Husbands, Deborah. Thesis Final.Pdf

WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Multiple Selves, Marginalised Voices: Exploring Black Female Psychology Students' Experiences of Constructing Identity in UK Higher Education Husbands, D. A PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © Dr Deborah Husbands, 2019. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: ((http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] Multiple Selves, Marginalised Voices: Exploring Black Female Psychology Students’ Experiences of Constructing Identity in UK Higher Education DEBORAH HUSBANDS A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Westminster for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October 2019 2 Abstract Introduction: What kinds of identity do Black female psychology students construct within higher education? Higher education research in the US and UK points to integration and attainment issues for Black and Minority Ethnic students. Black female students’ experiences are not fully explored among accounts of university experience. As an under-researched group, their ‘stories’ risk being lost. This research learned from individual and collective voices of Black women enrolled on an undergraduate psychology degree programme at Russell Group and post-1992 London universities. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore how traditional [18-21 years at the point of enrolment] and nontraditional [22 years and above] Black female students construct identity within higher education. Theoretically driven sub-questions explored concepts such as self-efficacy and a sense of belonging. Method: A pluralistic approach was used to explore experiences. Research was carried out across four phases: in Phase 1, qualitative content analysis was used to explore the experience of nontraditional students. In Phases 2 and 4, interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for traditional students. In Phase 3, a thematic analysis was used for mixed student groups. The research drew on social constructionism and intersectionality to situate students’ experiences. The researcher acknowledged her subjectivity as a mature Black woman when interpreting students’ narratives and used reflexivity to support an authentic exploration. Findings: The participants constructed multiple identities in their academic environments. Nontraditional students constructed an identity of ‘hyphenated’ selves viewed through lenses of maturity and ethnicity. A sense of belonging was noted as crucial for their experience. Traditional students constructed ‘shifting’ selves in response to vacillating between challenges for transitioning and realising a ‘future’ self. Their multiple identities were 3 complicated by a sense of ‘unbelonging’, social class, perceptions of structural racism, and a lack of culturally responsive support that frustrated their attempts to form interpersonal relationships with staff and students. Different theoretical/methodological approaches appeared to be most useful for understanding the experience of different student groups. Discussion: Identity construction is psychologically taxing for these participants with implications for progression and attainment in higher education. Their experiences and perceptions of constructing identities ‘at the margins’ [that is, places of invisibility/hyper- visibility] shed further light on the complexity of identity construction in Black women. The findings permit reasonable and novel theoretical inferences for the academic experiences of Black female students in these samples. 4 List of Contents Page Title Page .................................................................................................................. 1 Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 2 Contents .................................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ............................................................................................................ 15 List of Figures ........................................................................................................... 16 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 18 Author’s Declaration ............................................................................................... 20 On Sisterhood, Solidarity and Self-Empowerment .............................................. 21 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 22 1.1 Research Rationale ................................................................................... 23 1.2 Research Context ..................................................................................... 25 1.3 Theoretical Perspectives .......................................................................... 26 1.4 Student Types ........................................................................................... 26 1.5 Psychology Study .................................................................................... 27 1.6 Thesis Contention .................................................................................... 27 1.7 Research Programme ............................................................................... 28 1.8 Research Questions .................................................................................. 28 1.8.1 Central Research Question ........................................................ 28 1.8.2 Subordinate Questions .............................................................. 29 1.9 Research Process ...................................................................................... 31 1.10 Summary ................................................................................................ 31 2. Education Perspectives and Student Experiences ............................................ 33 2.1 BME Students .......................................................................................... 33 2.2 Degree Award/Attainment Gap ............................................................... 35 2.3 Contextualising the Background .............................................................. 37 5 Page 2.4 Cross-Cultural Perspectives ..................................................................... 39 2.4.1 American (US) Experiences ..................................................... 39 2.4.2 British (UK) Experiences .......................................................... 40 2.5 Cultural Deficit Perspectives ................................................................... 42 2.5.1 Deficits Perspectives in Education ............................................ 43 2.6 [Un]conscious Biases ............................................................................... 45 2.7 Students Experiences ............................................................................... 46 2.7.1 Student Characteristics .............................................................. 47 2.8 BME Academic Staff ............................................................................... 48 3. Socio-Demographic Characteristics ................................................................... 51 3.1 Age ........................................................................................................... 51 3.2 Ethnicity ................................................................................................... 52 3.3 Schooling and Qualifications ................................................................... 53 3.4 University Choice .................................................................................... 53 3.5 Studying While Employed ....................................................................... 54 3.6 Extra-Curricular Activities ....................................................................... 54 3.7 Living Arrangements ............................................................................... 55 3.8 Family Education ..................................................................................... 55 3.8.1 Parental Education .................................................................... 55 3.8.2 Sibling Education ...................................................................... 56 3.9 Social Class .............................................................................................. 57 3.10 Religion .................................................................................................. 58 3.11 Operationalisation in the Present Research ............................................ 58 4. Studying Psychology ............................................................................................ 60 4.1 Inclusive Curriculum ............................................................................... 63 4.2 Conclusions .............................................................................................. 65 5. Identity Literature Review .................................................................................

Load more