Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Todd Lilly
Abstract
Lack of diversity in healthcare and healthcare education contributes to health disparities. Holistic admission practices and understanding underrepresented minority student experiences in healthcare education are critical to addressing diversity. The problem of practice addressed in this study is to better understand the critical elements pertinent to recruiting and retaining a diverse student body for a DPT program at a southeastern state university. A qualitative case study action research design was used to examine the perspectives and experiences of underrepresented students compared to their White counterparts in the first year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy program. When enrolling in the physical therapy program, underrepresented minority students uniquely valued early communication from the program and affordability. Additionally, underrepresented minority students believed personal growth and development during the first year in the physical therapy program contributed to their feelings of belonging. Underrepresented minority students identified several unique barriers to belonging that their White student counterparts did not. Underrepresented minority students expressed difficulty with transitioning into the physical therapy program, difficulties connecting with their peers and faculty, and feelings of low self-efficacy or imposter syndrome. Additionally, all URM students and one White student shared experiences or observations of negative or offensive behaviors from classmates and instructors during their first year in the program. While race was hypothesized to impact the experiences of underrepresented minority students and was the focus of this study, other elements of students' secondary Discourse, or identity, were barriers to feelings of belonging. Secondary Discourses that contributed to feelings of isolation and lack of belonging included non-traditional student qualities, such as older age, pursuit of a second career, religious beliefs, disability status, and sexual orientation.
Rights
© 2025, Alicia Flach
Recommended Citation
Flach, A.(2025). A Qualitative Case Study Examining Underrepresented Minority Students’ Perceptions and Feelings of Belonging in Their First Year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8359