University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Dissertations UMSL Graduate Works 4-19-2018 Cultural Identity Silencing of Native American Identity in Education: A Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation Katheryne Leigh [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Counselor Education Commons, and the Indigenous Studies Commons Recommended Citation Leigh, Katheryne, "Cultural Identity Silencing of Native American Identity in Education: A Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation" (2018). Dissertations. 734. https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/734 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the UMSL Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: CULTURAL IDENTITY SILENCING i Cultural Identity Silencing of Native American Identity in Education: A Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation Katheryne T. Leigh Certificate of Advanced Study, School Counseling, University at Buffalo, 2013 M.Ed., School Counseling, University at Buffalo, 2012 B.S., Animal Science, Delaware Valley University, 2010 A Dissertation Submitted to The Graduate School at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education with an emphasis in Counseling May 2018 Advisory Committee Mark Pope, Ph.D. Chairperson Brian Hutchison, Ph.D. Matthew Davis, Ph.D. Wendy Saul, Ph.D. Copyright, Katheryne T. Leigh 2018 CULTURAL IDENTITY SILENCING ii Abstract Native American Nations have been subjected to colonialism for centuries the impact of which led to further traumatic events and disparities. Although recent scholarship has investigated possible relationships between traumas experienced in education and issues such as depression, substance use, poor academic achievement, and suicide, there remained a need for qualitative studies exploring the phenomenon from the voice of the experiencer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of cultural identity silencing of Native American identity in education. Eight young adult self-identified Native American/Alaskan college students between the ages of 18-25 who experienced cultural identity silencing in education were interviewed using Seidman’s three-part model. Each participant took part in three individual 60- 90 minute long Skype interviews each at least a week apart. The following questions were investigated in this study: How is cultural identity silencing of Native American/Alaskan Native identity experienced by young adult Native American/Alaskan Natives in education? What is the psychological meaning of cultural identity silencing of Native American identity? A descriptive phenomenological psychological methodology using Giorgian analysis and researcher epoché was then used to create descriptions of the essential structure of cultural identity silencing phenomenon as it was reconstructed by the participants. Seven essential constituents were described by participants that form the structural description of the phenomenon. These results contribute to a greater understanding and consciousness of the lived experiences of American Indians in education. Key words: Native American/Alaskan Native, education, cultural identity silencing, colonialism, descriptive phenomenology Running head: SILENCING CULTURAL IDENTITY iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 Cultural Identity Silencing .............................................................................................. 3 Historical Context ................................................................................................................... 4 Critical Theory in Education ........................................................................................... 6 Tribal Critical Theory ............................................................................................................. 7 Research Topic................................................................................................................ 9 Research questions ................................................................................................................ 11 Statement of Purpose .................................................................................................... 11 Descriptive Phenomenology ......................................................................................... 13 Researcher Experience .......................................................................................................... 14 Significance................................................................................................................... 15 Organization of the Dissertation ................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 18 Cultural Identity Silencing ............................................................................................ 19 Critical Race Theory ..................................................................................................... 21 Tribal Critical Theory ........................................................................................................... 23 Microaggressions .................................................................................................................. 26 False Empathy ....................................................................................................................... 28 Native American/Alaskan Native Identity .................................................................... 29 Multiple Heritage Identity ..................................................................................................... 31 Historical Context of American Indians and K-12 Education ...................................... 32 SILENCING CULTURAL IDENTITY iv Achievement Gap .................................................................................................................. 34 Cultural Assimilation vs. Inclusion ....................................................................................... 37 Mental Health and Native Communities ....................................................................... 38 Substance Abuse ................................................................................................................... 39 Trauma, Grief, and Loss ............................................................................................... 41 Suicide ................................................................................................................................... 42 Historical Trauma Theory ..................................................................................................... 43 Victim-Based Perspective ..................................................................................................... 52 Resilience, Resistance, and Healing ............................................................................. 53 Cultural Capital and Spatial Justice ...................................................................................... 55 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 59 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 59 Study Design ................................................................................................................. 60 Descriptive Phenomenological Design ......................................................................... 61 Phenomenological Interview ........................................................................................ 62 Seidman Interview Model ..................................................................................................... 64 Researcher Role ............................................................................................................ 66 Sample........................................................................................................................... 67 Recruitment and Data Collection .................................................................................. 68 Data organization .................................................................................................................. 69 Descriptive Phenomenological Psychological Analysis ............................................... 70 Analysis Procedure ............................................................................................................... 71 SILENCING CULTURAL IDENTITY v Trustworthiness ..................................................................................................................... 72 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................. 75 Limitations ...................................................................................................................