Invisible woman : a case study on black women's experiences in graduate degree programs in central Kentucky.

Black women;Higher education;Intersectionality;Graduate school;Race;Gender

Ciara Nicole Pierce

University:University of Louisville

Department:Pan-African Studies

关键词: Black women;    Higher education;    Intersectionality;    Graduate school;    Race;    Gender;   

Others  :  https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2137&context=etd

美国|英语

来源: The Universite of Louisville's Institutional Repository

【 摘 要 】

Using black feminist perspective and standpoint this study explored factors that affect black women's matriculation and retention in graduate degree programs by examining how experiences and opportunities connected to race, class, and gender inform their decision to pursue and persist through graduate education. Specifically the study sought to investigate how the outlined factors affect the decision to pursue and matriculate through a graduate degree program. Those factors include: (1) educational preparedness, aspirations, and attitudes; (2) economic opportunities and restraints; (3) family obligations and expectations; (4) networks and mentoring; (5) and perceptions of usefulness. Data was collected by way of qualitative interviews with ten black women graduate students studying in various disciplines at two universities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Findings revealed that information from the qualitative interviews was congruent with the literature that focused specifically on black women. Race, faculty mentoring relationships, and personal expectations had the most significant impact on the participants' experiences in their respective graduate programs.