Degree Discipline

Mothering while Brown: Latina Borderland Mothers' Experiences of Epistemic Injustice (open access)

Mothering while Brown: Latina Borderland Mothers' Experiences of Epistemic Injustice

Anti-immigrant rhetoric undermines Latinx parents' epistemic legitimacy as producers of valued parental knowledge, irrespective of immigrant status. Little is known about the epistemic harm to Latina mothers who must negotiate their maternal scripts against the backdrop of a parenting discourse steeped in deficit thinking. This study used testimonio to explore the experiences of Latina mothers of young children living in the borderlands of South Texas via a Chicana/Latina feminist epistemological framework that conceptualizes the self as multiplicitous and responsive to the straddling of multiple cultures, nationalities, races, languages, and physical borders. The research questions guiding the study included: (1) How do Latina borderland mothers experience epistemic harm in the context of mothering knowledge? and (2) What strategies do borderland mothers employ to nurture strength and counter epistemic harm? Two theoretical constructs emerged from data analyses. First, the borderland was a site of recurring credibility battles as well as a site of "in-the-flesh" encounters that deepened human connection. Supporting themes included "Brown-on-Brown conflict vs. like-me counters" and "situating injustice vs. denying injustice." The second theoretical construct asserted that borderland mothers' ways of knowing are polyvocal and reflect a Brown body ethic of care. Its two supporting themes included "co-family as sources …
Date: December 2019
Creator: Verdin, Azucena
System: The UNT Digital Library
"All things at once":  A Retrospective Qualitative Examination of the Parental Racial Ethnic Socialization Practices Experienced by Multiracial/Multiethnic Individuals (open access)

"All things at once": A Retrospective Qualitative Examination of the Parental Racial Ethnic Socialization Practices Experienced by Multiracial/Multiethnic Individuals

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how individuals from different multiracial/multiethnic groups experience and process the phenomenon of parental racial ethnic socialization (RES). Critical multiracial race theory, critical race theory, and bioecological systems theory offered a conceptual framework to how RES is often presented and processed. This study was guided by two research questions: (1) What are the experiences of RES among multiracial individuals? and (2) How do multiracial individuals process the parental racial ethnic socialization they were offered? Nine qualitative, one-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted with individuals from three different multiracial/multiethnic groups. Results revealed that experiences of RES varied along with how participants processed RES. Three subthemes and one theme emerged related to the RES experiences of participants. For some participants lack of conversations were evident in their RES, which meant that conversations surrounding multiraciality and other racialized topics were not present. Other participants disclosed the subtheme of preparedness as part of their RES experience, while others mentioned the importance of environment to their RES experience. Additionally, the theme of changes over time arose, demonstrating how different life events can impact RES experiences. As for how multiracial/multiethnic individuals process RES experiences, the main theme of identity …
Date: August 2022
Creator: Camacho Taylor, Jennifer
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radically Early College Entrants on Radically Early College Entrance: A Heuristic Exploration (open access)

Radically Early College Entrants on Radically Early College Entrance: A Heuristic Exploration

Despite the fact acceleration has been studied thoroughly as an educational practice for the gifted, early entrance to college specifically has been overlooked. Not only this, but a large portion of this research pertains to early college entrance programs, which provide resources that many early college entrants may not have. The lived experiences and perceptions of radically early college entrants (three or more years advanced) were explored through interviews and heuristic inquiry. The interviews addressed affective aspects of early college foremost, with additional discussion of academic experiences, college choice, and career outcomes. Findings support that radically early college entrants are happy with their choice overall, though more specific findings elaborate on the benefits and limitations of early college, possible regrets, and the social issues this population faces.
Date: December 2018
Creator: Jett, Noel
System: The UNT Digital Library