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Academic success of students who come from highly stressful homes

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Academic success of students who come from highly stressful homes

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Content Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 1

Academic success of students who come from highly stressful homes
by
Saianna Smith

____________________________________________________________

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF EDUCATION
Educational Counseling

December 2019

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 2
Abstract

This qualitative research study explores the influences that play a role in the success of
academically successful college students who come from highly stressful homes. In this study, I
explored how the family and home life plays a role on the academic success or lack thereof of
college students. This study was conducted through a series of interviews administered to six
students who self- identified as coming from highly stressful homes. This study draws on the
results of the interviews to determine how these students still managed to be academically
successful despite having grown up in a highly stressful home environment. Findings includes
that the role of the students’ communities, mentorship from people at their schools and the
students’ self-determination and motivation are the influences that allowed them to be
academically successful students.

Keywords: Stressful, Motivation, Support, Determination, Academically Successful and Homes.

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Table of Contents
Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 2

List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... 5

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 6

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 7
Chapter One: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 8

1. Significance of Study/Statement of the Problem ............................................................ 9

2. Research Question......................................................................................................... 10

3. Theoretical Frameworks ................................................................................................ 11

4. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 12

5. Definition of Terms ....................................................................................................... 13

6. Organization of Thesis .................................................................................................. 13

Chapter Two: Literature Review ............................................................................................... 14

1. Overview of Literature .................................................................................................. 14

2. Highly stressful homes and resilience to overcome ........................................................ 15

3. Students relationships and support outside of the home ................................................. 19

4. The students’ Self-Motivation and Determination ......................................................... 20
5. Theoretical Frameworks ................................................................................................ 23
6. Self Determination Theory ............................................................................................ 23
7. Bronfenbrenner’s Biological Model of Development..................................................... 25

8. Pintrichs’ Model of Motivation and Zimmerman’s Motivation and Self-Regulation ...... 27

9. Eccles and Wigfields’ Expectancy Value Theory of Achievement Motivation ............... 29

Chapter Three: Research methods ............................................................................................. 31
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1. Site Selection/Participant Selection/Data Collection Procedures .................................... 32

2. Limitations .................................................................................................................... 33

3. Ethics ............................................................................................................................ 33

4. Research Bias/Trust Worthiness and Other Issues ......................................................... 34

Chapter Four: Results ............................................................................................................... 37

1. Introduction and Interview Process................................................................................ 37

2. Presentation of Data ...................................................................................................... 42

3. Common Themes .......................................................................................................... 42

4. Community ................................................................................................................... 42

5. Mentorship from school officials ................................................................................... 44

6. Self-Motivation and Determination ............................................................................... 47

7. Other themes ................................................................................................................. 49

8. Observations ................................................................................................................ 50

9. Summary....................................................................................................................... 51

Chapter Five: Discussion .......................................................................................................... 53
Analysis of Findings ................................................................................................................. 53
1. Connection of Findings to Theoretical Frameworks....................................................... 56

2. Connection of Findings to Practice and Policy Implications and Recommendations ...... 57

3. Final Analysis and Conclusions:.................................................................................... 59

References ................................................................................................................................ 60

Appendix A: Research Protocol ................................................................................................ 64

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List of Figures
Figure 1: Self-Determination Theory ........................................................................................ 24
Figure 2: Bioecological Systems Theory ................................................................................... 27
Figure 3: Model of Self-Regulated Learning ............................................................................. 28
Figure 4: Expectancy-Value Motivation Theory........................................................................ 30

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List of Tables
Table A: Research Question Alignment Matrix ......................................................................... 35
Table B: Demographics ............................................................................................................ 39

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Acknowledgments

I would like to give a very special thank you to my Thesis Committee. Thank you so
much to my Co-Chairs: Dr. Kristan Venegas and Dr. Patricia Tobey and my committee members
Dr. Rebecca Lundeen and Dr. Lizette Zarate. I would have not been able to do this without all of
your support and belief in me.
In addition to thanking my committee I would also like to thank my research
participants. I truly appreciate the willingness and vulnerability of all six of you to share your
experiences to make this research possible.
Finally, I would like to give a very special thank you to my family and friends for your
prayers and support in this process. I am so appreciative of your understanding during the writing
process of this thesis.

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Chapter One:
Introduction
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the different influences that contribute to the
academic success of students who attend college who were raised in highly stressful homes. For
the purpose of this study, students who are academically successful are defined as students who
have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. In this study, highly stressful homes refers to a
single parent home, no parent home, foster care home, gang affiliated family and a drug and
alcohol abusive home. Students who grow up in highly stressful homes often have a more
difficult path in obtaining a degree in higher education because of the things that they had to
navigate while growing up. According to Dennis, Phinney, and Chuateco (2005), “the
functionality within a home, whether it is functional or dysfunctional, can affect a student’s
academic success in either positive or negative ways” (p.223). This research suggests that the
household in which a student grows up impacts educational outcomes. The inspiration behind my
study is my own experience as a student who identifies as growing up in a highly stressful home.
In my home, I had an unsupportive, single parent. I am the oldest child of eleven children, and I
was a victim of abuse and neglect. I became intrigued by the journey I have taken, and it made
me want to identify the stories and journeys of other students who come from similar
backgrounds. The goal of this study is to examine the influences that have allowed students who
came from similar backgrounds to succeed academically and have obtained a bachelor’s degree
or higher. The operational definition for highly stressful homes, that was used in this study was
informed by the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs). According to Boullier and Blair
(2018), “potentially traumatic events that can have negative lasting effects on health and well-
being. This includes maltreatment and abuse as well as living in an environment that is harmful
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 9
to their development” (p. 132) and these are the things that contribute to the definition of adverse
experiences.
Significance of the Study/Statement of Problem
Boyraz, Home, Armstrong and Owens (2012), conducted a study where they examined
the connection between exposure to highly stressful environments and college persistence. They
found that “of the 569 participants, 423 (74%) reported lifetime exposure to traumatic events;
20.6% of these students met the criteria for (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) PTSD” (p. 586).
This study shows the impact of coming from highly stressful homes on a student and the large
number of students that may be affected by a highly stressful home environment. The topic of
successful students who have achieved success despite having been raised in a troubled home is
also important because stories such as those shared by the participants of this study often remain
unheard of because many students do not talk about what is happening in their homes at
school. This study also aims to contribute to the field of education by offering findings that
might help professors, counselors and other college officials develop the tools necessary to
support students who identify as coming from this population succeed in school. Boyraz et.al,’s
(2002) study of trauma-exposed African American students found that “academic integration is
related to students’ perceived intellectual development, as well as their perceptions of the faculty
concern for teaching and student development. Therefore, increasing student access to supportive
faculty may play a key role in the academic achievement and retention of trauma-exposed
African American students” (2012, p.5).
This thesis examines how students from highly stressful homes were resilient and able to
complete their undergraduate studies. The goal of this research is to bring awareness to this
population of students so that professionals can have anecdotes to help them when working with
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 10
students who come from these kind of home environments. This study focuses on students who
were able to successfully overcome challenging homes, however, there is an entire population of
students who have not been as successful in overcoming the challenges of their home
environments, and thus were never able to complete their undergraduate degrees or in some
cases, not even complete high school. Students come to school each day and bring with them
everything that is happening in their homes and in their communities and that can have a very
detrimental impact on students. Pegues (2014) focused on students who identify as having
homeless status as a stressor, and she found that “homeless students and those with unstable
housing situations are far more likely to be absent from school” (p. 1). These stressors can
impact a student’s perseverance and mobility through education if the student does not have the
support from the right people. There is limited research on successful students who have
experienced trauma and are academically successful despite their circumstances (Walker and
Satterwhite, 2002). The stories of the students who come from highly stressful homes who
actually managed to successfully obtain a Bachelor degree or higher may shed light on the
supports that led them to successfully complete college.
Research Question
The purpose of this study is to contribute to the already existing literature about the
influences of academic success for students who identify as coming from a highly stressful
home. The research question for this study is: What are the influences that contribute to the
academic success of students who identify as coming from highly stressful homes?
The intent of this study is to identify the recurring themes that the research participants
discuss that were instrumental in how they were able to persevere in the face of familial
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 11
challenges. I aim to convey the importance of those same influences as they relate to students
who come from highly stressful homes.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical frameworks that frame this study are the Self-Determination Theory
(2001) and Bronfenbrenner’s Biological Model of Development (1979), Pintrich’s Model of
Motivation (1989) and Zimmerman’s Motivation and Self-Regulation Theory, and Eccles and
Wigfield’s Expectancy Value Theory of Achievement Motivation (2000). “Self-Determination
Theory (SDT) is a theory of motivation. It is concerned with supporting our natural or intrinsic
tendencies to behave in effective and healthy ways” (Ryan and Deci, 2000, p. 1). SDT analyzes
why and how an individual does something and the motivating factors cause them to do
something. This theory is more commonly used in the medical/health fields. Ryan and Deci
suggest that “In the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, recognition of these behavioral
mediators of health outcomes suggests that we attend more carefully to the patient’s experience
and motivation” (Ryan and Deci, 2000, p. 1). Self-Determination Theory encapsulates how
motivation along with other influences such as involvement and support outside of the home play
a role in the success of students coming from highly stressful homes.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model Theory (1979) discusses the influence of the
environment(s) and its’ impact on a person. “Bronfenbrenner’s framework concentrates on the
subsystems, or components of the human ecological niche as well as the ways these subsystems
interact with and influence each other” (Gauvain and Cole, 2005, p. 3). This framework will
allow for the examination of each participant’s outcomes from a more holistic perspective thus
giving more context to the influences that they list as aiding them to be academically successful
despite their stressful home environments. Pintrich’s Model of Motivation (1989) is also used in
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 12
this study to help understand the role of motivation and self-regulation as it relates to the
research participants’ successful navigation of highly stressful homes.
Pintrich (1999), states that this motivation and self-regulation framework is, “…presented
to help understand the relationship between motivation and self-regulated learning” (p. 459).
Finally, Eccles and Wigfields’ Expectancy Value Theory of Motivation is used in this study to
capture how the students’ own beliefs around what they were capable of accomplishing served as
motivation for them to be academically successful students. In the year 2000, Eccles and
Wigfield quoted this from some of their previous research, “theorists attempt to explain people’s
choice of achievement tasks, persistence on those tasks, vigor in carrying them out, and
performance on them” (Eccles, Wigfield, & Schiefele, 1998; Pintrich & Schunk, 1996, p.68). In
summation, these motivation theories help the researcher understand the importance, role and
value that motivation has in them being able to be academically successful despite coming from
a highly stressful home.
Methodology
Using qualitative research methods allows the researcher to conduct interviews and
collect the data needed to hear the stories of the participants. “The purpose of the research
interview is to explore the views, experiences, beliefs and/or motivations of individuals on
specific matters.” (Gill, Stewart and Chadwick, 2008, p. 292). The design for this research study
includes open-ended interviews to allow participants to lead the conversation after being given
some guiding questions. A total of 6 interviews were conducted with participants who have
obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher and self-identify as coming from highly stressful home
environments.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 13
Definition of Terms

