Exploring the intergenerational schooling experiences and attitudes toward schooling among street-identified Black American girls and women through a critical race feminist lens: an explanatory sequential mixed methods study
| Author(s) | McCallops, Kathleen | |
| Date Accessioned | 2023-02-10T13:15:25Z | |
| Date Available | 2023-02-10T13:15:25Z | |
| Publication Date | 2022 | |
| SWORD Update | 2022-09-21T16:08:24Z | |
| Abstract | The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the intergenerational lived schooling experiences and self-reported attitudes toward schooling among street-identified Black American girls and women in Wilmington, Delaware. This study was informed by Critical Race Feminism (CRF) and the Sites of Resilience Theory’s (SOR) framing of resilience and employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design using secondary data from the Street Participatory Action Research (PAR) Health Project. A sequential approach allowed for the examination of self-reported attitudes toward schooling and lived schooling experiences in separate methodological phases. Then, the findings from each phase were combined to understand how the lived schooling experiences of street-identified Black American girls and women helped explain their attitudes towards schooling. There were two primary rationales for implementing a mixed methods design which included: (1) expansion and (2) social justice. ☐ The first phase, a quantitative phase, included analyzing self-reported attitudes toward schooling mean scores across four age cohorts of street-identified Black American girls and women (N = 276). The primary measure used was the Attitudes Toward Education scale, and from which three subscales were developed and three critical items were identified using the theoretical frameworks and foundations of Street PAR. Data were analyzed by conducting a series of one-way analysis of variance tests. The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in mean scores on the subscales and critical items across age cohorts. ☐ The second phase, a qualitative phase, involved analyzing interviews with two age cohorts of street-identified Black American girls and women about their lived schooling experiences in their own voices (N = 20). Directed content analysis was used to center principles of CRF and SOR’s framing of resilience during the coding and theme development process. Themes from the 25-34 year old age cohort included (1) Violence in School, (2) Teachers and School Officials, and (3) Home and Family Life. Themes from the 45-54 year old age cohort included (1) Violence in School, (2) Teachers and School Officials, and (3) Desegregated Schooling. The similarities and differences across age cohorts were examined to highlight differences in their schooling trajectories and to describe areas of similarity and nuances within those similarities. ☐ There was sufficient quantitative and qualitative data for two of the subscales and two of the critical items which suggested mixed methods integration was possible. Findings for two of the subscales demonstrated that the quantitative and qualitative findings were consistent with one another indicating an intergenerational trend that street-identified Black American girls and women experienced similar types of schooling conditions and interactions with teachers for generations. Findings from one of the critical items demonstrated complementary findings suggesting that street-identified Black American girls and women were attending schools in environments for generations where they witnessed fighting in high school and where they fought to protect themselves or a family member and as a form of resilience. Furthermore, findings from another critical item suggested complementary findings in that street-identified Black American girls and women cared about their grades in high school and that the women in the 25-34 year old age cohort also expressed that they cared about and valued furthering their education. ☐ The findings from this study have implications for future research that centers street-identified Black American girls and women in this process. Implications and recommendations related to research, practice, and policy include the need to better prepare pre-service teachers to educate and support Black girls and to create an awareness and understanding of the systems and structures that create and perpetuate inequitable conditions for Black families among human service providers. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of understanding family dynamics in schools and the impact of intergenerational schooling experiences on intergenerational wealth, mobility, health, and well-being. This study also has implications for social justice and action through partnerships in the Wilmington community to advocate for educational policies and practices to support street-identified Black American girls and women. | |
| Advisor | Avilés, Ann M. | |
| Degree | Ph.D. | |
| Department | University of Delaware, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.58088/qhq4-hc20 | |
| Unique Identifier | 1369573671 | |
| URL | https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/32262 | |
| Language | en | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | |
| URI | https://login.udel.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/exploring-intergenerational-schooling-experiences/docview/2728417388/se-2?accountid=10457 | |
| Keywords | Black American girls and women | |
| Keywords | Critical race feminism | |
| Keywords | Intergenerational | |
| Keywords | Mixed methods research | |
| Keywords | Schooling | |
| Title | Exploring the intergenerational schooling experiences and attitudes toward schooling among street-identified Black American girls and women through a critical race feminist lens: an explanatory sequential mixed methods study | |
| Type | Thesis |