Sample records for african american student

  1. Successfully Educating Our African-American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moncree-Moffett, Kareem

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this empirical study was to explore the lived experiences of African American retired female teachers who have prior experience with educating urban African American students in public schools. Also explored are the experiences of active African American female teachers of urban African American students and comparisons are…

  2. Help-Seeking Attitudes among African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    So, Dominicus W.; Gilbert, Stefanie; Romero, Sergio

    2005-01-01

    Traditionally, African American students display a low-rate of seeking mental health treatment. Issues such as mistrust of White therapists, attitudes toward mental health problems, and African American spirituality affect their help-seeking behavior. The present study examined a sample of 134 African American students at a Historically Black…

  3. A Mirror Image African American Student Reflections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cannon Dawson, Candice

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation is a narrative inquiry research project that focuses on the collegiate experiences of African American students at both historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly white institutions (PWIs). I look at how African American college students who engage in race or culturally specific activities, the degree…

  4. Help-Seeking Experiences and Attitudes among African American, Asian American, and European American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Masuda, Akihiko; Anderson, Page L.; Twohig, Michael P.; Feinstein, Amanda B.; Chou, Ying-Yi; Wendell, Johanna W.; Stormo, Analia R.

    2009-01-01

    The study examined African American, Asian American, and European American college students' previous direct and indirect experiences of seeking professional psychological services and related attitudes. Survey data were collected from 254 European American, 182 African American and 82 Asian American college students. Results revealed that fewer…

  5. An Exploration of African American Students' Attitudes toward Online Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okwumabua, Theresa M.; Walker, Kristin M.; Hu, Xiangen; Watson, Andrea

    2011-01-01

    The current work presents exploratory research findings concerning African American students' attitudes toward online learning. The Online Tutoring Attitudes Scale (OTAS; Graff, 2003) was administered to 124 African American students in a positive youth development program. Findings suggest that African American students' attitudes toward…

  6. Freshman-year experiences for African-American students in engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chapple, Bernadette Maria

    1998-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to discover (a) why African American students choose to persist as an engineering major and (b) why students choose to leave engineering as a major. A total of 17 students from a large land-grant university participated in this study that was both quantitative and qualitative in design. This research will assist both the College of Engineering and the University in understanding the educational experiences of the matriculating African American pre-engineering student. In an effort to provide reasons and rationale for why African American engineering students choose to stay in this major and why other African American engineering student majors choose to leave, the researcher examined an undergraduate engineering program at a large land-grant institution in the South. The College of Engineering at this institution was able to institute several programs designed to increase the number of African American students choosing engineering as a major. Although initiatives for pre-collegiate students are important in the retention of African American students, it is the retention of those students once accepted into a program of study that the institution focuses on most. It is the intent of this study to offer a better understanding of such a retention initiative. Due to the decline of African American students pursuing majors in science and mathematics in general and in engineering in particular, an important research concern is to offer more insight into the experiences of the freshman engineering student in an attempt to develop fundamental reasons for why students remain in engineering and why some students leave. To assist the College of Engineering and the University in understanding the educational experiences of the matriculating African American pre-engineering student the data were collected from both a quantitative and qualitative approach. Results indicated that (a) students who chose to persist in the engineering program where

  7. Investigating Instructional Practices of an African American Male Mathematics Teacher with Underachieving African American Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muhammad, Rhonda K.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative study examined the instructional practices of an experienced African American mathematics teacher to determine his perceived capabilities in augmenting academic proficiency for his African American male students. Provided in this descriptive case study are the lived experiences of an African American male teacher working to move…

  8. Exploring the Link between Self-Construal and Distress among African American and Asian American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christopher, Michael S.; Skillman, Gemma D.

    2009-01-01

    The authors investigated ethnicity, self-construal, and distress among African American and Asian American college students. African American students expressed more salient independent self-construals, whereas Asian American students expressed more salient interdependent self-construals. As hypothesized, among African American participants,…

  9. African-American College Students' Perceptions Of Sexual Coercion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mouzon, LaTonya D.; Battle, Alicia; Clark, Kevin P.; Coleman, Stephanie; Ogletree, Roberta J.

    2005-01-01

    While the phenomenon of sexual coercion has been studied extensively, little is known about African-American college students' perceptions about verbal sexual coercion. Using a phenomenological approach, the researchers conducted five focus group interviews with 39 African-American students (20 females, 19 males) at a large Midwestern university…

  10. African-American Female Students and STEM: Principals' Leadership Perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sampson, Kristin Morgan

    As the U.S. becomes more diverse, school leaders, major corporations, and areas of national defense continue to investigate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education issues. African-American female students have historically been underrepresented in STEM fields, yet educational leadership research, examining this population is limited. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how principals support African-American female students in schools with a STEM program. The Critical Race Theory (CRT)was used as a theoretical framework to highlight the inadequacies to support educational inequalities. The application of the CRT in this study is due to the embedded inequality practices within the educational system, that have resulted in the underrepresentation of African-American female students in STEM. To complement CRT, the transformative leadership model was also utilized to examine the emancipatory leadership practices principals utilized. These theories framed the context of this study by recognizing the need to address how support is actualized to African-American female students in STEM by their principals. A case study approach was an appropriate method to answer the two research questions, 1) How do principals feel they support African-American female students in their STEM programs? and 2) What practices do principals engage in that support underrepresented students in STEM? This approach intended to uncover how a principal leads a multifaceted population of underrepresented students in STEM programs. Two principals of STEM schools, where more than 50% of the population were African-American, were interviewed and observed completing daily operations at community-wide events. The STEM Coordinators and a teacher were also interviewed, and test scores were examined to provide further information about the STEM program, and public records were obtained to analyze the principals' means of communication. I found that principals supported

  11. African-American Academic Nurse Leader's Role in Persistence of African-American Baccalaureate Nursing Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Kesha Marie

    2017-01-01

    African-American baccalaureate nursing students have a limited persistence to graduation. This constructivist grounded theory study was designed to generate a substantive theory, emerged from these data, that explained and provided insight the African-American academic nurse leader's role in the persistence to graduation of African-American…

  12. Is No Child Left Behind "Wise Schooling" for African American Male Students?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMillian, M. Monique

    2004-01-01

    To improve achievement among African American students, education professionals must pay special attention to African American male achievement and reframe the academic achievement gap as a treatment gap. Engagement studies suggest that African American students, and African American boys in particular, are susceptible to academic disengagement.…

  13. 20 African-Americans Your Students Should Meet

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bardeen, Tara

    2008-01-01

    There is more to Black History Month than honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Black History Month is a time to honor the significant contributions of African-Americans throughout history. This article presents 20 super-achievers new generation of African-Americans heroes students should meet: (1) Kimberly Oliver; (2) John Lewis; (3) Rita Dove; (4)…

  14. Parental Attachments and Psychological Distress among African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Love, Keisha McGhee

    2008-01-01

    African American college students attending predominately White institutions often encounter stressors that their Caucasian peers do not experience. Because of these unique stressors, African American students are more prone to experience psychological distress. Identifying factors that counteract psychological distress among these students is…

  15. African-American Students and Foreign Language Learning. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, James J.

    The performance and attitudes of African-American students of foreign languages are discussed in this digest. Three major areas are reported: (1) Black English and foreign language learning, including theories of language deficiency, sociolinguistic research, phonology and syntax; (2) research on the performance of African-American students of…

  16. General Dissociation Scale and Hypnotizability with African American College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sapp, Marty; Hitchcock, Kim

    The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of the General Dissociation Scale with African American college students, and provide additional data on how to assess hypnotizability with these students. Two-hundred and two undergraduate African American college students participated in this study. Students completed the HGSHS:A, a measure…

  17. Resiliency Instructional Tactics: African American Students with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Vita L.

    2011-01-01

    Schools and classrooms, if well conceived, can serve as protective environments for the positive development of African American students with learning disabilities (LD) (Keogh & Weisner, 1993). Many African American students who lack resiliency often struggle with life's challenges and may be predisposed to negative outcomes in life, so the focus…

  18. "Brothers Gonna Work It Out:" Understanding the Pedagogic Performance of African American Male Teachers Working with African American Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Anthony L.

    2009-01-01

    Drawing from ethnographic data, this paper explores how African American male teachers working with African American male students performed their pedagogy. This paper highlights how teachers' understanding of African American males social and educational needs shaped their pedagogical performance. Interestingly however, teachers' performance was…

  19. Gender-Based Salary Differences in African American Senior Student Affairs Officers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reason, Robert D.

    2003-01-01

    Study examined representation and salary differences related to gender for African American Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs). Data from a national survey revealed gender and institutional size significantly affect mean SSAO salary for African American respondents. African American women SSAOs make significantly less than African American…

  20. An investigation of African American and European American students' perception of teaching behavior.

    PubMed

    Cauley, Bridget; Immekus, Jason C; Pössel, Patrick

    2017-12-01

    Teaching behaviors are associated with a range of student academic and mental health outcomes. Substantial academic, school disciplinary, and mental health disparities across African American and European American students suggest that diverse students may view and interpret teaching behaviors differently. The Teaching Behavior Questionnaire measures students' perceptions of teaching behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to examine the scale's factor structure among European American high school students using exploratory factor analysis and, subsequently, cross-validate using confirmatory factor analysis based on African American student data. Results supported reconceptualizing the scale according to a three-factor model in both groups. Implications related to the interpretation and use of scores are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. African American and Latina(o) Community College Students' Social Capital and Student Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandoval-Lucero, Elena; Maes, Johanna B.; Klingsmith, Libby

    2014-01-01

    Using a framework of social and cultural capital, this study examined successful African American and Latina/o community college students. Based on focus group interviews with twenty two African American and Latina/o undergraduates at an urban community college, the authors reveal how social and cultural capital gained from students' relationships…

  2. Performance of African American Preschool and Kindergarten Students on the Expressive Vocabulary Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas-Tate, Shurita; Washington, Julie; Craig, Holly; Packard, Mary

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To examine the validity of the Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT; K. Williams, 1997) for assessing the expressive vocabulary skills of African American students. Method/Results: One hundred sixty-five African American preschool and kindergarten students were administered the EVT. The mean EVT score for these African American students was…

  3. Perceptions of Teacher Expectations by African American High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pringle, Beverley E.; Lyons, James E.; Booker, Keonya C.

    2010-01-01

    African American high school students are performing behind their White classmates regardless of whether they are in majority or minority populations at school. Teacher expectations, among school-related factors that can impact the academic achievement of African American high school students, are the focus of this study. Interviews were conducted…

  4. The Teacher-Student Interactions and Academic Achievement of African American and African Immigrant Males

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hussein, Hassen

    2017-01-01

    This quantitative survey questionnaires study compared the teacher-student interactions (TSI) and academic achievement of African-American and African immigrant undergraduate males. The academic achievement gap between different population groups provided the impetus for the study. While African Americans have been described as under-achievers in…

  5. Onward and Upward: Characteristics of African American Senior Student Affairs Officers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammonds, MarTeze D.

    2012-01-01

    The journey of African American student affairs professionals has evolved throughout the history of higher education and student affairs. This study examined the career profiles of ten African American Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) at predominately White institutions (PWIs) throughout the United States. By using the curriculum vitae and…

  6. "Sankofa" Teaching and Learning: Evaluating Relevance for Today's African-American Student

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Talpade, Medha; Talpade, Salil

    2014-01-01

    The intent of this project was to identify and relate the values and perceptions of today's African American students to culturally relevant teaching and learning practices. The reason for relating student culture with teaching practices is to improve pedagogical processes for African American students. Culturally relevant pedagogy, according to…

  7. Dimensions of Academic Contingencies among African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffin, Tiffany Monique; Chavous, Tabbye; Cogburn, Courtney; Branch, LaToya; Sellers, Robert

    2012-01-01

    Drawing from existing literature, the authors conceptualized a two-dimensional framework of African American students' academic contingencies of self-worth. The results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with a sample of African American college freshmen (N = 330) supported this prediction. Self-Worth Dependent academic…

  8. African American Students' Graphic Understanding of the Derivative: Critical Case Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stringer, Eddy W., III.

    2011-01-01

    Data suggests that a significant loss of African American students from STEM majors occur between their freshmen and sophomore year. This attrition corresponds to the time period when students encounter the calculus sequence. For this reason, calculus persists as a serious barrier preventing African American students from entering STEM fields.…

  9. Characterizing the learning styles and testing the science-related attitudes of African American middle school students: Implications for the underrepresentation of African Americans in the sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perine, Donald Ray

    African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and women are underrepresented among the population of scientists and science teachers in the United States. Specifically, the shortage of African Americans teaching math and science at all levels of the educational process and going into the many science-related fields is manifested throughout the entire educational and career structure of our society. This shortage exists when compared to the total population of African Americans in this country, the population of African American students, and to society's demand for more math and science teachers and professionals of all races. One suggestion to address this problem is to update curricular and instructional programs to accommodate the learning styles of African Americans from elementary to graduate school. There is little in the published literature to help us understand the learning styles of African American middle school students and how they compare to African American adults who pursue science careers. There is also little published data to help inform us about the relationship between learning styles of African American middle school students and their attitudes toward science. The author used a learning styles inventory instrument to identify the learning style preferences of the African American students and adults. The preferences identified describe how African American students and African American adult science professionals prefer to function, learn, concentrate, and perform in their educational and work activities in the areas of: (a) immediate environment, (b) emotionality, (c) sociological needs, and (d) physical needs. The learning style preferences for the students and adults were not significantly different in key areas of preference. A Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA) was used to measure seven distinct science-related attitudes of the middle school students. A comparison of the profile of the mean scores for the students in this study

  10. African American College Students, the Black Church, and Counseling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avent Harris, Janeé R.; Wong, Christine D.

    2018-01-01

    African American undergraduate students face numerous challenges during college; however, they are less likely to seek help from college counseling services. Often, African Americans seek support from spiritual resources. In the current phenomenological study, participants shared in a focus group interview. Overall, participants seemed to value…

  11. The Struggle of African American Students in the Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mubenga, Pascal

    2006-01-01

    The long road of slavery from generation to generation has left a legacy in the mind of African American students that has impacted their achievements in schools. In this project, the struggle of African American students in the public school education will be analyzed from the historical standpoint of view and its impact on their achievements.…

  12. Mentoring and Professional Identity Development for African American Female Doctoral Students: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curry, Nettavia Doreen

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation examines the impact mentoring relationships, between African American women doctoral students and faculty members, has on the students' professional identity development. Of particular interest is an examination of whether matched mentoring relationships between African American women doctoral students and African American female…

  13. African American student perception of persistence in engineering at a predominantly white institution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bennett, Sean T.

    This study examines African American student perceptions of persistence in engineering. The research design is methodologically qualitative using a purposefully selected population of engineering students. Semi-structured interviews were designed to develop an in-depth understanding of what completion of the engineering degree means to African American engineering students. This research seeks insight into the linkages between African American student perceptions of persistence as it relates to both the academic and social culture of the engineering department. Vincent Tinto's model of Institutional Departure (1975, 1987) is one of the most commonly cited models of persistence in higher education (Braxton, Milem, Sullivan, 2000). Tinto's model was leveraged in this study to understand perceptions obtained through student interviews. Tinto suggests that exploration of student goal commitment and perceptions of institutional commitment are key to understanding student persistence. Results of this study suggest that African American students have perceptions about the university that may influence the decision to persist in engineering. Ultimately, this study may prove useful to researchers and administrators interested in improving access and success for African American engineering students.

  14. Portraits by African-American Male University Students: A Retrospective Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fissori, Lauren

    2010-01-01

    African-American male students are systematically forced to confine themselves to the social construct that European-American society has developed for them. Actions, behaviors, and words that communicate this message spread both interracially and intraracially within schools and affect African-American males tremendously in terms of their…

  15. Motivators and Barriers to Blood Donation in African American College Students

    PubMed Central

    Shaz, Beth H.; Demmons, Derrick G.; Crittenden, Colleen P.; Carnevale, Claudine V.; Lee, Mark; Burnett, Miriam; Easley, Kirk; Hillyer, Christopher D.

