Background

Youth transitioning from foster care to college face multiple obstacles. Pre-college programs can promote college access for underrepresented students. The research on pre-college programs that prepare foster youth for college is limited. There is a paucity of research that illuminates youth voices in pre-college programs.

Objective

This article reviews key program components of a pre-college summer program designed specifically for youth transitioning from foster care, the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP). Findings from a qualitative research study of NSEP are presented. Implications for policy, practice, and research for pre-college programs are discussed.

Participants and setting

Fourteen youth, who successfully completed NSEP and had enrolled in college following the program, participated in the study.

Methods

Participants completed semi-structured interviews via a video conferencing tool. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using NVivo 12.

Results

Thematic analysis captured youth voices, highlighted in the themes: college aspirations, college preparation, and community building. Results suggest NSEP youth aspired to enroll in college. Results also suggests that the NSEP experience helped to prepare youth for college and facilitated the development of community among participants.

Conclusions

Investment in pre-college programs could provide the right support and resources that youth need to transition from foster care to college. Pre-college programs provide an opportunity for youth to develop college readiness skills, build relationship skills, and grow personally. Further research on the efficacy of pre-college programs is needed.

中文翻译：

---

在大学预科课程中探索青年的声音：对政策、实践和研究的影响

背景

从寄养过渡到大学的青少年面临多重障碍。大学预科课程可以促进代表性不足的学生进入大学。关于为大学培养寄养青年的大学预科课程的研究是有限的。很少有研究可以阐明大学预科课程中青年的声音。

客观的

本文回顾了专为从寄养过渡的青年而设计的大学预科暑期计划的关键计划组成部分，即国家社会工作丰富计划 (NSEP)。介绍了 NSEP 定性研究的结果。讨论了大学预科课程对政策、实践和研究的影响。

参与者和设置

14 名成功完成 NSEP 并在该计划后进入大学的青年参加了这项研究。

方法

参与者通过视频会议工具完成了半结构化访谈。采访被逐字转录并使用 NVivo 12 进行分析。

结果

主题分析捕捉了青年的声音，在主题中突出显示：大学愿望、大学准备和社区建设。结果表明 NSEP 青年渴望上大学。结果还表明，NSEP 的经历有助于为年轻人上大学做好准备，并促进参与者之间社区的发展。

结论

对大学预科项目的投资可以为青年从寄养过渡到大学提供正确的支持和资源。大学预科课程为年轻人提供了发展大学准备技能、建立人际关系技巧和个人成长的机会。需要进一步研究大学预科课程的有效性。