Realities of the Black school girl: The implication of adultification bias in K-12 schools

Reedy, Paquita Elese

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132504 Copy

Description

Title

Realities of the Black school girl: The implication of adultification bias in K-12 schools

Author(s)

Reedy, Paquita Elese

Issue Date

2025-11-19

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Adeyemo, Adeoye

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Pak, Yoon

Committee Member(s)

• Barnett, Bernice
• Hood, Denice

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• adultification
• Black girls
• bias
• harsher punishments
• sexual assumptions
• lack of SEL
• Black women
• life course
• intersectionality

Abstract

Adultification bias, a racial prejudice, views Black girls as older and more mature than their biological age. Compared to their peers, Black girls are criminalized, sexualized, and dehumanized in an environment expected to provide emotional, physical, and social support- the K-12 school system. Adultified Black girls become Black women still plagued with the lasting effects of their inequitable K-12 educational experiences. Yet, existing literature has not fully explored how the effects of adultification bias alters a Black girl’s life course. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to determine how and in what ways Black girl adultification influences Black women’s personal and professional experiences and the identifying factors that alter their life course. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 professional Black women. The interview data was analyzed using the hermeneutic circle and the constant comparative method. During analysis, three major themes emerged: Black girls experience adultification bias which leads to unfair punishments and sexual assumptions; Lack of diversity and equity in K-12 education contributes to differing support for Black girls; Black women, who were adultified as children, suffer long-term consequences of adultification bias. These results can inform child-serving systems, like K-12 schools, of the consequences of this bias. Understanding and addressing adultification bias helps to tackle racial disparities to create a more equitable educational system for Black girls and a positive influence on life course trajectories for Black women.

Graduation Semester

2025-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132504

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Paquita Reedy

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