    2009-01-01

    Background An adequate blood supply depends on volunteer non-remunerated blood donors. African Americans have lower blood donation rates than whites. To improve African American blood donation rates, the motivators and barriers to African Americans must be explored. To study the differences in motivators and barriers to blood donation between donor and non-donor African American college students. Methods African Americans college students at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities completed a 41-item, self-administered questionnaire, which assessed participant’s donation frequency, motivators and barriers toward donation, and knowledge and beliefs towards blood donation. Results 364 primarily female college students (96% African Americans, 93% female) completed the questionnaire. 49% reported prior blood donation experience (donors) and 51% were non-donors. The primary motivator for donors and non-donors was convenience (89% donor, 82% non-donor). Donors were more likely than non-donors to disagree with statements regarding blood donation as being too painful (82% donor, 44% non-donor), resulting in feeling faint, dizzy, or nauseated (61% donor, 29% non-donor). Donors more often agreed that the blood supply is safe (77% donor, 58% non-donor), less often concerned about receiving a transfusion (61% donor, 73% non-donor), and more often aware of local blood shortages (50% donor, 35% non-donor). Conclusions African Americans female college students are willing to donate blood given convenience and support from their university. Educational campaigns to increase knowledge regarding the safety of the blood donation process and the ongoing needs of an adequate blood supply might be effective methods to increase blood donation. PMID:19782000

  16. School Administrators' Perceptions of the Achievement Gap between African American Students and White Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Royle, Jonathan; Brown, Casey Graham

    2014-01-01

    This study included an analysis of principal perceptions of the achievement gap between African American and White students. School administrators from campuses with a substantial number of African American students within the subgroup were interviewed to explore their perceptions of the achievement gap. The study revealed factors within the…

  17. Associations between depression, distress tolerance, delay discounting, and alcohol-related problems in European American and African American college students.

    PubMed

    Dennhardt, Ashley A; Murphy, James G

    2011-12-01

    Although levels of heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems are high in college students, there is significant variability in the number and type of problems experienced, even among students who drink heavily. African American students drink less and experience fewer alcohol-related problems than European American students, but are still at risk, and little research has investigated the potentially unique patterns and predictors of problems among these students. Depression, distress tolerance, and delay discounting have been implicated in adult substance abuse and may be important predictors of alcohol problem severity among college students. We examined the relationship between these variables and alcohol-related problems among African American and European American students (N = 206; 53% female; 68% European American; 28% African American) who reported recent heavy drinking. In regression models that controlled for drinking level, depression, distress tolerance, and delay discounting were associated with alcohol problems among African American students, but only depression was associated with alcohol problems among European American students. These results suggest that negative affect is a key risk factor for alcohol problems among college student drinkers. For African American students, the inability to tolerate negative emotions and to organize their behavior around future outcomes may also be especially relevant risk factors.

  18. Differential effects of the classroom on African American and non-African American's mathematics achievement.

    PubMed

    Schenke, Katerina; Nguyen, Tutrang; Watts, Tyler W; Sarama, Julie H; Clements, Douglas H

    2017-08-01

    We examined whether African American students differentially responded to dimensions of the observed classroom-learning environment compared with non-African American students. Further, we examined whether these dimensions of the classroom mediated treatment effects of a preschool mathematics intervention targeted at students from low-income families. Three observed dimensions of the classroom (teacher expectations and developmental appropriateness; teacher confidence and enthusiasm; and support for mathematical discourse) were evaluated in a sample of 1,238 preschool students in 101 classrooms. Using multigroup multilevel mediation where African American students were compared to non-African American students, we found that teachers in the intervention condition had higher ratings on the observed dimensions of the classroom compared with teachers in the control condition. Further, ratings on teacher expectations and developmental appropriateness had larger associations with the achievement of African American students than for non-African Americans. Findings suggest that students within the same classroom may react differently to that learning environment and that classroom learning environments could be structured in ways that are beneficial for students who need the most support.

  19. The African American Women's Summit: A Student Affairs Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    West, Nicole M.

    2017-01-01

    The African American Women's Summit (AAWS) is a professional development program in the United States created by and for African American women in student affairs. This article reviews the evolution and structure of the AAWS. A discussion, grounded in Black feminist thought, is included relative to the impact of the AAWS on African American women…

  20. Young, black, and connected: Facebook usage among African American college students.

    PubMed

    Lee, E Bun

    2012-01-01

    This article examines the extent and intensity of Facebook usage among African American college students and investigates their reasons for using Facebook. As expected, 98% of students in the survey had a Facebook account, and a large number of Facebook “friends.” Younger users spent significantly more time on Facebook than older ones. Our findings underscore the importance of cultural influence for African American online users. Displaying photographs and personal interests on Facebook signals racial identity among African American college students. Personality traits, such as self-esteem, trust in people, satisfaction with university life, and racial identity, were not significant predictors on the time spent on Facebook.

  1. An Investigation of African American Parents' Perception of School Leaders as It Relates to Parent Engagement and the African American Male Student

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Currie, Delvon Denise

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate African American parents' perception of school leaders as it relates to parent engagement and the African American male student. Specifically, this study addressed African American parents' perceptions of the quality of their child's education and the quality of communication they received from their…

  2. Teaching White Students Black History: The African-American Experience in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burrell, Leon F.; Walsh, Robert L.

    2001-01-01

    Many white students are barely exposed to African-American history throughout their schooling. When students do examine the other side of American history, the one not generally found in their textbooks, they often wonder why they have not learned this before. An understanding of African-American history is central to any effort to eliminate…

  3. Retaining African Americans in Higher Education: Challenging Paradigms for Retaining Students, Faculty and Administrators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Lee, Ed.

    This collection discusses some of the issues surrounding the retention of African Americans in higher education, and it challenges traditional paradigms for retaining African American students, administrators, and faculty at predominantly White colleges. The chapters of part 1, "Retaining African-American Students," are: (1) "Creating an Affirming…

  4. Aspects of the Student Engagement of African American Men in Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romney, Paulette B.

    2012-01-01

    High attrition rates of African American college students' is a continuing concern of higher education administrators. This is particularly true of African American men attending community college. African American men consistently experience low levels of scholastic achievement as a result of entering college underprepared, with academic deficits…

  5. "Teaching while Black": Narratives of African American Student Affairs Faculty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patton, Lori D.; Catching, Christopher

    2009-01-01

    African American faculty have historically been underrepresented within predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and deal with academic isolation, marginalization of their scholarship, and racial hostility. Little is known about the experiences of African American faculty who teach in student affairs graduate programs. The purpose of this study was…

  6. Overweight and Physical Inactivity Among African American Students at a Historically Black University.

    PubMed

    Sa, Jaesin; Heimdal, James; Sbrocco, Tracy; Seo, Dong-Chul; Nelson, Beatrice

    2016-02-01

    Little is known about correlates of overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity among African American students at historically Black colleges and universities. To assess overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity among African American college students at a historically Black university in Maryland in the USA. Data were collected from 268 African American college students in 2013. Data were analyzed with percentage difference z-tests, chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression. Cross-sectional survey (student response rate = 49.9%). The overweight/obesity rate of participants was 47.5%, which was higher than that of the U.S. college student population overall (34.1%) and a representative sample of African American college students (38.3%). When age and sex were controlled, a family history of obesity, skipping breakfast, drinking caffeinated drinks, lower family income, and smoking a pipe, cigars, or cigarettes daily were significant correlates of overweight (obesity included). The percentage of physical inactivity was 68.3, and physical inactivity was higher among women and overweight or obese students. Given the high overweight and obesity prevalence among African American college students, historically Black colleges and universities in the USA should increase health promotion efforts targeting weight-related behaviors, particularly physical activity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Mentors' Perceptions of a University-School Partnership through a Student African American Mentoring Initiative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilman, Amanda

    2014-01-01

    The participants in this study were 10 African American male college mentors at Indiana State University who participated in the Indiana State University Student African American Male Mentor Program, one school counselor, and two members of the Student African American Brotherhood administration. The study examined potential benefits to mentors,…

  8. Students' Perspectives: A Qualitative Study of African American Community College Students' Experiences with Placement Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Cecial Nicole

    2017-01-01

    Remediation has become one of the greatest barriers to student success and disproportionately affects the persistence and retention rates of African American community college students. Nearly 70% of the African American students at community colleges required remediation, which results in low persistence and graduation rates for these students.…

  9. Religiosity and HIV risk behaviors in African-American students.

    PubMed

    Boyd-Starke, Kimberly; Hill, Oliver W; Fife, John; Whittington, Marcina

    2011-04-01

    The participants were 256 African-American students between the ages of 18 and 25, from two historically Black universities. The purpose of this study was to see how dimensions of religiosity and spirituality influenced the HIV risk behavior in African-American college students. Each participant completed the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI) and a survey of sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. The data were analyzed using a series of ANOVAs, t tests, and correlations. The results from the study confirmed that there was a relationship between religiosity/spirituality and one's tendency to engage in HIV risk behaviors in the population of African-American college students. Interestingly, this study was able to reveal that traditional indicators of religiosity, such as association and church attendance, were not predictors of any of the risky sexual behaviors or attitudes. The portions of religiosity with the greatest impact on these behaviors were the Experiential/Phenomenological, the Existential Well-being, and the Cognitive dimensions, with high scores on each indicative of less likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors.

  10. A Breath of Fresh Air: Students' Perceptions of Interactions with African American Faculty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neville, Kathleen M.; Parker, Tara L.

    2017-01-01

    In this phenomenological study we relied on classroom observations and 22 in-depth interviews with students as they interacted with African American faculty. Findings reveal the meaning students made from these classroom interactions and the ways African American faculty, significantly and positively, influenced the student experience. More…

  11. African-American college student attitudes toward physics and their effect on achievement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drake, Carl Timothy

    The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern United States. Nine of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales, modified for physics, were used to analyze the attitudes of the 135 participants enrolled in an introductory college physics class. The nine scales used to measure the students' attitudes were Attitude Toward Success in Physics Scale (AS), The Physics as a Male Domain Scale (MD), The Mother Scale (M), The Father Scale (F), The Teacher Scale (T), The Confidence in Learning Physics Scale (C), The Physics Anxiety Scale (A), The Effectance Motivation Scale in Physics (E), and The Physics Usefulness Scale (U). Hypothesis I states that there is a significant difference in the domain scores of African-American college students in the Fennema-Sherman Math Attitudes Scales adapted for physics. It was found using a repeated measures ANOVA that there was a significant difference between the attitudes of African-Americans on the nine attitude scales of the Fennema-Sherman Math Attitude Scales, F(8,992) = 43.09, p < .001. Hypothesis II states that there is a statistically significant difference in domain scores between African-American males and African-American females in the Fennema-Sherman Attitude Scales. It was found using a MANOVA that there was not a significant difference between the domain scores of African-American males and African-American females, F(8, 116) = .38, p > .05. Hypothesis III states that there is a statistically significant relationship between attitude towards physics and achievement for African-American students. The students with good attitudes toward physics would have a higher level of achievement

  12. Effects of Teacher Certification on the Educational Achievement of African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wheeler-Davenport, Veronica

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to explore the effects of teachers' certification on the achievement of African American students. The impetus for this exploration resided in the reading achievement disparities between African American and Caucasian students in the study district. Guided by the principles of total…

  13. African American High School Students' Perceptions of Their College Counseling Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turner, LaTonya M.

    2017-01-01

    This study looked at high school African American students' perceptions of their college counseling experiences. Much research has been done to highlight the views and/or perceptions of various stakeholders regarding college counseling with respect to African American students (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000; Hossler & Stage, 1992; Ng,…

  14. Factors of Persistence for African American Men in a Student Support Organization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Lamont D.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine factors of persistence for two African American men involved in the Project Empowerment (PE, pseudonym) student organization at a predominantly White institution. The participants are undergraduate student members of PE, a campus-based organization designed to enhance African American male…

  15. Breastfeeding Exposure, Attitudes, and Intentions of African American and Caucasian College Students.

    PubMed

    Jefferson, Urmeka T

    2017-02-01

    African American mothers lag behind in breastfeeding initiation. Research is needed to gain an understanding of potential reasons for breastfeeding disparities. Research aim: This study explored breastfeeding exposure, attitudes, and intentions of African American and Caucasian college students by race and gender. Women and men (696) attending college, who were younger than 45 years and without children, were included in this study. Survey data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale. Overall, students demonstrated favorable attitudes regarding breastfeeding but viewed formula feeding as more practical. Students who were Caucasian and female and experienced breastfeeding exposure demonstrated higher breastfeeding attitudes and intent. Breastfeeding exposure and attitudes contributed 32% of the variance in breastfeeding intentions. The odds of experiencing breastfeeding exposure and positive breastfeeding attitudes were approximately 3 times higher for Caucasian students than for African American students. External factors demonstrated a stronger association with breastfeeding intentions. The link with race and gender appears to operate through their effect on attitudes and exposure. More research is needed to identify strategies to improve breastfeeding exposure and attitudes among African Americans.

  16. Influence of Teacher Characteristics on African American Student Math Achievement in Texas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    West, Dorthery Barron

    2012-01-01

    The achievement gap between African American and White students continues to be an issue of great concern for educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of teacher characteristics on African American student math achievement: More specifically, the study examined years of teaching experience, campus teacher turnover, and the…

  17. Disproportionate Suspension of African American Students in Public Schools: A Delphi Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belcher, Nikia M.

    2012-01-01

    The problem addressed in this study was the disproportionate number of African American students who are suspended or expelled at a higher rate than their white counterparts in Michigan public schools. This research was framed with critical race theory and cultural ecology theory of African American students suspended. This study applied a Delphi…

  18. Higher Educational Aspirations of African American Male High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kester, Jonathan

    2017-01-01

    This quantitative study examined the influence of family, school, and peers on the educational aspirations of African American male high school students in the ninth and tenth grade who live in a small Midwest town. Increasing the higher education aspirations of African American males is the first step needed to attend college, which according to…

  19. The experiences of African American graduate students: A cultural transition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Joseph, Joretta

    Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) have long been an intellectual resource for the African American community. HBCUs have provided and continue to provide an educational pathway for many Black students, particularly women who seek graduate and advanced degrees. However, despite the overwhelmingly positive presence of HBCU in the African American community, the academic training of students who graduate from HBCUs may be perceived as insufficient by predominantly White graduate institutions (PWIs). As a result, African American students who are not well integrated into their respective departmental communities and cultures at PW/is are likely to leave graduate school. Thus the continuing loss of talented people, potential research, role models for society, and the next generation of African American students in the fields of math, engineering, and the sciences (STEM) create a segregated and limited university environment. Studies in the field that attempt to provide insight in to experiences of underrepresented students are ultimately beneficial. However, often such studies do not address the process of adapting to the culture of a predominantly white institution (PWI), particularly within white and male dominated fields such as mathematics and the sciences. Research has also indicated that the first two years at a predominantly white graduate institution is the crucial transitional period for students of color, and it is this transitional moment in time that is the focus of this study. I consider how students make the transition from HBCU to majority institutions, and what impact this transition has on their persistence and commitment to their discipline. The limited amount of research that does address the experiences of minority doctoral students in math and science is usually coupled with the experiences of women. However, race and gender are not linear or additive. It cannot be assumed that the same factors that effect the under representation

  20. Inclusion of African American Students in Mathematics Classrooms: Issues of Style, Curriculum, and Expectations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rowser, Jacqueline Frazier; Koontz, Trish Yourst

    1995-01-01

    Attempts to help teachers reflect on classroom practices to encourage more participation in mathematics by all students, especially African Americans. Discusses learning styles of African Americans, culture-fair curriculum, and teacher expectations of African Americans. (14 references) (MKR)

  1. Achievement Emotions as Predictors of High School Science Success Among African-American and European American Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowe, Marilyn Louise Simmons

    The literature includes few studies of the interrelations of achievement goals and achievement emotions with respect to minority students and science achievement. The objective of this study was to test the control-value theory (CVT) of achievement emotions to determine if the eight discrete achievement emotions would be predictive of test scores on the High School Graduation Test (GHSGT)-Science for African-American compared to European-American science students. Convenience cluster sampling was employed to select 160 students who were all juniors in the same public high school at the time that they took the GHSGT-Science. The central research question for this study aimed to uncover whether any of the eight achievement emotions identified in CVT would contribute significantly to the predictability of science achievement as measured by GHSGT-Science scores. Data were collected using a nonexperimental, cross sectional design survey. Data were analyzed using a hierarchal, forced entry, multiple regression analysis. Key results indicated that the eight achievement emotions were predictive of GHSGT-Science score outcomes. Positive social change at the individual level could reflect a boost in confidence for African American science students and help decrease the achievement gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) endeavors between European Americans and African-American students. Educators may consider the importance of achievement emotions in science outcomes by including social emotional learning (SEL) as a part of the regular science curriculum. Future researchers should repeat the study in a school district where the population is available to support the desired cluster sample of equal parts European Americans to African Americans and male to female students.

