EXPLORING TRANSITIONS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF FOSTER YOUTH TRAVERSING POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Foster youth are less likely to pursue a college degree compared to other high school graduates. Only a small number of foster youth who graduate from high school attend college and even a smaller fraction of those who grew up in foster care obtain bachelor’s degrees. Resources are available for foster youth to support their academic, physical, and emotional needs but it is unclear if those supports are used as intended and if foster youth identify them as beneficial. This qualitative study aimed to (a) determine if high self-efficacy is consistently present among foster youth at the postsecondary level and (b) define critical factors that contributed to successful transitions from high school to college. Interviews were conducted with seven participants from one California State University institution. Foster youth who recognized their status and perceived their autonomy navigated postsecondary education successfully. Positive and negative social learning experiences encouraged self-efficacy. Specific programming, low-barrier supports, and consistent modeling were necessary to encourage foster youth to pursue higher education. Recommendations include strategies for increasing foster youth college completion rates