{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/137554"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/137554","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Black Women's Literary Mixtape: Our Self-Defined Experiences of Student Success","abstract":"The literature addressing Black undergraduate women's student success is growing yet remains limited in definition of success. Often outcomes-data drives the definition of success and what a successful collegiate experience looks like. This research study, grounded in Black Feminist Thought, and the Conceptual Model of Black Women College Student Success, uses sista circle methodology to explore how 3rd and 4th-year Black college women at predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) in the southeastern region of the U.S. self-define success from an anti-deficit lens, what lived experiences they describe as successful, and what they attribute to their success. Findings from the study indicate that success is not limited to outcomes-based data, but is self-defined as holistic, multifaceted, achievements, and fulfillment. The study adds to the growing literature about Black undergraduate women and student success. 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Often outcomes-data drives the definition of success and what a successful collegiate experience looks like. This research study, grounded in Black Feminist Thought, and the Conceptual Model of Black Women College Student Success, uses sista circle methodology to explore how 3rd and 4th-year Black college women at predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) in the southeastern region of the U.S. self-define success from an anti-deficit lens, what lived experiences they describe as successful, and what they attribute to their success. Findings from the study indicate that success is not limited to outcomes-based data, but is self-defined as holistic, multifaceted, achievements, and fulfillment. The study adds to the growing literature about Black undergraduate women and student success. This research may inform the institutional support programs for Black undergraduate women and college preparation programs that focus on the holistic enrichment and success of Black girls and Black women."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Research about Black undergraduate women and student success is limited in higher education literature. Of the limited research, Black women are compared to white women's student success and women of other races. These comparisons depict Black women from a deficit or negative lens and create narratives of underperformance. When Black women are not depicted from an asset-based or positive lens, they are compared to Black men, and the Black men are depicted from a deficit lens. Similarly, the definition of success itself is also limited within academic literature because it is often defined by data numbers such as GPA, retention, persistence and graduation rates, which may not tell the full story of a student's success. As a result, the purpose of this study was to explore Black women's self-definitions of success. By conducting virtual group interviews of Black, 3rd and 4th-year women in non-STEM majors at predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) in the southeastern region of the U.S., this study explored Black women's self-definitions of success, what experiences they describe as being successful during their undergraduate experience, and what they credit to their success. Findings showed that Black women self-define success as holistic, multifaceted, personal, ongoing, and fulfillment. Additionally, findings showed that these women credited their success to peer support, friends and family support, on and off-campus spaces, and their use of their fear of failure as a motivator. This research study has implications for research, policy and practices in higher education."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Black Women's Literary Mixtape: Our Self-Defined Experiences of Student Success"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Adams, Sharrika Devae Davis"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Faulkner, Brandy S.","Baldwin, Andrea N.","Lane, Tonisha B."],"dc:contributor.department":["Higher Education"],"dc:creator":["Johnson, Whitley Monet"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-08-22T08:00:36Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-08-22T08:00:36Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-08-21"],"dc:description.abstract":["The literature addressing Black undergraduate women's student success is growing yet remains limited in definition of success. 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As a result, the purpose of this study was to explore Black women's self-definitions of success. By conducting virtual group interviews of Black, 3rd and 4th-year women in non-STEM majors at predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) in the southeastern region of the U.S., this study explored Black women's self-definitions of success, what experiences they describe as being successful during their undergraduate experience, and what they credit to their success. Findings showed that Black women self-define success as holistic, multifaceted, personal, ongoing, and fulfillment. Additionally, findings showed that these women credited their success to peer support, friends and family support, on and off-campus spaces, and their use of their fear of failure as a motivator. 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