Resilience in Action: Enhancing Continuation and Trust for Black Students Using the Community Cultural Wealth Model

Description

Black students studying at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in the UK continue to face structural and cultural barriers that hinder their academic progress, sense of belonging, and continuation (Arday, 2021; Miller, 2020). These challenges are particularly pronounced at post-1992 universities, where student populations are often more diverse, yet systemic inequities persist (Seuwou et al, 2025). This paper explores how the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) Model (Yosso, 2005) can be applied to foster trust, resilience, and academic success among Black students in higher education.

The research was conducted at a single post-1992 university in England and employed a narrative case study approach. Using Narrative Inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), semi-structured interviews were carried out with 14 Black undergraduate students across a range of disciplines. Participants shared their lived experiences of navigating academic life within a PWI context, including accounts of racial microaggressions, lack of representation, and limited culturally affirming spaces.

Findings show that students who actively drew on their community cultural wealth such as aspirational, familial, and resistant capital were better able to develop resilience and maintain motivation. The presence of racially literate staff, inclusive curriculum content, and culturally responsive support structures significantly enhanced students’ sense of belonging and trust in the institution (Rollock, 2019). However, where these supports were lacking, students often described feelings of isolation and disengagement.

This study contributes to the growing literature calling for an equity-based shift in learning and teaching practices. It argues for embedding the CCW framework in academic policy and curriculum design to move beyond deficit-based models and towards the active recognition of students' cultural assets. The paper offers practical, evidence-informed strategies for academic staff, student support teams, and institutional leaders committed to improving Black student continuation, resilience, and success within higher education.

Period	16 Jun 2025 → 17 Jun 2025
Event title	Learning and Teaching Conference 2025
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	Local