{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/122013"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/122013","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Midwestern suburban elementary African American students’ perceptions of race and sense of belonging","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2024-03-01 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2024-03-01 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dade, Valerie J"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pak, Yoon","Davila, Liv T","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Mason, Curtis"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-12","date_published":"2023-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:00Z","subjects":["Suburban Elementary Students","African American Students","Elementary African American Students’ Perceptions","Racialized Experiences","Belonging","Sense Of Belonging","Mirror Identities","Fictive Kin","Race-evasiveness","Racial Microaggressions"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2023 Valerie J. Dade"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122013","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Pak, Yoon","Davila, Liv T","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Mason, Curtis"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dade, Valerie J"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2023-12","2023-11-29"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Suburban Elementary Students","African American Students","Elementary African American Students’ Perceptions","Racialized Experiences","Belonging","Sense Of Belonging","Mirror Identities","Fictive Kin","Race-evasiveness","Racial Microaggressions"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2023 Valerie J. Dade"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122013"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2024-03-01 without embargo terms","The student, Valerie Dade, accepted the attached license on 2023-11-28 at 17:05.","The student, Valerie Dade, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2023-11-28 at 17:05.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2023-11-29 at 11:57.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #20005 on 2024-03-01 at 13:14:58","Given the shift in diversity and economic means, many African American families have pursued educational opportunities for their children in predominantly Midwestern White suburban schools. Nevertheless, historical and societal issues of race continue to infiltrate the thinking and operation of education systems, giving room for racial disparities to abound. Research is limited in examining the students’ early interpretations of racialized encounters in school spaces and how they navigate these spaces to maintain a sense of racial identity and belonging. To understand and describe these racialized issues, this qualitative study sought to answer the following research questions: How do upper elementary African American students in a Midwest suburban school district describe their perceptions of racialized experiences in the school setting? In what ways do students navigate school spaces amidst perceptions of racialized experiences to establish or maintain a sense of belonging? The interview data collected from the students and the analysis revealed that the participants were keenly aware of race or the lack thereof in their school spaces. Also, the findings indicated that the early establishment of friendships and positive peer relationships in the schools created avenues for the students to maintain a sense of belonging. Despite diversity and equity efforts, the data indicated the presence of race evasiveness, the lack of African American mirror identities, the existence of racial microaggressions, and the need for friend and peer interactions during the school day. It is recommended that educators guide students to race-infused literature and facilitate race-related discussions, reduce racial microaggressions that impact African American students’ positive sense of self-worth and self-identity, educators provide collectivist cultural opportunities, and districts aggressively recruit African American teachers and administrators."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Midwestern suburban elementary African American students’ perceptions of race and sense of belonging"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Pak, Yoon","Davila, Liv T","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Mason, Curtis"],"dc:creator":["Dade, Valerie J"],"dc:date":["2023-12","2023-11-29"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2024-03-01 without embargo terms","The student, Valerie Dade, accepted the attached license on 2023-11-28 at 17:05.","The student, Valerie Dade, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2023-11-28 at 17:05.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2023-11-29 at 11:57.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #20005 on 2024-03-01 at 13:14:58","Given the shift in diversity and economic means, many African American families have pursued educational opportunities for their children in predominantly Midwestern White suburban schools. Nevertheless, historical and societal issues of race continue to infiltrate the thinking and operation of education systems, giving room for racial disparities to abound. Research is limited in examining the students’ early interpretations of racialized encounters in school spaces and how they navigate these spaces to maintain a sense of racial identity and belonging. To understand and describe these racialized issues, this qualitative study sought to answer the following research questions: How do upper elementary African American students in a Midwest suburban school district describe their perceptions of racialized experiences in the school setting? In what ways do students navigate school spaces amidst perceptions of racialized experiences to establish or maintain a sense of belonging? The interview data collected from the students and the analysis revealed that the participants were keenly aware of race or the lack thereof in their school spaces. Also, the findings indicated that the early establishment of friendships and positive peer relationships in the schools created avenues for the students to maintain a sense of belonging. Despite diversity and equity efforts, the data indicated the presence of race evasiveness, the lack of African American mirror identities, the existence of racial microaggressions, and the need for friend and peer interactions during the school day. It is recommended that educators guide students to race-infused literature and facilitate race-related discussions, reduce racial microaggressions that impact African American students’ positive sense of self-worth and self-identity, educators provide collectivist cultural opportunities, and districts aggressively recruit African American teachers and administrators."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122013"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2023 Valerie J. Dade"],"dc:subject":["Suburban Elementary Students","African American Students","Elementary African American Students’ Perceptions","Racialized Experiences","Belonging","Sense Of Belonging","Mirror Identities","Fictive Kin","Race-evasiveness","Racial Microaggressions"],"dc:title":["Midwestern suburban elementary African American students’ perceptions of race and sense of belonging"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:00Z"}