  2. African-American Female Student Experiences in Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dozier, Nedra

    2016-01-01

    This is a mixed method study focusing on African-American Female (AAF) student experiences and success in the community college. This study was focused at a large southeastern, comprehensive community college. A chi-squared analysis of extant data concerning questions from the Community College Survey for Student Engagement (CCSSE) instrument was…

  3. Perceived Racism and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, LaBarron K.; Kobayashi, Ihori; Hughes, Joel W.

    2007-01-01

    Experiences with racial discrimination may contribute to stress-induced blood pressure (BP) elevations among African Americans. It was reported that perceived racism was associated with ambulatory BP (ABP) during waking hours. This study examined perceived racism and ABP among 40 African American college students, who completed an ABP assessment…

  4. A Phenomenological Study of African-American Community College Students in the Baltimore County Area

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osborne, Taneisha L.

    2012-01-01

    Numerous empirical studies have been conducted to examine the factors that influence African American community college students' decisions to pursue a higher education. Studies have also examined the causes of the achievement gap between African-Americans and European American community college students. However, there is limited research about…

  5. Recruitment Is Not Enough: Retaining African American Students in Gifted Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, James L., III; Ford, Donna Y.; Milner, H. Richard

    2005-01-01

    In public school systems all around the country, educators--teachers, counselors, and administrators--have made significant progress in identifying and recruiting diverse populations in gifted and enrichment programs. Despite the efforts, too many African American students and other students of color (e.g., Hispanic Americans and Native Americans)…

  6. Recruiting Secondary Mathematics Teachers: Characteristics That Add Up for African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ragland, Tamra C.; Harkness, Shelly Sheats

    2014-01-01

    In this article, the authors provide portraits of three mathematics teachers: one European American man, one African American man, and one Middle Eastern woman. All three taught in secondary schools with predominantly African American student populations. Semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted to create a comparative case study…

  7. African American College Students at Predominantly White and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDonald, Nicole L.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to more fully understand the socialization experiences of African American college students, and to investigate and/or uncover new information that can offer meaningful insight for transforming institutional barriers that interfere with the success of African American college students. The existing literature…

  8. Safe Havens for African American Students: Finding Support on a White Campus. Draft.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, R. Deborah

    This study examined comments from a qualitative study regarding African American students' level of adjustment at predominantly white institutions. A phenomenological approach and ethno-methodology provided the framework to focus on what African American students experience and how they interpret their experiences in what they perceive as a…

  9. What African American College Students Perceive as Contributive Factors in Their Academic Success?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ransom, Brandi S.

    2016-01-01

    This study explored what African American college students perceives as contributing to their Academic success. This study moved to determine what factors significantly influence or impact how African American college students advance in their academic journey, which was hypothesized as an important component related to academic success and degree…

  10. Profiles of Motivation for Reading Among African American and Caucasian Students

    PubMed Central

    Guthrie, John T.; Coddington, Cassandra S.; Wigfield, Allan

    2009-01-01

    Previous research has investigated motivations for reading by examining positive, or affirming, motivations including intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. Related to them, we examined two negative, or undermining, motivations consisting of avoidance and perceived difficulty. We proposed that the motivations of intrinsic motivation and avoidance are relatively independent, and thus, can be combined to form meaningful profiles consisting of: avid, ambivalent, apathetic, and averse readers. With Grade 5 students we found that these motivations were relatively independent for both Caucasian and African American students. The two motivations uniquely explained a significant proportion of variance in reading comprehension and other cognitive reading variables. Although intrinsic motivation was stronger for Caucasians, avoidance was stronger for African Americans. The profile of the African American students contained higher proportions of averse and ambivalent readers than the Caucasian profile. The profile of avid readers showed higher reading achievement than the other profiles. PMID:19960100

  11. The Afro-American Gospel Choir: Achieving a Positive Campus Climate for African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pope, Myron L.; Moore, Cynthia

    2004-01-01

    For African American students, matriculation at a predominantly White institution of higher education can be quite intimidating. Religion is important in providing comfort and encouragement for many of these students. This article describes the Afro-American gospel choir at the University of Alabama and its role in providing a more positive campus…

  12. Faculty Perceptions of, and Experiences with, African American Male Students at a Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jenkins, Shantelle K.

    2013-01-01

    Many studies involving African American male students have focused on achievement gaps and student retention models of those attending four-year institutions. However, there are limited investigations of African American male students at the community college and very few that focus on faculty perceptions. This study employed a mixed Delphi…

  13. The Impact of Ethnic Identity Stage Development on the Intercultural Sensitivity of African-American Students during Study Abroad

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dinani, Thandiwe T.

    2016-01-01

    African-American students represent 12% of the 14 million students enrolled in higher education institutions (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). However, African-American students participate in study-abroad programs at a much lower percentage; African-American students represent 5% of the total number of students who study abroad…

  14. Understanding African American Males

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell, Edward Earl

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the socialization skills, self-esteem, and academic readiness of African American males in a school environment. Discussions with students and the School Perceptions Questionnaire provided data for this investigation. The intended targets for this investigation were African American students; however, there…

  15. A comparison of African-American and Caucasian college students' attitudes toward computers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luckett, Pamela Gail

    1997-09-01

    As computer usage becomes mandatory on college campuses across the world, the issue of examining students' attitudes toward computers becomes very important. The major goal of this study was to examine the relationship between gender and ethnicity and African American and Caucasian college students attitudes toward computers. The Computer Attitude Scale instrument was used to measure the students' attitudes. During the Summer of the 1996 academic year, a university in the southeastern United States was selected to participate in this study. A total of 230 African American and Caucasian undergraduate students participated in the study. The students were pre-tested during the first week of the semester to access their initial computer attitudes. The students were enrolled in one of the mandatory computer literacy courses (Computer Literacy Awareness Course or C, Pascal or FORTRAN Programming Course) for 12 weeks. There were a total of seven different instructors for the courses. During the 12th week of class, the students were post-tested to access their computer attitudes after completing one of the computer literacy courses. Results were analyzed using ANCOVA. While both African Americans and Caucasian students showed a slight increase in their attitudes toward computers after completing the course, no significant difference between the groups was found. However, all groups were found to have positive attitudes toward computers in general. Data analysis also indicated no significant gender difference among African American and Caucasian undergraduate students. This confirmed findings of previous studies in which no significant gender difference was found to exist among college students.

  16. African American Students' Persistence at a Two-Year Institution: Cognitive, Social, and Institutional Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Angela Jewell

    2017-01-01

    Persistence and graduation rates of African American students have become discussion topics of national, state, and educational leaders (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Many African American students enroll in postsecondary education but do not persist to graduation (Harris, 2016). The purpose of this study was to explore African American…

  17. African American Students' Experiences in Special Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craft, Eleanor; Howley, Aimee

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: Disproportionate placement of African American students into special education programs is likely to be a form of institutional racism, especially when such placement stigmatizes students. If placement also fails to lead to educational benefits, the practice becomes even more suspect. Some studies have explored disproportionate…

  18. A Phenomenological Investigation on the Role of Mentoring in the Academic Development of African American Male Secondary Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Inge, Jillian

    The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how the construct of mentoring by African American males can support the academic development of African American male students. Since African American male students perform significantly lower in academic subjects than their counterparts of other ethnicities, there is an exigent need for change in this area. Built upon the conceptual framework of communal interactions and identity, the inquiry questioned the experiences of mentors for African American male secondary students, and their perceptions of the influence of a mentoring relationship when the mentor and mentee are of similar backgrounds. Participants in this study were 7 African American males who had mentored or were currently mentoring African American male students. Data, obtained through semi structured interviews and focus group interviews, were coded for themes that reflected the experiences of mentors in mentoring African American males. Mentors in this study reported that students with whom they share similar backgrounds and experiences were better able to relate to them than those who had dissimilar backgrounds and experiences. In addition, mentors reported their mentees were more likely to envision themselves in professional areas beyond their perceived cultural norm when they routinely interact with successful African American males from various fields; thus, it was important for mentors to provide opportunities for students to interact with professionals. Contributions to social change will emerge as African American male mentors understand and employ their roles as a fundamental component in the academic development of African American male secondary students and thus empower this population of students to achieve academic success and to serve in a capacity that nurtures their immediate surroundings.

  19. The perspectives and experiences of African American students in an informal science program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bulls, Domonique L.

    Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are the fastest growing sectors of the economy, nationally and globally. In order for the United States (U.S.) to maintain its competitiveness, it is important to address STEM experiences at the precollege level. In early years, science education serves as a foundation and pipeline for students to pursue STEM in college and beyond. Alternative approaches to instruction in formal classrooms have been introduced to engage more students in science. One alternative is informal science education. Informal science education is an avenue used to promote science education literacy. Because it is less regulated than science teaching in formal classroom settings, it allows for the incorporation of culture into science instruction. Culturally relevant science teaching is one way to relate science to African American students, a population that continually underperforms in K-12 science education. This study explores the science perspectives and experiences of African American middle school students participating in an informal science program. The research is framed by the tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy and shaped by the following questions: (1) What specific aspects of the Carver Program make it unique to African American students? (2) How is culturally relevant pedagogy incorporated into the informal science program? (3) How does the incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy into the informal science program influence African American students' perceptions about science? The findings to the previously stated questions add to the limited research on African American students in informal science learning environments and contribute to the growing research on culturally relevant science. This study is unique in that it explores the cultural components of an informal science program.

  20. More Than Just Style and Delivery: Recasting Public Speaking Courses for African American Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nance, Teresa A.

    Recognizing that too often, African American students in communication courses are confronted with communication principles which to them seem inappropriate, unrealistic, and simply false, this paper analyzes the conceptual foundation of the public speaking course and suggests how it might be made more relevant for African American students. The…

  1. Measuring Urban Teachers' Beliefs about African American Students: A Psychometric Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Natesan, Prathiba; Kieftenbeld, Vincent

    2013-01-01

    Understanding urban teachers' beliefs about African American students has become important because (a) many teachers are reluctant to teach students from other cultures, and (b) most teachers are European American. To construct a psychometrically sound measure of teacher beliefs, the authors investigate the measurement properties of a teacher…

  2. African-American College Student Attitudes toward Physics and Their Effect on Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drake, Carl Timothy

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the attitudes that African-American college students have towards introductory college physics. The population targeted for this study consisted of African-American males and females enrolled in introductory college physics classes at an urban public historical black college or…

  3. Kanter's Theory of Tokenism and the Socialization of African American Students Attending Midwestern University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mallett, Justin R.

    2013-01-01

    This study analyzed how Kanter's theory of tokenism and its related concepts of performance pressure, social isolation and role entrapment can be used to understand the socialization of African American students at a small Midwestern college. Sixteen African American students were interviewed in focus groups to examine various aspects of their…

  4. Overcoming Biases to Effectively Serve African American College Students: A Call to the Profession

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncan, Lonnie E.

    2005-01-01

    This article reexamines the help-seeking behavior of African American college students with a focus on possible counselor biases as well as biases in the settings in which counselors work. These issues are discussed as possible contributing factors to the underutilization of counseling by African American college students. Strategies to overcoming…

  5. Perceived racism and alcohol consequences among African American and Caucasian college students.

    PubMed

    Grekin, Emily R

    2012-12-01

    Few studies have assessed relationships between perceived racism, racism-related stress, and alcohol problems. The current study examined these relationships within the context of tension reduction models of alcohol consumption. Participants were 94 African American and 189 Caucasian college freshmen who completed an online survey assessing perceived racism, alcohol consequences, alcohol consumption, negative affect, and deviant behavior. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that racism-related stress predicted alcohol consequences for both African American and Caucasian college students, even after controlling for alcohol consumption, negative affect, and behavioral deviance. The frequency of racist events predicted alcohol consequences for Caucasian but not African American students. These findings highlight the need to address racism and racism-related stress in college-based alcohol prevention and intervention efforts. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

  6. African-American Male Student Perceptions about Factors Related to Why Black Boys Drop out of Secondary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Anntwanique DeVonne

    2012-01-01

    African-American males are overwhelmingly represented in the nation's dropout rates. Dropping out of school has serious social and economic consequences for our society. The dropout rate is overwhelmingly represented by African-American male students, but limited attention is given to student voice. This study examines African-American male…

  7. Perceptions of teaching African American students who succeed during science testing: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harris, Tevis Tramaine

    The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research was to explore the perceptions of teachers as they instruct African American students who are successful on the North Carolina End-of-Grade Science test. The study identified thoughts, feelings, emotions, and challenges that teachers faced when instructing successful African American students from Title I schools in rural community classrooms. The research study analysis utilized NVivo10RTM software and identified common themes in the data. Five themes emerged from interviews with five fifth- and eighth-grade science teachers. Based on the teachers' perceptions, the findings revealed: (a) teachers experience an emotional journey in high poverty schools; (b) investments encompass sacrificing whatever is needed to help students become successful; (c) relationships should be developed between the teacher and student; (d) intentionality is a part of teachers' daily interaction with students; and (e) teachers encounter a challenging opportunity instructing African American students in science. This study provides valuable data in understanding the experiences of teachers as they instruct successful African American students and the challenges, obstacles, and triumphs teachers face when working with this population of students. The implications of the study suggest that educational leaders provide emotional support to help teachers manage the plethora of emotions experienced on a daily basis. Future study of successful teachers of African American students may further inform the dearth of literature surrounding the experience of successful teachers of minority students.

  8. Perceived and Personal Mental Health Stigma in Latino and African American College Students.

    PubMed

    DeFreitas, Stacie Craft; Crone, Travis; DeLeon, Martha; Ajayi, Anna

    2018-01-01

    Mental health stigma occurs when people have negative thoughts and beliefs of those with mental health illnesses or mental health treatment. Mental health stigma is related to an assortment of negative outcomes including discrimination in housing and employment, reduced usage of mental health services, and poor mental health outcomes. These implications may be particularly salient for ethnic minorities such as African Americans and Latinos who already suffer from other types of discrimination. This study examines perceived and personal mental health stigma in African American and Latino college students from a nontraditional university to help elucidate factors related to the development of mental health stigma. Students completed surveys concerning their stigma beliefs. African American students were found to have higher rates of mental health stigma than Latino students. Furthermore, anxiety about those with mental illness was related to greater mental health stigma for both groups. For African Americans, it was found that their perception of their ability to visibly identify those with mental illness was related to greater mental health stigma. These findings suggest that interventions to reduce mental health stigma in college students should target specific ethnic minority groups and focus on issues that are particularly salient to those communities.

  9. Perceived and Personal Mental Health Stigma in Latino and African American College Students

    PubMed Central

    DeFreitas, Stacie Craft; Crone, Travis; DeLeon, Martha; Ajayi, Anna

    2018-01-01

    Mental health stigma occurs when people have negative thoughts and beliefs of those with mental health illnesses or mental health treatment. Mental health stigma is related to an assortment of negative outcomes including discrimination in housing and employment, reduced usage of mental health services, and poor mental health outcomes. These implications may be particularly salient for ethnic minorities such as African Americans and Latinos who already suffer from other types of discrimination. This study examines perceived and personal mental health stigma in African American and Latino college students from a nontraditional university to help elucidate factors related to the development of mental health stigma. Students completed surveys concerning their stigma beliefs. African American students were found to have higher rates of mental health stigma than Latino students. Furthermore, anxiety about those with mental illness was related to greater mental health stigma for both groups. For African Americans, it was found that their perception of their ability to visibly identify those with mental illness was related to greater mental health stigma. These findings suggest that interventions to reduce mental health stigma in college students should target specific ethnic minority groups and focus on issues that are particularly salient to those communities. PMID:29536000

  10. Use and Misuse of Speech Diagnostics for African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baugh, John

    2015-01-01

    Many African American students have been tested using speech pathology diagnostics that are ill suited to their distinctive linguistic circumstances. Slave descendants of African origin share a unique linguistic heritage in contrast and comparison to every other immigrant group residing within America. In an effort to overcome the legacy of…

  11. African-American students' perceptions of their majors, future professions, and the dietetics major and profession: a qualitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Felton, Teena M; Nickols-Richardson, Sharon M; Serrano, Elena; Hosig, Kathy W

    2008-07-01

    African-American professionals are underrepresented in the profession of dietetics. This preliminary qualitative study identified African-American students' perceptions of their majors, future professions, and the dietetics major/profession to understand why they did or did not enter dietetics. It was hypothesized that dietetics students chose dietetics primarily for altruistic reasons, whereas students in other fields of study did not choose dietetics due to lack of awareness of dietetics. To learn students' views, African-American college students engaged in elicitation interviews or focus group discussions. Twenty-eight women and 12 men participated. Phenomenologic analysis identified common themes and meanings: African-American students selected their majors for a variety of reasons, including desire to help people, interest in the field, recommendation from an adult, and family influence. African-American students in fields of study other than dietetics believed that the dietetics major was not selected due to lack of awareness about dietetics. Both dietetics students and students in other fields of study perceived versatility, ability to work with/help people, and to have an influence as positive qualities about their future professions. Advanced degree and training requirements, lack of diversity, and low salary were identified as negative qualities about future professions. African-American students in fields of study other than dietetics had not been exposed to the dietetics major, careers, and profession. Recruitment efforts should begin early to increase the number of African-American students in dietetics.

