Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / While much has been written about the work of school counselors in urban
schools, there remains a void of information about the unique experiences of Black
female school counselors, particularly in relation to their work with Black adolescent
girls in the urban middle school space. This qualitative study seeks to illuminate these
experiences via the contributions of four Black female school counselors who have
worked in this capacity serving Black girls. Three points of inquiry or Research
Questions served as guideposts for this study: (1) What are the personal and professional
experiences of Black female school counselors in their work with Black adolescent girls
in urban middle schools?, (2) What are Black female school counselors’ perspectives on
the ways in which they are supported or not supported in working with Black adolescent
girls? and, (3) In what ways (if any) does the concept of “mothering” show up in the
relationships and counseling practices involving Black female school counselors and
Black adolescent girls in urban middle schools?
Thus far, it appears that Black women’s voices and perspectives have been
devalued and ignored in research relating to school counseling. To adequately represent
the perspectives and experiences of Black women as a marginalized group, I employed a
critical hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, along with a Black feminist
framework. I engaged the participants in two semi-structured interviews, along with
asking them to construct a reflective vision board, serving as a mosaic of their lifeworlds
as school counselors working with Black adolescent girls. These actions, along with a
review of literature on the schooling experiences of Black adolescent girls in urban
schools enabled me to acquire data leading to seven overarching themes relating to the
following: relationships and connections based on culture and conversation, the need for
support from decision-makers on programming, the physical and emotional investment in
the work, mentoring, and the marginalization of Black women in school spaces. Lastly, I
present conclusions and implications for school systems, school administrators, and
professional school counselor organizations to aid in establishing effective practices in
serving Black female students and enhancing the overall school counseling profession.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:IUPUI/oai:scholarworks.iupui.edu:1805/26476 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Hicks, Sonya June |
| Contributors | Jackson, Tambra, Thompson, Chalmer, Blackmon, Sha'Kema, Morton, Crystal |
| Source Sets | Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
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