric persistence and achievement, and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy. The study results indicated that many first-year college freshmen enter formal education lagging behind academically and despite literacy programs, never catch up. During middle and high school, they engage in coursework that do not match the rigor of college-level work. They are not spending years preparing academically and socially for college. The findings suggested that unless students have taken secondary AP and dual credit courses before enrolling in college, they are not prepared for the rigor demanded in first-year college courses. Limited use of textbooks in some middle and high schools, which are required for college, further impede academic progress. Data collection and analysis revealed 11 themes that identified challenges that African American college students must successfully navigate or receive assistance with to increase their chances of persisting past the first college year. Identifying the reasons for dropouts of each college-going demographic may assist policymakers in developing additional strategies for first-year student retention in higher education.