Examining the Value of Social Capital and Social Support for Black Student-Athletes’ Academic Success

Success Through Community Cultural Wealth: Reflections From Black Female College Athletes at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and a Historically White Institution (HWI)

“…Family Expectations and Support. Consistent with previous literature (Carter, 2008;Carter-Francique & Hart, 2010;Carter-Francique, Hart, & Cheeks, 2015;, familial support was among the most salient themes in terms of impactful personal influences on participants' achievement outcomes in college. Angela, a sophomore Business Marketing major and swimmer at the HBCU, described how her parents' expectations and involvement influenced her academic motivation and achievement:…”

“…Related to culturally relevant and responsive supports, several researchers have incorporated critical race theory (CRT), community cultural wealth (CCW; discussed in greater detail in the subsequent section), and social capital theories to explore how Black college athletes overcome challenges at HWIs (Bimper, 2015(Bimper, , 2016Carter & Hart, 2010;Carter-Francique, Hart, & Cheeks, 2015;Carter-Francique, Hart, & Steward, 2013). For example, Carter-Francique, Hart, and Cheeks (2015) used the social capital aspect of CCW to highlight how Black college athletes at a HWI relied on their parents and extended family members to provide support they were lacking at their institution (e.g., appraisal, emotional, and instrumental). Bimper (2016) applied social capital theory and CRT to examine various benefits associated with being involved in culturally relevant programs designed to enhance Black college athletes' network within and across cultural groups.…”

Is excellence inclusive? The benefits of fostering Black female college athlete's sense of belonging

“…The respective definition surmises that the sense of belonging is a psychological concept and a building block that attends to basic human needs (see Maslow's [1943] Hierarchy of Needs). Therefore, recognizing the felt marginalization of Black female college athletes along with their social support needs (Carter-Francique, Hart, & Cheeks, 2015;Carter-Francique, Hart, & Steward, 2013) and fostering a sense of belonging may also prove beneficial to their overall development and well-being at HWIHE.…”

<em>Black Student Leaders Practicing Resistance in the Midst of Chaos: Applying Transgenerational Activist Knowledge to Navigate a Predominantly White Institution</em>

“…Black students' experiences at PWIs are replete with examples of how family support influenced success and current research explains why off campus family support contributes to the building of social, communal, and cultural capital in ways that positively influence academic outcomes (Carter-Francique, Hart, & Cheeks, 2015;Dennis, Phinney & Chuateco, 2005;Garriott et al, 2014;Goings, 2016;Johnson & Lane, 2016). This research is built on the previous work of Clark (1983), Bowman and Howard (1985), Dressier (1987), Kiah (1992), McAdoo (1993), and Herndon and Hirt (2004) that explained the relevance of family to the holistic development of Black students.…”