  12. Young, Gifted, and Black: Promoting High Achievement among African-American Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perry, Theresa; Steele, Claude; Hilliard, Asa G., III

    In three linked but separate essays, this book explores how African-American students experience school in a society that has historically devalued their intellectual abilities. It calls for a new understanding of the unique obstacles black students face in American schools and points to a variety of educational practices that can mitigate those…

  13. The Discipline Gap: Teachers' Views on the Over-Representation of African American Students in the Discipline System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gregory, Anne; Mosely, Pharmicia M.

    2004-01-01

    While the achievement gap between African American students and white and Asian students is discussed widely in the media (e.g. Schemo, 2003), the gap in discipline between African Americans and these groups has gained much less attention. Few studies have explored teacher processes that affect the over-representation of African American students…

  14. Sisters in the Struggle: African American Female Graduate Students Coping with Racism and Racism-Related

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Kelsie

    2013-01-01

    This study examined if coping was predictive of perceived racism and racism related stress of African American female graduate students. Participants were 217 African American female graduate students attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and…

  15. Withstanding Our Status as Outsiders-Within: Professional Counterspaces for African American Women Student Affairs Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    West, Nicole M.

    2017-01-01

    Although engagement in social and academic counterspaces has been studied as a strategy used by African American college students to withstand racially inhospitable campus climates, very little research documents the impact of professional counterspaces on African American women student affairs administrators. The purpose of this basic…

  16. Group Counseling for African American Elementary Students: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steen, Sam

    2009-01-01

    This article describes a group counseling intervention promoting academic achievement and ethnic identity development for twenty fifth grade African American elementary students. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) scores of students participating in the treatment group improved significantly over those in the control group. Implications…

  17. Academic Self-Concept and Academic Achievement of African American Students Transitioning from Urban to Rural Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bacon, La Shawn Catrice

    2011-01-01

    The relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement in African American students who have experienced geographic mobility was the focus of this study. Specifically, this study used quantitative methods to assess African American students from counties in Iowa to obtain information about the students' relocation from urban to…

  18. African American Students in Private, Independent Schools: Parents and School Influences on Racial Identity Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeCuir-Gunby, Jessica T.; Martin, Pamela P.; Cooper, Shauna M.

    2012-01-01

    Although much research has focused on the public school experiences of African American students, few studies exist that explore their race-related experiences within an independent, private school context. Studies have suggested that, while private, independent schools may elevate the quality of African American students' education, many of these…

  19. Factors Influencing Positive Interactions across Race for African American, Asian American, Latino, and White College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saenz, Victor B.; Ngai, Hoi Ning; Hurtado, Sylvia

    2007-01-01

    This study explores the various factors that promote positive interactions across race for African American, Asian American, Latino, and White college students. A longitudinal survey was administered to all incoming students at nine public institutions (with a follow-up survey given at the end of their second year), examining activities related to…

  20. How African-American Elementary Students in High-Poverty Schools Experience Creative Expression: A Case Study Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willis, Belinda F.

    2016-01-01

    Literature that addresses how the arts enhance student learning through creative expression is minimal. This is especially true for African-American elementary students from high-poverty backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to employ a case study design to explore how African-American elementary students in high-poverty schools experience…

  1. An Investigation of High-Achieving African-American Students Attending Community Colleges: A Mixed Methods Research Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gipson, John; Mitchell, Donald, Jr.; McLean, Carolyn

    2018-01-01

    While much more research has been conducted about African-American college students in recent decades, there still exists a need for further explorations concerning factors related to student success and retention. For example, articles often explore the experiences of African-American students at four-year institutions and often use deficit…

  2. Debunking Anti-Intellectualism: An Examination of African American College Students' Intellectual Self-Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cole, Darnell

    2011-01-01

    Framed within the debate on African American "anti-intellectualism," this study examined a longitudinal sample of 460 African American students' intellectual self-concept and college grades (GPA) through regression analyses resulting from their college experiences. The findings showed that the college environment had a modest influence on African…

  3. Supporting African American Student Success through Prophetic Activism: New Possibilities for Public School-Church Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jordan, Diedria H.; Wilson, Camille M.

    2017-01-01

    This article describes how African American students' success can be improved via the increased support of Black churches and their partnerships with public schools. Findings and implications from a comparative case study of two North Carolina churches that strive to educationally assist African American public school students are detailed. Both…

  4. Special Education Referrals for African American Students: Behavior versus Academic Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtis, Charmaine D.

    2012-01-01

    A higher percentage of African American students in a local school district were referred to special education than were students in other ethnic groups. Placement of a student in a special education program results in that student receiving a curriculum that has modified achievement standards. This correlational study examined patterns in…

  5. Academic, Racial and Mathematics Identities of African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, A'kilah Tienda

    2011-01-01

    This mixed-methods study examined the experiences of African American community college mathematics students' in the Nyame Scholars Program at Promise Community College. The purpose of the study was to identify through narrative analysis what aspects of the program impact students' racial, academic, and mathematics identities. A comparison group…

  6. Do gender differences in help avoidance vary by ethnicity? An examination of African American and European American students during early adolescence.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Allison M; Shim, S Serena; Lampkins-Uthando, Shawn A; Thompson, Geneene N; Kiefer, Sarah M

    2009-07-01

    The present research examined whether the nature of gender differences varies by race for two types of academic engagement in the classroom (help avoidance and voice with the teacher) in a sample of early adolescents (N = 456; 55% female, 60% African American and 40% European American) making the transition to middle school. Growth curve analyses indicated that help avoidance increased over time, voice remained stable, and achievement declined. In line with hypotheses based on cultural variations in the female role, there were no gender differences in help avoidance for African American students, whereas for European American students, girls were lower in help avoidance than were boys. For African American students, there were no gender differences in voice with the teacher, whereas for European American students, girls were higher than were boys. These group differences were present at all 3 waves. For all students, increases in help avoidance negatively predicted changes in achievement, whereas increases in voice positively predicted achievement. Results underscore the importance of examining gender and ethnicity together to understand academic adjustment during early adolescence.

  7. Bounded Aspirations: Rural, African American High School Students and College Access

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Means, Darris R.; Clayton, Ashley B.; Conzelmann, Johnathan G.; Baynes, Patti; Umbach, Paul D.

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative case study explores the career and educational aspirations, college choice process, and college barriers and opportunities of 26 rural, African American high school students. Data included interviews with 26 students and 11 school staff members. Findings suggest that the students' rural context shapes aspirations. In addition,…

  8. Race Still Matters: How Race Influences Success and Satisfaction for African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Santiba D.

    2010-01-01

    Research by the American Council on Education (Wilds, 2000) has shown that while graduation rates for African Americans have increased, they are still below that of Whites. This difference may be explained by race. It is probable that African American students are facing more experiences with racial discrimination or other factors that make their…

  9. African American Students with Disabilities: Beneficiaries of the Legacy?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boone, Rosalie S.; King-Berry, Arlene

    2007-01-01

    Impressive advancements have been made in educational opportunities for students with disabilities, whose historic relationship with American public schools has been marked by educational disenfranchisement or mis-education. Critical judicial impetus for these educational opportunities was provided by landmark court cases in which African American…

  10. Factors That Promote the Academic Success of African American Male Students in High School Math

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Tyrone J.

    2014-01-01

    Low performance of African American male students in high school math is an ongoing concern of Maryland's public schools. Because disproportionately large numbers of African American male students enroll in Algebra 2 in Grade 11, the use of early academic counseling to promote enrollment in Algebra 2 in Grade 9 and to increase self-regulation may…

  11. In Their Own Words: Perceived Barriers to Achievement by African American and Latino High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vega, Desireé; Moore, James L., III; Miranda, Antoinette H.

    2015-01-01

    Drawing on a larger study, this qualitative investigation explored the factors that African American and Latino high school students perceived as barriers to positive educational opportunities. Eighteen African American and Latino urban high school students comprised the sample. The findings indicated that perceived barriers to positive…

  12. Examining Relevant Influences on the Persistence of African-American College Students at a Diverse Urban University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Jackie C., Jr.; Wolters, Christopher; Horn, Catherine; Kennedy, Heidi

    2014-01-01

    In this study, campus involvement, faculty mentorship, motivational beliefs (self-efficacy and utility value), and sense of belonging were examined as potential predictors of African-American college student academic persistence. Participants (n = 139) in the study were African-American college students from a large-urban university. Separate…

  13. Welcoming Taye: How His English Teacher Embraced an African American Transfer Student in an Affluent Suburb

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, K. Dara

    2014-01-01

    This case study narrative examines the circumstances underlying problems of residency in an affluent Midwest suburb experiencing an unexpected influx of working class African American students. Dilemmas engender a cultural mismatch between teachers and students and discomfort with African-American males. In a controversial climate where students…

  14. Racial Identity Development and Academic Achievement of Academically Gifted African American Students: Implications for School Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spencer, Natalie F.; Dowden, Angel Riddick

    2014-01-01

    Gifted African American students are underrepresented and underserved in gifted education. The current article provides an overview of proper identification, racial identity development implications, psycho-social concerns and the importance of family involvement in the development of gifted African American students. A case study is presented to…

  15. Impact of Demographic Variables on African-American Student Athletes' Academic Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reynolds, Lacey; Fisher, Dwalah; Cavil, J. Kenyatta

    2012-01-01

    Since the passage of Proposition 48 (NCAA, 1984), African-American student-athletes entering National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) major colleges and universities have meet new challenges in their future as student-athletes. This major change altered the landscape of the future of college athletics particularly for students of color.…

  16. African American eighth-grade female students' perceptions and experiences as learners of science literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crim, Sharan R.

    The National Assessment of Educational Progress (2000) reports an achievement gap between male and female students and majority and minority students in science literacy. Rutherford and Algren (2000) describe a scientifically literate person as one who is aware that science, mathematics, and technology are interdependent human enterprises with strengths and limitations; understands key concepts and principles of science; is familiar with the natural world and recognizes both its diversity and unity; and uses scientific knowledge and scientific ways of thinking for individual and social purposes. The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to investigate African American eighth grade female students' perceptions and experiences as learners of science literacy. A social learning theory (Bandura, 1986) and constructivist theory (Vygotsky, 1977) served as a guide for the researcher. Two questions were explored: (1) What are African American eighth grade female students' perceptions and experiences as learners of science literacy? (2) In what ways do the perceptions and experiences of African American eighth grade female students influence their learning of science literacy? Purposeful sampling (Merriam, 1998) was used with four African American eighth grade female students selected as participants for the study. Data collection and analysis occurred between February and August in a single year. Data sources included an open-ended questionnaire, two in-depth interviews with each participant (Seidman, 1991); classroom observations, participant reflective journals, student artifacts, and a researcher's log. Data were analyzed through the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), and richly descriptive participant portraits and qualitative case studies (Merriam, 1998) were used to report the findings. Three themes emerged from the study that positively affected the perceptions and experiences of African American eighth grade female students as

  17. African American Online Doctor of Management Students' Perceptions of Dissertation Writing and Support: Narrative Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diggs, Betty Jean

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore how African American Online doctor of management students perceived engaging support to maintain motivation throughout the dissertation writing process. The study involved collecting and analyzing data from 10 African American online doctoral students who matriculated into an online…

  18. Cultural in-group advantage: emotion recognition in African American and European American faces and voices.

    PubMed

    Wickline, Virginia B; Bailey, Wendy; Nowicki, Stephen

    2009-03-01

    The authors explored whether there were in-group advantages in emotion recognition of faces and voices by culture or geographic region. Participants were 72 African American students (33 men, 39 women), 102 European American students (30 men, 72 women), 30 African international students (16 men, 14 women), and 30 European international students (15 men, 15 women). The participants determined emotions in African American and European American faces and voices. Results showed an in-group advantage-sometimes by culture, less often by race-in recognizing facial and vocal emotional expressions. African international students were generally less accurate at interpreting American nonverbal stimuli than were European American, African American, and European international peers. Results suggest that, although partly universal, emotional expressions have subtle differences across cultures that persons must learn.

  19. Perceptions of Climate and Student-Faculty Interactions amongst African American Persisters in a Business Program at a Predominantly-White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Monica E.

    2017-01-01

    While representation of African American students in freshmen enrollment has improved, degree attainment of African Americans and other minority groups continue to lag behind the White and Asian American populations. Compounding the issue of lower attainment is the issue of degree major. African American students are highly concentrated in…

  20. Academic achievement and career choice in science: Perceptions of African American urban high school students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Sheila Kay

    2007-12-01

    Low test scores in science and fewer career choices in science among African American high school students than their White counterparts has resulted in lower interest during high school and an underrepresentation of African Americans in science and engineering fields. Reasons for this underachievement are not known. This qualitative study used a grounded theory methodology to examine what influence parental involvement, ethnic identity, and early mentoring had on the academic achievement in science and career choice in science of African American urban high school 10th grade students. Using semi-structured open-ended questions in individual interviews and focus groups, twenty participants responded to questions about African American urban high school student achievement in science and their career choice in science. The median age of participants was 15 years; 85% had passed either high school biology or physical science. The findings of the study revealed influences and interactions of selected factors on African American urban high school achievement in science. Sensing potential emerged as the overarching theme with six subthemes; A Taste of Knowledge, Sounds I Hear, Aromatic Barriers, What Others See, The Touch of Others, and The Sixth Sense. These themes correlate to the natural senses of the human body. A disconnect between what science is, their own individual learning and success, and what their participation in science could mean for them and the future of the larger society. Insight into appropriate intervention strategies to improve African American urban high school achievement in science was gained.

  1. A Study of Teachers, Students, and Parents' Perceptions of How School Climate Affects African-American and Latino Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Susan M.

    2009-01-01

    Nationally, educational disparities have resulted in a significant achievement gap among African American and Latino students compared to European American students. Cognitive theorists including Piaget, Bruner, and Vygotsky believe that one's environment has an effect on learning. This qualitative case study examined teacher, student, and parent…

  2. The Underrepresentation of African American Female Students in STEM Fields: Implications for Classroom Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farinde, Abiola A.; Lewis, Chance W.

    2012-01-01

    African American women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields (Catsambis, 1994). The socialization and "under-education" of African American female students engenders ideas of inferiority, while the presence of an inferior race, sex and class, in one body, may produce an ideology of mediocrity.…

  3. African American College Students: Literacy of Depression and Help Seeking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stansbury, Kim L.; Wimsatt, Maureen; Simpson, Gaynell Marie; Martin, Fayetta; Nelson, Nancy

    2011-01-01

    Depression is a serious public health concern in the United States affecting almost 18.8 million adults. It is a common mental disorder in college students, with estimates of 1 in 4 "experiencing an episode by age 24." African American college students are at an elevated risk for depression due to racism, stress, sleep deprivation, and lack of…

  4. Experiences and Perspectives of African-American, Latina/o, Asian-American and European-American Psychology Graduate Students: A National Study

    PubMed Central

    Maton, Kenneth I.; Wimms, Harriette E.; Grant, Sheila K.; Wittig, Michele A.; Rogers, Margaret R.; Vasquez, Melba J. T.

