Can High School Educators Bridge the Gap?: The Role of Teachers and Counselors in Improving Minority Students' Perceptions about Higher Education via Effective Message Construction

Abstract

The central aim of this thesis is to explore the types of messages that high school educators construct and whether or not they are appropriate for minority student groups. Appropriate in this instance is assessed by whether or not teachers and counselors address the relevant needs and barriers of their diverse student bodies. This topic was explored through three in-depth case studies of high schools in central Texas. Teachers and counselors from three school districts were interviewed to learn more about their perceptions regarding their students’ barriers to higher education and how messages about college are designed to combat them.

Results of the individual case studies revealed interesting themes regarding message source, content and initiation, as well as contextual factors that impact message production and reception. High school educators tended to promote colorblindness and lacked recognition of intersectionality when it came to the barriers faced by their diverse student bodies, which impacted the messages they disseminated about higher education. However, most teachers and counselors also tended to favor messages that were individualized to each student, as opposed to one-size-fits-all. Educators saw their role as giving both informational and motivational messages about college, although how this manifested itself in each school district varied. A comparison of the three case studies led to the design of a practical model for message design and recommendations for future research.