Much of the literature regarding Black students at predominantly White institutions (PWI) focuses on these students' academic difficulty, while there is far less attention paid to the performance of higher achieving Black students (Fries-Britt, 1998; Fries-Britt & Griffin, 2007). Therefore, this study explored the lived experiences of high-achieving Black female students, focusing particularly on the experiences which contribute to their success at a PWI. The qualitative phenomenological research design was used to highlight emergent themes revealed during the study. Eight purposely selected students participated in one-on-one semi structured interviews and a Sister Circle group process. The participants' stories were highlighted both independently and collectively, reflecting a wide range of sentiments. During the data analysis process, there were six themes that emerged from the data which highlighted the experiences which contributed to the students' success at a PWI. Those themes included: 1) Support, 2) Processing Situations, 3) Defining Success, 4) Involvement, 5) Motivation, and 6) Background. The emergent themes provided strategies and recommendations for Black female students, higher education practitioners, and institutions. These recommendations included areas regarding programming, retention and recruitment strategies, resource creation, and relationship building. Additionally, implications were made for future research initiatives. The data, coupled with the researcher's reflections served as the basis for the implications and recommendations for this study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-6530 |
| Date | 01 January 2017 |
| Creators | Watkins, Whitney |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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