Lift Every Voice: Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging as Racial Justice in Academia
School of Social Work, University of St. Thomas
How they used Delve
A Doctor of Social Work candidate at the University of St. Thomas School of Social Work used Delve to manage and code transcripts of semi-structured interviews with 14 recent African American college graduates about belonging and persistence at predominantly White institutions, moving from open coding to categories and themes in the phenomenological study at the centre of her banded dissertation.
“Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using DELVE software to organize and manage transcripts. [...] The audio recordings were transcribed and further analyzed using Delve software to translate open coding into categories and themes that revealed explicit, implicit, and unexpected data and guided analytic coding to align with the literature and research purpose.”
- Field
- higher education; diversity, equity and inclusion; students of color
- Data
- 14 semi-structured Zoom interviews (45–60+ min) with recent African American graduates (11 women, 3 men) of predominantly White institutions
- Approach
- Phenomenological approach with open and selective coding (Miller & Crabtree 1999 interpretive analysis; Braun & Clarke 2006 thematic techniques; Padgett 2017); researcher-built codebook; a co-coder checked coding and thematic decisions
- Data types
- Interviews
Abstract
The changing demographic landscape in higher education presents opportunities for institutions to prioritize inclusive excellence through racial justice in academia. As more diverse student populations attend predominantly White institutions (PWI), leadership is accountable for creating environments that empower and support equity and inclusion for all campus community members. Despite favorable trends in retention and completion for students of color attending PWIs, the road to success for these students often includes overcoming institutional barriers and social obstacles within the campus environment. This dissertation considers the historical nature and social implications of desegregating education, how these factors influence priorities and execution of diversity efforts, and the subsequent impact for students of color on their sense of belonging and diversity engagement while attending a PWI. As more students of color pursue higher education and navigate campus environments, institutions must move the needle forward with transformative diversity, equity, and inclusion agendas. It is not just one more thing. It is the thing to encourage more deliberate actions centered on core values of diversity, equity and inclusion as racial justice in academia.
Citation
Monique D. James (2022). Lift Every Voice: Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging as Racial Justice in Academia. UST Research Online (University of St. Thomas).