Seeking the "Truth" in the Stories We Tell: The Role of Critical Race Epistemology in Higher Education Research

Abstract

This article focuses on how critical race theory informed the author's epistemological perspective and methodological approach as she analyzed Mexican American educational narratives and formulated her identity as a scholar. Using a storytelling technique employed in CRT, the author weaves together her position as the translator of participants' stories with her conceptualization of the formation, reproduction, and resistance of master narratives. She then illustrates the process of uncovering master narratives and counter-narratives in two Mexican American Ph.D. participants' life narratives in an effort to present multiple truths about educational attainment. The article concludes with considerations for researchers wishing to employ critical race epistemology.

Critical Race Theory and Counselor Education Pedagogy: Creating Equitable Training

“…In the 1990s, CRT was applied to education (Ladson‐Billings & Tate, ; Taylor et al, ), with scholars exploring the use of CRT in examining curricula, restructuring instructional strategies, and developing more equitable assessment methods (Ladson‐Billings, ; Solórzano, Ceja, & Yosso, ). Furthermore, CRT studies in higher education provided marginalized students a voice by revealing their personal narratives of oppression, liberation, and resilience (Espino, ; Solórzano & Yosso, ; Taylor et al, ). Accordingly, CRT may challenge current training approaches related to multicultural counselor preparation and give voice to course content needed to address the lived experiences of students of color (Jay, ; Lynn & Parker, ).…”

Mentor-protégé fit

“…These studies point to a common concern among those who are not able to identify mentors who share and understand their identities in meaningful ways. Within this body of scholarship, there is a theme of otherness, inequity, isolation and self-doubt related to a lack of perceived fit or effective relationships based on personal and professional characteristics (De Welde and Laursen, 2008;Espino, 2012;Sallee, 2010). For example, in Nettles and Millett's (2006) study, women were more likely to choose same-sex mentors, as was the case for African American respondents, and Asian American students were less likely than white students to have mentors.…”

My Story, My Identity: Doctoral Students of Color at a Research University

“…Asking critical questions helps to disrupt the status quo of theories and methods that do not take into account race as a factor in experience and those that devalue the scholarship of researchers of color (Bensimon, 2012). Some examples of using CRT in higher education research include the educational journeys of Mexican-American PhD students (Espino, 2012), the social experiences of Black students at a southern university (JohnsonBailey, Valentine, Cervero, & Bowles, 2009), and the experience of doctoral education culture by Black and Latino/a students (Gildersleeve et al, 2011). These studies use CRT as a way to forefront race as a factor of experience and give voice to students of color.…”