Presenter(s)
Cerelia Victoria Bizzell
Files
Download Project (929 KB)
Description
The sophomore experience has been characterized with not only academic difficulty, but also psychosocial challenges (Schaller, 2010). This study sought to describe and examine the many different experiences African American sophomore students encountered at a predominately White institution (PWI). Moreover, this study looked to understand the stress coping mechanisms they have adapted when balancing academics, social life, and extracurricular activities. The findings revealed that African American sophomore students have had difficulty learning to trust their institution’s resources, have had a hard time balancing their social life, and have felt the need to mature faster than others. Incorporating a narrative study approach allowed students to reflect on their interpersonal and intrapersonal development, and give detail to how they dealt with the obstacles they faced during their second year. Future studies could focus on a particular gender in order to analyze the different stress coping mechanisms utilized by students.
Publication Date
4-18-2018
Project Designation
Graduate Research
Primary Advisor
Savio Dennis Franco
Primary Advisor's Department
Counselor Education
Keywords
Stander Symposium project, student affairs, School of Education and Health Sciences
Recommended Citation
"Living in the Slump: Second Year African American Undergraduate Students' Coping Mechanisms" (2018). Stander Symposium Projects. 1144.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1144