Date of Award

Winter 10-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Education

Committee Chair

Holly Foster

Committee Chair School

Education

Committee Member 2

Shana Oates

Committee Member 2 School

Education

Committee Member 3

Thomas O'Brien

Committee Member 3 School

Education

Committee Member 4

Jason Wallace

Committee Member 4 School

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand if belongingness, or the need to belong, is an inhibiting factor for Black women to the completion of doctoral programs, specifically at Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) in the South. This qualitative study employs the Sista Circle methodology to discuss the lived experiences of Black female doctoral recipients from Southern PWIs. The Sense of Belonging Model and the Sista Circle Methodology is used to inform the experiences of Black women doctoral students in relation to their academic persistence and overall programmatic experience. The findings from this study can also provide insight for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education and corporate spaces. The intersectionality of being both Black and woman, while navigating the social (nonacademic) implications of doctoral studies, without a cultural connection or sense of belonging, to the majority of faculty and peers, was posed as the toughest factor affecting the doctoral persistence and programmatic satisfaction of Sistas in the study.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6096-6564

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