Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

Sub-Department

College of Education

First Advisor

Kathy Evans

Abstract

Over the years, minority faculty representation has increased in counselor education doctoral programs, but the rates are low compared to the overall rates of White faculty. Black female counselor educators, in particular, are among faculty underrepresented in higher education. Much of the research concerning Black female counselor educators addresses barriers these women face in higher education, especially during tenure. While Black female counselor educators find the journey to become accomplished counselor educators challenging, many have achieved that success despite their experiences. This dissertation explored the experiences of six tenured Black female counselor educators to gain a better understanding of how they came to be successful. Using qualitative research, a phenomenological study was conducted. The data was collected through interviews and analyzed using Morrissette’s seven stages of phenomenological data analysis. Specific attention was placed on participants’ racial identity development as a contributing factor in their success. The findings revealed overall that race played a role in the success of Black female counselor educators in the study in addition to their value for education, support and influence from family, academic achievement, racial empowerment, other forms of support, and spirituality. Participants also shared how they perceived themselves as both successful counselor educators and successful Black female counselor educators.

Rights

© 2016, Tanesha LaKendra Jones-Boyd

Share

COinS