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Transformational experiences of African American women: their critical reflections as former migrants who evolved from harvest of shame to seeds of hope

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Date Issued:
2014
Summary:
Narrative inquiry was the qualitative method utilized to collect stories related to former migrant African American females who transformed their lives from migrant workers and found alternative career paths. Sustained poverty among migratory workers created a disenfranchised culture of uneducated citizens. A large part of this labor force was women. It was expected that this culture of poverty would perpetuate itself through generations. The universal stereotypes associated with impoverished migrants were so ingrained that overwhelmingly the majority of migrants accepted a life of poverty as prophesy. However, some former migrant African American women defied odds and rose above the cumulative effects of poverty. The major findings of this study revealed factors that significantly contributed to their success in a variety of professional careers: consistent family support, adaptive coping skills, catalyst for change, transformative learning, and meaningful relationships with non-family members, and commitment to community service. Sub-findings emerged that revealed that these additional factors also contributed to their success: value placed on education, strong belief in God, and leadership skills.
Title: Transformational experiences of African American women: their critical reflections as former migrants who evolved from harvest of shame to seeds of hope.
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Name(s): McLaughlin-Jones, Idell, author
Bryan, Valerie, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
College of Education
Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2014
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 223 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Narrative inquiry was the qualitative method utilized to collect stories related to former migrant African American females who transformed their lives from migrant workers and found alternative career paths. Sustained poverty among migratory workers created a disenfranchised culture of uneducated citizens. A large part of this labor force was women. It was expected that this culture of poverty would perpetuate itself through generations. The universal stereotypes associated with impoverished migrants were so ingrained that overwhelmingly the majority of migrants accepted a life of poverty as prophesy. However, some former migrant African American women defied odds and rose above the cumulative effects of poverty. The major findings of this study revealed factors that significantly contributed to their success in a variety of professional careers: consistent family support, adaptive coping skills, catalyst for change, transformative learning, and meaningful relationships with non-family members, and commitment to community service. Sub-findings emerged that revealed that these additional factors also contributed to their success: value placed on education, strong belief in God, and leadership skills.
Identifier: FA00004305 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Experiential learning
Harvest of Shame (Motion picture)
Learning by discovery
Migrant agricultural laborers -- Education
Social values
Transformative learning
United States -- Social conditions -- 20th century
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Links: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004305
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004305
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.