    2013-01-01

    A national, web-based survey of 1,222 African-American, Latina/o, Asian-American and European-American psychology graduate students revealed both similarities and differences in experiences and perspectives. Mentoring was found to be the strongest predictor of satisfaction across groups. Academic supports and barriers, along with perceptions of diversity were also important predictors of satisfaction. Students of color differed from European-American students in perceptions of fairness of representation of their ethnic group within psychology, and in aspects of the graduate school experience perceived as linked to ethnicity. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and action are discussed. PMID:21341899

  5. Experiences and perspectives of African American, Latina/o, Asian American, and European American psychology graduate students: A national study.

    PubMed

    Maton, Kenneth I; Wimms, Harriette E; Grant, Sheila K; Wittig, Michele A; Rogers, Margaret R; Vasquez, Melba J T

    2011-01-01

    A national, Web-based survey of 1,219 African American, Latina/o, Asian American, and European American psychology graduate students revealed both similarities and differences in experiences and perspectives. Mentoring was found to be the strongest predictor of satisfaction across groups. Academic supports and barriers, along with perceptions of diversity within the academic environment, were also important predictors of satisfaction. Students of color perceived less fairness of representation of their ethnic group within psychology than European American students, and a greater linkage between aspects of the graduate school experience and their ethnicity. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and action are discussed.

  6. African American Students in Counselor Education Programs: Perceptions of Their Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henfield, Malik S.; Owens, Delila; Witherspoon, Sheila

    2011-01-01

    The authors explored 11 African American doctoral students' perceptions of their experiences in counselor education programs, and their findings are presented. Using a phenomenological methodological framework, the authors investigated the various systems of support that students use as they navigate their respective programs. Human agency was the…

  7. The Perception of Public Secondary Education through the Lens of African American Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dandridge, Janae' K.

    2012-01-01

    This study examines the perspective of public secondary education through the lived experiences and voices of 10 African American male students. The study was qualitative in nature and utilized an action research case study design. The researcher conducted semi structured interviews with a randomly selected group of African American male students…

  8. The African American Student's Guide to Surviving Graduate School. Graduate Survival Skills, Volume 5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isaac, Alicia

    This book offers African American graduate students practical advice concerning all aspects of graduate study. It is organized into 11 chapters which address the following topics: (1) what graduate school is, advanced degrees, and the importance for African Americans of obtaining graduate degrees; (2) choosing a graduate school and financing…

  9. Perceived racial discrimination, heavy episodic drinking, and alcohol abstinence among African American and White college students.

    PubMed

    Wade, Jeannette; Peralta, Robert L

    2017-01-01

    Previous research has demonstrated that White college students are more likely to drink alcohol at a greater frequency and quantity compared to their African American counterparts. Examining race-related factors that structure alcohol use among college students remains an important area of research. In this study, we specifically examine perceived discrimination and its association with both heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol abstinence among college students. Items that measured perceived racial discrimination in alcohol use contexts and demographic characteristics were used as independent and control variables. African American students were more likely to abstain from alcohol and less likely to engage in HED compared to their White counterparts. Results also suggest that students who believe their drinking will solicit race-based police bias have lower odds of engaging in HED and greater odds of alcohol abstention. We conclude that unsolicited policing, experienced by African Americans generally, and White Americans on campuses, explains effect sizes.

  10. Persistence among African American Males in the Honors College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson Goins, Johnell Roxann

    2014-01-01

    Retaining African American students, specifically African American males, is an issue that plagues the American higher education system. Research shows that African American male students are the lowest represented group in the gifted studies programs (Ford, 2010). Lockie and Burke (1999); Chen and DeJardins (2010) and Bell (2010a) found that…

  11. An Investigation of Preservice Teachers' Perceptions of African American Students' Ability To Achieve in Mathematics and Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Bradford F.; Collins, Alicia; Pitts, Vanessa

    This study investigated the perceptions of 30 predominantly white pre-service teachers about African American students' ability to achieve in mathematics and science. Participants completed a three-part, open-ended questionnaire that asked them about their experiences with and awareness of African American students' mathematics and science…

  12. The African American Student Network: Creating Sanctuaries and Counterspaces for Coping with Racial Microaggressions in Higher Education Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grier-Reed, Tabitha L.

    2010-01-01

    African American college students face a number of race-related stressors on predominantly White campuses. The African American Student Network is described as a potential humanistic counterspace to provide a sanctuary for these students when coping with racial microaggressions. The development and study of future humanistic interventions in this…

  13. African American Male Student-Athletes: Identity and Academic Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Brien, Kathryn Mary

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the current research was to examine racial, male and athletic identities and their individual and collective impact on the academic performance of African American male Division I student-athletes (AAMSAs). Data was collected using the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), the Male Role Norms Scale (MRNS), and the…

  14. "A Tug of War for Our Minds:" African American High School Students' Perceptions of Their Academic Identities and College Aspirations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Tyrone Caldwell

    2003-01-01

    The research examining African American high school students' perceptions of their academic identities has been limited. Yet, multitudes of other sources have contributed to the discussion on how to reverse the perennial underachievement of many African American students. This qualitative study attempts to provide a space for African American high…

  15. Racial Identity and Mental Well-Being: The Experience of African American Medical Students, A Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study.

    PubMed

    Hardeman, Rachel R; Perry, Sylvia P; Phelan, Sean M; Przedworski, Julia M; Burgess, Diana J; van Ryn, Michelle

    2016-06-01

    Diversification of the physician workforce continues to be a national priority; however, a paucity of knowledge about the medical school experience for African American medical students limits our ability to achieve this goal. Previous studies document that African American medical students are at greater risk for depression and anxiety. This study moves beyond these findings to explore the role of racial identity (the extent to which a person normatively defines her/himself with regard to race) and its relationship to well-being for African American medical students in their first year of training. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study; a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the US racial identity for African American students (n = 301) was assessed using the centrality sub-scale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity. Generalized linear regression models with a Poisson regression family distribution were used to estimate the relative risks of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. First year African American medical students who had lower levels of racial identity were less likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms in their first year of medical school. After controlling for other important social predictors of poor mental health (gender and SES), this finding remained significant. Results increase knowledge about the role of race as a core part of an individual's self-concept. These findings provide new insight into the relationship between racial identity and psychological distress, particularly with respect to a group of high-achieving young adults.

  16. Individual differences in the impact of vicarious racism: African American students react to the George Zimmerman trial.

    PubMed

    Mason, Tyler B; Maduro, Ralitsa S; Derlega, Valerian J; Hacker, Desi S; Winstead, Barbara A; Haywood, Jacqueline E

    2017-04-01

    This research focused on how race-based rejection sensitivity (RS-Race) and components of racial identity intensify negative psychological reactions to an incident of vicarious racism. We examined how these individual difference variables directly and/or indirectly predicted African American students' reactions to the trial of George Zimmerman in the killing of the African American teenager, Trayvon Martin. In Study 1, 471 African American students completed measures of RS-Race, thought intrusions about the Zimmerman trial, and outcome variables (negative affect about the Zimmerman trial and forgiveness for Mr. Zimmerman). In Study 2, 304 African American students completed measures of racial identity (centrality, private regard, and public regard), thought intrusions about the Zimmerman trial, negative affect, and forgiveness. In Study 1, higher RS-Race was either directly and/or indirectly (via thought intrusions) related to more negative affect and lower forgiveness. In Study 2, high racial centrality and low public regard either directly and/or indirectly (via thought intrusions) predicted more negative affect and lower forgiveness. RS-Race and specific components of racial identity are likely to sensitize African Americans to incidents of racism that happen to other African Americans, leading to negative psychological reactions when these events occur. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Moving beyond the Margins: An Exploration of Low Performing African American Male College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Ronald C.

    2011-01-01

    Data have shown that African American male college students are being outperformed. Compared to all other populations by ethnicity and gender, African American males most often fare the worst in terms of persistence, performance, and completion. The impetus of this study was to explore the motivation of those that have low academic performance and…

  18. Teaching Them All: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study of African American Students' Perceptions of Their Middle School's Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hankerson, Henry

    2009-01-01

    Research indicates school culture impacts student achievement. At Teach Them All Middle School (TTA), an achievement gap exists between African American and White students. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of African American students concerning the school culture at TTA. The research questions explored the…

  19. Principals' and School Counselors' Perception of Counseling Supports for African American Male High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haley, Stacey J.

    2016-01-01

    Understanding and providing the appropriate supports for African American male high school students is critical to their academic success. This study provided the opportunity to examine how principals and school counselors perceive the support given to African American male high school students in high schools in New York City. School counselors…

  20. African American Factors for Student Success: Implications for Families and Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herndon, Michael K.; Moore, James L., III

    2002-01-01

    Many students who navigate the terrain of higher education often seek support during their journeys through college. The purpose of this article is to examine the different kinds of support African American students receive from family during the college years. After doing a comprehensive review of the literature on word combinations such as…

  1. The African American Student Network: An Intervention for Retention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grier-Reed, Tabitha; Arcinue, Ferdinand; Inman, Evetta

    2016-01-01

    Comparing retention rates for 91 Black women and 56 Black men who participated in the African American Student Network with 68 women and 36 men who were randomly selected from the population of Black undergraduates at a Midwestern university, we included an analysis of covariance to control for ACT score and first-term grade point average. Results…

  2. Ecological Factors and the Behavioral and Educational Outcomes of African American Students in Special Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bean, Kristen

    2012-01-01

    African American students are one of the historically disadvantaged groups by the public education system. Related to this phenomenon is the overrepresentation of African American children in special education due to disability diagnoses, which has been referred to as disproportionality. It has been hypothesized that disproportionality is due to…

  3. Acculturation Style and Alcohol Use among African American College Students: An Exploration of Potential Moderators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdullah, Tahirah; Brown, Tamara L.

    2012-01-01

    This study examined whether a relationship exists between acculturation and alcohol use among African American college students and if the relationship varies by religiosity and gender. Most researchers use unidimensional African American acculturation measures that cannot capture the construct's complexity; this study is the first to use a…

  4. Reversing the standard direction: Science emerging from the lives of African American students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seiler, Gale

    2001-11-01

    Recognizing the persistent science achievement gap between inner-city African American students and students from mainstream, White society, this article suggests that the imposition of external standards on inner-city schools will do little to ameliorate this gap because such an approach fails to address the significance of the social and cultural lives of the students. Instead, it is suggested that the use of critical ethnographic research would enable educators to learn from the students how science education can change to meet their aims and interests. The article includes a report on how a science lunch group in an inner-city high school forged a community based on respect and caring and how this community afforded African American male teens the opportunity to participate in science in new ways.

  5. Prevention-Related Research Targeting African American Alternative Education Program Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carswell, Steven B.; Hanlon, Thomas E.; Watts, Amy M.; O'Grady, Kevin E.

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on a program of research that examined the background, planning, implementation, and evaluation of an after-school preventive intervention program within an ongoing urban alternative education program targeting African American students referred to the school because of their problematic behavior in regular schools. The…

  6. African American Students and U.S. High Schools. Fact Sheet

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This fact sheet highlights the statistics of the status of the African American students living in the continental United States in terms of: population; graduation, dropouts, and preparedness; schools, segregation, and teacher quality; and special, gifted, and college preparatory education. According to the National Center for Education…

  7. Biculturalism and Academic Achievement of African American High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rust, Jonathan P.; Jackson, Margo A.; Ponterotto, Joseph G.; Blumberg, Fran C.

    2011-01-01

    Biculturalism was examined as a factor that may positively affect the academic achievement of African American high school students, beyond cultural identity and self-esteem. Hierarchical regression analyses determined that cultural identity and academic self-esteem were important factors for academic achievement, but not biculturalism.…

  8. Environmental Attitudes and Information Sources among African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, E. Bun

    2008-01-01

    The author examined the environmental attitudes of African American college students by using the 15-item New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. The author also attempted to determine their everyday environmental behaviors such as recycling and conservation and investigated major information sources for local, national, and international…

  9. Recruiting and Retaining African American Students for Gifted Education and Accelerated Programs in Middle School: A Qualitative Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberson, Ivory S.

    2017-01-01

    Recruiting and retaining African American students in middle school gifted education continues to be challenging in American schools. African American students continue to be underrepresented in middle school gifted education and accelerated programs, even when they qualify to be gifted education participants. The case study that follows focuses…

  10. Depressive Symptomatology and College Persistence among African American College Students.

    PubMed

    Boyraz, Güler; Horne, Sharon G; Owens, Archandria C; Armstrong, Aisha P

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between depressive symptomatology and college outcomes among African American students, as well as to determine whether these relationships were moderated by gender and type of university. Participants included 569 African American first-year students attending two public universities in the Southeast United States: a historically Black college/university (HBCU) and a predominantly White institution (PWI). Using a longitudinal study design, data were collected at three time points. Results indicated that, after adjusting for the effects of the control variables (gender, type of institution, high school GPA, participation in on-campus activities, institutional and goal commitments), depressive symptomatology present in the first semester of college was associated with increased likelihood of dropping out of college before the end of the second year of college. The relationship between these two variables was mediated by first-year cumulative GPA. Results also indicated that the hypothesized relationships did not vary as a function of gender and the university type.

  11. "I Am because We Are:" Collectivism as a Foundational Characteristic of African American College Student Identity and Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carson, Leslie R.

    2009-01-01

    This study extends current research on African American college student achievement by focusing on collectivism, a key characteristic of African American racial identity. Collectivism serves as the framework for analysis of students' beliefs about the purpose of higher education, conceptualization of their roles and responsibilities as students,…

  12. Investigating the Underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic Students in Gifted Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillard, Malcolm Jerome

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between the representation of African American and Hispanic students in gifted education programs, professional development and teacher training in gifted education, and teacher referral of these students to gifted programs. Administrators, general education teachers, and gifted education…

  13. Flaws in Fellowships: Institutional Support Essential to Boosting Number of African American Doctoral Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy

    1994-01-01

    An analysis of student financial aid for African American doctoral students combines discussion of problems in student recruitment and persistence, particularly for financial reasons, with data on patterns of minority group graduate student enrollment, financial aid, debt, and degree awards. (MSE)

  14. Green education: Where are African American elementary school students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sawyer, Debra T.

    Problems resulting from pollution and the destruction of Earth's natural environments have prompted initiatives to educate individuals on the importance of participating in environmental education related activities. These activities are generally constructed to help individuals become aware of how their activity, or the lack thereof, could affect the state of the natural environment in the near and distant futures. This knowledge and activity are especially critical for the nation's youth - as they are the future caretakers of Earth. Present efforts, however, depict that, even though there are visible efforts that cater to children, there is little presence of African American elementary school students. Some have assumed that the lack of role models was a contributing factor, while others have asserted that African Americans were too consumed with problems of everyday survival and have little time to be concerned with environmental issues. There was little research and evidence, though, to substantiate those suppositions. This study utilized qualitative case study interviews to gather authentic data from parents of African American elementary school-aged children (ages 6-10) regarding their views about the natural environment and participation in environmentally related activities. Results of this study helped to support and alleviate some assumptions and laid a foundation for further studies on the topic.

  15. Minority stress and college persistence attitudes among African American, Asian American, and Latino students: perception of university environment as a mediator.

    PubMed

    Wei, Meifen; Ku, Tsun-Yao; Liao, Kelly Yu-Hsin

    2011-04-01

    We examined whether perception of university environment mediated the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes after controlling for perceived general stress. Participants were 160 Asian American, African American, and Latino students who attended a predominantly White university. Results of a path model analysis showed that university environment was a significant mediator for the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes. Additionally, minority status stress was distinct from perceived general stress. Finally, the results from a multiple-group comparison indicated that the magnitude of the mediation effect was invariant across Asian American, African American, and Latino college students, thus supporting the generalizability of the mediation model.

  16. A Phenomenological Study of Undergraduate African American College Students' Decision to Participate in Study Abroad

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheppel, Alena

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore African American undergraduate college students' intentions and reasons for participation in study abroad programs. The study involved gathering data from recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews with 20 African American volunteer participants. Data analysis…

  17. Culturally Responsive Collegiate Mathematics Education: Implications for African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jett, Christopher C.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, the author utilizes the culturally congruent work of Gay (2010) and Ladson-Billings (2009) to highlight culturally responsive teaching as a viable option for African American students in higher education mathematics spaces. He offers translations of Gay and Ladson-Billings' work to Africana mathematics and argues that these…

  18. Listening to the Voices: The Experiences of African American Female Student Athletes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruening, Jennifer E.; Armstrong, Ketra L.; Pastore, Donna L.

