Creative Commons License
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Date of Graduation
8-11-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Educational Specialist (EdS)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Advisor(s)
Tiffany Hornsby
Tammy Gilligan
Cara Meixner
Abstract
Using collaborative autoethnography (CAE), the presented thesis explores the friendship of four women of color attending a school psychology graduate program. Friendship is presented as a protective factor with particular relevancy for women of color, and for racially- and ethnically-minoritized (REM) students attending graduate school. Researcher-participants utilized a concurrent approach to CAE, and data collection methods included journal entries and recorded conversations between researcher-participants. Relevant themes identified using emergent thematic coding included the meaningful characteristics of friendship, as identified by researcher-participants, as well as skills and actions identified as being influenced by friendship. Key ideas discussed include the meaningfulness of psychological safety, social support, reciprocity, humor, and joy in the friendship being explored, as well as the perceived benefits of this friendship on the behaviors, cognition, and skill set of the researcher-participants. Lastly, regarding implications for future research, researcher-participants discuss the meaningfulness of having cohorts of women of color, or intentional space provided for community and connection between women of color, in programs in which they are historically underrepresented.
Recommended Citation
Harris, Arayana A., "Too much fun: A collaborative autoethnography detailing the significance of friendship between women of color in a school psychology graduate program" (2023). Educational Specialist, 2020-current. 66.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/edspec202029/66