Academically successful:

For the purpose of this study I define academically successful as students who have maintained
a bachelors degree or higher.
Adverse Childhood Experiences study (ACEs): “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is
the term used to describe all types of abuse, neglect, and other potentially traumatic experiences
that occur to people under the age of 18” (Center for Disease Control (CDC)).
Highly stressful homes:
Highly stressful homes is defined as a one parent home, no parent home, foster care home, gang
affiliated family and a drug and alcohol abusive home. When discussing highly stressful home I
will reference the Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) as my guide for what it means to come
from a highly stressful home. According to Boullier and Blair, “potentially traumatic events that
can have negative lasting effects on health and well-being. This includes maltreatment and abuse
as well as living in an environment that is harmful to their development” (Boullier and Blair,
2018, p. 132
Organization of Thesis
Chapter 2 of this thesis includes a literature review which considers prior research that
supports the theoretical frameworks and research related to successful students from highly
stressful homes. In chapter 3, definitions and key terms that are relevant to the study are
introduced, along with a discussion about the selection of the site, participants and data
collection. In chapter 4, interview results are presented along with a description of the interview
process, as well as the findings of the study. In chapter 5, data analysis and recommendations for
future research and practice are presented.
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 14
Chapter Two:
Literature Review
This literature review considers the research related to academically successful students.
First, a general overview of literature is provided, followed by an introduction the Self-
Determination Theory (2001) and Bronfenbrenner’s Biological Model of Development (1979),
Pintrich’s Model of Motivation (1989) and Zimmerman’s Motivation and Self-Regulation
Theory, and Eccles and Wigfield’s Expectancy Value Theory of Achievement Motivation
(2000)., the theoretical frameworks that frames this study. The literature review is divided into
sections: an overview of existing literature, studies conducted that support the research findings,
and research on the theoretical frameworks chosen for this study. This literature review is
organized according to recurring themes that emerged from the existing research. The research
question for this study is: What are the influences that contribute to the academic success of
students who identify as coming from highly stressful homes?
Overview of Literature
Reddick, R. J., Welton, A. D., Alsandor, D. J., Denyszyn, J. L., and Platt, C. S.
(2011) conducted a qualitative study of highly minoritized conditions and students from poor
backgrounds through a series of focus groups, interviews and surveys that were later crafted into
participant narratives. Researchers used funds of knowledge theory to conceptualize the
approach by (High Minority High Poverty) HMHP students in pursuit of higher education.
(Reddick, et. al, 2011). Students who were part of this study shared that they were carrying the
stress of school, work, home and many other things outside of the classroom with them daily
which significantly impacted them. This study found that, “supportive relationships from peers,
school officials, and family mitigate some confusion and complexity in the college-choice
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 15
process” (p. 602). The role that the students’ peers, family, school officials and other sources had
on the students who identified as HMHP was instrumental to their academic success.
Additionally, students pointed to the “importance of college support programs for new students
and stayed connected to family and peers to maintain a positive academic self-image” (p. 602).
Reddick, et al. 2011 research study connects to this research study because it focuses on the
student holistically rather than only focusing on the students’ performance in the classroom.
Students who come from HMHP or highly stressful homes find the support necessary to succeed
in people outside of their homes if that is something that they are not receiving at home.
Highly stressful homes and the resilience to overcome. There is a plethora of research
that explores the negative impact that the student’s home, social and school life has on the
outcomes of the students’ academic trajectory. This section of the literature review will explore
students’ perseverance to create and develop meaningful relationships outside of the home so
that they are able to gain access and support needed to become academically successful. The
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) model will be the focus in the discussion of high home
stressors. Much of the research on the topic of academic success and highly stressful homes
attempts to define the circumstances that classify one as academically successful and/or one who
comes from a highly stressful home background as something negative but do not discuss the
resilience and motivation that the student possessed to achieve academic success. Research
suggests (Walker and Satterwhite, 2002, p. 109), that students who come from a home where
they are under high stressors whether from parents or just the environment of the home in
general are typically less successful in school. However, this section of the research will present
a different narrative of student’s outcomes who come from highly stressful homes.
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 16
Research suggests that the experiences that one encounters as a child within their home
environments could impact their life and educational trajectory in the future. It is up to the
support systems that the student receives outside of their home to counter the stressful home
environment in which they come from. Boullier and Blair (2018) conducted a study that accessed
the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). In their study, they defined ACES as
“potentially traumatic events that can have negative lasting effects on health and well-being. This
includes maltreatment and abuse as well as living in an environment that is harmful to their
development” (p. 132). Boullier and Blair list the following as contributing attributes of ACES:
emotional, physical and sexual abuse, violence, substance abuse, mental illness in the home,
divorced parents, and emotional and physical neglect. These categories will help guide the
understanding of what it means to come from a highly stressful home for the participants of this
research study.
ACES very similar to Self-Determination Theory can be applied in the medical and
education fields of study. In Boullier and Blair’s (2018) study, they, “interviewed young people
from deprived areas of Philadelphia, asking the participants to identify causes of childhood
adversity and then rate them according to which were the most stressful” (p. 132). This study
found that the participants interviewed more commonly viewed their relationship with families
and what was happening in their home as their primary challenge. Another interesting finding in
this study was that many of the young people who participated in this study listed the fact that
they had to take on challenges beyond their age as a high stressor in their home. “They listed
stressors not recognized by the original ACE list, such as lack of love in the family, and having
to take on adult responsibilities” (p. 132). High home stressors can be something different for
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 17
each individual, however, it is important to note the similar experiences that each individual list
as it relates to the stressors that experienced in their home.
Brogden and Gregory (2018), conducted a study on the resilience of community college
students who have experienced traumatic experiences such as those listed in ACES(YEAR). In
the study they state, “Community college students who experience childhood trauma may have
difficulty with academic success and completion” (p. 94). This study presents a narrative that not
many researchers have presented which is discussing how students are still able to be successful
despite the experiences that they had as a child. As stated previously, much research discusses
how students who have these adverse experiences tend to be unsuccessful, but, in this study the
authors explore how the resilience of the students in their study allows them to still be
academically successful. The study conducted “poses a model of resilience that may be
influential to their progress and success” (Brogden and Gregory, 2018, p. 94). In the study the
researchers found that in addition to the effects of past trauma and other stressors, the college
experience itself can be extremely stressful on students. Hartley (2010) argued that retention
could be increased through programs like student support and freshman seminar classes that
cover topics such as career planning and academic skills. This study attempts to provide possible
implications that community college officials could adopt that could help them better support
their students who have experienced.
Yeager and Dweck (2012) found “that when students believe that intelligence is
malleable over a lifetime and can be changed, they do better. The authors argue for the
importance of teaching this concept as a factor in resilience” (Brogden and Gregory, 2018, p.
96). Resilience serves as a mechanism that helps students who come from highly stressful homes
still be academically successful despite coming from a high stress home. Novotny (2011) argued
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 18
that academic resilience in children is the result of four factors that can be affected by schools:
(a) a child’s perception of competence; (b) a sense that school is an escape from the adverse
environment for some time; (c) skills building, or the compensation of deficits; and (d)
motivational influences, offering a different way, or a way out of the chronic stress” (p. 94). This
research study attempts to explore the resilience mechanisms that are mentioned by Novotny.
Yeager and Dweck (2012) discuss how changing the mindset of the student can promote
academic success while at the same time addressing the adversities the students are carrying with
them from their home and out of school environments Theoretically, research suggests that
resilience is deeper than just the ability for an individual to overcome but is more importantly the
result of how the individual perceives their adversity and furthermore what they do to conqueror
the adversity (Yeager and Dweck, 2012, p. 312). For the purpose of this research study, focusing
on the high home stressors that the participants of this research study discuss can be addressed
once we understand how the student experiences and interprets the experience. As Yeager and
Dweck (2012) suggest, by understanding the student’s interpretation of their experience, school
officials and other professionals can go on to help the student change their mindset about the
experience. Changing the mindset of students in regard to their adversities is imperative for
resilience to be accomplished. For example research indicates that if “We show that students
who believe (or are taught) that intellectual abilities are qualities that can be developed (as
opposed to qualities that are fixed) tend to show higher achievement across challenging school
transitions and greater course completion rates in challenging math courses” (Yeager and
Dweck, 2012, p. 302). This research proves that despite having experienced high stressors, it is
possible to still obtain academic success if the student is taught that their experiences do not
define them and that they are successful. Educators have the job of cultivating the intellect of
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 19
individuals who come from backgrounds where the cultivation is not happening to ensure that
these students are able to be successful.

