The college life experience: Factors in the racial identity development of Black students attending predominantly White institutions

Black students who attend predominantly White universities have been the focus of many studies that deal primarily with their academic performance. Most studies do not consider the impact of racial identity development on academic achievement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the college life experiences of Black students who attend predominantly White universities and to explore the factors that may influence their racial identity development. The central research question asked about the lived experiences of Black students, as they relate to racial identity development. The participants from this study included 10 Black students who attend predominantly White universities. The data were collected from interviews and observations and were analyzed using the explication process. The study revealed participants' feelings of isolation in the classroom, their eagerness to join Black organizations, and their lack of knowledge about White culture. Most participants recognized a need to develop relationships outside of their race to broaden their perspectives on critical issues. They saw the development of meaningful cross-racial interactions to be student driven, not university driven. Implications for social change include use of this information by educators to change instructional practices to create learning environments that respect and support racial perspectives and to facilitate racial identity development that is necessary for positive cross-racial interations among racially diverse students. Consequently, academic performance of Black students may improve and the graduation rate of Black students may increase as Black students feel more like contributors, rather than outsiders, at predominantly White universities.