Work-Life Management Challenges for Graduate Students of Color at an HBCU During a Pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jump.v6i1.3889Keywords:
Work life balance; Work life management; graduate students; mental health; higher educationAbstract
This article expands the student work-life discussion to include nontraditional graduate students of color. The Afrocentric theory is used as a conceptual framework. A collaborative inquiry approach was used to capture the reflections and experiences of three urban graduate students of color matriculating at a historically Black university during a pandemic. Six themes emerged: COVID-19, ties that bind, financial responsibility, linked fate, mental and physical well-being, and student work-life management. The article concludes with implications for education, research, and policy.
References
Alleman, A.-S., Allen Milton, S., Darrell, L., & Ofahengaue Vakalahi, H. F. (2018). Women of color and work-life balance in an urban environment: What is reality? Urban Social Work, 2(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.1891/2474-8684.2.1.80
Ani, M. (1994). Let the circle be unbroken. Ewing Township.
Asante, M. K. (2003). Afrocentricity: The theory of social change. Africa World Press.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2003). Policy implications of the criminal justice system for African American families and communities. In C. Munson & T. Bent-Goodley (Eds.), African American social workers and social policy (pp. 137-161). Routledge.
Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2005). An African centered approach to domestic violence. Families in Society, 86(2), 197–206.
https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2455
Bent-Goodley, T., Fairfax, C. N., & Carlton-LaNey, I. (2017). The significance of African-
centered social work for social work practice. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 27(1-2), 1-6.
Bridges, D., & McGee, S. (2011). Collaborative inquiry: Reciprocity and authenticity. In Higgs, J., Titchen, A.,
Horsfall, D., Bridges, D. (Eds.), Creative spaces for qualitative researching (pp. 211-222). Brill Sense.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (1989). Black families in therapy: A multisystems approach. Guilford.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Bray, J., Lee, J., Smith, L., & Yorks, L. (2000). Collaborative inquiry in practice: Action, reflection, and meaning making. Sage.
Brooks, A., & Watkins, K. E. (1994). A new era for action technologies: A look at the issues. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1994, 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.36719946303
Brus, C. P. (2006). Seeking balance in graduate school: A realistic expectation or a dangerous dilemma? New Directions for Student Services, 115, 31–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.214
Butler, A. B. (2007). Job characteristics and college performance and attitudes: A model of work-school conflict and facilitation. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 500–510. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.500
Butler, J. P. (1992). Of kindred minds: The ties that bind. In M. A. Orlandi, R. Weston, & L. G. Epstein (Eds.), Cultural competence for evaluators: A guide for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention practitioners working with ethnic/racial communities (pp. 23–54). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Campbell, F., & Valera, P. (2020). “The only thing new is the cameras”: A study of US college students’ perceptions of police violence on social media. Journal of Black Studies, 51(7), 654–670. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934720935600
Chirikov, I., Soria, K. M., Horgos, B., & Jones-White, D. (2020). Undergraduate and graduate students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. UC Berkeley Center for Studies in Higher Education. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80k5d5hw
Choy, S. P. (2002). Access & persistence: Findings from 10 years of longitudinal research on students [ERIC Digest]. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/ERIC-ED466105/pdf/ERIC-ED466105.pdf
Darrell, L., Littlefield, M., & Washington, E. M. (2016). Safe spaces, nurturing places. Journal
of Social Work Education, 52(1), 43-49.
Davies, A. R., & Frink, B. D. (2014). The origins of the ideal worker: The separation of work and home in the United States from the market revolution to 1950. Work and Occupations, 41(1), 18–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888413515893
Davis, J. (2012). School enrollment and work status: 2011. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2012/acs/acsbr11-14.html
Dawson, M. C. (1994). Behind the mule: Race and class in African American politics. Princeton University Press.
Dolson, J. M., & Deemer, E. D. (2020). The relationship between perceived discrimination and school/work–family conflict among graduate student-parents. Journal of Career Development [Online first]. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845320916245
Donohoo, J. (2013). Collaborative inquiry for educators: A facilitator’s guide to school improvement. Corwin Press.
