Are Black Girls Okay: Microaggressions and Academic Strategy Development for Black Women in Doctoral Programs

Over the past years, researchers have explored the lived experiences of people of color, namely Black women, in academia. Examiners have learned that Black women often learn how to succeed in academia but at the expense of their mental well-being and even in the midst of oppressive situations. Most of the work previously presented was largely qualitative and has not considered predictive factors or unpacked the strategies Black women used to reach academic success. Therefore, this study used the doubled-edged sword conceptual framework and the Black feminist thought theoretical lens to investigate the relationship between microaggressions, academic strategy development, and region of upbringing among Black women enrolled in counselor education doctoral programs. A quantitative survey research methods design using a nonprobability sampling method to survey 47 Black women doctoral students was employed. The Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, and a demographic questionnaire to examine microaggressions, academic strategy development, and region of upbringing among Black women doctoral students were used. Using Pearson correlations, point biserial correlations, and multiple linear regressions, results revealed no significant relationships among microaggressions, academic strategy development, and region of upbringing. However, counselor educators and current and future Black women doctoral students may benefit and learn about the experiences of microaggressions and the process of developing academic strategies based on the design and discussions of this stud