Students’ relationships and support outside of the home. Students who identify as
coming from highly stressful homes often have healthy, strong supportive relationships outside
of the home (Sandstrom and Huerta, 2013). McMillian (1994) states that “Resilient at-risk
students possess temperamental characteristics that elicit positive responses from individuals
around them” (p. 138). Much of the literature highlights the importance of building relationships
with faculty and staff to help the students get to the next level, especially considering that many
of these students do not have parents who have gone through the process of attending college.
Developing outside support systems is instrumental in the success of students who are from
highly stressful homes.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has six meta-theories that could be applied to this
study, but this research will only apply the meta-theory that is the most relevant to this study.
The meta-theory has to do with the importance of relatedness (Ryan and Deci, 2001).
Relatedness refers to the support systems that students have built outside of the home whether it
is through friends, teachers, mentors or community members and how those relationships have
allowed students to persevere despite coming from a highly stressful home. For example, “Most
resilient at-risk students have had the opportunity to establish a close bond with at least one
caregiver who gives them needed attention and support. A sense of trust is developed that is very
important in interactions with teachers and peers” (McMillan, 1994, p. 142). Some students find
refuge in different programs and organizations in their school which can help take the students to
next level (Reddick et. al, 2011). Many academic/college access programs provide a space for
students to be vulnerable and share their stories and in this case the story is how students who are
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 20
living in highly stressful homes still manage to be successful—and these programs provide the
student with the resources and guidance to overcome the challenges as best that they can. Smith
and Carlson (1997) offer that the environment beyond the home provides the student with
positive growth and development opportunities if nurtured effectively. The environment outside
of the home has been an area that promotes resilience in students in recent research (Smith and
Carlson, 1997). The support that students receive outside of home, especially from school and
programs within the school could be very impactful for students who are coming from highly
stressful homes.
Tucker, Dickson and Griddine (2010) discuss the impact that feeling cared for by others
can have on academic perseverance. In this study the researchers state that “based on the current
knowledge regarding mattering, students' mattering to others at school likely relates to a key
aspect of healthy school climate, most often called school cohesion, which has been found to be
strongly correlated with increased academic achievement” (p. 135). The findings of this study
suggest that there were a few common trends that contributed the students’ academic success.
Those trends include motivation, relationships at their school, support at their schools and being
motivated by their family to not turn out like their family. The researchers wrote, “the sense of
support they received at school (and sometimes at home as well) helped them to navigate the
internal and external stressors of needing to succeed where others in their families had failed” (p.
140).
The student’s self-motivation and determination. McMillan and Reed (1994) found
that, “Resilient students do not believe that the school, neighborhood, or family is critical in
either their successes or failures. They acknowledge that a poor home environment can make
things difficult, but they do not blame their performance on these factors” (p. 138). McMillan
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 21
and Reed’s study focused on how students spent their spare time outside of the classroom and
how the result of how their time was spent served as a mechanism in their academic success due
to their involvement in various clubs, church groups and other organizations (1994, p. 138). The
findings suggest that the students’ involvement outside of the home as well as the students’
ability to positively use their time contributes to the outcome of success. Research also suggests
that involvement in extracurriculars and other programs that could help them excel in school
catered to the academic success of students from highly stressful homes. Findings of McMillian
and Reed’s study suggests that “Active involvement in extracurricular events at school and in
other areas seems to provide a refuge for resilient students (McMillan and Reed, 1994, p. 138).
The motivation and determination that these students possessed contributed to their success and
even when they had no free time for other activities they were motivated to be involved in
activities and organizations that could help them be successful.
Students who come from highly stressful homes may enter college at a disadvantage as
they may lack the tools and resources to be successful if they are not receiving the support and
guidance from home (Smith and Carlson, 1997). These students may have had to learn how to
navigate the hidden curriculum, their challenges and even learning and motivational differences
on their own. Smith and Carlson (1997) state, “not all youth subjected to high levels of stressors
or risk factors experience poor outcomes” (p. 236). This study conducted by Smith and Carl
analyzes how resilience and competence contributes to the resilience of students and how they
are able to still be successful in school. The findings of this study suggest that, “this study have
identified the availability of supportive nonparent adults in general as important resources for
stressed children, and Emmy Werner notes that resilient children seem to be especially adept at
actively recruiting surrogate parents. Such adults can include parents' friends, other adults in the
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 22
family such as grandparents, or religious figures” (Smith and Carlson, 1997, p. 239). Students
who come from stressful environments may supplement the things they lack with support that
can help them as the findings in Smith and Carlson’s study suggests. Although, many students
who come from highly stressful home situations have negative outcomes, the study conducted by
Smith and Carlson finds that, that is not the case for all of the students with highly stressful home
environments.
Although this research project aims to primarily focus on the academic success of college
students it is important to understand the educational experience of the student prior to attending
college and to counter the role of motivation pre and post college so I will do that by introducing
one study done on a group of high school kids. In a study conducted by Alvernini and Lucidi
(2009), the role of the students’ motivation and how that impacts the student’s desire to either
drop out of school or persevere even when they are under stress at home and school. This study
focused on 423 participants in 9
th
-12
th
grades. In this study the researchers investigate the role of
self-determination and motivation and their effect on a students’ desire to succeed in school. The
participants of the study identify as coming from impoverished communities, under-resourced
homes and communities where school was not valued. In this study, the researchers were
intentional about collecting data about the students perceived beliefs about how their parents
support or lack of influences their motivation, the students’ self-efficacy, and the role of the
support they had at school to prevent them from dropping out. In this study academic success
was measured by the students self-reporting their report cards and how the grades reflected on
their report cards was an indicator of dropout risk, The results of the study were that “the level of
self-determined motivation in students, which was directly related to the perception of teachers’
autonomy support, was the best predictor of the intention to drop out of school. Self-efficacy had
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 23
a significant impact both on self-determined motivation and academic performance” (p. 241).
This study support previous claims that the role of self-determination and motivation plays a
major role in academic success and perseverance of students.
Theoretical Frameworks
This research study will utilize a general motivation theory framework but will also draw
from five major motivation frameworks. Those frameworks include Self-Determination Theory
(SDT), Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Development, Pintrich’s Model of Motivation,
Zimmerman’s Motivation and Self-Regulation Theory, and Eccles and Wigfield’s Expectancy
Value Theory of Achievement Motivation. Using multiple theories of motivation allows for the
exploration of the different variables that contribute to the student’s vulnerability despite
identifying as one who comes from a highly stressful home. Much of the existing research on the
topic of academically successful students and highly stressful homes attempts to define the
circumstances that classify one as academically successful and/or one who comes from a highly
stressful home background. Research (Walker and Satterwhite, 2002, p. 109) suggests, that
students who come from a home where they are under high stressors whether from parents or just
the environment of the home in general are typically less successful in school.
Self Determination Theory. The Self Determination Theory (SDT) was introduced by
Ryan and Deci (2000). They define SDT as “an approach to human motivation and personality
that uses traditional empirical methods while employing an organismic meta-theory that
highlights the importance of humans' evolved inner resources for personality development and
behavioral self-regulation” (Ryan, Kuhl, & Deci, 1997, p. 1). In this framework, the individual is
in charge of the outcomes of their life based on their investment and commitment to achieving
great outcomes (see Figure 1). This theory is more commonly used in the health and mental
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 24
health field. For example, SDT might be used when examining the factors that cause a patient to
be persistent in following the medical plan that the practitioners have set for the patient. There is
very limited research on the Self-Determination Theory as it relates to education, so this thesis
will contribute to the theory by approaching it from an educational standpoint. This theory
considers how the student is able to take initiative for their education and succeed despite
experiencing the stressors outside of the classroom.
Figure 1.

