Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2757
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Item To Be in the Middle: A Collective Case Study Exploring Neoliberalism, Learning Analytics, and Middle Management in Academic Research Libraries(2024) Gammons, Rachel Wilder; Espino, Michelle; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation explores the intersections of neoliberalism, learning analytics, and middle management within academic libraries. Utilizing a qualitative collective case study methodology, it examines how nine women-identified academic librarian middle managers at U.S. public research institutions interpreted and responded to the integration of library metrics with learning analytics. The study addresses the interplay between professional values, gender identity, and faculty status, revealing five core assertions drawn from the experience of participants: the pervasive sense of “middle-ness” in organizational hierarchies, psychosocial tensions of dual roles as administrators and practitioners, systemic setup for failure within the system, personal sacrifices required to maintain professional standards, and the high costs of resisting neoliberal directives. By positioning learning analytics as a manifestation of neoliberal ideology, this research provides critical insights into the impact of market-driven policies on academic librarianship, emphasizing the need for ethical considerations and a balanced approach to integrating learning analytics while preserving traditional library values. The findings have significant implications for library policy, practice, and future research, highlighting the importance of ethical leadership amidst evolving market dynamics.Item A CRITICAL FEMINIST METHODOLOGY OF UNDERGRADUATE BLACK WOMXN AT HWIs & HOW THEY DEFINED, CREATED, AND SUSTAINED COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT DURING BLM, COVID-19, AND VIRTUAL LEARNING(2023) Greene, Patrice; Kelly, Dr. Bridget Turner; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The simultaneous impact of COVID-19, BLM racial uprisings, and virtual learning caused a societal shift as a global pandemic, global protests, and widespread campus closures placed the world in unprecedented times. Though these societal events had a profound global impact, how undergraduate Black womxn experienced and navigated these times is understudied throughout literature. This study explored how undergraduate Black womxn at historically white institutions (HWIs) defined, created and sustained community and support during the societal context of Black Lives Matter (BLM), COVID-19, and virtual learning. Utilizing Black Feminist Thought and critical feminist methodology, eight collaborators shared their experiences through individual interviews, artifact reviews, and a focus group. The study focused on two guiding questions: 1.) How are undergraduate Black womxn at historically white institutions defining community and support in the context of COVID-19, BLM, and virtual learning? And 2.) How have undergraduate Black womxn at historically white institutions supported and built community with one another during COVID-19, BLM, and virtual learning? The findings revealed these emergent themes: (1) Defining and (Re)Defining Community and Support, (2): Navigating COVID-19, BLM, and Virtual Learning: Emotional Processing, (3): Seeking and/or Continuing Inclusive Curricular Co-Curricular Experiences, (4) BLM & The Pandemic: An Opportunity for Understanding Within and Across the Diaspora, and (5): The Role of Social Media and Technology in Creating and Sustaining Community and Support. The findings illuminate how Black womxn undergraduate students ascribe meaning to community and support and how they traversed the emotional impact of the societal shift.Item EXPLORING BLACK WOMEN’S HESA DOCTORAL EXPERIENCES AT HWIS: AN ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT USING CRITICAL NARRATIVE INQUIRY(2023) Clarke, Ashley Hixson; Kelly, Dr. Bridget T.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore Black women’s experiences in higher education and student affairs (HESA) doctoral programs at historically white institutions (HWIs). More specifically, this study explored how Black women connected their HESA doctoral experiences with their social media engagement. Limited literature has captured Black women doctoral students’ experiences in the academy broadly, and there exists even less for Black doctoral students in HESA. Nascent research highlighted Black women’s colleges experiences, undergraduate and graduate students (master and doctoral), with strategies for navigating HWIs. One strategy for navigating HWIs is through community building with other Black women. Through digital technology, such as social media, community building has a wide reach to connect with other women, and other Black women college students. As such, social media was explored to understand how Black women college students connected their education to social media engagement. Employing digital Black feminism as the theoretical framework, this study contributed new knowledge for understanding how Black women connected their HESA doctoral experiences and social media engagement. This study complicated notions of agency and authenticity in Black women’s HESA doctoral programs and their social media engagement. Additionally, this study highlighted the complexities in how Black women doctoral students are socialized in the academy, specifically in HESA graduate programs at HWIs. Using critical narrative inquiry, eight Black women HESA doctoral students engaged alongside the primary researcher for an individual interview and a collective co-analysis. The interviews were guided by a co-constructive protocol where the co-researchers provided their input on topics to discuss individually. The co-researchers also met for a 1-hour co-analysis process as a collective group to share their insights on the findings. The findings revealed the following themes and subthemes: (a) Censorship at the HWI, followed by the subthemes of Researcher Socialization in the Academy and Reconciliation with HWIs; (b) Censorship on Social Media, followed by the subtheme of Scholar Tensions on Social Media; and (c) Presence of Doctoral Experiences when Engaging on Social Media. The findings illuminated how Black women doctoral students named their socialization process in their HESA doctoral program, how they navigated multiple spaces, and the advantageous ways they used social media as HESA doctoral students.Item An Explanatory Case Study: Exploring How Implementing Change Efforts Influences Community College Administrators' Understanding of Racial Equity(2023) Newsome, Antoinette; Griffin, Dr. Kimberly A.