Coalition Building Among Graduate Women of Color: A Mixed-Methods Study

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Sesion 4
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Racial Justice in Higher Education (Table 8)

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a mixed-methods study examining the experiences and coalition-building tactics of graduate student women of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss how we used critical theory (i.e., CRT and interconnectivity) to shape our analyses, with particular attention to disrupting the traditional dichotomization of qualitative and quantitative methods. Through focus groups and surveys, the women in our study expressed a contested relationship with their institutions and the term “Woman of Color,” heightened by the isolation of the pandemic. We conclude by discussing the necessity of transforming graduate education towards community integration and fostering student connection.

Authors

• Tori I. Rehr, The Ohio State University

• Jessica Rivera, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Ruth Lu, The Ohio State University

• Neal McKinney, The Ohio State University

• Lisa Delacruz Combs, The Ohio State University

• Jasmine Abukar, The Ohio State University

• LaVada Washington, The Ohio State University

• Noor Khalayleh