An Exploration of Emerging Transition-Age-Youth At
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AN EXPLORATION OF EMERGING TRANSITION-AGE-YOUTH AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, STANISLAUS NAVIGATING FORMAL AND INFORMAL SUPPORT NETWORKS AND MENTOR CONNECTIONS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty A [Thesis] Presentedof to the Faculty California State University,of Stanislaus California State University, Stanislaus In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of [Your Degree] In PartialBy Fulfillment of the[Name Requirementsof Student forAuthor] the Degree of Master[Month] of Social[Year] Work CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL By Tyrone Thompson November 2019 ENTER YOUR THESIS TITLE HERE IN ALL CAPS, DOUBLE SPACED, AND INVERTED PYRAMID IF LONGER THAN ONE LINE by [Name of Student Author] CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL AN EXPLORATION OF EMERGING TRANSITION-AGE-YOUTH AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, STANISLAUS NAVIGATING FORMAL AND INFORMAL SUPPORT NETWORKS AND MENTOR CONNECTIONS by Tyrone Thompson Signed Certification of Approval Page is on File with the University Library Dr. Robin Ringstad Date Professor of Social Work Dr. John Garcia Date Professor of Social Work © 2019 Tyrone Thompson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DEDICATION I dedicate my thesis to my grandparents, my parents, my Uncle Charlie and Aunt Sherry. It truly took a village of love and support to create the man that I am today and help make this accomplishment possible. You’ve all believed in me, invested time in me, and made me feel my life is worthy of love. This journey would not have been possible without your unconditional love and support encouraging me to find my purpose in life and to pursue this dream. I also dedicate this thesis to my loving sister, Toya Thompson, who always had my back and my best friend, Laura Ruelas, who taught me the meaning and importance of unconditional love. I will carry memories of both of you always wanting the best for me and always encouraging me to succeed; your love gave me the will and drive to not only to pursue this Master’s degree in Social Work, but to also persevere. None of my accomplishments in life would have been possible without God’s grace and mercy. I dedicate both my thesis and my imperfect beautiful journey through life, to my God, my lord and savior Jesus, the Most High Almighty God, who made the ultimate sacrifice for all, so that we all may become his brothers and sisters with power to do great things in this world. Last but not least, I also dedicate this thesis to my wife and our three children; your love and support motivated me to wake up each morning and inspired me to keep grinding each day to make you all proud. I am so grateful to each of you for iv allowing me to love you unconditionally and experiencing your love each day while taking part in this extraordinary experience. I look forward to our next stage in life with so much joy and optimism knowing that this journey is now complete. I love you all with all of my heart. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During my enrollment in this program I’ve felt myself growing and evolving on a daily - sometimes hourly - basis. This has truly been a remarkably enlightening experience that I am grateful and honored to have had an opportunity to share with my cohort, faculty, and individuals at my practicum sites; you've all helped me thrive both inside and outside of the classroom. Along this journey I’ve faced multiple forks in the road which helped me realize God is truly the author of my life; I truly believe God’s not done with me yet as he is still writing my story. I feel God’s fingerprints all over my beautiful imperfect life molding me daily. Dr. Robin Ringstad, you stepped up during one of the forks in this journey; your unconditional acceptance and encouragement added fuel my desire to not give up. Dr. John Garcia, your unconditional acceptance, encouragement, and enthusiasm helped make writing this thesis fun. I thank you both for supporting my efforts throughout this journey. You both stepped up to help make this possible. Dr. Kilolo Brodie, from day one you have always been an invaluable source of support, encouragement, and inspiration. You have consistently been a great mentor to me that I respect and love. Dr. Brodie you helped make the most difficult times for me during this journey bearable. I also want to thank the Promise Scholar’s faculty and the students who participated in this study. Thank you Dr. Randle for always having an open-door policy and for being so approachable. I hope our collaboration will inspire many students to build lasting supportive connections; knowledge is power. Dr. Alfred Pérez, I realized our true vi intentions are not always identifiable; thank you for inspiring me with your life story and accomplishments. A special thanks to all of the faculty members, field supervisors, employees, and clients for making this such a memorable, fulfilling experience for me. In Loving Memory of Eric Prescott 1970-2019 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Dedication ............................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. vi Abstract ................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .......................................................... 1 Statement of the Purpose .......................................................... 8 Significance of the Study .......................................................... 9 II. Literature Review.................................................................................. 10 Theoretical Framework ............................................................. 12 Learned Helplessness ................................................................ 13 Formal Institutionalized Support Networks .............................. 14 Informal Support Networks ...................................................... 16 III. Methodology ......................................................................................... 19 Overview ................................................................................... 19 Research Design........................................................................ 19 Sampling Plan ........................................................................... 21 Instrumentation & Data Collection ........................................... 22 Plan for Data Analysis .............................................................. 25 Protection of Human Subjects .................................................. 26 IV. Findings................................................................................................. 27 Overview of the Sample............................................................ 27 Data Analysis Process ............................................................... 29 Findings Related to the Research Questions ............................. 30 Research Question #1 – Utilization of Formal Services . 31 Research Question #2 – Description of Mentoring......... Relationships ................................................................... 33 Additional Graduated Participants ............................................ 35 Summary ................................................................................... 37 viii V. Discussion ............................................................................................. 39 Overview of Major Findings ..................................................... 39 Existing Knowledge .................................................................. 41 Limitations ................................................................................ 44 Implications for Social Work Practice & Policy....................... 46 Implications for Future Research .............................................. 48 References ............................................................................................................... 51 ix ABSTRACT This study examines how Transitional-Aged youth (TAY) at California State University, Stanislaus describe their lived experiences with formal support networks and informal mentoring connections. Two specific research questions guided this study: 1) How do TAY students at California State University, Stanislaus utilize the institutionalized formal support services of the Promise Scholars Program to meet their needs? 2) How do TAY students at California State University, Stanislaus describe any informal natural connections or mentoring relationships they have related to their college success? Using Braun and Clark’s Thematic Analysis model the researcher asked students who were enrolled at California State University, Stanislaus during the 2018/2019 academic school year to complete a questionnaire as a means to gather information on their personal lived experiences in relation to formal support programs and mentors. In this exploratory study the researcher identified, analyzed, and coded themes that emerged from the participants’ responses, as well as analyzed frequencies of responses quantitatively. The findings revealed that more than ninety percent of the 12 participants prior to enrollment in college were unaware of the types of formal supportive services that were available to help support their successful outcomes on campus during enrollment. This study also found that more than ninety percent of the participants