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)While there is an increase in racial and ethnic diversity on college campuses, the rate of degree completion remains uneven and disproportionate to the population (Aud et al., 2012; Williams, 2013). For Black and Latinx students at both two- and four-year institutions, degree completion issues remain persistent and have widened over time (Taylor et al., 2020). Scholars have explored how institutions are trying to achieve racial equity on college campuses (Dowd, 2007; Harris III & Bensimon, 2007; McNair et al., 2020; Witham et al., 2015), particularly focusing on equity-minded policies and practices that are enacted through formalized processes led by external initiatives (e.g., AAC&U’s Committing to Equity Project, CUE Equity Scorecard) and the impact of state and federal regulations to promote racial equity at the community college level (Felix, 2021). While researchers have documented the impact of these interventions, there is limited examination of internal, self-directed types of institutional equity initiatives, especially in the community college context. Using an explanatory case study methodology, this study examined a self-directed racial equity change effort at a community college in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The study used interviews, participant-observations, and document analysis grounded in Shared Equity Leadership and equity-mindedness as the guiding frameworks of the study. My study addressed the following research questions: (1) How, if at all, do individuals engaged in an organizational change process at their institution evolve in their understanding of racial equity over time?; (1a) What experiences, opportunities, and relationships influenced how they define and understand racial equity?; (2) How, if at all, do their roles influence how individuals think about and engage in the process of implementing racial equity-based change? My study revealed the evolution of racial equity understanding for five community college administrators that engaged in a racial equity change process. The findings highlighted significant experiences, opportunities, and relationships that were central to their growth and development. Their role on campus and on racial equity workgroups and teams also influenced the way participants thought about and engaged in implementing racial equity-based change. Overall, the study found that identity is key in shaping how people engage in the implementation process, personal identity may influence individual level understanding, division may shape what is a priority and tactics leveraged to support racial equity efforts, and level of leadership (on and off the team) informs whether you can hold people accountable and how you do so.Item NETWORKS THAT MATTER: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PEER NETWORKS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL CHOICE AMONG STUDENTS OF COLOR IN A MCNAIR PROGRAM(2023) Breen, Stephanie M; Griffin, Kimberly A.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Efforts to broaden participation and access in graduate education have proliferated in recent decades, with federally funded interventions established to increase the number of historically marginalized students in graduate education (Council of Graduate Schools, 2008). The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, a notable intervention, prepares high-achieving students from low-income, first-generation, and racially minoritized backgrounds to pursue doctoral degrees through scholarly activities, research, and advising (Council of Graduate Schools, 2008; McNair Scholars Program, 2020). Although access to graduate education has traditionally focused on equipping students through the necessary tools and resources, limited consideration has been given to the potential impact of peer networks established within these programs in the advancement of Students of Color towards graduate education.Using an exploratory single-site case study methodology, this study examined a twofold phenomena: the factors influencing the graduate school choices of Students of Color in a McNair Scholars Program, and the impact of peer networks within the program on their decision-making processes. By conducting interviews with 14 program alumni and 3 staff, observing program events, and analyzing program artifacts, this study aimed to address three central research questions: (1) How do Students of Color who have participated in a McNair Program describe their graduate school choice process? (2) How, if at all, do students’ McNair Program peers influence the ways students engage in the graduate school choice process? (3) How do McNair Programs facilitate or inhibit the influence that peer relationships play in the graduate school choice processes of Students of Color? Key findings of the study underscored the relational elements and factors that influenced the graduate school choice process of Students of Color. Furthermore, the findings revealed that peer networks established within the McNair Program provided Students of Color with social capital that aided in their navigation of the graduate school choice process. Students of Color received support, encouragement, validation, and knowledge from their peers, including cohortmates, older peers, and alumni, to make informed decisions about their futures. Moreover, the McNair Program that served as the site for this case study intentionally fostered an environment that nurtured these meaningful peer relationships. The study results yield transferable and practical insights to the field of higher education as well as future avenues for research on Students of Color as they explore their post-baccalaureate options.Item LOOKING THROUGH THEIR EYES: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY OF ASIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF RACE, RACIALIZATION, RACISM, AND NEO-RACISM AT A