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Adopted women of color: Narratives of their college experiences
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the influence adoption has on the identity formation of adopted women of color (AWOC). Narratives were collected to better understand AWOC as adoptees in college and more generally. Nine AWOC participants between 25 to 55 years of age were interviewed. The findings of this study were: 1) influence of adoption; 2) issues of race; 3) influence of broken family lives; 4) college as a safe haven; 5) finding voice in college; 6) discovering ethnic and cultural heritage; 7) social alienation; and, 8) importance of support systems. The recommendations for practice include: 1) provide support groups for college AWOC and adoptees in general, 2) incorporate literature on adoption in courses related to family and social development, and 3) provide counseling services with up to date information about adoption and its impact on identity development. The recommendations for future research include: 1) research examining comparative experiences of adopted college students in different international contexts, and 2) to expand on this study, explore what training is occurring in K-12 that is transferable to assist in training individuals on adoptees in college.
Subject Area
Womens studies|Ethnic studies|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Billie, Natasha M, "Adopted women of color: Narratives of their college experiences" (2013). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI3591523.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3591523