Exploring the Voices, Experiences, and Leadership Career Paths of Women of Color in Higher Education
Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
11-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Linda Wilson-Jones
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Simone Elias
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Colleen P Ramos
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the voices, experiences, and factors promoting the leadership career paths of senior-level women of color in higher education and to capture the voices of senior-level women of color on how they were able to overcome the barriers and challenges to breaking the glass ceiling on their leadership career paths to senior-level administration in higher education. A phenomenological research method was employed to capture the participants’ voices, experiences, and leadership career paths of their roles in higher education. Results show that the women of color in the study confirmed the perceived challenges and barriers, perceptions of establishing a career path, and factors to overcome barriers and challenges to breaking the glass ceiling. Twelve themes emerged from the 15 participants. Participants in the study were from community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and predominately White institutions. The interview process consisted of semistructured, open-ended interview questions to capture their voices about their lived career path experiences. Through adversity, these women of color persevered with a single-minded determination to overcome the barriers and challenges faced as a woman of color in higher education.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Tonya P., "Exploring the Voices, Experiences, and Leadership Career Paths of Women of Color in Higher Education" (2020). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 277.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/277
Included in
Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Urban Education Commons