HISTORICALLY WHITE INSTITUTION IN THE UNITED STATES(2023) Zheng, Jia; Park, Julie; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The COVID-19 global pandemic has surfaced glaring racial disparities and multiple epidemics. The exacerbated anti-Asian racism and the reemergence of “yellow peril” and “perpetual foreigner” stereotypes has resulted in many Asian international students’ increased awareness of race and racism. However, for far too long, international student research has extensively focused on acculturation related needs and related stressors whereas their perceptions and experiences related to race, racialization, racism, and neo-racism remain understudied in the field of higher education. Despite the growing body of literature on Asian international students and race, little research has disaggregated data and focused on how ethnic subgroups of Asian international students—East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast international students—perceive and describe their experiences of race, racialization, racism, and neo-racism. Particularly lacking is research on South Asian and Southeast Asian international students’ perceptions and experiences. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research that examined how Asian international students’ perceptions and experiences may change over the course of their time in the United States. This study utilizes a multiple case study methodology and borrows tools from ethnographic methods, which is grounded in EYES theory and neo-racism, to explore and understand Asian international students’ perceptions and experiences of race, racialization, racism, and neo-racism at a large, public, Research-1, land-grant, and flagship Historically White Institution (“Global University”) in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. Through participant observation and two-rounds of individual interviews, I compared and contrasted three cases of East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian international students’ perceptions and experiences, including five East Asian, six South Asian, and three Southeast Asian international students. The research questions that guided this study were: (1) How do Asian international students perceive and describe their experiences of race, racialization, and of experiencing racism and neo-racism at an HWI? Specifically, how do Asian international students describe how they understand themselves and others regarding race, racialization, racism, and neo-racism? And how do subgroups of Asian international students (EA, SA, and SEA) perceive and describe their perceptions and experiences related to race, racialization, racism and neo-racism? (2) In what ways do Asian international students’ perceptions and experiences of race, racialization, racism, and neo-racism change, if at all, over the course of their time in the United States? Key findings include East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian international students’ similar and divergent perceptions of their racial identity and those of other racial groups, as shaped by their home countries’ contexts, as well as Asian international students’ minimization of the racialization experienced by themselves and others, a colorblind view of racism, more recognition of neo-racism, and shifting perceptions of racism and neo-racism over the course of their time in the United States. While many Asian international students are vulnerable to racism and neo-racism, they also reinforce racial inequities. These findings point to the importance of recognizing the racial identity and racialized experiences of Asian international students and supporting them in navigating and disrupting racial inequities.Item Navigating college search and choice: How immigrant capital paves a path to postsecondary education for first-generation Students of Color(2023) Malcolm, Moya Nikisha; Griffin, Kimberly A; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Immigrant youth represent one of the fastest growing and most diverse groups in the U.S. K-16 system. Though immigrant youth generally report high educational aspirations, they face multiple interrelated obstacles to postsecondary enrollment. Despite barriers, data indicate that immigrants are going to college and in some cases are enrolling at a rate higher than their non-immigrant counterparts. Previous research highlights multiple forms of capital, including community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), that immigrants who share a racial or ethnic background leverage to access higher education. However, few studies have examined the extent to which immigrants, across race and ethnicity, engage similar resources to navigate the college choice process. This study sheds light on the pre-college experiences of a racially diverse sample of 1.5-generation immigrants who, at the time of this study, were first-year students at a 4-year institution.The following research questions guided this study: (a) How do low-income immigrant students of color engage in the college search and choice process? (b) How do various forms of capital and community resources shape students’ college choice process. Through semistructured interviews, 10 Asian, Black, and Latinx immigrants shared detailed accounts of their family background, migration, and transition to U.S. schools; development of college aspirations; and college search, application, and decision-making experiences. Participants also discussed the tools and resources they used, individuals who assisted them, and how they made sense of their experiences, significant moments, and turning points in their journey. Findings reveal multiple forms of capital that developed within participants’ immigrant families: capital that fostered an early predisposition toward college and enabled participants to navigate a complex college application process, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ultimately gain admission to multiple postsecondary institutions. Findings from this study suggest immigrant capital as a unifying concept capturing skills, assets, and perspectives immigrants use to achieve their educational goals. Findings also have implications for future research, policy, and practice.Item “I BELONG HERE”: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON THE EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPANTS