"Going into battle": African American students' perceived family influence coping with marginalized classroom experiences at a predominantly white institution: a qualitative study
Date
2016
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
African American/Black students face unique challenges at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI’s). These added stressors, based on racial and cultural differences, have been shown to intensify the difficulty of college adjustment and successful degree completion. The historical kinship and collective supportive nature of African American families have been shown to aid in buffering the negative racial encounters students may face from professors and students in the college classroom. ☐ The purpose of this qualitative investigation is to explore the voices and lived experiences of African American/Black students and their perceived levels of college classroom inclusion at a PWI, as well as the students’ perspectives of how their family values impact their identity as a student and their decisions to cope with marginalized classroom experiences with professors and peers. This research study utilized a qualitative phenomenological methodology. The data were analyzed using the modified form of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen (SCK) method originally created by Mousakas (1994) and later modified by Creswell (2007). ☐ The results explain how family support and values both buffer students’ negative encounters and also influence their decisions in how to respond to these racially charged classroom experiences. The following four themes emerged to support the claims: (1) Family Values Provide Tools to Succeed at a PWI; (2) Family Values Increase Sense of Racial Difference in the Classroom; (3) Lack of Classroom Inclusivity Interferes with Education Quality; and (4) Family Eases the Discomfort. The meaning of these themes is discussed in relationship to how PWI’s could better understand and serve this population.