Whee support you: creating online supports for students who are foster care alumni
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Amelia L. Schlott (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Lee Nickles
Abstract: Students who age out of the foster care system may no longer be eligible for federal and state support services and immediately become responsible for maintaining their wellbeing. This loss is multiplied as students lose their support system at a time of transition and change. The multiple transitional challenges, coupled with past traumas, position Foster Care Alumni (FCA) as a highly vulnerable group in society. While most FCA students aspire to continue their education at the secondary level, only 3% will earn a bachelor’s degree. The purpose of this project was to increase the outcomes of FCA students at Western Carolina University (WCU) by creating online supports to assist with degree completion. At WCU, the context for this disquisition (dissertation in practice), FCA students are not identified as a unique population at the university level, making it difficult for the university to be proactive in providing FCA students with the resources they need. While other universities have created dedicated support offices to assist the FCA population students, that was not possible with the present level of staff and financial resources at WCU. Using available resources (committed personnel and an on-line repository of resources and support), a design team attempted to provide support to FCA in an effort to improve their education-related outcomes. The repository was located on a comprehensive website containing locations and types of resources unique to the FCA population. To examine its effectiveness, students were asked to self-identify their FCA status to participate in the project. Participants were surveyed about their awareness and use of resources at the beginning and end of the project. Analyses of survey data, website analytics, and personal interviews were performed to determine the intervention's success during the fall 2020 semester. Findings suggested that online resources alone do not provide adequate support for the FCA population and should be used as supplemental support to a dedicated FCA support staff position.
Whee support you: creating online supports for students who are foster care alumni
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Created on 3/1/2021
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2021
- Keywords
- FCA outcomes, FCA support, foster care alumni in higher education
- Subjects
- Foster Care Alumni of America
- Western Carolina University
- Foster home care -- College students -- Social networks
- Foster home care -- College students -- Student counselors