Self-Determination Theory- Ryan and Deci, 2001

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 25
Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Development. Bronfenbrenner’s
Bioecological Model of Development is a theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner. His theory
is composed of five systems that explore how development is affected by social relationships and
the world around the individual. The systems in this model includes the micro (system closest to
the person), meso (interactions between the different parts of a person’s microsystem), exo
(person is not an active in these interactions, but they’re still affected by outcomes) and macro
(encompasses the cultural and societal beliefs a person may hold) systems (Rosa and Tudge,
2013, p. 246). This theory is fitting with this research study because the students who are at the
center of this study may all come from different ecosystems, but the goal is to find the
commonalities for each student through the Bronfenbrenner model. The aim is that this model
sheds light on how the factors outside of the home play a role in the academic success in the
students who identify as coming from highly stressful homes.
Aside from the four systems previously mentioned in Bronfenbrenner’s model it is also
important to note the importance that Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) plays in this
framework. “The primary objective of this phase of the development of the theory was to show
how individual characteristics, in conjunction with aspects of the context, both spatial and
temporal, influence what Bronfenbrenner now called proximal processes—the ‘‘engines of
development” (Rosa and Tudge, 2013, p. 251). This specific objective in Bronfenbrenner’s
framework encompasses the motives and influences that individuals possess. “During this phase,
Bronfenbrenner continued his development of a theory that could lead, via public policy, to
improving the living conditions for children, adolescents, and their families by optimizing
developmental outcomes” (Rosa and Tudge, 2013, p. 251). This characteristic helps researchers
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 26
further understand how Bronfenbrenner’s framework could be implemented for the betterment of
individuals.
The first P-Process in this subcategory of Bronfenbrenner’s research, “involve not only
relationships among people but also relations between people and the objects and symbols with
which they come into contact” (Rosa and Tudge, 2013, p. 253). The second P- Person is
described as “The characteristic of force (or disposition) is considered the most likely to
influence a person’s developmental outcomes, whether in a generative or disruptive manner”
(Rosa and Tudge, 2013, p. 253). The C- Context is described as “whether involving solitary
interaction with objects or symbols or interaction with one or more other social partners, occur
within microsystems, but that the other systems of context are also influential” (Rosa and Tudge,
2013, p. 253). Finally, the T-Time is described as “the concept of time 254 Journal of Family
Theory & Review was broadened to include what happens over the course of both ontogenetic
and historical time” (Rosa and Tudge, 2013, p. 253-254). PPCT is an extension of the earlier four
models (meso, micro, exo and macro systems) of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system (please
refer to Figure 2.).

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 27
Figure 2.

Bioecological Systems Theory- Bronfenbrenner, 1973

Pintrich’s Model of Motivation and Zimmerman’s Self-Regulation Theory.
Pintrich’s Model of Motivation stipulates that self-regulated learning and motivation are
contributing factors to the success of many college students. Through Pintrich’s research, I am
anticipating that I will find common threads as to how the student’s self-motivation and self-
regulated leaning (SRL) plays a role in the academic success of students who come from highly
stressful home environments. Pintrich states, “These motivational self-regulatory strategies
include attempts to control self-efficacy through the use of positive self-talk (e.g., I know I can
do this task)” (2004, p. 395). One of the themes in this research study is how students’ self-
motivation is instrumental in their success in college. Pintrich’s research will shed light on the
recurring trends of self-motivation in the achievement of the participants of this research study.
Zimmerman’s Theory of Self-Regulation learning allows researchers to apply how the students’
self-regulation and motivation is a contributing factor to the students’ success.
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 28
In the Self-Regulated Learning Model Zimmerman discusses how the outcomes of the
student’s success is the responsibility of the student. It is up to the individual to create and set
goals for themselves and to ultimately follow through with those goals. For example, “An SRL
perspective assumes that learners can potentially monitor, control, and regulate certain aspects of
their own cognition, motivation, and behavior as well as some features of their environments”
(Pintrich, 2004, p. 387). Students may not always have the privilege of having their education
nurtured by loved ones in their homes, but it is the responsibility of the student to connect to
resources and support to help them better manage their environments and the effects that their
environments and other stressors may have on their academic success. (Refer to Figure 3)
Figure 3.

Model of Self-Regulated learning- Zimmerman, 1997
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 29
Eccels and Wigfield’s Expectancy Value Theory of Achievement Motivation. In this theory,
Eccles and Wigfield discuss how the students’ belief of what effort they put into their education
coincides with what they are expecting the outcome to be as a result of their hard work (Eccels
and Wigfield, 2000, p.68). For example, if a student prepared for a final exam for several weeks,
they are expecting that they will receive an A on the final exam. The aim is for this theory to
highlight how self-efficacy and effort plays a role in the student’s success despite coming from a
highly stressful home. The writers suggest that: “when individuals are intrinsically motivated,
they engage in an activity because they are interested in and enjoy the activity. When
extrinsically motivated, individuals engage in activities for instrumental or other reasons, such as
receiving a reward.” (Eccles and Wigfield, 2002, p. 114). This thesis seeks to consider whether
students who were motivated to successfully complete college were motivated by the things they
were learning and if that helped them to succeed despite identifying as coming from a highly
stressful home.
Self-Motivation and Determination can stem from an array of things, including wanting
to be the cycle breaker in their family, wanting to prove everyone wrong, wanting more for
themselves along with a list of other things. The students’ self-motivation and determination is
one of the factors that leads the students to seek the resources that are necessary for them to
persevere such as building the important relationships previously mentioned. Rutter (1979)
suggests “that children who display resilience demonstrate the capacity for solving problems and
believe in their own self efficacy” (p. 374). Eccles and Wigfield’s theory breaks down the role of
how context, processing, beliefs and learning contributes to the outcomes of a student. (please
refer to Figure 4.)

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 30
Figure 4.

Expectancy-Value Motivation Theory- Eccles and Wigfield, 1980

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 31
Chapter Three:
Research Methods
This chapter will discuss the methods and processes that were applied in this study. The
interview protocol is also outlined, as well as the exact questions that each participant was asked
which leads into the data collection in chapter 4. This chapter also discusses the ethics,
limitations, research bias and other issues that were raised in this study. This chapter also
discusses how the participants and location of this study were selected. Finally, this chapter
discusses the trust worthiness of this research.
In this research, a series of 6 interviews from 6 college graduates who identify as coming
from a highly stressful household were conducted. After the data collection, recurring themes
among the participants were identified to determine the factors that classified their home as
highly stressful. Then the shared themes of the participants have in common related to academic
success were identified. Next, the data was coded to organize and thematically sort findings.
Open Coding “includes labeling concepts, defining and developing categories based on their
properties and dimensions. It is used to analyze qualitative data and part of many Qualitative
Data Analysis methodologies like Grounded Theory (Khandkar, 2014, p.1). Open Coding is the
process used to sort the data and it was used to identify themes that came up in the interviews
which were community, mentorship from school officials and self- motivation and
determination.
For this qualitative study, 6 participants were interviewed. Each semi-structured
interview lasted 45 minutes to two hours. The interviews consisted of a set of guiding questions
for the participants to answer and then the rest of the session was led by the participants and
them sharing their stories and what their experiences were growing up in a highly stressful home
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 32
and how they persevered in college (Creswell, 2014). The semi-structured interview approach
that Creswell presents in his research design book is defined as “those in-depth interviews where
the respondents have to answer preset open-ended questions” (2003, p. 8). The steps taken to
accomplish the semi structure of the interview process was first aligning all of the research
questions with the theoretical framework that best supported the interview questions that were
asked (refer to appendix at the end of chapter 3). Once this was done the questions were grouped
in alignment with supporting questions so that once the interview was conducted the questions
asked would flow accordingly so that one question would build off of the next question.
Participants were asked to share what support systems they had in high school that helped them
navigate through all of what was happening in their homes. That question sough to find whether
their counselors or other school officials were influential in helping them complete high school
so that they could attend college. Incentives were provided for all of the research participants.
Some of those incentives included, a meal at a restaurant or a gift card and this was given to
show appreciation for their participation in the study.
Site Selection/Participant Selection/Data Collection Procedures
Participants were selected using the following criteria: 1) the participant has obtained a
bachelor’s degree or above and 2) they must identify as coming from a highly stressful home
based on definition provided in chapter 1. I initially looked for willing participants via my own
social network. Once I found willing participants from my own network, I scheduled interview
dates and times with each participant. This process is called convenience sampling which is
defined as “a type of nonprobability or nonrandom sampling where members of the target
population that meet certain practical criteria, such as easy accessibility, geographical proximity,
availability at a given time, or the willingness to participate are included for the purpose of the
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 33
study” (Etikan, Abubakar and Alkassim, 2015, p.2). The interviews were conducted at
restaurants, parks, churches and video chat. The interview locations were selected based on what
was convenient for my participants and their availability.
Limitations
Given the sensitivity of the research topic there are quite a few limitations. One of the biggest
limitations was gaining access to participants because there is not a natural or specific location
that exists for students with these experiences. Another limitation is that participants are telling
the full story about their lived experiences, so there may be a loss of details. Another limitation is
that only the individual’s stories were collected, and not those of their families, who might see
the situation in a different way. Since other perspectives are not considered, there is no way to
compare the students experiences with someone else who might have grown up in the same
environment. In turn, someone else from the same household could argue that this was not a
highly stressful home. Even though this study defines what a highly stressful home is, there will
be some participants who may alter what it means to come from a highly stressful home which
could expand the definition of highly stressful home from participant to participant. A final
limitation to this study is the usage of convenience sampling. This was challenging because due
to the pre-existing relationships between the researcher and the participants, participants might
have been reluctant to share in full their experiences as someone who grew up in a highly
stressful homes.
Ethics
The researcher has completed ethical research training and the research design has been
approved by the Internal Review Board (IRB) at the University of Southern California. Much
caution was taken during the data interpretation phase, and every effort to maintain
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 34
confidentiality was made. Each participant chose an alias so that their identity was protected. The
goals of the study were reviewed with every participant through a process of informed consent.
Researcher Bias/Trustworthiness and Other Issues.
As mentioned in previous chapters, I am someone who identifies as coming from a highly
stressful home and someone who can also be categorized as academically successful. During my
primary education, I was lived in a home where I had too many responsibilities for a child, I had
parents who were not supportive, I witnessed constant violence inside the home as well as in my
community, and I was surrounded by family members in the home who were gang affiliated. All
of these things were very hard for me to deal with or even understand how to balance on top of
being a student. However, I was able to find different outlets to balance out what was happening
at home so that I could still be successful in the classroom. There were so many days that I felt
defeated because of all of the stress that my home life was causing me, but I had to develop a
sense of self-motivation to push through all of the stress so that I could be successful in my
academics. The fact that I identify so closely with the topic of this study, poses researcher bias.
As a researcher, I know that it may be difficult for me to fully understand some of the
experiences and even the ways that they were able to manage because of my own biases and how
I believe things should have and could have been done.
It is also important to mention that the participants were actually reluctant to share about
their households and the specifics of the stressors within the home. They were only willing to
talk about how they were academically successful in college. This posed a challenge and resulted
in having to ask more probing questions.. A final issue that existed was the initial reluctance of
the participants to share openly and honestly because of prior relationships that existed.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 35
Table 1: Research Question Alignment Matrix

