Multiple Selves, Marginalised Voices: Exploring Black Female Psychology Students’ Experiences of Constructing Identity in UK Higher Education

Husbands, D. 2019. Multiple Selves, Marginalised Voices: Exploring Black Female Psychology Students’ Experiences of Constructing Identity in UK Higher Education. PhD thesis University of Westminster Psychology https://doi.org/10.34737/vw010

TitleMultiple Selves, Marginalised Voices: Exploring Black Female Psychology Students’ Experiences of Constructing Identity in UK Higher Education
TypePhD thesis
AuthorsHusbands, D.
Abstract

Introduction: What kinds of identity do Black female psychology students construct within higher education? Higher education research in the US and UK points to integration and attainment issues for Black and Minority Ethnic students. Black female students’ experiences are not fully explored among accounts of university experience. As an under-researched group, their ‘stories’ risk being lost. This research learned from individual and collective voices of Black women enrolled on an undergraduate psychology degree programme at Russell Group and post-1992 London universities. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore how traditional [18-21 years at the point of enrolment] and nontraditional [22 years and above] Black female students construct identity within higher education. Theoretically driven sub-questions explored concepts such as self-efficacy and a sense of belonging.
Method: A pluralistic approach was used to explore experiences. Research was carried out across four phases: in Phase 1, qualitative content analysis was used to explore the experience of nontraditional students. In Phases 2 and 4, interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for traditional students. In Phase 3, a thematic analysis was used for mixed student groups. The research drew on social constructionism and intersectionality to situate students’ experiences. The researcher acknowledged her subjectivity as a mature Black woman when interpreting students’ narratives and used reflexivity to support an authentic exploration.
Findings: The participants constructed multiple identities in their academic environments. Nontraditional students constructed an identity of ‘hyphenated’ selves viewed through lenses of maturity and ethnicity. A sense of belonging was noted as crucial for their experience. Traditional students constructed ‘shifting’ selves in response to vacillating between challenges for transitioning and realising a ‘future’ self. Their multiple identities were complicated by a sense of ‘unbelonging’, social class, perceptions of structural racism, and a lack of culturally responsive support that frustrated their attempts to form interpersonal relationships with staff and students. Different theoretical/methodological approaches appeared to be most useful for understanding the experience of different student groups. Discussion: Identity construction is psychologically taxing for these participants with implications for progression and attainment in higher education. Their experiences and perceptions of constructing identities ‘at the margins’ [that is, places of invisibility/hyper-visibility] shed further light on the complexity of identity construction in Black women. The findings permit reasonable and novel theoretical inferences for the academic experiences of Black female students in these samples.

KeywordsHigher education
Black female students
Intersectionality
Psychology
Social constructionism
Year2019
FunderUniversity of Westminster
PublisherUniversity of Westminster
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.34737/vw010
Web address (URL)https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/qyy5w/multiple-selves-marginalised-voices-exploring-black-female-psychology-students-experiences-of-constructing-identity-in-uk-higher-education

Related outputs

Impostor Phenomenon Among Black Female University Students in the UK and the US
Husbands, D. Forthcoming. Impostor Phenomenon Among Black Female University Students in the UK and the US. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

The Impostor Phenomenon Among Racially Minoritised University Students: “Who Knows How to Get Rid of This?”
Husbands, D., Yetkili, O. and Linceviciute, S. 2024. The Impostor Phenomenon Among Racially Minoritised University Students: “Who Knows How to Get Rid of This?”. Race Ethnicity and Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2024.2386949

The W-ICAD model: Redefining museum access through the Workshop for Inclusive Co-created Audio Description
Eardley, A.F., Jones, V.E., Bywood, L., Thompson, H. and Husbands, D. 2024. The W-ICAD model: Redefining museum access through the Workshop for Inclusive Co-created Audio Description. Curator: The Museum Journal. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/cura.12649

The impact of chatbot-assisted self-assessment (CASA) on intentions for sexual health screening in people from minoritised ethnic groups at risk of sexually transmitted infections
Nadarzynski, T., Knights, N., Husbands, D., Graham, C. A., Llewellyn, C. D., Buchanan, T., Montgomery, I., Khlafa, N., Tichackova, J., Odeyemi, R., Johnson, S., Jesuthas, N., Tahia, S. and Ridge, Damien T. 2024. The impact of chatbot-assisted self-assessment (CASA) on intentions for sexual health screening in people from minoritised ethnic groups at risk of sexually transmitted infections . Sexual Health. 21 SH24058. https://doi.org/10.1071/sh24058

Decolonising the Psychology Curriculum: A Toolkit Approach
Husbands, D. and Birkett, J. 2024. Decolonising the Psychology Curriculum: A Toolkit Approach. in: Culturally Sensitive Curricula Scales Switzerland Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 79-93

