A Narrative Analysis of the Lived Experiences of Nontraditional Black Female Students Who Attend an Historically Black College or University
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Authors
McBride, Meghan Rose
Issue Date
2018-07
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Dissertations, Academic--United States , Nontraditional college students , African American universities and colleges , African American women college students , Discourse analysis, Narrative , Returned students
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study employed narrative analysis within the theoretical frameworks of critical race feminism (CRF) and Black feminist thought (BFT) to explore the lived experiences of six Black female nontraditional students at an Historically Black University (HBCU). Data collected in this study came primarily from interviews with the participants but included observations and document analysis as well. Using connecting and categorizing strategies to organize the data into a priori and inductively generated themes resulted in a collective narrative that told the story of six Black reentry women.
The presentation of data maintained the fidelity of the guiding theoretical frameworks by privileging the women’s voices and allowing the stories of their lived experiences to serve as counter-narratives that resist persistent negative stereotypes of Black women in America. Findings from this study indicate that the Black reentry women who participated are committed to their education and determined to graduate but have had to navigate innumerable personal and institutional barriers to be successful in college.
These women are most comfortable when in the classroom with others like them and indicate a lack of campus life programs in which they fit. Because the women are eager to enter their chosen career field, they appreciate rigor in curriculum and instruction, but believe the institution lacks the systems to appropriately support that rigor. Finally, the women have high expectations for immediacy and professionalism, but feel that the institution has overwhelmingly underdelivered. The implications for the institution are grim. When students leave the school with a lack of value in the institution, they are less likely to recruit others to the school or provide financial support as alumni. Several recommendations are provided to remedy these situations.
Description
Citation
McBride, Meghan Rose. "A Narrative Analysis of the Lived Experiences of Nontraditional Black Female Students Who Attend an Historically Black College or University." Ed.D. diss., Valdosta State University, 2018. https://hdl.handle.net/10428/3714.
Publisher
License
This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.