    2005-01-01

    This study examined the sport participation patterns of 12 African American female collegiate student athletes using qualitative methods. Data were collected at a large midwestern university during the 1998-99 academic year. An emergent theme was the effect of silencing by the media, athletic administrators, coaches, and other student athletes on…

  19. Personal Narratives of African American Students with Learning Disabilities: Challenging "Privileged" Patterns?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Celinska, Dorota

    2018-01-01

    Overrepresentation of African American students in special education has been related to the unfavorable academic outcomes and achievement gap for these students. In a search for a comprehensive account of the roots of these perpetuating concerns, narrative skills are of importance because of their relation to reading achievement and school…

  20. Achievement for African-American Students: Strategies for the Diverse Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reglin, Gary L.

    This book has been designed to provide teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 with techniques and approaches for helping their African American students achieve in school. It presents a planned approach to four major initiatives: (1) to restructure the instruction and behaviors practiced in most classrooms today; (2) to provide teachers with…

  1. African Americans: College Majors and Earnings. Fact Sheet

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carnevale, Anthony P.; Fasules, Megan L.; Porter, Andrea; Landis-Santos Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Access to college for African Americans has increased, but African Americans are highly concentrated in lower-paying majors. The college major, which has critical economic consequences throughout life, reflects personal choices but also reflects the fact that African-American students are concentrated in open-access four-year institutions that…

  2. Substance Use and Academic Performance among African American High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, James Herbert; Davis, Larry E.; Johnson, Sharon D.; Williams, Trina R.; Saunders, Jeanne A.; Nebbitt, Von E.

    2007-01-01

    Academic performance among African American students continues to be a concern. Adolescent developmental research has identified numerous factors that affect academic performance. School-based intervention programs have focused on substance use prevention to improve academic performance. This study investigated to what extent family financial…

  3. An Examination of Reading and Discipline Data for Elementary and Secondary African American Students: Implications for Special Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowman-Perrott, Lisa; Lewis, Chance W.

    2008-01-01

    The achievement gap between African American students and their Caucasian peers has been of concern for quite some time in the field of education (Orfield, Losen, Wald, & Swanson, 2004). As a result, this article examined high stakes reading test scores for 4,135 African American students in grades 3 through 10 in a Midwestern school district.…

  4. Promotive and Corrosive Factors in African American Students' Math Beliefs and Achievement.

    PubMed

    Diemer, Matthew A; Marchand, Aixa D; McKellar, Sarah E; Malanchuk, Oksana

    2016-06-01

    Framed by expectancy-value theory (which posits that beliefs about and the subjective valuation of a domain predict achievement and decision-making in that domain), this study examined the relationships among teacher differential treatment and relevant math instruction on African American students' self-concept of math ability, math task value, and math achievement. These questions were examined by applying structural equation modeling to 618 African American youth (45.6 % female) followed from 7th to 11th grade in the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. While controlling for gender and prior math achievement, relevant math instruction promoted and teacher differential treatment corroded students' math beliefs and achievement over time. Further, teacher discrimination undermined students' perceptions of their teachers, a mediating process under-examined in previous inquiry. These findings suggest policy and practice levers to narrow opportunity gaps, as well as foster math achievement and science, technology, engineering and math success.

  5. Welcome to My House: African American and European American Students' Responses to Virginia Hamilton's "House of Dies Drear."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spears-Bunton, Linda A.

    1990-01-01

    Addresses the relationship between reader response and culture. Presents portraits of a teacher and her Black students and White students as they studied a series of African American literary texts, including Virginia Hamilton's "House of Dies Drear" (1968). The reading of this text marked a turning point for the teacher and students.…

  6. Student Perceptions of Teacher Characteristics on Math Achievement for Middle School African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clayton, Otis, Jr.

    2013-01-01

    This causal-comparative research explored how African American students' perceptions of their math teachers affected their academic performance on the Math Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Test during 2009-2010 academic year. When considering possible measures of teacher effectiveness in K-12 education, it can be argued that…

  7. Cradle to third life: An autobiography of an African-American science educator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caruthers-Jackson, Sarah

    This inquiry used reflective autobiographical research to reveal my beliefs, values, and practices of science teaching by using participatory action research with two students of my science tutoring organization. Also, I conducted an ethnographic inquiry using African-American teachers to understand how my early schooling experiences influenced my beliefs, values, and science practices. I collected data for this inquiry from three African-American teachers through interview-conversation that were videotaped and audiotaped. In addition, I audiotaped two African-American students' tutoring practices along with students' and researcher's journals. The findings indicate that African-American teachers during the school years 1942-1954 used families, churches, and communities to secure teaching resources to provide equal education for their African-American students who received limited resources from the board of education. Also indicated was how African-American teachers instilled in their African-American students a level of motivation that remained with some African-American students for their future endeavors. This researcher's beliefs/values similar to those of her segregated teachers emerged from this action research. Researcher's additional beliefs/values arose out of emerging technologies in teaching science. However, I, as the researcher, believe that the origin of my beliefs/values occurred during those segregated, public school experiences at Monitor Schools during the school years 1942-1954.

  8. Working with Twice-Exceptional African American Students: Information for School Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayes, Renae D.; Hines, Erik M.; Harris, Paul C.

    2014-01-01

    This qualitative study examined the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of eight twice-exceptional African American gifted students who attended the same K-12 urban school district in the Midwest. Four major themes emerged--academic supports, personal and social challenges, career worries, and experience with school counselors. Findings…

  9. Examining Teachers' Beliefs about African American Male Students in a Low-Performing High School in an African American School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lynn, Marvin; Bacon, Jennifer Nicole; Totten, Tommy L.; Bridges, Thurman L., III; Jennings, Michael E.

    2010-01-01

    Background/Context: The study examines teachers' and administrators' perspectives on the persistent academic failure of African American male high school students. The study took place between 2003 and 2005 in a low-performing high school in Summerfield County, a Black suburban county in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States with a poverty…

  10. School Practices for Equitable Discipline of African American Students. ERIC Digest Number 166.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwartz, Wendy, Ed.

    Many schools employ varied strategies to ensure equitable treatment of African American students and fair and educative disciplinary procedures. This digest reviews successful disciplinary practices. Cross-cultural competence has a role in student-school relationships. Many negative perceptions of difference exist in today's society. Schools can…

  11. An examination of the identity development of African American undergraduate engineering students attending an HBCU

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, Kenneth J.

    This study examined the identity development for a sample of 90 African American undergraduate engineering male and female students attending an HBCU. Using the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Assessment (SDTLA), which is based on Chickering and Reisser's identity development theory, differences in identity development were examined with respect to gender, academic classification, and grade point average. Previous research has shown the need to look beyond academic factors to understand and influence the persistence of African American engineering students. Non-cognitive factors, including identity development have proven to be influential in predicting persistence, especially for African American engineering students. Results from the analysis revealed significant means for academic classification and five of the dependent variables to include career planning peer relations, emotional autonomy, educational involvement, and establishing and clarifying purpose. Post hoc analysis confirmed significant differences for four of those dependent variables. However, the analysis failed to confirm statistical significant differences in peer relations due to academic classification. The significant decline in the mean scores for development in these four areas, as students progressed from sophomore to senior year revealed strong implications for the need to provide programming and guidance for those students. Institutions of higher education should provide more attention to the non-cognitive areas of development as a means of understanding identity development and working toward creating support systems for students.

  12. African American Advanced Placement chemistry students and their developing study habits: A phenomenologically-based interpretive study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rasmussen, Natalie D.

    The academic achievement gap between African American and White students has gained much attention in recent years. Much has been written about the causes of and reasons for this problem ranging from the vestigial effects of slavery to poor parenting. Much less has been written or understood about its solution. While it is impossible for educators to change the pasts of their African American students, it is possible to effect change for the few minutes in which they are in direct contact with them each day. If African American science students are taught effective study skills and habits, then perhaps they might have the tools to close the achievement gap themselves. The participants in this phenomenologically based interpretive study were five African American Advanced Placement Chemistry students from an inner-city high school. Three in-depth interviews were conducted with each of the participants during the beginning, middle and end of a semester. The purpose of the interviews was to locate the students in terms of their thought processes, experiences and perceived barriers concerning the nature and practice of effective study and retention of chemistry content. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The texts were then analyzed for common themes. Five common themes emerged from the interviews. These were: (1) Homework vs. Study: a distinction between homework---which students knew how to approach; and study---which they did not. (2) Student Effort: their changing perception of adequate and effective study practices while in a rigorous course. (3) Teacher Rigor: they perceived high expectations and challenging work as a sign of respect from their teachers. (4) Parental Involvement: students' admission that they desired more input from parents regarding their academic performance. (5) Racial Considerations: their need to disprove negative stereotypes and their personal observations regarding racial differences in studying. A discussion of the themes and

  13. Administrator Perceptions of the Achievement Gap between African American Students and Other Subpopulations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Royle, Jonathan

    2013-01-01

    The consistent underperformance of African American students casts a disparaging shadow on the success of American public schools. Research was necessary to understand the reason for such a difference in scores. Parents, teachers, and administrators must understand the reason for the gap in order to determine the strategies and support systems…

  14. An ecological perspective of science and math academic achievement among African American students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stewart, Endya Bentley

    Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), path analytic procedures were performed to test an ecological model of the effects of family, individual and school characteristics on the academic African American students. A distinctive study is the inclusion of school computer use in the model. The study results show that several of the variables directly or indirectly affected 12th grade academic achievement. Furthermore, most of the individual influence variables were directly related to 12 th grade achievement. Two surprising findings from this study were the insignificant effects of family income and school computer use on 12 th grade achievement. Overall, the findings support the notion that family, individual, and school characteristics are important predictors of academic success among African American students.

  15. Interpretive investigation of the science-related career decisions of three African-American college students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewis, Bradford F.; Collins, Angelo

    2001-05-01

    Reports published since 1977 indicate that African Americans are underrepresented among Ph.D.-holding scientists. Although researchers have identified numerous factors that correlate with career choice, they have failed to address students' reasons for choosing or not choosing science and science-related careers. This study examines the career decisions of three African-American college students. All three students began college aspiring toward science-related careers. However, by the end of data collection only one student was working toward a science-related career. Data were collected by means of eight, open-ended, 1-hour interviews conducted over a period of 6 months. Findings indicate that students' interest in a science-related career is directly related to the degree to which they perceive that career as being supportive of deep-seated life goals; and that a deeper view of the nature of science better enables students to perceive a science-related career as supportive of life goals.

  16. A Persistence Model for African American Male Urban Community College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mason, Harold P.

    1998-01-01

    Studies Kennedy-King College's low level of persistence among African-American "nontraditional" male students, and the resulting high rate of departure before completing specified goals. Proposes a model of persistence to develop modes of action, program enhancements, and activities within the college to increase persistence level. (24…

  17. Sub-Saharan African Students and Their Experiences in American Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osikomaiya, Olujide

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this research project is to study the experiences of Sub-Saharan African students, who have earned professional degrees from American institutions and are currently living in the United States. Acculturative stressors have been identified by researchers as predictors of loneliness, depression, homesickness, and poor mental health…

  18. Useful and Dangerous Discourse: Deconstructing Racialized Knowledge about African-American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Keffrelyn D.; Brown, Anthony L.

    2012-01-01

    Drawing from Michel Foucault's notion of "useful" and "dangerous" discourse coupled with the theory of racial knowledge, this article examines how two common counter-discourses about African-American students operate and create racial knowledge in education practice. By "counter-discourse", the authors refer to knowledge, theories, and histories…

  19. The Attainment of a Science Degree by African American College Students at Arizona State University: An Investigation to Identify the Barriers and Affordances

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boyce, Quintin

    2012-01-01

    Historically, African American students have been underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). If African American students continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, they will not have access to valuable and high-paying sectors of the economy. Despite the number of African Americans in these…

  20. Comparing Gifted and Nongifted African American and Euro-American Students on Cognitive and Academic Variables Using Local Norms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jordan, Kelli R.; Bain, Sherry K.; McCallum, R. Steve; Mee Bell, Sherry

    2012-01-01

    A total of 47 gifted and nongifted African American and Euro-American elementary students were rated by their teachers on a multidimensional instrument developed to minimize language considerations and to rely on local norms (Universal Multiple Abilities Scales [UMAS; McCallum & Bracken, 2012a]). Results from two factorial MANOVAs revealed no…

  1. A Composite Counterstorytelling: Memoirs of African American Military Students in Hawaii Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hairston, Kimetta R.

    2010-01-01

    There are social, educational and behavioral problems for African American students in Hawaii public schools. Utilizing Critical Race Theory as a lens for analysis, the perceptions and experiences of these students regarding race, ethnic identity, military lineage, and self-definition are addressed. A composite counterstory of the researcher's and…

  2. Wellness and College Type in African American Male College Students: An Examination of Differences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spurgeon, Shawn L.

    2009-01-01

    African American male students (N = 203) attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) and a predominantly White institution (PWI) participated in a study to determine differences in wellness. HBCU students scored significantly higher than did PWI students on Friendship, Love, Sense of Control, and Gender Identity. PWI students…

  3. Why African American College Students Miss the Perfect Test Score

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gentry, Ruben; Stokes, Dorothy

    2016-01-01

    Many African Americans were imbued with the cliché that they must work twice as hard as others to be a success in life. Entering college, students with this belief put extensive effort into earning top grades to ensure quality preparation for their chosen career; yet, some fail to earn top scores. Why? This is the million dollar question, but the…

  4. "Give a Brotha a Break!": The Experiences and Dilemmas of Middle-Class African American Male Students in White Suburban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gordon, Beverly M.

    2012-01-01

    Background/Context: Today, in the era of the first African American president, approximately one third of all African Americans live in suburban communities, and their children are attending suburban schools. Although most research on the education of African American students, particularly males, focuses on their plight in urban schooling, what…

  5. An analysis of stereotype threat in African American engineering students at predominantly White, ethnically diverse, and historically Black colleges and universities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sparks, David M.

    The purpose of this research was to distinguish the similarities and differences in coping strategies of African American engineering students by analyzing their perceptions of stereotype threat at three academic institution types, Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), ethnically diverse, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The researcher collected demographic and survey data using the Stereotype Vulnerability Scale (SVS). The study was offered to the entire population of African American engineering students at each college using an online survey. Results were analyzed using MANOVA and Pearson's correlational statistical analyses to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that little differences exist between students' scores on an assessment of stereotype vulnerability, with a few areas showing that HBCUs and ethnically diverse universities are doing a similar job in addressing perceptions of their African American engineering students. Finding also revealed that the percentage of African American students at a university did not correlate with the scores on the SVS accept on questions related to the personal feelings students have about their race. The strongest findings related to the differences in male and female students across the universities. African American female engineering students appeared to perceive more stereotype threat than did their male counterparts; although, this fining was not statistically significant. Overall, no statistically significant differences were found between students' perceptions of stereotype threat at the three types of universities. Future research should expand the number of survey participants at the current universities, add more HBCUs to the study population, run similar experiments in different parts of the country, compare stereotype threat in private and elite universities, use ethnically diverse universities as models for minority student development, and use new or improved survey instruments

  6. Predictors and Correlates of Academic Performance among Urban African American Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nebbitt, Von E.; Lombe, Margaret; LaPoint, Velma; Bryant, Dawn

    2009-01-01

    The academic performance of urban African American students continues to be a major concern. Academic achievement has been the main avenue to upward social mobility for African Americans. This study assesses the effect of attitudes, behavior, peers, and family on the academic performance of African American students living in urban public housing…

  7. Moving Toward an Anti-Deficit Perspective: African American Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahoney, Melissa M.

    The increased demand for qualified STEM workers, necessitates addressing the bachelor's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree achievement among African Americans and other underrepresented populations. Using inquiry derived from Harper's (2010) Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework, this study sought to explore the factors that contribute to the successful degree completion of African American STEM students within a large comprehensive university system. Coding of the twelve semi-structured interviews revealed six major themes: a) K-12/precollege educational experiences, b) motivation to complete a STEM degree, c) systems of social support, d) extracurricular activities and out-of-class experiences, e) addressing stereotyping and discrimination, and f) faculty behaviors and dispositions. All themes were intertwined at each phase of participants' academic careers, thereby, highlighting the complexity of this population's experience and what is needed to address their low STEM degree attainment. Findings indicated that this student population benefits from positive, sustained faculty-student interactions, holistic STEM success programming, and genuine networks of social support. Furthermore, Harper's framework can be modified to explore the motivation of African American STEM students as well as the African American student's relationship with disability support services.

