2026 Conference Archive
Mapping the Global Self: Digital Autobiographies of Black Male Students in Diaspora
Location
Helms Classroom #171
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Academic identity describes the way that one sees themselves in reference to academics. including self-confidence and individuals’ beliefs about their future (Sheptoski & Tucker, 2019). Extant research suggests a strong relationship between learners’ academic identities, academic performance, and culture (Freeman et al., 2019; Rouland, 2017). Not only that, culture has been shown to be an important construct in improving students’ academic performances. At Albany State University, the majority of students are of African descent (ASU Fact Book, 2025). Introduction to African Diaspora (HIST 1002) exposes students to information about identity and geographies as ways of interrogating historical subjects and migrations across time and space. Through assignments that include mapping such movements, students are able to reflect upon themselves within their own academic migrations in ways that shape how they perceive themselves. This study elucidates impacts of HIST 1002 on students’ self-perceptions. The study’s research questions are: (1) How does exposure to an African Diaspora course impact students’ perception of self? (2) What do students believe to be true about themselves before and after course exposure? And, (3) What is the relationship between these perceptions and the students’ understanding of their academic identities?
Keywords
Academic Identity, Efficacy, Student Success
Professional Bio
Tiffany D. Pogue, PhD (she/her/hers) serves as the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Albany State University. As a proud HBCU graduate and administrator, her research interests include Black educational philosophy and literacy as fundamental components of student success. Tiffany believes that through a critical exploration and examination of these constructs, scholars and activists can collaboratively craft a narrative of hope, and plans for, the overall improvement of society. Her current work examines the role of Black literacy in the preservation of culture as evidence of cultural agency.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Pogue, Tiffany, "Mapping the Global Self: Digital Autobiographies of Black Male Students in Diaspora" (2026). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 50.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2026/2026/50
Mapping the Global Self: Digital Autobiographies of Black Male Students in Diaspora
Helms Classroom #171
Academic identity describes the way that one sees themselves in reference to academics. including self-confidence and individuals’ beliefs about their future (Sheptoski & Tucker, 2019). Extant research suggests a strong relationship between learners’ academic identities, academic performance, and culture (Freeman et al., 2019; Rouland, 2017). Not only that, culture has been shown to be an important construct in improving students’ academic performances. At Albany State University, the majority of students are of African descent (ASU Fact Book, 2025). Introduction to African Diaspora (HIST 1002) exposes students to information about identity and geographies as ways of interrogating historical subjects and migrations across time and space. Through assignments that include mapping such movements, students are able to reflect upon themselves within their own academic migrations in ways that shape how they perceive themselves. This study elucidates impacts of HIST 1002 on students’ self-perceptions. The study’s research questions are: (1) How does exposure to an African Diaspora course impact students’ perception of self? (2) What do students believe to be true about themselves before and after course exposure? And, (3) What is the relationship between these perceptions and the students’ understanding of their academic identities?
