Creating College-Going Cultures at Home

Abstract

What is a college-going culture and how is one created in a student’s home? Part of a larger critical theory qualitative research study that utilizes narrative inquiry to investigate TRIO Upward Bound Program alumni experiences and the creation of college-going cultures in their households for their own children, the manuscript focuses on the narratives of African-American study participants. It gives insight into the college access opportunities the TRIO Upward Bound Program afforded the study participants as first-generation college students and their socioeconomic mobility through their pursuit of higher education. Cultural and social capital are utilized as a theoretical framework, along with funds of knowledge to present an anti-deficit model. The narratives detail how the study participants created college-going cultures in their homes for their children, and suggestions are given for how college-going cultures can be created in any household, regardless of a parent’s level of education.