ElmCore Journal of Educational Psychology October, 2014 | Page 14

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Kenyan Immigrant Student in the United States: Why Some Succeed. A Generic Qualitative Inquiry
Edwin Nyamwaya Mogaka, Ph.D, Fortis College, Scranton , PA
Abstract
Kenyan immigrant student in the United States face a lot of challenges. Despite these challenges, some of these
students succeed academically. They get to enroll in some of the best institutions in the United. Their graduation rate is
among the highest in the immigrant student population in the United States. This study investigated the challenges
these students face and the coping strategies they use to help them to succeed
.

Background of the Problem
A large number of immigrant students attend
American universities and this number seems likely to
continue growing. This growth will certainly have
some effect (either positive or negative) on the current
educational system as it is which therefore calls for
attention from the educators, policy makers, parents
and other relevant parties. The experiences and
challenges they face may have some effects on their
educational outcomes and their likely career ventures
or aspirations while living in the United States
(Sherrod, Haggerty, & Featherman, 1993).
Research on new immigrants has often
focused on the general groups like Asian or African,
without paying attention to the specific segments
within these heterogeneous groups. In recent years,
research focusing on the academic outcomes of
students from Asia and Latin America has increased
substantially, whereas international students from
Africa have been understudied (Qin-Hillard,
Feinauer, & Quiroz, 2001). Of interest to this
researcher were the Kenyan immigrant students
because of the limited research available to explain
their success in education in American colleges
despite many challenges that immigrant students
face. This study has helped identify factors that have
contributed to the success of the Kenyan immigrant
students in the United States.
While the number of immigrants from subSahara Africa nearly tripled in the 1990s, the number
of Afro-Caribbean immigrants increased by more
than 60% (Logan & Deane, 2003). Logan and Deane
also noted that nearly 25% of the growth of the
people of African descent in the United States in the
1990s was the result of immigration from Africa and
the Caribbean.
Despite this increase, research on
educational outcomes of students of African origin
remains scanty (Massey, Mooney, Torres & Charles,
2007). Immigrant students face a variety of
challenges when they move from their countries to
ElmCore® Journal of Educational Psychology

attend college in the United States. These challenges
range from extreme environmental conditions and
climate changes to a new educational system and a
culture that is foreign to them (Fuligni & Witkow,
2004; Rumbaut, 1994; Zhou, 1997). Other factors
like immigration status, social class or status, race,
and language barriers may compound the challenges
faced by immigrant students in the United States. For
example, racial prejudice that may be directed
towards them may negatively impact the educational
outcomes and aspirations of African students. Rong
& Brown (2002) say that, race, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic status are some of the challenges and
hurdles international students attending college in the
United States face. Discrimination, lower
expectations, and lack of guidance and counseling to
help encourage them to pursue their academic goals
are some of the problems an immigrant students of
African descent are likely to face (Hirschman,
2001).These immigrant students attend both private
and public colleges and their presence in these
institutions cannot be ignored (Suarez-Orozco, 2001).
This study sought to understand the
cognitive factors among Kenyan immigrant students
that help to them succeed despite the challenges they
face. Thus, this study makes a scientific contribution
to the field of psychology and educational
psychology. The research examines how Kenyan
students learn, how they overcome social and cultural
hurdles, and how these efforts contribute to their
performance in college.

Purpose and Significance of the Study
The purpose of this study is to identify the
challenges that Kenyan immigrant students face and
it examines the reasons why, despite the odds stack
against them most Kenyan immigrant students have
been highly successful. Issues that were found to be
important to students have been stressed and
emphasized, especially those that have had
implications on the overall education delivery and its
quality thereof.
Vol: 1 2014