Main research question:
What are the influences that contribute to the academic success of students who identify as
coming from highly stressful homes?

Research Question Theoretical
Framework
Data Instrument Question
1. How do you
define
motivation?

2. Has your own
sense of
motivation
played a role in
your academic
success, if at
all?
Pintrich’s Model of
Motivation
Interview questions 1-4
3. Are there any
outside sources
that
contributed to
your academic
success?

4. If so, what,
were they?
And why?
Bronfenbrenner’s
Bioecological Model
Interview questions 5-11
5. What role, if
any, does your
community
play in your
academic
success?

Bronfenbrenner
Bioecological Model
Interview questions 12-16
6. What role does
self-
determination,
if any, play in a
students
academic
success?

Self-Determination
Theory (Ryan & Deci,
2000)
Interview questions 17-20
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 36
7. How does your
relationship
with the people
in your home
play on your
academic
success?
Self-Determination
Theory (Ryan & Deci,
2000)
Interview questions 21-25
8. Why do you
define your
background as
coming from a
highly stressful
home?
Definition of Highly
Stressful Home:
Students who grew up in
a one parent home, no
parent home, foster care,
gang affiliated family,
drug and alcohol abuse
home, and a home with
an unsupportive parent.

9. Please describe
your
educational
trajectory from
Pre-K to the
present.
Educational Trajectory
10. What race do
you identify
as? What is
your gender
affiliation?
What is your
age?
Demographics

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 37
Chapter Four:
Results
Introduction and Interview Process
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the different influences that contribute to the
academic success of students who attend college who are come from highly stressful homes. For
this study, students who are academically successful are defined as students who have already
obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Highly stressful homes include the homes of students
who grew up in a one parent home, no parent home, foster care, gang affiliated family, or a home
where there was drug and alcohol abuse. Six people who self-identified with experience were
interviewed for this study. In this chapter, each of the research participants is introduced, and the
data collection process is discussed. The purpose of this study was to identify influences
contributing to the success of academically successful students from highly stressful homes.
During the interview process, it became apparent that the participants were selective
about what they wanted to share, and what they considered to be stressors. Some of the
experiences that others might consider highly stressful, for example, had become normalized for
the participants. As a result, some were reluctant to share those experiences initially and
immediately discussed how their “bad neighborhoods” were the highly stressful stressors that
they wanted to discuss. The researcher bias led me to believe that every participant was coming
from a home where they believed that their alcoholic parent, for example, was a hindrance to
their success but instead I was able to learn that those kind of stressors are not why they agreed
to participate in this research study but instead it was because they felt that the surrounding
community was what hindered them but at the same time motivated them to excel in school.
The research participants were selected via convenience sampling. Research participants
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 38
within my current network were identified and asked if they were interested in participating, based
on the criteria of the study. Interviews were conducted with six academically successful
individuals. After signing the consent form indicating their willingness to participate in the study,
these individuals participated in the interview. Interviews were conducted at various locations
based on where the research participant wanted to meet including restaurants, churches, and parks
and video chat. Four of the six interviews were held in person while two of the interviews were
held via Face Time because of scheduling conflicts or where the individual was regionally located.
The data collection section will be organized in the following manner. First, Section A
will provide personal (biographical) data and a brief background of each participant. Section B
will focus on the first common theme of community. This section will discuss how community
influences the academic success of each of the participants. Section C will discuss the common
theme of mentorship from school officials and how those individuals contributed to the academic
success of the research participants. Section D will discuss the role of motivation and self-
determination and how it contributes to the academic success of the research participants.
Finally, the observations of the collected data will be discussed, followed by a summary of the
research conducted.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 39
Table 2: Demographics

Simi. Simi is a 28-year-old African American woman from the South Los Angeles community.
She grew up in a home where initially both parents were present but by her teenage years her
parents separated. The separation of Simi’s parents had and still has a big impact on her life
decisions. Simi attended a high school in the greater Los Angeles area and later went on to
receive her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from a public California University. Simi has four
other siblings; she is one of two children who were able to obtain a college degree. Simi grew up
in a home where her parents were always fighting, she was exposed to gang activity in the home
as well as alcoholism. Simi knew that the only way to escape these realities would be for her to
attend college and create better opportunities for herself.
Demographic Question

Common Response Additional Responses
1. First Generation student?

100% of the participants
identify as first generation

2. Geographic Location while
in primary schooling
66% (4 out of 6 participants)
attended school in California
34% (2 out of 6 participants)
attended school outside of
California. 1 in Chicago and
1 in Virginia
2. Highest degree obtained 50% (3 out 6 participants)
hold master’s degrees or
higher
50% (3 out of 6 participants)
highest degree obtained is a
bachelors
3. Race 66% (4 out 6 participants)
identify as African American
16% (1 out of 6 participants)
identify as Latino

16% (1 out of 6 participant)
identify as White

4. Gender 66% (4 out 6 participants)
identify as female
34% (2 out 6 participants)
identify as male
5. Employment status 100% of the participants are
currently employed in various
fields.

