A Study of Contributing Factors Associated with Postsecondary Readiness among Youth Residing in Georgia's Foster Care Independent Living Programs, 2019

The purpose of this quantitative study was to ascertain the extent to which the level of postsecondary readiness among youth residing in Independent Living Programs is influenced by the level of one or more of the following; graduation preparedness, independent living skills, sustainable independent living skills, and knowledge of their foster care rights. Approximately 15% of the 437,465 youth residing in foster care during FY 20162017 reached the age of emancipation. A quantitative research design was used in this descriptive study to examine the relationship between postsecondary readiness among youth residing in Independent Living Programs and their level of (a) graduation preparedness, (b) independent living readiness, (c) sustainable independent living skills, and (d) knowledge of their foster care rights. Participants placed in Georgia Independent Living Programs and preparing to exit the foster care system or emancipated from foster care were selected for this study using the purposive sampling method. Each of the 69 participants completed the Postsecondary and Education Readiness Survey. The instrument was pilot tested with 10 participants and determined to be valid and reliable. The data for the study were analyzed using the following statistical tests: descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, standard deviation, cross tabulation, and Spearman Rho. Participants represented a diverse group, including male, female, between the ages of 16 to 20 years old, black/African American, white, Hispanic/Latino/Spanish, other ethnic background, and between 1 and 18 years in foster care. The following results related to the four research questions/hypotheses: (a) there was a significant (moderately positive) relationship between the postsecondary readiness and graduation preparedness variables; (b) there was a significant (weak positive) relationship between the postsecondary readiness and independent living skills variables; (c) there was a significant (weak positive) relationship between the postsecondary readiness and sustainable independent living skills; and (d) there was a significant (weak positive) relationship between the postsecondary readiness and foster care rights variables. The following recommendations were inspired by the results of this study: increase funding for the Educational Training Voucher (ETV) program, provide additional independent living training for foster care youth and caregivers, and partner with other agencies serving young adults