"Sometimes it's exactly as it seems": A mixed methods explanatory case study of two Black women's academic classrooms'

Susberry, Victoria

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/120289 Copy

Description

Title

"Sometimes it's exactly as it seems": A mixed methods explanatory case study of two Black women's academic classrooms'

Author(s)

Susberry, Victoria

Issue Date

2023-04-27

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Christianson, Kiel

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Christianson, Kiel

Committee Member(s)

• Avent, Cherie
• Cromley, Jennifer
• Jenkins, Candice

Department of Study

Educational Psychology

Discipline

Educational Psychology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Linguistics
• race
• intersectionality
• women
• gender
• academia
• belonging
• black

Abstract

Academic English is a standard within the higher education community. For many scholars of color, academic English is not the language they speak in their homes or among others of their social groups. There is an expectation, within specific settings, that scholars of color are to engage in code-switching, e.g., when teaching. Black women in the academic setting have a long, complex history with universities, mainly Predominantly White Institutions, as they must battle the intersections between being both Black and female. This study sought to measure the ways—primarily linguistic, communicative, and interpersonal—in which Black women faculty communicated/connected with their students during class while also dissecting how students perceived their efforts. To explore this, an explanatory case study was done. The explanatory sequential design required collecting quantitative data first and then using qualitative data to inform the quantitative results. In the quantitative stage of the study, experience sampling surveys were given to students and the Black women faculty at the University. The student surveys focused on their perceptions of the faculty members, asking questions such as “Did your professor seem distant or cold today?” to get a general idea of the student's feelings. The faculty survey examined the linguistic and communicative choices being made and their own general feelings toward their class and performance. Observations were made in each class that received surveys. Faculty were then interviewed, and students opted into a focus group. The results show two differing student perceptions, thus showing that while both women experienced forms of racism regarding how they communicate, no two women experience it the exact same way. They also showed a moving away from the need to code-switch and a push toward authenticity in the academic space.

Graduation Semester

2023-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 Victoria Susberry

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