  8. A Study Comparing the Academic Achievement of African American Male Students Enrolled in Two Types of Nontraditional High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rutledge, Anthony B.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the relationship of the achievement of African American male students enrolled in an early college high school to those enrolled in a performing arts high school. The Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) scores of the 11th-grade African American male students from an early college high school were compared to the GHSGT…

  9. Overcoming the Odds: The Association between Location, Preparation, and Financial Obligation on Graduation Rates of African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rush-Shumpert, Paula J.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to understand why graduation rates of African American male students from four-year historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) within a six-year period were not on par with those of other races and ethnicities and, in particular, whether the reasons African American male students drop out rather than persist…

  10. Engineers in the Classroom: Their Influence on African-American Students' Perceptions of Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Stephen; Lyons, Jed

    2008-01-01

    A Draw an Engineer Test was used to capture the perceptions of engineering held by two similar groups of 6th grade African-American students. Forty-four students who had graduate level engineers in their classrooms during a prior school year as part of a GK-12 project were matched to 44 students who had not. Matching criteria included race,…

  11. White and African American Elementary Aged Student Perspectives of School Climate and the Relationship to Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spoor, Jeremy

    2017-01-01

    The achievement gap between White and African American students on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) is an educational phenomenon that has been around for generations and yet to be fully understood or eliminated. This study investigated the difference in school climate perceptions between African American and Caucasian (sic) elementary school…

  12. Serving LGBT Students: Examining the Spiritual, Religious, and Social Justice Implications for an African American School Administrator

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reed, Latish; Johnson, Les T.

    2010-01-01

    This qualitative case study probes one African American school leader with a conservative religious upbringing as she works in a high school with a self-identified population of African American lesbian, guy, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. The findings demonstrate that the participant's leadership practices were guided by her spiritual…

  13. A Day in the Life of African American and European American College Students: Daily Affective Experience and Perceptions of Climate at a Predominantly White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Birk, Nancy Adair

    2009-01-01

    In the context of the under-representation of African Americans in higher education and the lawsuits targeting affirmative action policies in college admissions, the purpose of this study was to examine the daily affective experiences of African American and European American students at a predominantly White institution, exploring the activities…

  14. Cultural In-Group Advantage: Emotion Recognition in African American and European American Faces and Voices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wickline, Virginia B.; Bailey, Wendy; Nowicki, Stephen

    2009-01-01

    The authors explored whether there were in-group advantages in emotion recognition of faces and voices by culture or geographic region. Participants were 72 African American students (33 men, 39 women), 102 European American students (30 men, 72 women), 30 African international students (16 men, 14 women), and 30 European international students…

  15. African American English-Speaking Students: A Longitudinal Examination of Style Shifting from Kindergarten through Second Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craig, Holly K.; Kolenic, Giselle E.; Hensel, Stephanie L.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this longitudinal study was twofold: to examine shifting from African American English (AAE) to mainstream American English (MAE) across the early elementary grades, when students are first exposed to formal instruction in reading; and to examine how metalinguistic and cognitive variables influenced the students' dialectal…

  16. Racial Identity and the MMPI in African American Male College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whatley, P. Richard; Allen, James; Dana, Richard H.

    2003-01-01

    Examines the relation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to the Racial Identity Attitude Scale-Black, Short Form (RIAS-B) was examined among 50 African American male college students Results indicated RIAS-B scale scores functioned as predictors of MMPI scale scores. Implications of these findings for MMPI-2 research with…

  17. Educating the African American Male College Student: The Achievement Gap Factor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moyo, Tawonga Timothy

    2013-01-01

    The academic achievement gap persists in spite of much concern and talk in both the educational and political arenas. Moreover, literature on the education of African American male students at the college level is scarce; the existing literature is on the achievement gap issue in general. In this phenomenological study, the academic achievement…

  18. Elementary Teacher Knowledge of and Practices for Teaching Reading to African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Little, Camille

    2017-01-01

    State standardized tests results indicated that between 2012 and 2016, fewer African American students at a rural, Title I elementary school met state standards in reading compared with other racial/ethnic groups of students. A gap in practice existed because the school and district had not conducted studies to understand teacher knowledge and…

  19. Oppression, Reflection, and Advocacy in the Classroom: One Teacher-Researcher Reflects on Her Research and Practices Involving African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haj-Broussard, Michelle

    2006-01-01

    In this article, I--a White, French-immersion teacher-researcher--engage in a reflective examination of my research and teaching practices involving African American students. My critical reflection of my research examines the instruments used in my comparative study of African American students' experiences in the French-immersion context and the…

  20. African American Enrollment in Independent Schools, 1988-89. Research Notes on Education. No. 6.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Institute for Independent Education, Inc., Washington, DC.

    This report discusses the enrollment of African-American students in independent neighborhood schools across the country. Students in these schools constitute the second largest group of African-Americans outside the nation's public school systems. Over 52,000 African-American students are enrolled in independent schools. Data for African-American…

  1. Perceived Racial Discrimination and Negative-Mood–Related Drinking Among African American College Students

    PubMed Central

    O’hara, Ross E.; Armeli, Stephen; Scott, Denise M.; Covault, Jonathan; Tennen, Howard

    2015-01-01

    Objective: Research consistently shows a positive association between racial discrimination and problematic alcohol use among African Americans, but little is known about the micro-processes linking this pernicious form of stress to drinking. One possibility is that the cumulative effects of discrimination increase individuals’ likelihood of negative-mood–related drinking. In the current study, we examined whether individual differences in lifetime perceived racial discrimination among African American college students moderate relations between daily negative moods and evening alcohol consumption in both social and nonsocial contexts. Method: Data came from an online daily diary study of 441 African Americans (58% female) enrolled at a historically black college/university. Lifetime discrimination was measured at baseline. For 30 days, students reported the number of drinks they consumed the night before both socially and nonsocially, as well as their daytime level of negative mood. Results: In support of the hypotheses, only men who reported higher (vs. lower) lifetime discrimination showed a positive association between daily negative mood and that evening’s level of nonsocial drinking. Contrary to expectation, women who reported higher (vs. lower) discrimination showed a negative association between daily negative mood and nonsocial drinking. Neither daily negative mood nor lifetime discrimination predicted level of social drinking. Conclusions: These findings provide further evidence that the cumulative impact of racial discrimination may produce a vulnerability to negative-mood–related drinking—but only for African American men. Importantly, these effects emerged only for nonsocial drinking, which may further explain the robust association between discrimination and problematic alcohol use. PMID:25785798

  2. Perceived racial discrimination and negative-mood-related drinking among African American college students.

    PubMed

    O'Hara, Ross E; Armeli, Stephen; Scott, Denise M; Covault, Jonathan; Tennen, Howard

    2015-03-01

    Research consistently shows a positive association between racial discrimination and problematic alcohol use among African Americans, but little is known about the micro-processes linking this pernicious form of stress to drinking. One possibility is that the cumulative effects of discrimination increase individuals' likelihood of negative-mood-related drinking. In the current study, we examined whether individual differences in lifetime perceived racial discrimination among African American college students moderate relations between daily negative moods and evening alcohol consumption in both social and nonsocial contexts. Data came from an online daily diary study of 441 African Americans (58% female) enrolled at a historically black college/university. Lifetime discrimination was measured at baseline. For 30 days, students reported the number of drinks they consumed the night before both socially and nonsocially, as well as their daytime level of negative mood. In support of the hypotheses, only men who reported higher (vs. lower) lifetime discrimination showed a positive association between daily negative mood and that evening's level of nonsocial drinking. Contrary to expectation, women who reported higher (vs. lower) discrimination showed a negative association between daily negative mood and nonsocial drinking. Neither daily negative mood nor lifetime discrimination predicted level of social drinking. These findings provide further evidence that the cumulative impact of racial discrimination may produce a vulnerability to negative-mood-related drinking--but only for African American men. Importantly, these effects emerged only for nonsocial drinking, which may further explain the robust association between discrimination and problematic alcohol use.

  3. African American College Students and Stress: School Racial Composition, Self-Esteem and Social Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Negga, Feven; Applewhite, Sheldon; Livingston, Ivor

    2007-01-01

    College students are a very vulnerable group to experience stress, the latter of which is related to a variety of outcomes, such as health and academic performance. However, there is a dearth of research examining African American college students and stress. Further, fewer studies have compared stress for students attending predominately white…

  4. Illinois Secondary Principals' Perceptions and Expectations Concerning Students Who Use African American Vernacular English in an Academic Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McClendon, Garrard Overton

    2010-01-01

    This study investigates principals' individual and aggregate perceptions of and expectations for students who use African American Vernacular English. Using the African American English Teacher Attitude Scale (AAETAS), the study seeks to describe the relationship between principals' demographic characteristics and their perceptions of African…

  5. Strategies Employed by Middle School Principals Successful in Increasing and Sustaining the Mathematics Achievement of African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Rebecca

    2013-01-01

    This study approaches the problem of African American mathematics achievement from a strength-based perspective, identifying practices implemented by middle school principals successful in increasing and sustaining the mathematics achievement of African American students. The study was designed to answer questions regarding both school-wide…

  6. Teachers' Attitudes toward African American Vernacular English: A Quantitative Correlational Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daily, Danny L., Jr.

    2017-01-01

    African Americans students, who use African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the academic setting, receive negative misconceptions by English educators. Negative teacher attitudes might cause African American students to lack commitment to learning. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine whether English teachers…

  7. Career Narratives of African American Female College Students: Insights for College Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Storlie, Cassandra A.; Hilton, Tracy Lara; Duenyas, Deborah; Archer, Robin; Glavin, Kevin

    2018-01-01

    The authors collected narrative data from 11 African American female college students at a predominantly White institution using the Career Construction Interview (Savickas & Hartung, 2012), the Future Career Autobiography (Rehfuss, 2009), and a qualitative career experiences questionnaire. Using the constant comparison method (Strauss &…

  8. Self-Efficacy: Understanding African American Male Students Pathways to Confidence in Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation is about the stories of African American male undergraduate students who have experienced success in mathematics. Bandura's (1997) social cognitive theory and Tillman's (2000) culturally sensitive research approach which promotes qualitative methods, recognizes ethnicity, and positions culture as central to the research were…

  9. The Disproportionate Representation of African Americans in Programs for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenna, John

    2013-01-01

    African American students are disproportionally represented in educational programs for students meeting eligibility criteria for emotional disturbance. Although special education services are designed to improve student outcomes, the provision of services may result in social stigma, removal from the general education setting, and inadequate…

  10. The Effects of Belonging and Racial Identity on Urban African American High School Students' Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boston, Colette; Warren, Susan R.

    2017-01-01

    A growing body of literature suggests students' feelings of belongingness influence academic achievement (Faircloth & Hamm, 2005). Additionally, research indicates that many urban African American students are disconnected from the school setting because of a cultural divide between students and educators (Thompson, 2004). This investigation…

  11. Identity and science learning in African American students in informal science education contexts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    James, Sylvia M.

    2007-12-01

    Science education researchers are recognizing the need to consider identity and other sociocultural factors when examining causes of the science achievement gap for African American students. Non-school settings may hold greater promise than formal schooling to promote identities that are conductive to science learning in African Americans. This mixed-methods study explored the relationship between participation in out-of-school-time (OST) science enrichment programs and African American middle and high school students' racial and ethnic identity (RED, social identity as science learners, and achievement. Pre-post questionnaires used a previously validated model of REI combined with an original subscale that was developed to measure social identity as science learners. Case studies of two programs allowed for an analysis of the informal learning setting. The treatment group (N = 36) consisted of African American middle and high school students in five OST science programs, while the control group (N = 54) students were enrolled in science classes in public schools in the mid-Atlantic region. Results of a t-test of independent means indicated that there was no significant difference between the treatment and control group on measures of REI or science identity. However, the treatment group earned significantly higher science grades compared to the control group, and an ANOVA revealed a significant relationship between science identity and the intention to pursue post-secondary science studies. Although not significant, MANOVA results indicated that students who participated in OST programs exhibited gradual increases in RD and science identity over time according to grade level and gender. Follow-up analysis revealed significant relationships between awareness of racism, gender, and length of time in OST programs. The case studies illustrated that a unique community of practice exists within the OST programs. Access to authentic science learning experiences, youth

  12. The Invisible Wall: Exploring the Experiences of African-American Students at CCCU Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Timothy Perry

    2013-01-01

    African-American students who attend a CCCU institution do not complete their degrees as frequently as other student groups. The average gap at CCCU institutions between "overall and Black graduation rates is more than 19%. This is greater than the gap at other private institutions" (Smith, 2009, p.80). While the six-year graduation rate…

  13. Joyous Reading: Aspects of Literature Enjoyment for Black/African American Fourth Grade Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mosley, Sherea

    2017-01-01

    This study primarily explores the types of books African American children in a local fourth grade classroom like and enjoy. Books students are interested in reading and other related aspects that contribute to their literary enjoyment are also explored. It is during the upper elementary years that many students who eventually express little or no…

  14. Instructional Strategies and Best Practices to Narrow the Mathematics Achievement Gaps between African American, Hispanic, and European American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bolden, Felicia Mickles

    2012-01-01

    A persistent mathematics achievement gap between African American, Hispanic, and European American students at one elementary school was the focus of this investigation. The research questions of this single site case study involved understanding why an achievement gap exists, and to identify the instructional strategies and best practices used to…

  15. The Academic Success of First-Generation African American Male College Students Attending Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hewing, Venus

    2011-01-01

    A quantitative, correlational design was utilized in this study to examine the relationship between academic self-efficacy, racial identity, and the academic success of first-generation African American male college students at Predominantly White Institutions of higher education. The study comprised 89 first-generation African American male…

  16. From Access to Engagement: African American Female Students' Engagement at a Predominantly White University in the South

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Amber R.

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the impact of a predominantly White university's efforts to improve engagement of African American female students through the lens of organizational theory. This qualitative study consists of 10 semistructured interviews of undergraduate, African American women. Research on psychological presence and its impact on employee…

  17. African American Acculturation and Black Racial Identity: A Preliminary Investigation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pope-Davis, Donald B.; Liu, William M.; Ledesma-Jones, Shannon; Nevitt, Jonathan

    2000-01-01

    Examines the relationship between acculturation and racial identity among African Americans. One hundred eighty-seven African American students completed the Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale and the African American Acculturation Scale (AAAS). Acculturation was associated with three of the five AAAS subscales: Dissonance, Immersion, and…

  18. Connecting Social Disorganization Theory to African-American Outcomes to Explain the Achievement Gap

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Madyun, Na'im H.

    2011-01-01

    African-American student achievement outcomes have been and continue to be a critical concern for education researchers. Much of the framing of African-American student outcomes centers on what is known as achievement gaps that exist between African-American and White students. Unfortunately, these gaps have remained roughly the same since the…

  19. Factors Affecting Nontraditional African American Students' Participation in Online World Literature Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merrills, J. Maria Sweeney

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how communication preferences, learning preferences, and perceptions about online learning affect nontraditional African American students' participation in online world literature courses at a historically Black university (HBCU) in the southeastern United States. An instrumental case study was…

  20. Perceptions of African American Male Students Enrolled in Developmental Education Programs in the Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wells, Eddie Lee, Jr.

    2017-01-01

    This study sought to understand the perceptions of African American male students who are enrolled in developmental education programs. The researcher gathered information by interviewing students at 2 Mississippi community colleges and by reviewing information collected from the student's demographic profile. This qualitative research allowed the…

  1. The Effect of Poverty on the Achievement of Urban African American Male Students Successfully Completing High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Welch, Amy L.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of poverty on the achievement of African American male high school students attending the same large Midwest urban school district. Cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the tenth grade level were compared to the level of poverty provided through census data of African American male tenth…

  2. A Description and Analysis of the Perspectives on Leadership Effectiveness of African-American Student Leaders at the University of New Mexico. A Qualitative Research Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kustaa, Friedrich Freddy

    This report concerns a qualitative study on African-American leadership effectiveness as perceived and defined by African-American student leaders at the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque). Six African-American student leaders (three males and three females) participated in-depth interviews. The interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed.…

  3. Perspectives on What May Contribute to Six-Year College Completion Rates of African American and Hispanic Students at George Mason University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scruggs, Alisha K.

