Achieving authentic diversity : addressing African American faculty misrepresentation in kinesiology programs
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Marek D. Gaddy (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Michael Hemphill
Abstract: The field of Kinesiology has grown over the centuries from a discipline primarily focused on sport to one that includes a more scientific focus, leading to an increase in scholarship and research. This study provides an overview of Kinesiology’s history, highlighting the connection between African and the Greek Philosophers that paved the way for the discipline. It highlights past African American Kinesiology professionals that made substantive contributions, which has been absent in past discussions on Kinesiology’s history. Due to this historical erasure of minority voices and their contributions in Kinesiology, this paper amplifies past and current African Americans within the discipline, rectifying a wrong that has been perpetually done in research. Using a narrative inquiry approach influenced by Intersectionality Theory and Occupational Socialization Theory, this study reveals the lived experiences of six African American faculty within Kinesiology programs at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI’s) and insight into how Kinesiology programs at PWI’s can support African American professionals. Interviews were conducted to learn how they were socialized into Kinesiology and their experiences as an African American professional in White spaces. The participants shared their experiences through personal stories and sharing artifacts in the form of pictures, books, and songs. The interviews were transcribed with the creation of subsequent notes from the data, which provided three themes and tangible strategies to help support current African American faculty within Kinesiology programs at PWIs. The three themes surfaced from the interviews surrounding their personal and professional experiences: Kinesiological ambiguity, inequitable and retaliatory environments, and a lack of support for African American faculty members. Through the application of Intersectionality Theory, instances of marginalization in the form of retaliations, heavier workload, inequitable student evaluations, perceived incompetence, and a general lack of support for the scholarship of Black female faculty members were revealed. The strategies shared by the participants centered around the need for an intentional mentoring framework for African American professionals, evaluating hiring, promotion, and tenure policies as well as implementing cultural/racial bias training for faculty and staff.
Achieving authentic diversity : addressing African American faculty misrepresentation in kinesiology programs
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Created on 5/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- African American Faculty, Diversity, Intersectionality, Occupational Socialization