What Shall I Give My Children? Student Affairs Professionals and Their Influence on the Academic Resilience of Underprepared African American Students

Abstract

Currently and historically, the significant gap in educational achievement between Black and White students in P-20 education has influenced the access, persistence, and graduation rates of African Americans in higher education. Although much of the existing literature on developmental learning addresses students’ academic deficiencies, this study utilizes emotional intelligence as a theoretical frame to assess the role of Student Affairs professionals in the development of academically resilient characteristics. This qualitative study explores the relationship between underprepared African American students and Student Affairs professionals to identify the practices, culture, and collaboration with faculty that promote student learning. This study expands existing research on the influence of Student Affairs practitioners, with special emphasis on how they contribute to academic resilience. This study has both social justice and educational attainment implications for underprepared African American student populations. In addition to contributing to academic programs that educate future Student Affairs professionals, this study generates a working hypothesis related to the importance of faculty and Student Affairs professionals who are responsible for the emotional, social, cultural, and intellectual development of students, all of which are factors in academic resilience and intellectual development.