Date of Award

11-28-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Jim Vander-Putten

Abstract

Statistics show an increase in college enrollment of African American women, despite the formal and informal barriers that persist (Roach, 2001, Altbach, Lomotey, & Rivers, 2002, Thomas & Jackson, 2007). Fewer studies focus particularly on African American women as do those of Collins (2000), Howard-Hamilton (2004), and Winkle-Wagner (2008, 2009). Despite their increase in enrollment, African American women in college face many informal barriers that are constructed according to race, gender and class (Howard-Hamilton, 2003, Winkle-Wagner, 2009). These informal barriers should be examined to understand how they impact socialization and identity development of high achieving African American women in higher education. This study explored 16 African American women’s perceptions of the impact of socialization and identity development on their experiences at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) or a Metropolitan Institution (MI). The qualitative phenomenology sought to identify how students are socialized, and how student background variables and institutional culture shaped their identity. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Weidman’s (1989) Model of Undergraduate Socialization and Winkle-Wagner’s (2009) Unchosen Me Model. The framework outlined various dimensions and variables that influence persistence, undergraduate socialization, and identity development. The study also used the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) to assess the dimensions of racial identity for the participants (centrality, private and public regard, assimilation, humanist, minority and nationalist). The findings include emerging themes, implications for stakeholders, and recommendations for future research.

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