Date of Award
2-1-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Rinyka Allison, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Megan Cavalier, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Leavery Davidson, Ph.D.
Abstract
The researcher designed this intrinsic qualitative single case study to gain an understanding of how first-generation African American freshmen, who attend schools that are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), define and identify intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV is one of the most underreported crimes, and the prevention of IPV on college campuses relies on the students’ ability to identify and report incidents. The study participants consisted of six male and nine female African American freshmen, between the ages of 18 and 19 years old. The researcher used the constructivist conceptual framework to place reliance on the participants’ perspectives of what defines IPV. The researcher collected data using questionnaires and scenarios that contained closed questions to analyze how the participants define IPV in comparison to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s definition. The researcher collected data using open-ended interview questions to gain an understanding of how the participants define and identify IPV. The key findings of this study were that participants define IPV comparatively to the CDC’s definitions. The participants are willing to report IPV identified on campus and seek protection and support. However, the participants did not identify IPV the CDC defines as stalking and psychological aggression within the context of social interactions.