What keeps Black students thriving? : the roles of faculty support and peer interaction in academic achievement and persistence among African American students attending a diverse institution of higher education with low Black student enrollment

African American students are one of the lowest academically performing ethnicities in the United States. This disparity is caused by many factors, including lack of social support. Previous research has found the support of family members, teachers, and peers to play a vital role in the support of African American grade school students. However, few studies have examined the support of faculty and the influence that peers have on the achievements of Black college students. What is more, the majority of studies that have investigated this relationship have been conducted at Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU) or Predominantly White Universities (PWU), which are not inclusive of the diverse institutions in America making up the majority of colleges/universities. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations between faculty support and peer interactions and academic achievement of African American students attending a diverse institution with low Black student enrollment. Data were collected in two phases, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. First, 43 self-identified African American students completed a questionnaire that explored the relationship between faculty, classmate, close friend support, and GPA as the criterion for academic achievement. The only correlation found to be statistically significant was the relationship between students' perceptions of classmate support and the frequency of support being offered. However, limitations were found that distorted the data, such as the small sample size and the restricted range of the variables. Second, four students participated in a focus group session which extended the questionnaire, examined personal experiences, and gave specific insight into the social support factors effecting academic achievement. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Three themes of support emerged in the focus group discussion on faculty support (accessibility of professors, role modeling, and teaching styles) and two themes emerged from focus group discussion on peer support (positive influence on achievement and negative influence on achievement).