El-Ghoroury, N. H., Galper, D. I., Sawaqdeh, A., & Bufka, L. F. (2012). Stress, coping, and barriers to wellness among psychology graduate students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 6(2), 122–134. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028768
Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T., & Vanderford, N. L. (2018). Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nature Biotechnology, 36(3), 282–284. https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4089
Fortuna, L. R., Tolou-Shams, M., Robles-Ramamurthy, B., & Porche, M. V. (2020). Inequity and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in the United States: The need for a trauma-informed social justice response. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(5), 443–445. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000889
Fox, M., Snyder, T. D., & Connolly, B. A. (2005). Youth indicators, 2005: Trends in the well-being of American youth [NCES 2005-050]. National Center for Education Statistics. http://cewarchive.miami.edu/438/1/youthIndicators2005.pdf
Gay, C., & Tate, K. (1998). Doubly bound: The impact of gender and race on the politics of
black women. Political Psychology, 19(1), 169-184.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Allen, T. D. (2011). Work-family balance: A review and extension of the literature. In J. C. Quick & L. E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology (pp. 165–183). American Psychological Association.
Holley, K. A., & Gardner, S. (2012). Navigating the pipeline: How socio-cultural influences impact first-generation doctoral students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5(2), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026840
Jaynes, G., & Williams, R. (1989). A common destiny: Blacks and American society. National Academy Press.
Kasl & Yorks, (2010). “Whose inquiry is this anyway?” Money, power, reports, and
collaborative inquiry. Adult Education Quarterly, 60(4), 315-338.
King, A., & Herb, K. (2012). Putting the ‘life’ back into work-life balance for graduate students. The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 49(4), 125–129.
Lin, X. (2016). Barriers and challenges of female adult students enrolled in higher education: A literature review. Higher Education Studies, 6(2), 119–126. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v6n2p119
Martin, E. P., & Martin, J. M. (2002). Spirituality and the Black helping tradition in social work. NASW Press.
McCutcheon, J. M., & Morrison, M. A. (2018). It’s “like walking on broken glass”: Pan-Canadian reflections on work-family conflict from psychology women faculty and graduate students. Feminism & Psychology, 28(2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353517739641
McPhatter, A. (2016). Urban social work with African Americans: Critical perspectives,
concepts, and theories. In R. Wells-Wilborn, A. McPhatter, & H. O. Vakalahi (Eds.), Social work practice with African Americans in urban environments (pp. 1–20). New York, NY: Springer.
National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Nontraditional student definition. Retrieved July 16, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/97578e.asp
National Urban League. (2020). State of Black America: Unmasked. https://nul.org/state-of-black-america
Nodine, P. M., Arbet, J., Jenkins, P. A., Rosenthal, L., Carrington, S., Purcell, S. K., Lee, S., & Hoon, S. (2021). Graduate nursing student stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(4), 721–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.04.008
Okahana, H., Zhou, E., & Gao, J. (2020). Graduate enrollment and degrees: 2009-2019. Council of Graduate Schools.
Polson, C. J. (2003). Adult graduate students challenge institutions to change. New Directions for Student Services, 102, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.90
Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage.
Saldaña, J. (2014). Coding and analysis strategies. In Leavy, P. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of qualitative research. Oxford University Press.
Schiele, J. H. (1996). Afrocentricity: An emerging paradigm in social work practice. Social Work, 41, 284–294.
Sealy, J. (2021). Afrocentric perspective in social work. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMX25KMlNKk
Seidman (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and
the social sciences. Teachers College Press.
Simien, E. M. (2005). Race, gender, and linked fate. Journal of Black Studies, 35(5), 529–550. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934704265899
Springer, K. W., Parker, B. K., & Leviten-Reid, C. (2009). Making space for graduate student
parents: Practice and politics. Journal of Family Issues, 30(4), 435-457.
Taylor, S. E. (2010). Social support: A review. In H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Oxford handbook of health psychology. Oxford University Press.
Theisen, M. R., McGeorge, C. R., & Walsdorf, A. A. (2018). Graduate student parents’
perceptions of resources to support degree completion: Implications for family therapy programs. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 30(1), 46-70.
Walsh, B. A., Woodliff, T. A., Lucero, J., Harvey, S., Burnham, M. M., Bowser, T. L., Aguirre, M., & Zeh, D. W. (2021). Historically underrepresented graduate students’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family Relations, 70(4), 955–972. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12574
Wan Mohd Yunus, W., Badri, S., Panatik, S. A., & Mukhtar, F. (2021). The unprecedented movement control order (lockdown) and factors associated with the negative emotional symptoms, happiness, and work-life balance of Malaysian university students during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 566221. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.566221
Wilks, S. E. (2008). Resilience amid academic stress: The moderating impact of social support among social work students. Advances in Social Work, 9(2), 106–125. https://doi.org/10.18060/51
Wyland, R. L., Lester, S. W., Mone, M. A., & Winkel, D. E. (2013). Work and school at the same time? A conflict perspective of the work-school interface. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(3), 346–357.