6. Age range 50% (3 out 6 participants) are
between the age of 28-30
50% (3 out of 6 participants)
are between the age of 32 and
41
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 40
BiBi. BiBi is an African American woman who is in her early 30s from the Inland Empire in
Southern California. BiBi is the oldest child of four but she only has a sincere relationship with
one of her siblings. BiBi was born to a mother who was and still is addicted to drugs, and thus
was raised by her grandparent. She does not know her father. After graduating from high school,
she moved to Northern California and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Communication Design,
Media Arts and a minor in Marketing. While completing her degree she became pregnant with
her son, which added additional stress. She grew up in a Christian household so the acceptance
of her family regarding her decision to bring a child into the world unwedded weighed heavily
on her. BiBi knew that she had to channel all of her experiences and use them as a tool to excel
in the future.
KeKe. KeKe is an African American woman from Los Angeles California in her early 30s.
Keke grew up in a home where her family loved her but there were still some stressors in her
home that she had to overcome to successfully accomplish her goal of completing her degree.
Keke’s grandmother adopted her at a young age but she still had contact with her biological
mother. Keke became pregnant while she was in undergrad and she was also fleeing from her
home during this season of her life because she was in search of better opportunities for herself.
She ended up in Atlanta for a while where her child’s father resides, but he eventually left so
Keke and her newborn child returned to California. Upon returning from Atlanta, she would
commute daily from South Los Angeles to the Inland Empire to attend college. She received her
bachelor’s degree at a local California college and graduated. Keke is currently applying for her
master’s degree.
JoJo. JoJo was born in Puerto Rico in the late 1970s and later migrated to Chicago with his
family. JoJo grew up in an environment where he was surrounded by gang and drug violence
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 41
daily. There were times that JoJo got caught up with the wrong crowd. JoJo does not identify as
being one who was a gang member, but he was gang associated. He was targeted often because
of this. JoJo and all of his siblings managed to still be successful and all hold multiple degrees
despite their upbringing. His parents were always present but because they had not attended
college, they were not able to provide JoJo nor his sisters with the support needed to accomplish
their dreams and aspirations. JoJo has a Bachelor, Masters and will be completing his PhD in the
Spring of 2019. JoJo and his wife moved to California in 2014 so that they can both continue
their academic and career goals. Although JoJo is older than the other participants he was
selected for this study because his experience as an immigrant, first generation college student
and one who was influenced by gang violence gives perspective of one who grows up in a highly
stressful home.
NaeNae. NaeNae is an African American woman in her late 20s who is one of four children
from a home in the South Los Angeles community. NaeNae describes her upbringing as one that
was stressful because of the community around her and her family’s inability to support and help
her as she was in school. She attended a local high school in Los Angeles that was at risk of
losing its accreditation so NaeNae said it was hard for her to find very supportive people in her
school who could bridge the gap of the lack of support she was receiving at home. However,
there was one teacher who motivated her. There were many days that NaeNae was not even able
to attend school because the neighborhood she lived in was gang affiliated and some mornings
when she was preparing to leave there were gunshots. NaeNae describes mornings like those as
the motivation for her to leave the highly stressful situation she was used to for something better
that she knew could only be accomplished by successfully attending and completing college.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 42
Petey. Petey is a White male in his late 30s who grew up in Virginia. Petey grew up with both of
his parents until they separated and that ultimately caused stress on Petey because at such a
young age he had to balance separate relationships with his parents. Petey’s father was an
alcoholic and that put a lot of stress and pressure on Petey because there were many nights when
Petey would have to hide from his father so that he could assure that he was not his father’s next
target of abuse on a drunken night. Petey was the only one out of his siblings to successfully
attend and complete college. Petey completed undergrad as well as has completed his master’s
degree in divinity. Petey describes his home growing up as toxic, stressful and abusive and he
knew that the only way for him to escape those conditions would be for him to get out of his
parents’ homes and attend college so that he could create better opportunities for himself.
Presentation of Data
Common Themes
This section will present the common themes that emerged from the interviews to identify
how the participants were able to overcome their highly stressful home environments to become
academically successful.
Community. Each of the research participants discussed how their community had an
impact on their academic success whether it was a positive impact or a negative impact that
motivated them to do more than what their community offered. Simi discussed in her interview
that her “community extended outside of the neighborhood in which I live in, but it also includes
the different organizations, church, teams and people I associated myself with.” Community can
be those who offer support in all endeavors and those who provide the tools necessary to
succeed.
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 43
NaeNae discusses that her community was not the safest, she says “I did not have a safe
community it encouraged me to do well in school so that I can successfully escape from my
community and immerse myself into a better community.” Each participant described the role of
their community as their ability to manage the highly stressful homes they came due to the
support from people in their communities. For example, Petey who grew up in Virginia describes
his community as “very important and instrumental in my academic success because they were
my family when my family was not able to be my family.” The different variations of how
community was presented during my research further describes the impact and responsibility that
community has in aiding to the academic success of students. Petey mentioned the idea of
reinventing one’s community. The community he was given, meaning his family, was not going
to help him accomplish his goals so he had to seek the resources that would help him grow.
Petey says that he reinvented his community by surrounding himself with like-minded friends,
teachers, mentors and a church that supported and would help him accomplish those goals. All
six of the participants came from strong faith communities and they all talked about the
important role that their churches and religious connections played in the aid of their academic
success. Their churches served as the positive community that their homes and neighborhoods
lacked. Although, each participant interviewed attended different churches, each of their
churches belongs to the same region (Southern-Western Region (SWR)) of the Christian Church.
Church was mentioned as the main source of positive community for all of the study
participants. Keke stated that her grandmother is a strong woman of faith and encouraged her to
attend church often. Keke was able to surround herself with people who could help her
accomplish her goals. When Keke became pregnant with her child in her early 20’s, her church
supported her and made sure that becoming a mother was not going to stand in the way of her
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 44
accomplishing the goals she had set out for herself. Simi also mentions that her church played a
significant role in her academic success. For example, she recalls when she was completing her
master’s degree, her church covered the expenses of every test she had to pay for, they prayed
for her, they encouraged her when she wanted to quit, they offered words of advice when she and
her mother would be at odds with each other. Simi says that she does not think she would have
been able to go after her master’s degree if it had not been for her church. She wanted to quit
everyday but their belief in her served as motivation for her to keep going.
Each of the participants knew that it was up to them to determine what role their
communities would play in their lives. Some of the participants mentioned that they did not
come from the best communities but as Petey mentioned, “when my community was not good it
was up to me to reinvent my community so that it can better help me accomplish my goals”.
Petey suggests that community support can fill in for what the family Is not providing. It is
important to note that for each participant community looked different, for some their
community was good and for others it was a bad, but the role of community still influenced their
success and as the interviews furthered the participants were all able to direct the conversation to
other aspects of their community and how it did play a role on their achievements.
Mentorship from school officials. Another theme that arose from the interviews was the
role of mentorship from teachers, counselors and other school officials. Each participant was
able to connect their success to a teacher who motivated them and assisted them. For example,
Petey mentioned that his high school band teacher knew his home struggles and assisted him in
purchasing band uniforms, being able to afford competitions, applying to college along with a
host of other things that his band teacher helped him with. Petey explained that he had to be
vulnerable to share what he was encountering at home with his band teacher so that he can get
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 45
the necessary support needed to be successful in school. The mentorship of that professor
extended beyond the completion of high school because that teacher is still involved in his
education and career endeavors today.
The role that a teacher, counselor, or any other official plays in a students’ academic
journey is instrumental in the success of a student, especially one who identifies as coming from
a highly stressful home. Simi said, “because I was lacking support at home, I was yearning for
the support from teachers and coaches at my school to assist me in my educational goals because
my parents were not capable of doing so.” The research uncovered that students who come from
highly stressful homes need an outside force that is a teacher, counselor or even a community
member to help support them achieve their academic goals since they are lacking that support in
their homes. JoJo shared that he did not really have teachers to motivate him until he reached
college, however he wished that he had that support while he was in primary schooling.
Research participants shared that mentorship varied based on their schooling level. A
commonality amongst them all is how the importance of mentorship was necessary while they
were in college as compared to when they were in primary schooling. JoJo stated:
“Even though I had older sisters who had attended college before I began, the mentorship
from professors while I was in college was even more necessary because college was
completely new for me and I needed the guidance while determining what was next for
me”.
Students coming from highly stressful homes sometimes need more than just their own drive to
guide them and because many of times the things that are going on at home or their family’s
inability to support them, it then motivates them to seek that support from outside forces such as
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 46
the mentorship from individuals at their schools and even in their communities or negative
influences.
Simi explained that “the mentorship that I received from my dance coach and English
teacher was literally everything. I do not know where I would be without the mentorship that I
received from that woman.” She went on to say that mentorship was not initially easy to achieve
because it required her to have to be open and vulnerable with her coach which she had a hard
time doing at first. She had to be open about the stress she was experiencing at home, so that her
coach could effectively mentor her. She said:
At first I did not want to share my whole life story with my coach because I was always taught
“what happens in this house stays in this house” but I knew my coach saw something I did not
see in myself and I was longing for someone to bring out the young lady who I have become
today and that is exactly what my coach did.

