ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0003-4471-5713

Graduation Semester and Year

2019

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

First Advisor

Jeanne Gerlach

Abstract

This qualitative study fills a gap in the research the lived experiences of Students of Color in racially diverse honors programs by illuminating the experiences of 12 Students of Color enrolled in a racially diverse honors program. Enrollment in an honors program has been demonstrated to be beneficial to promoting a sense of belonging for college students. However, prior to this study, little research has been done on the experiences of Students of Color in an honors program that is racially diverse. Using sense of belonging for college students (Strayhorn, 2019) as a theoretical framework allowed for several themes to emerge organically after coding and analyzing participant responses, including academic challenge and prestige, community and friendship, suggestions for improvement, and influence of race on the experience. While most of the responses were similar for three of the themes, the theme of influence of race on the experience had a clear division between the responses of the male participants and the female participants. The female participants expressed concerns about additional pressures that they faced due to the intersectionality of their identities as females and Students of Color. The male participants, however, did not share many of these concerns. This was the most important finding for the study. Implications for research include further research on the intersectionality of racial identity and gender identity and how it influences the lived experiences for students in honors programs. Implications for policy include continued funding for honors programs at the post-secondary level, and increased options for gifted and talented education options for Students of Color in the K-12 sector. Implications for practice include intentionally recruiting Students of Color to honors programs, as well as providing programming and support for Students of Color enrolled in honors programs. This study affirmed the use of the sense of belonging for college students theoretical framework for studying students in honors program. The findings of this study in particular connected with four of the seven components of the theoretical framework, illustrating the usefulness of the theory in studying the lived experiences of Students of Color in a racially diverse honors program.

Keywords

Honors programs, Higher education, Racial diversity, Intersectionality, Students of color, Honors students, Female students

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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