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"A fly in a bowl of milk": African American female educators in isolation. A phenomenology
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of African American female educators who are racially isolated. The grand tour question was: What are the experiences of African American female educators in racially isolated work settings? The following subquestions were explored: What would you describe as the challenges you experience when there is no other visible model who “looks like” you in the work environment? What survival skills do you identify with and rely on when you are isolated? What experiences with isolation must one have in order to gain full participation status? Data were collected through interviews, journals, classroom observations, focus group meetings, and other relevant documents. Data were analyzed using phenomenological procedures of horizonalization, elimination, verification of invariant constituents, and clustering of invariant constituents into themes. The informants were African American educators from the U.S. midwest. These educators taught in grades K–12 and also higher education. From this study five themes emerged: (1) Lens of Perspicacity —The data revealed that when African American women experienced racial isolation, they have an acute sense of perceiving how they must appear on the exterior while being aware of the protection they must seek on the interior. (2) Spiritual Grounding—The data revealed that while experiencing racial isolation one relies on prayer, meditation, and faith to stay grounded during the experience. (3) Veiled Racial Identity—The data revealed that while experiencing racial isolation the African American women are inclined to disguise their racial identity to fit in. (4) Traversing Reality—The data revealed that while experiencing racial isolation African American women travel through the realms of reality with their own destiny requiring beyond minimum expectations and added pressures to be better than others in the majority. (5) Posture of Guardedness—The data revealed that while African American women experience racial isolation they must always be on guard. It is necessary to maintain this intensity to be alert and on top of things. Recommendations were made for implementing a collaborative venture with public schools, teacher education and community organizations to support the racially isolated educator and those in the future. Further research areas were identified.
Subject Area
Black studies|Curriculum development|Bilingual education|Ethnic studies|Womens studies|African American Studies
Recommended Citation
Johnson-Farr, Marilyn Ann, ""A fly in a bowl of milk": African American female educators in isolation. A phenomenology" (1998). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9917840.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9917840