The Doctoral Scholar’s Journey to Defining Selfhood and Establishing Legacy and Purpose

• In Event: Supporting Peer Mentorship for Doctoral Scholarly Development

Abstract

Purpose/ Objectives
This research acknowledges the importance of understanding the power of collective voices that share everyday experiences, in this case, Black doctoral students. Black women pursuing doctoral education in predominantly white institutions have been documented to experience isolation, and negative psychological effects that impact their well-being and their doctoral completion (Shavers, et al, 2019). Being Black, female and/first or second generation may heighten the challenges experienced by Black female doctoral students, if institutions do not provide adequate support to meet their unique needs (Stone et al, 2018). This paper accounts for the transformative learning of a second-generation, Black female doctoral candidate in a peer mentorship group.
Perspectives/Theoretical Framework
I conceptualize the learning experience in the peer mentorship community through the lens of an Endarkened Feminist Epistemology framework (Dillard, 2000) grounded in Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 2022). Endarkened feminist epistemology is an approach to research that honors the spirituality, wisdom, and critical interventions of transnational Black women's ways of knowing and being throughout the research process (Dillard, 2000).
Modes of Inquiry
As a member of the peer mentorship community, the author utilized collective autoethnographic methods (Noel et al. 2023) to uncover meanings through reflective journaling and shared recorded dialogues in the group. Ellis and Bochner (2000) argue autoethnography is not just about retelling stories but rather a form to “allow readers to feel moral dilemmas, [to] think with our story instead of about it” (p. 735). As a method, autoethnography incorporates cultural and personal aspects of the individual narrative (Ellis & Bochner, 2000).
Results and Scholarly Significance
The thematic connections were guided by the following question: How does the collaboration of Black Female Doctoral Scholars about their struggles and challenges enhance individual self-efficacy and identity? The major themes that emerged from the data included 1) The influence of heritage, family, and legacy, 2) The development of scholarly aptitude and knowledge through perseverance, and 3) Overcoming second-generation isolation to embrace mentoring and support. “Navigating the unknown world of academia” does not have to be done in isolation. The transformative power of hearing another person’s story and synchronously hearing one’s subconscious speak through their words is validating and cathartic. The lived experiences of others in an interrelated community created a force that reaffirmed and developed the inner-stifled voices that are never heard. Collective autoethnography gave way to transformative learning driven by self-reflection and dialogue with self, others, and the world.
This work is significant because it evidences the transformative power of Black Female doctoral students being in community with one another. It is important that doctoral students thrive through community and have resources that enable them to complete the degree while maintaining healthy mental, physical, and lifestyle balance. The autoethnographic process also established a new community and mentorship that may result in a lifetime of camaraderie, friendships, and support. Communities that promote mentorship and scholarly camaraderie help scholars overcome second hand-generation isolation tendencies and attain knowledge about the unknown world of academia.

Author

• Naudia Fairclough, The George Washington University