Objective: Despite significant attention from federal and state policy makers, postsecondary completion rates in the United States remain stratified across race and socioeconomic background. This study examines a community-based college readiness program for underrepresented students from low-resource neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois. Method: This qualitative study utilized validation theory to consider the experiences of program participants. During the Summer of 2014, I collected data through six focus groups with participants who successfully completed the college readiness program between 2010 and 2014. Results: Aligning with phrases from Chicago poet and activist Gwendolyn Brooks, I describe major themes that reflect the validating experiences of program participants. Overall, participants indicate that program experiences affirmed existing motivations that drive postsecondary aspirations and persistence. Participants felt most when their existing strengths were consistently recognized as an important factor for college transitions. Contributions: Findings offers further evidence for the critical role of validation in supporting the postsecondary pursuits among students from underrepresented backgrounds. Participant insights also offer critical observations about unintended consequences when successful programs grow rapidly to satisfy external constituents.

中文翻译：

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“与时俱进”：验证城市社区大学生在大学过渡计划中的经验

目标：尽管联邦和州政策制定者给予了极大关注，但美国的高等教育完成率仍然因种族和社会经济背景而分层。本研究调查了一个以社区为基础的大学准备计划，该计划面向来自伊利诺伊州芝加哥市低资源社区的代表性不足的学生。方法：这项定性研究利用验证理论来考虑计划参与者的经历。在 2014 年夏天，我通过六个焦点小组收集了数据，参与者在 2010 年至 2014 年期间成功完成了大学准备计划。 结果：根据芝加哥诗人和活动家格温多林·布鲁克斯的短语，我描述了反映验证经验的主要主题计划参与者。全面的，参与者表示，计划经验肯定了推动高等教育愿望和坚持的现有动机。当参与者的现有优势一直被认为是大学过渡的重要因素时，参与者的感受最深。贡献：调查结果提供了进一步的证据，证明验证在支持来自代表性不足的学生的高等教育追求方面的关键作用。当成功的计划迅速发展以满足外部选民时，参与者的见解还提供了关于意外后果的批判性观察。调查结果提供了进一步的证据，证明验证在支持来自代表性不足的学生的中学后追求方面的关键作用。当成功的计划迅速发展以满足外部选民时，参与者的见解还提供了关于意外后果的批判性观察。调查结果提供了进一步的证据，证明验证在支持来自代表性不足的学生的中学后追求方面的关键作用。当成功的计划迅速发展以满足外部选民时，参与者的见解还提供了关于意外后果的批判性观察。