A Diffractive Analysis of the Dissertation Writing Experiences of African American Female Students
Location
African American Scholars and Educators (Session 4 Breakouts)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Diffraction is a qualitative method of data analysis that occurs after qualitative coding (Mazzei, 2007). Diffractive analysis involves the application of multiple theoretical readings upon a data set to produce insights and possibilities that would not otherwise be possible (Barad, 2007; Mazzei, 2014; Ulmer, 2016). This presentation explores the possibilities of understanding that emerge through a diffractive reading of qualitative responses from a sample of African-American female doctoral students who were surveyed about their dissertation writing experiences. Data from these adult learners are diffracted through Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Theory to reveal questions and understandings of African American women and their doctoral education experiences that are not accessible through qualitative data coding.
References
Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the universe halfway: Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Mazzei, L. A. (2014). Beyond an easy sense: A diffractive analysis. Qualitative Inquiry, 20 (6) 742 – 746.
Ulmer, J. B. (2016). Diffraction as a method of critical policy analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 48 (13), 1381 – 1394.
Keywords
African American students, qualitative analysis, doctoral education; African American women
Professional Bio
Sabrina Ross, Ph.D. is a Professor of Curriculum Studies at Georgia Southern University. Her scholarship involves intersections of race, gender, and power within formal and informal educational contexts.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ross, Sabrina N., "A Diffractive Analysis of the Dissertation Writing Experiences of African American Female Students" (2020). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 58.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2020/2020/58
A Diffractive Analysis of the Dissertation Writing Experiences of African American Female Students
African American Scholars and Educators (Session 4 Breakouts)
Diffraction is a qualitative method of data analysis that occurs after qualitative coding (Mazzei, 2007). Diffractive analysis involves the application of multiple theoretical readings upon a data set to produce insights and possibilities that would not otherwise be possible (Barad, 2007; Mazzei, 2014; Ulmer, 2016). This presentation explores the possibilities of understanding that emerge through a diffractive reading of qualitative responses from a sample of African-American female doctoral students who were surveyed about their dissertation writing experiences. Data from these adult learners are diffracted through Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Theory to reveal questions and understandings of African American women and their doctoral education experiences that are not accessible through qualitative data coding.
References
Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the universe halfway: Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Mazzei, L. A. (2014). Beyond an easy sense: A diffractive analysis. Qualitative Inquiry, 20 (6) 742 – 746.
Ulmer, J. B. (2016). Diffraction as a method of critical policy analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 48 (13), 1381 – 1394.
