Congratulations to Taneisha Providence who on Thursday, April 24, 2025, successfully defended her dissertation. The title of Taneisha’s dissertation is: "CARIBBEAN MINDSET: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN CARIBBEAN STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES IN STEM AND OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS."
African Caribbean students significantly contribute to the STEM workforce in the United States, yet research examining their specific educational experiences and persistence remains limited. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to understand how successful African Caribbean students experience and navigate their STEM education at four-year higher education institutions in the United States. Guided by Ogbu and Simons’s (1998) Cultural-Ecological Theory (CET), this study explored how systemic and community forces, institutional factors, cultural identity, and opportunity programs influenced students’ academic persistence and success. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven successful African Caribbean students enrolled in STEM majors. Findings revealed that students consistently faced systemic barriers such as racial bias, stereotype threats, and lowered academic expectations; however, they effectively navigated these barriers through culturally informed resilience strategies, robust community support, and targeted institutional interventions, particularly opportunity programs. Participants highlighted the critical role of cultural identity and meaningful representation in shaping their academic journeys, reinforcing their sense of belonging, motivation, and persistence. Opportunity programs emerged as pivotal support systems, providing culturally affirming mentorship, validation, and community engagement. Implications of this study are significant, especially given the contemporary sociopolitical landscape marked by challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including the Supreme Court’s reversal of affirmative action policies.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR(S):
Dr. Nora Broege
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBER(S):
Dr. Susan Iverson
Dr. James Brown
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