IN WOMEN’S CLUB SPORT(2022) Crawford, Mary Kathryn Sullivan; Espino, Michelle M; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dominant narratives are the stories society tells about the way things are and the way things should be. Often, these stories are internalized and thought of as true and accurate representations of people and systems. In sport, and in higher education, dominant narratives reinforce notions that men are always superior to women. Men are more athletic, more exciting to watch, have greater natural inclinations towards leadership, and as a result, are rightly in positions of power in sport and higher education institutions. In this study, I present counterstories that are contrary to these dominant narratives and represent the experiences of 7 club sport participants who engaged at the intersection of sport and higher education. In this narrative inquiry, club sport participant stories resist these dominant narratives and provide insight into the experiences of women and non-binary students as they navigate sport participation and leadership in student organizations. Findings suggest club sport participants rely on sport for familial and social connections and as a protective environment to express one’s true self. Additionally, club sport participants thrive as leaders when they feel supported and valued by teammates. Implications for practitioners of collegiate recreation and for future research are discussed.Item Negotiating Values: A Narrative Study of Career Indecision for First-Generation College Students of Color(2022) Cho, Jeffrey; Turner Kelly, Bridget; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The prevailing narrative surrounding higher education in the United States is that completion of a bachelor’s degree leads to socioeconomic mobility through the attainment of a well-paying job. First-generation college (FGC) students of color are particularly attuned to this “promise of higher education,” but little is known about how they make career decisions during college and how they navigate challenges in career decision-making. This study sought to understand how FGC students of color experienced the phenomenon of career indecision under the broader scheme of their career development. Using a tripartite conceptual framework composed of social cognitive career theory, the four-factor model of career indecision, and community cultural wealth, this study was guided by the following research questions: (1) how, if at all, do undergraduate FGC students of color navigate career indecision? (2) In what ways, if any, do racial cultural values these students hold shape how they make meaning of their career indecision? Using narrative inquiry, this study adopted an asset-based lens to portray the stories of six undergraduate FGC students of color from a variety of racial and career backgrounds and their experiences with career indecision. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis revealed the racialized nature of occupational decision-making for participants. Furthermore, they needed to balance familial expectations for socioeconomic mobility through career success with their own personal occupational interests. This study’s findings provide implications for future interdisciplinary research that further investigates the roles intrapersonal and environmental factors play in the career indecision of FGC students of color during college and as they transition into the workforce. The findings also suggest ways in which colleges and universities can better support these students during their career development in ways that align with the latter’s cultural values.Item Positioned to handle the "peaks and valleys": Narratives of Black and spiritual students attending PWIs(2021) Hall, Terra Nicole; Moore, Candace M.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The interrelatedness of spirituality and race has been understudied in higher education (McGuire et al., 2017; Patton & McClure, 2009; Watson, 2006). Whereas existing scholarship has indicated religion and spirituality have been found to be important for Black college students (Chae et al., 2004), there is a need to distinguish between religion and spirituality (Paredes-Collins & Collins, 2011). Although religion may still be highly significant for some Black college students, growing evidence points to a shift in the general population away from formalized religion to one of individualized spirituality (Streib, 2008). Therefore, the current study sought to explore the intersection of racial and spiritual identities for Black undergraduate students and understand how self-identified Black and spiritual students experience support while attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs). A conceptual framework that included the radical healing framework (French et al., 2020) and Black liberation theology discourse (Cone, 1977) was used to frame the current study. In this critical constructivist narrative study, semistructured interviews and visual data served as data sources. The collected data from 13 Black and spiritual undergraduate students attending PWIs uncovered knowledge about the intersection of racial and spiritual identities. Specifically, findings illuminated Black and spiritual students’ definitions of spirituality, identification of on- and off-campus sources of support, and revelation into the emotions and feelings experienced by Black and spiritual students from encounters with people and spaces. Through an analytical approach of restorying, a parable was created to (re)present participants’ narratives. Findings from this study offer implications for student affairs’ practice and research. Student affairs practitioners are recommended to curate and maintain a list of on- and off-campus spaces, expand curricular and co-curricular opportunities to discuss race and spirituality, and increase agency for faculty and staff to address racial and spiritual identities with students. Future research should seek to study the intersection of racial and spiritual identities among graduate students, explore spirituality without a Christian lens, consider other institutional contexts outside of PWIs, probe into intersections of other marginalized social identities, and attend to these topics outside of an ongoing global health pandemic.