Abstract
ABSTRACTPurpose. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Oneida women who completed doctoral degrees and are enrolled members of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin tribe of Indians.
Theoretical Framework. The framework for this study is based on Weiner’s 1985 attribution theory of motivation. Weiner identified four attribution factors that are related to academic success or failure, namely: ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck.
Methodology. This study employed a phenomenological research method to explore the lived experiences of women of the Oneida Nation who have earned a doctoral degree and the impact motivation had on their success. The researcher interviewed five participants, using purposeful and criterion-based sampling. Validity and reliability were established using the constructs of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Participants were interviewed using open-ended questions.
Findings and Conclusion. The recorded interviews were transcribed and reviewed to identify significant statements. 42 codes from the significant statements emerged, and after further analysis, three major themes emerged from the data. The themes were explained and supported by significant statements from the interviews. Finally, the essence of Oneida women who completed doctoral degrees was described. The findings of this study suggest Native Americans encounter motivation, barriers and support throughout the experience of earning a doctoral degree. Examples of their motivation, barriers and support to complete a doctorate degree included family, promotions at work, being a first-generation college student, support from the Oneida Nation and school community and increasing representation of Native American in higher education.
Recommendations. Further research may consider utilizing different research methodologies to quantify the data. Another research consideration may be to take a more generalized approach by expanding the population to validate this study’s results. Future studies may consider either including Oneida women at all levels of higher education as well as inclusion of men and their higher education journeys. Finally, it would be useful to expand the study to larger samples, which could include other tribes, to determine whether the findings continue to align with the results of this study.