Ultimately, being able to be vulnerable was a necessary tool for the mentorship to be successful.
JoJo mentioned that his mentors all saw something in him that he did not see himself, so he
was thankful for the mentorship from teachers and professors along his journey. In JoJo’s
interview he mentioned that he had a college class where there were no students of color and the
professor was also white, but that professor actually saw something him that he had not yet seen
in himself. His professor pulled him aside and gave him a list of books to read regarding
successful philosophers who were people of color so that JoJo could familiarize himself with
philosophers who look like himself. That was the moment that he found his passion and that
professor has served as a mentor in JoJo’s success since that time. Even as he is preparing to
defend his dissertation, JoJo keeps that professor abreast of all of his endeavors. The professor
still provides mentorship and guidance to him. JoJo shared that to show the impact that
mentorship from a teacher or professor could have on a student is not something that only exists
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 47
while the student is in their stressful situations but extends way beyond that because in most
cases, mentorship is a lifelong commitment between the mentor and the mentee.
Based on the data presented here, the role of mentorship from teachers and other school
officials and its impact on the outcomes of student’s academic trajectory is that mentorship is
key. Students want to know that there is someone believing in them especially if its students like
the ones I interviewed who come from highly stressful backgrounds and lacked the support
needed for them to be successful from their homes. Each of the participants mentioned how their
mentors saw something in them that they did not yet see which motivated them to persevere and
accomplish the goals that they had set for themselves as well as to explore what their mentors
saw in them. One thing that I thought is important note was what JoJo said, “mentorship is a
lifelong commitment”. Mentorship does not end once the student graduates or once they stop
attending your class, but it is something that happens over the course of the individuals’ life. JoJo
mentions that some of his mentors from undergrad are the same people who are still supporting
him as he completes his Doctorate degree because they understand that mentorship did not end
once he graduated from undergrad.
Self-Motivation and Determination. A third common theme among research participants
was the notion that self-motivation and determination helped them to be successful students
despite their highly stressful home backgrounds. Keke mentioned that “my self-motivation to
have a better life for myself, my son and the generations behind me, I am determined to do well
in school and use my education as an advantage to get ahead and create more for myself than
what I was given.” For the research participants, motivation stemmed from the lack of support
and tumultuous household environments they came from. They used what they were lacking as
motivation to do well in school so that they could change the cycle of what they were used to
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 48
seeing in their homes.
NaeNae said that:
Being a first generation college student from a home where my parents were enforcing
education but my community was making that unattainable became my motivation to
succeed in school because I wanted to leave from the community that was causing stress
to me and my home and although my parents wanted me to do well in school they were
not able to support me which was very stressful so I was motivated be their lack of
support to do well in school so that when I become a parent I will be able to effectively
support my children accomplish whatever they wish to achieve in school and beyond.
Her experiences served as a tool for her self-motivation to excel in school coupled with other
forces such as the mentorship from teachers, church members, like minded peers and dreams and
aspirations. NaeNae was determined to become the cycle breaker in her family because she had
grown up seeing how they constantly struggled and had become comfortable in their struggle,
but she did not want that to be the reality of her future.
Petey felt that the odds were against him all the way around. His parents were not
supportive and very neglectful, his siblings did not share the same dreams and aspirations as him,
he was poor, and he lacked the resources to get out until he realized that his resource to get out
was his motivation to do well. Petey was initially not motivated in school because it was just an
obligation but once he entered into college, he became motivated to succeed because he was tired
of living the life that he was living. His motivation led him to attend college, receiving a
bachelor’s degree, finding the love of his life in college, and move across the state to work in the
field his heart has always desired to be in. He says he did not believe he would have been able to
do any of this without the self-motivation and determination that he found within himself.
It is important to note that every participant interviewed were all on track for college
success even in the midst of living in highly stressful homes. As students, they were self-
motivated which is how they were able to persevere and become academically successful in
college. BiBi shared that her self-motivation was not possible without coupling it with the
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 49
support of her community and the mentorship she received from teachers and other leaders in her
community. She shared the following:
I remember being motivated to succeed in school. But of course when I got pregnant in
undergrad with my son, I lost some of my motivation because he was now about to be my
primary focus but it was then when my church, my friends and my professors told me that I
will still be able to complete my degree with their support and their support is what
increased my self-motivation to be successful.
BiBi said; “I never genuinely wanted to quit” but she wanted to make sure “my son was going to
be alright” because she did not want him growing up in the same type of stressful home as she
did. BiBi and KeKe stated that giving birth to their sons further increased their self-motivation
and determination because it was not about them anymore but now about the new lives that they
have bought into the world. They were motivated to make sure that they provide the best for their
kids. The other research participants also stated that their self-motivation was heightened when
they considered the legacy and foundation that they would be starting for their future families.
Although self-motivation and determination was important for all of the research
participants it was not their motivation and determination and success alone that drove them.
Their self-motivation and determination was influenced by wanting better for their future,
motivation to not let down their mentors and other who have poured into them and their
community. A student’s self-motivation and determination has to be nurtured especially when it
is a student who comes from a highly stressful home situation and that is why it is important that
the students have relationships and support from people in their schools and community to
positively nurture their motivation and drive to succeed in school.
Other themes. Participation in school sports and clubs emerged as a minor theme shared
by the participants. BiBi stated, “If I was not involved in band while I was in high school I would
have never made it out of high school because band was a safe haven away from my real life
problems”. Similarly, to BiBi, Simi says “dance has always been an escape for me but especially
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 50
when I was in high school because my involvement on the dance team motivated me to keep my
grades up so I can participate in dance and ultimately attend college and be on the dance team”.
Other participants also discussed the role of the teams that they were involved with in school as a
factor that helped them to remain academically successful as well as forget about the highly
stressful homes they were coming from.
Another theme that was present in the interviews was the role of wanting to be a cycle
breaker. BiBi said, “none of my siblings went to college or positively escaped from our situation
and I wanted to be the one to break that cycle of “well mama is on drugs so that means I can’t be
anybody either,” I didn’t want to be defined by where I came from anymore”. Breaking cycles
for the participants was deeper than just not ending up like their parents or whoever else was in
their households but it was also about them creating new paths for their future offspring. Keke
says, “I got to the point where it was bigger than me. I knew that one day I would want to create
my own family and I wouldn’t want my future children growing up thinking that just because
their grandmama is a certain way and so is their mama that way then that means they have to be
that way, so I was determined to change the trajectory of life for my future kids”. Breaking the
cycle was present in the interviews of all six of the participants whether it was for the purpose of
them wanting better for themselves or just them thinking about the future and how they do not
want growing up in highly stressful homes to be the case anymore.
Observations
During the interview, Simi was asked her if she would be comfortable sharing the story
of her mother and father’s divorce, and at first she was reluctant to share because she said “...you
know in Black families we are always taught what happens in our home stays there but sure I
will share”. The notion that “what happens in this house stays in this house” came out as a
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 51
common theme amongst all four of the Black female participants of this study. They were not
initially comfortable sharing their family stressors until they were assured that their identities
would not be revealed. Another limitation was that many of the participants considered their
home stressors as normal so did not think some of the details were worth sharing because it was
normalized in their homes and communities. Petey mentioned that he was not aware of how
stressful his home was until he was interviewed for this study. The interview process made him
evaluate his experiences and approach them in ways he has never had to do so before. I am
certain that my participants wanted to share why their homes were stressful and how they were
able to still succeed in college but because of their relationship with me it caused them to not
initially do so until I was able to probe.
Older research participants especially Petey and JoJo were able to articulate their stories
in a more concise and professional manner than the other participants. It seemed that the other
participants had an emotional wall up for most of their interview until they were able to fully
trust me with their responses. In BiBi’s interview she mentioned that she really did not want to
talk about something that she was still in the process of moving past which in a way created
some limitations when interviewing her because she simply did not want to talk about her past.
BiBi later in the interview decided she was now ready to talk about her hurt because the more
questions that were asked just reminded her why she needed to talk about her hurt and how she
used her hurt to her advantage.
Summary
The data that was collected from these interviews suggests that the role of community,
self-motivation and determination and mentorship influence academic success to be achieved by
students who come from highly stressful homes. The findings of this research are supported by
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 52
the literature which was reviewed in chapter 2. In chapter 2 there was research presented about
the role of mentorship, community, and their own motivation and determination playing a role in
the successful completion of school. Some of the participants described their highly stressful
home situations as normal and believed that all students were experiencing what they were
experiencing for much of their schooling. The normalization of these experiences stood out to
me because even in the challenging situations that they could not put a name to, their motivation
and determination enabled them to still prevail. Each participant in this study were able to point
to how at least one person within their schooling journey impacted them and helped them
overcome so it is imperative that current school officials serve as that resource for students who
may not have that kind of support at their homes.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 53
Chapter Five:
Discussion

