This qualitative dissertation explores the lived experiences of successful African-American nurses who attended baccalaureate programs at predominantly White universities (PWUs). Only 5.4% of the national registered nurse workforce is identified as African American; yet African-American citizens account for approximately 12.9% of the United States' population, and 24% of all enrollments in nursing programs nationwide is composed of African-American students. Past nursing education research has almost exclusively focused on the deficits of African-American students. This dissertation study focuses on a gap in the literature because it addresses the strengths and attributes of those African-American students who succeed, thereby contributing to an anti-deficit achievement framework (Harper, 2010). The conceptual underpinnings of this research study include Critical Race Theory, Resilience Theory, Transitions Theory, and Jones and Shorter-Gooden's theory of \"Shifting.\" This qualitative phenomenological study was completed with 11 participants from four different Midwestern universities. In-depth, face-to-face first and second interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes were conducted using open-ended, semi-structured questions. Despite differences in location (urban versus suburban), Carnegie classifications (research versus teaching intensive), and student population (percentage of minority enrollment and student demographics/SES), the findings consistently reveal experiences of racism, discrimination, isolation, and \"differentness,\" and evidence of resilience to overcome those experiences. Strategies for success were also consistent among participants, and include maintaining positive academic self-efficacy, key support people, determination to persist and succeed, deftly reading the environment, using both approach and avoidant style coping, effectively employing border crossing, biculturalism, and code switching, in addition to engaging in specific and study techniques.
","abstract_html":"<p>This qualitative dissertation explores the lived experiences of successful African-American nurses who attended baccalaureate programs at predominantly White universities (PWUs). Only 5.4% of the national registered nurse workforce is identified as African American; yet African-American citizens account for approximately 12.9% of the United States' population, and 24% of all enrollments in nursing programs nationwide is composed of African-American students. Past nursing education research has almost exclusively focused on the deficits of African-American students. This dissertation study focuses on a gap in the literature because it addresses the strengths and attributes of those African-American students who succeed, thereby contributing to an anti-deficit achievement framework (Harper, 2010). The conceptual underpinnings of this research study include Critical Race Theory, Resilience Theory, Transitions Theory, and Jones and Shorter-Gooden's theory of "Shifting." This qualitative phenomenological study was completed with 11 participants from four different Midwestern universities. In-depth, face-to-face first and second interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes were conducted using open-ended, semi-structured questions. Despite differences in location (urban versus suburban), Carnegie classifications (research versus teaching intensive), and student population (percentage of minority enrollment and student demographics/SES), the findings consistently reveal experiences of racism, discrimination, isolation, and "differentness," and evidence of resilience to overcome those experiences. Strategies for success were also consistent among participants, and include maintaining positive academic self-efficacy, key support people, determination to persist and succeed, deftly reading the environment, using both approach and avoidant style coping, effectively employing border crossing, biculturalism, and code switching, in addition to engaging in specific and study techniques.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Stokes, Carmen A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Teacher Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ethan Lowenstein, PhD, (Co-Chair)","Barbara Scheffer, EdD (Co-Chair)","Valerie Polakow, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-10T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-05-10T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z","subjects":["African American","nurses","phenomenology","education","success","Nursing"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/615","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ethan Lowenstein, PhD, (Co-Chair)","Barbara Scheffer, EdD (Co-Chair)","Valerie Polakow, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Stokes, Carmen A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-01-12T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Teacher Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African American","nurses","phenomenology","education","success","Nursing"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/615"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This qualitative dissertation explores the lived experiences of successful African-American nurses who attended baccalaureate programs at predominantly White universities (PWUs). Only 5.4% of the national registered nurse workforce is identified as African American; yet African-American citizens account for approximately 12.9% of the United States' population, and 24% of all enrollments in nursing programs nationwide is composed of African-American students. Past nursing education research has almost exclusively focused on the deficits of African-American students. This dissertation study focuses on a gap in the literature because it addresses the strengths and attributes of those African-American students who succeed, thereby contributing to an anti-deficit achievement framework (Harper, 2010). The conceptual underpinnings of this research study include Critical Race Theory, Resilience Theory, Transitions Theory, and Jones and Shorter-Gooden's theory of \"Shifting.\" This qualitative phenomenological study was completed with 11 participants from four different Midwestern universities. In-depth, face-to-face first and second interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes were conducted using open-ended, semi-structured questions. Despite differences in location (urban versus suburban), Carnegie classifications (research versus teaching intensive), and student population (percentage of minority enrollment and student demographics/SES), the findings consistently reveal experiences of racism, discrimination, isolation, and \"differentness,\" and evidence of resilience to overcome those experiences. Strategies for success were also consistent among participants, and include maintaining positive academic self-efficacy, key support people, determination to persist and succeed, deftly reading the environment, using both approach and avoidant style coping, effectively employing border crossing, biculturalism, and code switching, in addition to engaging in specific and study techniques.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The lived experience of African American nurses who attended predominantly white university baccalaureate programs: Characteristics of success and resilience"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ethan Lowenstein, PhD, (Co-Chair)","Barbara Scheffer, EdD (Co-Chair)","Valerie Polakow, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Stokes, Carmen A."],"dc:date.available":["2016-01-12T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This qualitative dissertation explores the lived experiences of successful African-American nurses who attended baccalaureate programs at predominantly White universities (PWUs). Only 5.4% of the national registered nurse workforce is identified as African American; yet African-American citizens account for approximately 12.9% of the United States' population, and 24% of all enrollments in nursing programs nationwide is composed of African-American students. Past nursing education research has almost exclusively focused on the deficits of African-American students. This dissertation study focuses on a gap in the literature because it addresses the strengths and attributes of those African-American students who succeed, thereby contributing to an anti-deficit achievement framework (Harper, 2010). The conceptual underpinnings of this research study include Critical Race Theory, Resilience Theory, Transitions Theory, and Jones and Shorter-Gooden's theory of \"Shifting.\" This qualitative phenomenological study was completed with 11 participants from four different Midwestern universities. In-depth, face-to-face first and second interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes were conducted using open-ended, semi-structured questions. Despite differences in location (urban versus suburban), Carnegie classifications (research versus teaching intensive), and student population (percentage of minority enrollment and student demographics/SES), the findings consistently reveal experiences of racism, discrimination, isolation, and \"differentness,\" and evidence of resilience to overcome those experiences. Strategies for success were also consistent among participants, and include maintaining positive academic self-efficacy, key support people, determination to persist and succeed, deftly reading the environment, using both approach and avoidant style coping, effectively employing border crossing, biculturalism, and code switching, in addition to engaging in specific and study techniques.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/615"],"dc:subject":["African American","nurses","phenomenology","education","success","Nursing"],"dc:title":["The lived experience of African American nurses who attended predominantly white university baccalaureate programs: Characteristics of success and resilience"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Teacher Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z"}