Triple consciousness: female first-generation Caribbean-American students’ gendered, ethnic, and racial identity construction and self-efficacy

Female first-generation Caribbean students are an understudied population; not only are they members of three societal groups which have historically been marginalized, but they are also often mistaken for African Americans. Through direct engagement with Triple Consciousness Theory (TCT), this article discusses how this specific student body constructs intersectional gendered, ethnic, and racialized identities at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) which positively impact their self-efficacy, engagement, and academic achievement. The aim of this research is not only to add to existing scholarship on TCT in higher education but also to inform the very educational policy which currently neglects Black diaspora students’ needs.