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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2056-1804
Date Available
5-14-2025
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Education
Department/School/Program
Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology
Faculty
Dr. Kenneth M. Tyler
Faculty
Dr. Sharon S. Rostosky
Abstract
This study used a youth-led participatory action research inquiry and Photovoice 2.0 methodology to investigate the school-based experiences of seven high-achieving black female students across two public high schools. The objectives of the project were to explore how high-achieving Black high school girls perceived their academic identity within their school setting, and to determine any school and/or classroom contextual factors that affected these participants' school-based learning experiences and outcomes. The demographic makeup of each school was also evaluated through qualitative analysis to consider if it served as a moderating variable in participants’ reported school-based experiences. It is through gained insight from participants’ contribution as co-researchers, and analysis of their intersectional lived experiences, that we can come to understand the needs of high-achieving Black girls and better inform strategies implemented to improve the schooling experience for all Black girls.
The findings of this study highlighted five common themes: 1) Competition and Comparison, 2) Show Me You Want It, 3) Seen and Not Heard, 4) Black Girls are Superheroes, and 5) Representation Matters. The findings revealed that co-researchers in this study perceived their academic identity in combination with other valued identity components, including their gendered and racial identities. Co-researchers’ academic identity was experienced through and strengthened by their identities as Black girls. Findings also revealed several classroom- and school-level contextual factors that affect the school-based learning experiences of high-achieving Black female students, including: the race and gender of their classroom teachers, culturally-affirming curriculum and programming, regular access to college and career enhancement opportunities, and formal school policies and procedures that could help address student classroom/teacher concerns.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.182
Funding Information
University of Kentucky College of Education Ellen Turner Thacker Endowment Fund
Recommended Citation
White McDaniel, Kameron R., "An Examination of the Effects of School-Based Experiences on High-Achieving Black Female High School Students Using Photovoice 2.0" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology. 124.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edp_etds/124
Included in
Educational Psychology Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Secondary Education Commons
