A Critical Grounded Theory of the Development of Student Leaders with Historically Marginalized Identities

“Everything I Did Was Black. That’s What I Was There For.”: A Critical Grounded Theory of the Development of Student Leaders with Historically Marginalized Identities Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Womble, Allen A. Citation Womble, Allen A. (2021). “Everything I Did Was Black. That’s What I Was There For.”: A Critical Grounded Theory of the Development of Student Leaders with Historically Marginalized Identities (Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA). Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 11:58:53 Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/660217 “EVERYTHING I DID WAS BLACK. THAT’S WHAT I WAS THERE FOR.”: A CRITICAL GROUNDED THEORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT LEADERS WITH HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES by Allen A. Womble __________________________________ Copyright © Allen A. Womble 2021 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES AND PRACTICE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2021 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by: Allen Alfred Womble titled: “EVERYTHING I DID WAS BLACK. THAT’S WHAT I WAS THERE FOR.”: and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. 2 Acknowledgements “‘Thank you’ is the greatest gift you can give someone, because ‘Thank You’ is what you say to God.” Maya Angelou First, I must thank my tribe. To my mother, father, twin sister, grandmother, grandfather, and the rest of my family, thanks for your continued support, encouragement, belief, and prayers. This dissertation bears my name, but it rests upon the foundation you built and nurtured in me and serves as an extension of our dreams. Thank you. To the student leaders who participated in this study – sharing your truth with others is one of the most sacred acts in which we engage. I am forever thankful that you chose to share your stories with me. I seek to honor the beauty intrinsic in all of these stories. And I pray your stories help lead to a practice of student affairs and higher education that better meets the needs of students coming after you and honors your experiences. Thank you. To my chosen family – my Chicago Crew, my Tucson peeps, the Supremes, and to all of my friends and co-conspirators scattered across the US and beyond, your laughs, your joy, your answers to my random 2 am writing questions, and your unwavering support continues to buoy me past frustrations, fear, and doubt into my wildest dreams. Thank you. To my Chair and Advisor, Dr. Regina Deil–Amen, you gave me a certificate with a superlative at the end of my first doctoral class with you naming me the most extraordinarily likeable nerd. This certificate is one of only two awards displayed in my office currently. Perhaps it sealed our bond forever! I thank you for your help, encouragement, challenges, and acts of care and support that propelled me through this experience. With every conversation we shared, this work got better, and I grew as a scholar. Thank you. To my dissertation committee members, Dr. Z Nicolazzo and Dr. DeMarcus A. Jenkins, you said yes to serving on my committee without having met me prior or having me in class. And you provided keen insights, challenges, and support through this process that helped sharpen my critical lens. You went above and beyond in your support of me. Thank you. And to Dr Gary Rhoades, Diana Peel, Lora Francois and the rest of the staff and faculty in the College of Education and the Graduate College, your support and flexibility had an immeasurably immense impact on me obtaining this goal. I would not be at this point without your work. Thank you. 3 Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. 6 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... 7 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 10 Retrofitting of Higher Education ......................................................................................................... 13 Purpose of Study .................................................................................................................................... 17 Dissertation Overview ........................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 2: Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 19 Critical Race Theory ............................................................................................................................. 20 Critical Critiques of HIP ...................................................................................................................... 26 Development ........................................................................................................................................... 28 Equitable Access .................................................................................................................................... 31 Peer Mentorship & Sense of Belonging ............................................................................................... 36 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................................................ 38 High Impact Practices center the academy; thus, they center whiteness and aren’t always accessible. .. 39 High Impact Practices centers faculty. ........................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 44 Grounded Theory .................................................................................................................................. 44 Constructivist Grounded Theory .................................................................................................................... 46 Grounded Theory & Critical Inquiry ............................................................................................................. 48 Grounded Theory & Critical Race Theory ......................................................................................................... 52 Positionality ....................................................................................................................................................... 53 Reflexivity .......................................................................................................................................................... 57 Design and Methods .............................................................................................................................. 59 Data Collection .................................................................................................................................................. 60 Sampling ......................................................................................................................................................... 60 Research Setting. ............................................................................................................................................ 62 Intensive Interviews. ...................................................................................................................................... 63 Observations ................................................................................................................................................... 64 Data Analysis Procedures ................................................................................................................................. 65 Open Coding .................................................................................................................................................. 65 Focused Coding .............................................................................................................................................. 65 Theory building – memo writing & theoretical sampling .............................................................................. 67 Strategies for Validity ......................................................................................................................................

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