Pathways to Success: A Systematic Review of Pre-college Programs for Foster Youth

IF 1.4 4区医学 Q2 SOCIAL WORK

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Pub Date : 2025-05-25 DOI:10.1007/s10560-025-01024-y

Terrell T. Richardson, Krystal Dozier, M. Sebrena Jackson

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Abstract

While postsecondary educational outcomes and college support for youth in foster care have been the subject of systematic reviews, there are no systematic reviews that examine the outcomes of participating in pre-college programs tailored specifically for youth with lived experience in foster care. This review addresses this significant gap by examining peer-reviewed studies published until 2023 and relevant grey literature. Following the PRISMA methodology, we identified six peer-reviewed articles and six grey literature reports that met inclusion criteria. Results show pre-college programs vary in duration, from one-day events to two-year events and are primarily held on college campuses with many employing former youth in foster care as mentors. Findings suggest these programs enhance college preparedness, attendance, and retention while increasing self-efficacy. Despite these positive short-term outcomes, long-term degree attainment remains challenging. To improve college access for youth in foster care, there is a need to conduct further methodologically rigorous research of pre-college programs across diverse higher education institutions.

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成功之路：寄养青少年大学预科项目的系统回顾

虽然高等教育成果和大学对寄养青年的支持一直是系统评估的主题，但没有系统评估专门为有寄养生活经历的青年量身定制的大学预科项目的参与结果。本综述通过审查2023年之前发表的同行评议研究和相关灰色文献，解决了这一重大差距。按照PRISMA方法，我们确定了六篇同行评议的文章和六篇符合纳入标准的灰色文献报告。结果显示，大学预科项目的持续时间各不相同，从一天的活动到两年的活动，主要在大学校园举行，许多人聘请前寄养青年作为导师。研究结果表明，这些项目提高了大学准备、出勤率和保留率，同时提高了自我效能感。尽管有这些积极的短期成果，但获得长期学位仍然具有挑战性。为了提高寄养青年的大学入学机会，有必要对不同高等教育机构的大学预科项目进行进一步的方法上的严格研究。

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来源期刊

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal SOCIAL WORK-

CiteScore

3.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal (CASW) features original articles that focus on social work practice with children, adolescents, and their families. Topics include issues affecting a variety of specific populations in special settings. CASW welcomes a range of scholarly contributions focused on children and adolescents, including theoretical papers, narrative case studies, historical analyses, traditional reviews of the literature, descriptive studies, single-system research designs, correlational investigations, methodological works, pre-experimental, quasi-experimental and experimental evaluations, meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Manuscripts involving qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods are welcome to be submitted, as are papers grounded in one or more theoretical orientations, or those that are not based on any formal theory. CASW values different disciplines and interdisciplinary work that informs social work practice and policy. Authors from public health, nursing, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines are encouraged to submit manuscripts. All manuscripts should include specific implications for social work policy and practice with children and adolescents. Appropriate fields of practice include interpersonal practice, small groups, families, organizations, communities, policy practice, nationally-oriented work, and international studies. Authors considering publication in CASW should review the following editorial: Schelbe, L., & Thyer, B. A. (2019). Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Editorial Policy: Guidelines for Authors. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36, 75-80.