Midwestern suburban elementary African American students’ perceptions of race and sense of belonging

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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Dade, Valerie J

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pak, Yoon
• Davila, Liv T
• Kang, Hyun-Sook
• Mason, Curtis

• 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

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Valerie J. Dade

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122013

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F122013