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the different influences that contribute to the
academic success of students who attend college who are coming from highly stressful homes.
Students who are academically successful are defined as students who have already obtained a
bachelor’s degree or higher. Highly stressful homes in this study are defined as homes where
students grew up in a one parent home, no parent home, foster care, gang affiliated family, drug
and alcohol abuse home, and “potentially traumatic events that can have negative lasting effects
on health and well-being. This includes maltreatment and abuse as well as living in an
environment that is harmful to their development” (Boullier and Blair, 2018, p. 132). Students
who grow up in highly stressful homes often have a tougher path in obtaining a degree in higher
education because of the things that they had to encounter growing up. According to Dennis,
Phinney, and Chuateco (2005), “the functionality within a home, whether it is functional or
dysfunctional, can affect a student’s academic success in either positive or negative ways.” This
research suggests that the household that a student grows up in will impact the student’s
educational outcomes. My research question for this study is: What are the influences that
contribute to the academic success of students who identify as coming from highly stressful
homes? My intent was to identify the recurring themes that my research participants would
discuss as instrumental in how they were able to persevere to complete college degrees.
Analysis of Findings
In chapter four the results of the data collected was broken down into three primary
themes: community, mentorship from a teacher other school officials and the students’ self-
motivation and determination. In this section, the data collected was analyzed. Some participants
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 54
were able to share more openly than others, but all participants shared similar reasons that aided
to the success of them being able to successfully obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher. In review,
community was defined as something different for each participant, but each participant
suggested that their communities played a role in their academic success. Community is
something that was not only defined as the neighborhood that one may live in, but it was also the
people in which they have made relationship with, the reinvention of community which is
defined by Petey as “creating relationships, mentorship and environment that could aid one’s
success,” and even “bad community” is something that came up as an influence for one who
comes from a stressful home to be successful.
Community was instrumental in the success of students being able to obtain a degree if
they come from a highly stressful home. The role of community provides a certain level of
support for students who identify as coming from a highly stressful home because community
supplements what the student is lacking at home. Petey discussed how he reinvented his
community so that it could meet his academic goals since the support he was longing for in his
home was not being given to him. BiBi’s mentioned that her given family was not ideal for her
academic success so she was determined to build relationship with her church and different
organizations within her self-formed community that could support her and provide her with a
sense of safe haven from her home. Community seemed to be the main source of motivation to
successfully complete a degree.
Next, the role of mentorship from a teacher or another authority figure at the student’s
school played a tremendous role in the student being able to successfully complete school. In this
study, mentorship is defined by whether a student believes that there is someone on their campus
who believes in them and is willing to help them accomplish their goals it motivates them to
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 55
persevere in school even when they felt like quitting. The role of mentorship extended beyond
the student feeling like they can connect with someone at their school but in addition to the
connection they had to feel like that person who they were able to be vulnerable with was going
to help them get to the next in their journey. Simi stated that the role that her dance coach in high
school played was important and motivated her because her dance coach was the one person at
her school who knew what was happening at home and because of that her coach made sure that
she provided Simi with the necessary support to accomplish her goals.
Based on this study, the role of mentorship in the life of a student who comes from a
highly stressful home was necessary for the student to reach a confident level of self-motivation
and determination. A student can be self-motivated and determined but if they are lacking
support and mentorship from someone who is sincerely invested in them it will be hard for their
motivation and determination to take them as far as they want to. Something else that is
important to note in the evaluation of the data collected on mentorship is that all six participants
mentioned that their first-generation college student status made their need for mentorship to
successfully complete college even more instrumental because attending college was something
that no one in their family have never done and given their relationships with some of their
family members it would be hard to even gain their support on this journey.
Finally, the discussion of the role of self-motivation and determination supplied to the
achievement of the successful completion of a bachelor’s degree or higher. In this study, self-
motivation and determination was part of life for each participant; motivation and determination
was linked to something even greater than themselves. KeKe and BiBi mentioned that their self-
motivation and determination was driven by the birth of their children while they were in school.
JoJo mentions that his motivation and determination was driven by the fact that he was blessed to
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 56
see all of his older sisters attend college and successful complete master’s degrees and higher
and that aided to his motivation because he did not want to be the only one who did not conquer
their highly stressful home. Simi, Petey and NaeNae explained that their self-motivation and
determination was driven by their communities and the mentorship they received and how that
motivated them to succeed in school in spite of the stress they had to deal with at home.
Connection of findings to Theoretical Frameworks
This study was approached by an overall motivational framework but the primary
motivational framework that was used for the study was Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination
Theory (SDT). All of the participants in this study discussed the role of their self-determination
and motivation as it relates to them being able to successfully obtain a bachelor’s degree or
higher. SDT permits each participant to excel and accomplish the education goal despite not
having the necessary support and guidance from their family which is commonly needed for
many students to be successful in school. Participants discussed how their self-determination
drove them to persevere in their academics despite the high stress that they were under at home.
SDT states “Conditions supporting the individual’s experience of autonomy, competence,
and relatedness are argued to foster the most volitional and high quality forms of motivation and
engagement for activities, including enhanced performance, persistence, and creativity” (Ryan
and Deci, 2000, p.1). This further supports how the participants in this research study were able
to use the conditions of their highly stressful home as a motivation and determination mechanism
to successfully achieve a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Just because a student grew up in highly stressful conditions does not negate the fact that
the student possess some autonomy and can take what is a highly stressful situation and use it as
a driving force in their motivation. As the participants in this study discussed, they did not allow
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 57
their challenging situations to prohibit them from being successful. SDT enables students to take
control of the situation by doing whatever is necessary to be successful. As we saw in the
students who were interviewed, their motivation empowered them to seek the vital resources
such as mentors, community organizations and support within their schools so that they could
achieve their academic goals. Even though one may have the determination and motivation,
accomplishing something such as completing a bachelor’s degree or higher is something that in
most cases requires a great deal of support, so given the fact that the students were aware that
they could not get that support in their homes they were determined to seek that support from
other avenues. SDT also states that SDT, “ is concerned with these and other relationships, and
posits that some amount of such interactions is not only desirable for most people but is in fact
essential for their adjustment and well-being because the relationships provide satisfaction of the
need for relatedness” (Ryan and Dcei, 2000, p.4). This further elaborates on how the role of
support from other individuals is necessary for a person to excel and accomplish their goals and
this claim is confirmed in chapter 4 where students talk about the role of mentorship and support
from others.
Connection of Findings to Practice and Policy Implications and Recommendations
The main goal of this study was to find out the influences that contributed to the
academic success of students from highly stressful homes. The three recurring themes were the
importance of community, mentorship and self-motivation and determination in the aiding of the
success of the participants academic success. From personal experience I know that students who
come from populations such as the one that is the focus of this research are often forgotten on
campuses and expected to receive their support from the general support centers that are already
pre-existing on some campuses. “Achieving a healthy and nurturing climate for all students
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 58
requires counselors to lead the effort of the entire faculty towards a thoughtful and universal
philosophy about how students and others in the school are to be treated all day, every day”
(Tucker et. al, 2010, p.142). The pre-existing centers are great, but they do not necessarily
provide the exact resources that the research participants in this study identify as essential in the
aiding of their academic success.
Given that many of the students who identify as coming from a highly stressful home,
lack support at home, it is instrumental that they have that support at their school. When working
with this population of students is important that they are also empowered by mentors and other
school officials. This was easily seen in JoJo’s story. JoJo discussed in his interview that he was
already self-motivated to complete his first degree, but it was not until he became empowered by
his professor that he was able to truly complete his education goal. This professor met with JoJo
in and out of class and pushed him to achieve more than he was able to see himself
accomplishing. These connections should begin in the student’s freshman year at the university
so that they know during the duration of their time at the university that they have support there
and that it is not something that develops in their senior year after they have spent three years
struggling to stay motivated alone.
Future research should include the experiences of a more diverse pool of participants
including race, gender, age and sexual orientation because the experiences based on different
groups may also add different perspectives to the data collected in this study or similar studies.
Once data was collected I found that the conditions that were listed to identify a highly stressful
home were not the only conditions that the participants considered as stressful so it is important
that the researcher is open to altering or adding on to what is considered or not considered highly
stressful for your participant because what one person may consider as stressful may not be seen
Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 59
as stressful for another person. This became evident when discussing the conditions of a highly
stressful home with each student.
Final Analysis and Conclusion
Previous chapters of this study highlighted the limited research available on this
population of students. One of the goals of this study was to add to the body of literature on the
topic. There was also very limited research on this study using the theoretical frameworks of
motivation. During the data collection process, it was exciting to find the importance of
motivation in students from highly stressful home situations journey. It was interesting to see
how when all of the research participants discussed the role of self-motivation and determination
that their motivation and determination was linked to something further than just their self. For
example, for both of the women who became parents while in undergrad they linked their self-
motivation to their children. Self-motivation and determination was not only about the
participants succeeding for themselves, but it was for them to also change the trajectory of life
for the future generations that they would be responsible for molding.
The three themes (community, mentorship and self-determination and motivation) that
were recurring amongst all six participants are the key reasons that the participants believe they
were able to be successful, so it is crucial that educators nurture and encourage those
relationships amongst their students. The research participants in this study provided this
research with what they believed was key in their academic success despite them growing up in
highly stressful homes. It is important that future researchers and educational professionals
provide students from this special population with the necessary support to be successful at their
colleges.

Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 60
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Running head: SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS FROM STRESSFUL HOMES 64
Appendix A
Research Questions:
1. How did your self-motivation play a role in your academic success?
2. Are there any outside sources that contributed to your academic success?
3. What role if any does your community play in your academic success?
4. What role does a loss of self-efficacy and self-determination, if any, play in a student’s
academic success?

Theoretical Frameworks:
1. Pintrich’s Model of Motivation
2. Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model
3. Self-Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000)
4. Eccels and Wigfield’s Expectancy Value Theory of Achievement Motivation
Data instrument Questions:
1. What race do you identify as? What is your gender affiliation? What is your age?
2. Please describe your educational trajectory from Pre-K to the present.
3. Were there any teachers, counselors or any other officials in your schooling that helped
you stay motivated in school?
4. How does your parent’s educational trajectory impact your self-motivation in school?
5. How do you define motivation?
6. Has your own sense of motivation played a role in your academic success, if at all?
7. What motivation mechanisms did you use while completing your degree?
8. How was your motivation in higher education different than your motivation in primary
schooling?
9. What level of schooling have you completed?
10. Do you plan on getting any further degrees? If so, what?
11. Are there any outside sources that contributed to your academic success?
12. If so, what and who were they? And why?
13. What role, if any, does your community play in your academic success?
14. What role does self-determination, if any play in a student’s academic success?
15. How does your relationship with the people in your home play on your academic
success?
16. Why do you define your background as coming from a highly stressful home?
17. What are the stressors that contributed to your home being highly stressful?
18. How were you able to stay motivated in the midst of being in a highly stressful home?
19. Do you have any siblings who grew up in the same home as you? If so, did they attend
and complete college?
20. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This qualitative research study explores the influences that play a role in the success of academically successful college students who come from highly stressful homes. In this study, I explored how the family and home life plays a role on the academic success or lack thereof of college students. This study was conducted through a series of interviews administered to six students who self- identified as coming from highly stressful homes. This study draws on the results of the interviews to determine how these students still managed to be academically successful despite having grown up in a highly stressful home environment. Findings includes that the role of the students’ communities, mentorship from people at their schools and the students’ self-determination and motivation are the influences that allowed them to be academically successful students.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Smith, Saianna Monae' (author)

Core Title Academic success of students who come from highly stressful homes

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Master of Education

Degree Program Educational Counseling

Publication Date 12/06/2019

Defense Date 12/05/2019

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag academically successful,Determination,Homes,Motivation,OAI-PMH Harvest,stressful,support

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Tobey, Patricia (committee chair), Venegas, Kristan (committee chair), Lundeen, Rebecca (committee member), Zarate, Lizette (committee member)

Creator Email saiannas@usc.edu,saiannasmith@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-245957

Unique identifier UC11673838

Identifier etd-SmithSaian-8011.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-245957 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-SmithSaian-8011.pdf

Dmrecord 245957

Document Type Thesis

Rights Smith, Saianna Monae'

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA