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In their words: life stories of native born, African American women enrolled in an urban community college

dc.contributor.authorVasconcellos, Tina, author
dc.contributor.authorHarbour, Clifford P., advisor
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-13T20:28:03Z
dc.date.available2024-03-13T20:28:03Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.description.abstractThis narrative inquiry revealed the life stories of six native born, African American women enrolled in an urban community college. The researcher incorporates her story when describing how she selected her topic of inquiry and why it is important for practitioners and policy makers to hear the voices of African American women learners enrolled in community colleges. The ways of knowing literature (Belenky, et al. 1986; Goldberger, 1996) and literature about African American women learners served as a theoretical backdrop for this inquiry. The researcher employed a culturally sensitive research approach recommended by Tillman (2002) for studies involving African American participants. This method combines critical theory and feminist theory and places the participants' individual and shared cultural knowledge at the center of the inquiry from conception to final write up. An interpretive framework of persistence, transformation, and connection emerged inductively during analysis. The researcher used this framework to offer recommendations for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers. The researcher recommends establishing a professional development program for new faculty promoting connected learning as defined by her participants, developing a re-entry keystone program to support students in working through their issues about learning, implementing a peer mentor program between first and second year students to support continued personal growth in both groups, and increasing funding for research, programs, and services for students with disabilities. The researcher is aware that while her study highlighted life stories, struggles, and successes of African American women learners enrolled in a community college, further research in this area is warranted. The researcher recommends conducting additional qualitative studies to learn more about the experiences and life stories of African American women learners in the community college system. Also recommended are qualitative or mixed methods studies with first semester and last semester students to assess self esteem and personal growth of African American women learners. The researcher believes that this inquiry offers practitioners and policy makers an opportunity to listen to African American women's voices and their recommendations for a connecting learning environment.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierETDF_Vasconcellos_2008_3332735.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/238005
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.rights.licensePer the terms of a contractual agreement, all use of this item is limited to the non-commercial use of Colorado State University and its authorized users.
dc.subjectAfrican American women
dc.subjectAfrican-American
dc.subjectcommunity college
dc.subjecturban education
dc.subjectways of knowing
dc.subjectwomen learners
dc.subjectwomen students
dc.subjectcommunity college education
dc.subjectblack studies
dc.subjectwomen's studies
dc.subjectAfrican Americans
dc.subjectAfrican-American studies
dc.titleIn their words: life stories of native born, African American women enrolled in an urban community college
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEducation
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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