Individual differences in sharing false political information on social media: deliberate and accidental sharing, motivations and positive schizotypy
Buchanan, T., Perach, R., Husbands, D., Tout, A., Kostyuk, E., Kempley, J. and Joyner, L. 2024. Individual differences in sharing false political information on social media: deliberate and accidental sharing, motivations and positive schizotypy. PLoS ONE. 19 (6) e0304855. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304855

Achieving health equity through conversational AI: A roadmap for design and implementation of inclusive chatbots in healthcare
Nadarzynski, T., Knights, N., Husbands, D., Graham, C., Llewellyn, C., Buchanan, T., Montgomery, I. and Ridge, Damien T. 2024. Achieving health equity through conversational AI: A roadmap for design and implementation of inclusive chatbots in healthcare. PLoS Digital Health. 3 (5) e0000492. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000492

Celebrate Black History Year and tackle racial inequality all year long
Husbands, D., Bunbury, S. and Anand, D. 2024. Celebrate Black History Year and tackle racial inequality all year long. THE Campus of Times High Education.

Promoting students’ interest through culturally sensitive curricula in higher education
Kathleen M. Quinlan, Dave S. P. Thomas, Annette Hayton, Jo Astley, Leda Blackwood, Fatmata K. Daramy, Morag Duffin, Muhammad Arslan Haider, Deborah Husbands, Richard Joiner, Helen Kay, Mary Mosoeunyane, Ian J. Turner, Claire Walsh and Dan West 2024. Promoting students’ interest through culturally sensitive curricula in higher education. Higher Education. 88, pp. 1331-1351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01172-z

Preprint: Individual differences in sharing false political information on social media: deliberate and accidental sharing, motivations and positive schizotypy
Tom Buchanan, Rotem Perach, Deborah Husbands, Amber Tout, Ekaterina Kostyuk, James Kempley and Laura Joyner 2024. Preprint: Individual differences in sharing false political information on social media: deliberate and accidental sharing, motivations and positive schizotypy. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/hg9qb

Can exposure to cultural facemasks increase intentions to adhere to protective public health measures?
Kostyuk, E., Perach, R., Husbands, D. and Paulina Bondaronek 2023. Can exposure to cultural facemasks increase intentions to adhere to protective public health measures? https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/vtxaf

Why do people share false political information on their personal social media accounts?
Buchanan, T., Husbands, D. and Perach, R. 2023. Why do people share false political information on their personal social media accounts? https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/w4kne

Reasons for deliberate and accidental sharing of false political information online
Buchanan, T., Perach, R. and Husbands, D. 2023. Reasons for deliberate and accidental sharing of false political information online. https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/5jqz9

Individual differences and motivation as predictors of sharing false political information on social media
Buchanan, T., Husbands, D. and Perach, R. 2023. Individual differences and motivation as predictors of sharing false political information on social media. https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/sfu52

Why do people share false political information online?
Buchanan, T., Perach, R. and Husbands, D. 2023. Why do people share false political information online? Crest Security Review. 17, pp. 14-15.

Why Do People Share Political Information and Misinformation Online? Developing a Bottom-Up Descriptive Framework
Perach, R., Joyner, L., Husbands, D. and Buchanan, T. 2023. Why Do People Share Political Information and Misinformation Online? Developing a Bottom-Up Descriptive Framework. Social Media + Society. 9 (3). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231192032

How to be an anti-racist ally on the university campus
Bunbury, S., Husbands, D. and Anand, D. 2023. How to be an anti-racist ally on the university campus. Times Higher Education.

Leaving egos outside: A ‘reverse mentoring’ study of BAME psychology students and senior university leaders
Waddington, K., Husbands, D. and Bonaparte, B. 2023. Leaving egos outside: A ‘reverse mentoring’ study of BAME psychology students and senior university leaders. Journal of Academic Development and Education. 14, pp. 6-11. https://doi.org/10.21252//xszj-2r62

Are the scope and nature of psychology properly understood? An examination of belief in myths of popular psychology among university students
Swami, V., Thorn, L., Husbands, D., Tran, U.S., Nader, I.W., von Nordheim, L., Pietschnig, J., Stieger, S. and Voracek, M. 2015. Are the scope and nature of psychology properly understood? An examination of belief in myths of popular psychology among university students. in: Columbus, A.M. (ed.) Advances in Psychology Research. Volume 101 Hauppage, NY Nova Science Publishers. pp. 9-32

Developing a sense of belonging: Findings from a three institution study with implications for BME students and staff engagement
Shoderu, R., Kane, S., Husbands, D. and Holley, D. 2012. Developing a sense of belonging: Findings from a three institution study with implications for BME students and staff engagement. Compass: The Journal of Learning and Teaching at the University of Greenwich. (5), pp. 67-74.

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/vw010/multiple-selves-marginalised-voices-exploring-black-female-psychology-students-experiences-of-constructing-identity-in-uk-higher-education


Share this

Usage statistics

163 total views
0 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.