Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ed.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning
Major Professor
Jarrett Gupton, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Michael Denton, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Jennifer Wolgemuth, Ph.D.
Keywords
Academic self-concept, Arts-Based Inquiry, Disability, Educational Equity, Intersectionality, Narrative Inquiry, Race
Abstract
This qualitative study examines how neurodiverse Women of Color understand and experience academic self-concept (ASC) within higher education systems shaped by whiteness, ableism, and gendered expectations. Traditional ASC measures rely on internalized perceptions of ability and often exclude the influence of external messaging and systemic oppression—especially for students with intersecting marginalized identities. Grounded in Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), this study centers the voices of nine undergraduate collaborators at a large public university who identify as Women of Color and experience neurodivergence. Using narrative interviews and arts-based methods, collaborators explored how academic, social, and cultural experiences informed their sense of self as students. Findings revealed that dominant narratives of success and belonging frequently conflict with how participants define ability, value, and identity. Collaborators shared that academic self-concept was shaped not just by individual reflection but by external interactions—particularly messages from educators, peers, and advising structures. They described how these systems often failed to support or understand them, yet they also demonstrated resilience by forming affirming communities, reframing self-concept through cultural values, and rejecting deficit-based labels. The study highlights how institutional advising practices can unintentionally reinforce inequity and erasure when they fail to account for lived experience. Participants offered recommendations for more inclusive advising, culturally responsive support, and structural change. Ultimately, this research challenges higher education to reconsider how it defines and supports academic self-concept—and to center those most impacted in shaping more just educational environments.
Scholar Commons Citation
Franco, Timarie A., "Unraveling the Narrative: How External Messaging Shapes the Academic Identities of Neurodiverse Women of Color" (2025). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10949
