Date

3-2022

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Meredith Park

Keywords

marginalization, chiropractic, African American, CECE, hermeneutic phenomenology, campus environment

Disciplines

Educational Leadership | Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study is to discover and interpret the campus experiences of African American graduate students attending colleges of chiropractic in the United States. A sense of belonging within a campus environment is essential to all students that encounter a university. The campus environment has an important role in the retention of African American students. The theory guiding this study is the Culturally Engaging Campus Environment Model which examines cultural engagement within the campus environment. The central question leading this research study asks, “What are the lived experiences of African American graduate students attending colleges of chiropractic in the United States?” There are a total of 19 chiropractic universities located geographically throughout the United States. The participants selected for this study were African American students attending or who have attended a chiropractic program accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education. Data was collected and triangulated through interviews, a focus group, and protocol writings. All collected data was analyzed using the hermeneutical framework. The thematic findings for this study were unfair treatment, lack of diversity in the student population, feeling of intimidation, racial microaggressions, sense of belonging, lack of diversity with faculty and staff, feeling of constantly being in a race, mental strain, social justice, political issues, and sense of pressure to succeed.

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