    2012-01-01

    This study explored what graduating seniors and university staff perceived contributed to high college completion rates of African American and Hispanic students at George Mason University (Mason). To understand what Mason may have been doing to support African American and Hispanic students toward college completion, in-depth interviews were…

  4. African American Female Secondary School Educators: Their Teacher-Student Relationships, and How Their Relationships with Their Students' Parents, Colleagues, and Administrators Affect the Teacher-Student Relationships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warren, Kathryn E.

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative research study described African American female secondary educators' challenges in their educational working relationships. The purpose was to truly understand the challenges that African American female secondary teachers experienced in the classroom, outside of the classroom, in their dealings with their students' parents,…

  5. An Examination of Factors Related to the Academic Performance of African-American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wylie, D'Errico M.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify factors that were predictive of academic performance of college students at Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs). The variables of interest included: seating choice, self-esteem, anxiety, stress and study habits. The sample consisted of 201 African-American undergraduate students. Participants…

  6. School Attendance Revisited: A Study of Urban African American Students' GPA and Coping Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steward, Robbie J.; Steward, Astin Devine; Blair, Jonathan

    This study investigated the degree to which at-risk, urban, African American high school students' coping strategies and grade point average (GPA) would predict attendance. Data were collected from 100 high school freshmen using the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences. Students' GPAs were identified through school records.…

  7. African American or Female: How Do We Identify Ourselves?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowman, Sharon L.; And Others

    African American female college students attending either a predominantly African American or predominantly White coed institution were surveyed about their racial identity levels, sex role attitude levels, and perceptions of racism and sexism in a school-related vignette. There were 95 participants from the predominantly African American…

  8. The Hidden Side of Zero Tolerance Policies: The African American Perspective

    PubMed Central

    Bell, Charles

    2015-01-01

    Several papers have documented the disproportionate representation of African Americans in school discipline and incarceration settings as a result of zero tolerance policies. In 2009, a federal study of the Chicago Public School system found African American boys represented 23 percent of the school age population, 44 percent of students who were suspended, and 61 percent of students who were expelled within the 2007 school year. Twenty years after the implementation of the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988, studies show African Americans comprised a startling 74 percent of those incarcerated for drug offenses despite being only 15 percent of America’s drug users. Despite overwhelming evidence that suggests African Americans are adversely affected by zero tolerance policies, African American perceptions of zero tolerance policies remain relatively hidden in the literature. The current review seeks to explore a seemingly bidirectional process that involves how zero tolerance impacts African Americans and how African Americans perceive zero tolerance policies. PMID:25893006

  9. Reading Ability as a Predictor of Academic Procrastination among African American Graduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Kathleen M. T.; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Jiao, Qun G.

    2008-01-01

    The present study examined the relationship between reading ability (i.e., reading comprehension and reading vocabulary) and academic procrastination among 120 African American graduate students. A canonical correlation analysis revealed statistically significant and practically significant multivariate relationships between these two reading…

  10. A Qualitative Study Examining the Best Practices of Effective Teachers of African American Elementary School Students in a Midwestern Urban District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crawford, Angelina

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this research seeks to illuminate best practices of teachers who advance learning and achievement of African American students. Second, this study seeks to provide educators and administrators strategies they might utilize to increase the achievement of their African-American students in order to…

  11. The Perceptions of Standardized Tests, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Academic Performance of African American Graduate Students: a Correlational and Comparative Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marrah, Arleezah K.

    2012-01-01

    The academic performance of African American students continues to be a concern for educators, researchers, and most importantly their community. This issue is particularly prevalent in the standardized test scores of African American students where they score on average one or more standard deviations below their Caucasian and Asian American…

  12. Factors affecting the matriculation of African American undergraduate students in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hall, Alfred L., II

    Previous research studies indicated that African Americans remain severely underrepresented in the field of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET), making up only 3% of that workforce, while representing 11.1% of all professional and related workers and 12.6% of the general population. As this country moves towards a more culturally diverse population, then representation of African Americans in SMET-related fields must be addressed in order to ensure our nation's competitiveness in a global market. This research study analyzed characteristics of African American undergraduate SMET majors participating in the Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP) program in six different states located in the Southeast region of the United States. These states consisted of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. AMP program participants completed a survey questionnaire, which collected information about potential factors that could affect their matriculation in SMET programs of studies at their respective institutions. Follow-up interviews and focus group sessions were also conducted with AMP participants to provide supplemental information to the survey data. The results of student responses were analyzed according to the type of institution the students attended (Historically Black College or University and Majority White Institution) as well as by the statewide Alliance program in which the students were involved. The students responded to survey questions that asked for their reasons for majoring in their field of study, their level of satisfaction with their institution, their impressions of student support programs and persons, their impressions of faculty and advisors, their reasons for thinking of switching majors, and their level of high school preparation. Statistical analyses of the student responses found that African American AMP students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities differed from those

  13. Gender Differences in Student Engagement among African American Undergraduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harper, Shaun R.; Carini, Robert M.; Bridges, Brian K.; Hayek, John C.

    2004-01-01

    Differences in student engagement between women and men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are examined in this study. Data were collected from 1,167 African American undergraduate students at 12 four-year HBCUs that participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement. Controlling for several factors that might obscure…

  14. Similarities and Differences in Homophobia among African Americans versus Caucasians.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schulte, Lisa J.

    2002-01-01

    Conducted three studies to examine similarities and differences in homophobia among African American and white college students. Survey data indicated that while there were similarities in homophobia among the groups, differences existed in the level of negativity expressed. African American students expressed more negativity than did white…

  15. The Classroom and the Community: African American Youth Speak Out.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clardy, Pauline; Cole-Robinson, Cynthia; Jones, Terrence O'C.; Michie, Gregory

    In studying urban schools, researchers have identified several critical curriculum issues related to the miseducation and alienation of African American students. This paper looks at three such issues: the disconnection between the school curriculum and African American students' cultural backgrounds and environments (e.g., black dialect versus…

  16. Teacher and Parent Perceptions of Classroom Experiences of African American Male Students in a High School Alternative Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Kimberly C.

    2013-01-01

    A major concern in the public schools is the low academic achievement of African American males. This mixed methods study examined the classroom experiences of African American male students in an alternative program. The dual purpose was to investigate the teachers' perceptions and their ability to provide best learning environments for…

  17. Algebra Matters: An Ethnographic Study of Successful African American Male Algebra 1 Students in a Suburban Middle School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirkwood, Kirk

    2012-01-01

    Alarming statistics reveal that African American male students are encountering long-standing challenges in K-12 mathematics. However, few studies have explored the phenomena associated with African American males and K-12 mathematics education, particularly at the middle school level in the context of an Algebra 1 course of study. The purpose of…

  18. Instructional Factors that Contribute to Achievement in Reading for African American Male Students in Grades K-5 in an Urban School in Georgia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Isaac, III

    2010-01-01

    According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, reading skills for African American male students in Grades 4 and 8 have improved over the past decade. However, a significant reading achievement gap still exists between African American male students and their European American counterparts. The purpose, as well as the central…

  19. The Effects of Home-School Dissonance on African American Male High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown-Wright, Lynda; Tyler, Kenneth Maurice

    2010-01-01

    The current study examined associations between home-school dissonance and several academic and psychological variables among 80 African American male high school students. Regression analyses revealed that home-school dissonance significantly predicted multiple academic and psychological variables, including amotivation, academic cheating,…

  20. African-American Literature and "Post-Racial" America. Or, You Know, Not.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blackwell, Jacqueline A.

    2011-01-01

    In 1983, when the author began graduate school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville as the only black student in the Graduate English School, it offered no graduate-level African-American Literature course. Today an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia can major in African-American and African Studies and take courses…

  1. African American Learners in Special Education: A Closer Look at Milwaukee

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obiakor, Festus E.; Harris, Mateba K.; Offor, MaxMary T.; Beachum, Floyd D.

    2010-01-01

    Problems facing African American students with special needs are numerous and complex. Although processes and procedures are in place to properly serve these students, far too many become ensnared in webs of bureaucracy and benign neglect. This article examines African American students? experiences with special education in Milwaukee Public…

  2. Missed Opportunities: Examining the Literacy Experiences of African American Students Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pollard, Tamica McClarty

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine how five African American middle school students, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina represent their literacy experiences before, during, and after their displacement. Specifically, the two research questions were: (a) What are the stories that these middle school students tell about their lives,…

  3. Cultural Relevance and Informal Reading Inventory Performance: African-American Primary and Middle School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christ, Tanya; Chiu, Ming Ming; Rider, Stephanie; Kitson, Deborah; Hanser, Katherine; McConnell, Elizabeth; Dipzinski, Renae; Mayernik, Heather

    2018-01-01

    We explore whether (a) teacher ratings of texts' cultural relevance along various dimensions differ from those of students, (b) these ratings reflect a single construct, and (c) ratings of specific dimensions are related to specific reading outcomes. Fifty African-American students were each administered two text protocols for a total of 100…

  4. Narratives of Identity: Perceptions on Persistence a Qualitative Study of Successful African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Millane, Maureen

    2011-01-01

    Persistence by minority students is recognized as critical in increasing the number of college graduates. Little research has been conducted on the select, but not elite, universities where the majority of students matriculate. This study provided the voices of 25 urban low SES African American college students who have successfully persisted at a…

  5. Successful Teaching Strategies for Urban African American High School Males

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blue, Adonis

    2017-01-01

    The continued dismal performance of African American students calls for the establishment of better strategies and techniques. The available studies reveal very little regarding the initiatives pursued by middle and elementary school teacher in addressing the academic needs of African American students, however, this literature has not yet defined…

  6. The Power of Peers: Influences on Postsecondary Education Planning and Experiences of African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holland, Nicole E.

    2011-01-01

    This investigation demonstrates the effect that peers have on students' academic engagement and educational aspirations. Forty-nine African American university students retrospectively discuss the manner by which their friends influenced their academic commitment and activity while in high school; their postsecondary education aspirations,…

  7. Second Language Writing and Bidialectalism: A Case for African American Student Writers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DePolo, Jason

    2017-01-01

    There has been much research conducted on second language writing. In addition, there exists a significant amount of studies conducted with African American student writers. However, the fields of Second Language Writing and Composition Studies rarely if ever dovetail in the research literature. The purpose of this article is to argue how English…

  8. Factors That Contribute to Learning Difference among African American and Caucasian Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Stephen Earl

    This report examines the learning styles of Caucasian and African-American students. While research supports the claim that low academic achievement is prevalent in the minority community, there is no consensus regarding the causes. There are two schools of thought that involve (1) the cognitive deficit or genetic cause, and (2) the cultural…

  9. Academic Success of Urban African American Elementary Students in Title I Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, James Sebastian

    2017-01-01

    The researcher investigated the achievement of third- and fifth-grade urban African American students who attended science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Non-STEM, and Theme Title I schools in science and mathematics on the 2015 Georgia Milestones Assessment. The researcher used data from 29 Non-STEM, 14 STEM, and 10 Theme…

  10. Using Social Cognitive Theory to Predict Safer Sex Behaviors in African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kanekar, Amar; Sharma, Manoj

    2009-01-01

    Safer sex is important for protection against STDs and HIV/AIDS. Most of the HIV-related research is targeted towards high-risk groups such as prostitutes, gays and substance abusers there is evidence that HIV/AIDS is increasing in college students particularly among African-American college students. The purpose of this study was to study…

  11. Judgement Accuracy in Body Preferences among African Americans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patel, Kushal A.; Gray, James J.

    2001-01-01

    Examined whether African Americans accurately estimated levels of thinness preferred by the opposite gender. College students rated pictures of figures approximating their current figure, their ideal figure, the figure most likely to attract the opposite gender, and the opposite gender figure they found most attractive. African American women…

  12. African American Males. A Critical Link in the African American Family.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Dionne J., Ed.

    African Americans are experiencing extreme stress in the United States, and African-American males appear to suffer the most. The chapters in this volume examine some of the issues confronting African-American men today. They include: (1) "Introduction" (Dionne J. Jones); (2) "Reaffirming Young African American Males: Mentoring and…

  13. The Impact of Everyday Discrimination and Racial Identity Centrality on African American Medical Student Well-Being: a Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study

    PubMed Central

    Hardeman, Rachel; Burke, Sara E.; Cunningham, Brooke; Burgess, Diana J.; van Ryn, Michelle

    2015-01-01

    Positive psychological well-being is an important predictor of and contributor to medical student success. Previous work showed that first-year African American medical students whose self-concept was highly linked to their race (high racial identity centrality) were at greater risk for poor well-being. The current study extends this work by examining (a) whether the psychological impact of racial discrimination on well-being depends on African American medical students' racial identity centrality and (b) whether this process is explained by how accepted students feel in medical school. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study, a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the USA (n = 243). Regression analyses were conducted to test whether medical student acceptance mediated an interactive effect of discrimination and racial identity centrality on self-esteem and well-being. Both racial identity centrality and everyday discrimination were associated with negative outcomes for first-year African American medical students. Among participants who experienced higher, but not lower, levels of everyday discrimination, racial identity centrality was associated with negative outcomes. When everyday discrimination was high, but not low, racial identity was negatively related to perceived acceptance in medical school, and this in turn was related to increased negative outcomes. Our results suggest that discrimination may be particularly harmful for African American students who perceive their race to be central to their personal identity. Additionally, our findings speak to the need for institutional change that includes commitment and action towards inclusivity and the elimination of structural racism. PMID:27294743

  14. The Impact of Everyday Discrimination and Racial Identity Centrality on African American Medical Student Well-Being: a Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study.

    PubMed

    Perry, Sylvia P; Hardeman, Rachel; Burke, Sara E; Cunningham, Brooke; Burgess, Diana J; van Ryn, Michelle

    2016-09-01

    Positive psychological well-being is an important predictor of and contributor to medical student success. Previous work showed that first-year African American medical students whose self-concept was highly linked to their race (high racial identity centrality) were at greater risk for poor well-being. The current study extends this work by examining (a) whether the psychological impact of racial discrimination on well-being depends on African American medical students' racial identity centrality and (b) whether this process is explained by how accepted students feel in medical school. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study, a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the USA (n = 243). Regression analyses were conducted to test whether medical student acceptance mediated an interactive effect of discrimination and racial identity centrality on self-esteem and well-being. Both racial identity centrality and everyday discrimination were associated with negative outcomes for first-year African American medical students. Among participants who experienced higher, but not lower, levels of everyday discrimination, racial identity centrality was associated with negative outcomes. When everyday discrimination was high, but not low, racial identity was negatively related to perceived acceptance in medical school, and this in turn was related to increased negative outcomes. Our results suggest that discrimination may be particularly harmful for African American students who perceive their race to be central to their personal identity. Additionally, our findings speak to the need for institutional change that includes commitment and action towards inclusivity and the elimination of structural racism.

  15. Problematic Situations in the Lives of Urban African American Middle School Students: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farrell, Albert D.; Erwin, Elizabeth H.; Allison, Kevin W.; Meyer, Aleta; Sullivan, Terri; Camou, Suzanne; Kliewer, Wendy; Esposito, Layla

    2007-01-01

    Qualitative methods were used to identify problem situations encountered by adolescents in urban middle schools serving a predominantly African American student population. Interviews focusing on identifying problem situations and the context in which they occur were conducted with 60 adolescents including students and peer mediators at middle…

  16. A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Female African American Undergraduate Engineering Students at a Predominantly White and an Historically Black Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frillman, Sharron Ann

    2011-01-01

    This phenomenological study examined the experiences of twelve female African Americans enrolled as fulltime undergraduate engineering students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, an historically Black university, and seven female African Americans enrolled as undergraduate engineering students at Purdue University in…

  17. Correlates of African-American Undergraduate Student Achievement: Implications for the Prize Initiative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newton, Brian C.; Ghee, Kenneth L.; Langmeyer, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    Male and female African-American college students (n = 131) at a large urban predominately White publicly funded institution participated in a survey measuring the effect of a multitude of psychosocial constructs and factors on grade point average (GPA). Part One of the study's analysis focused on three of the six total constructs examined within…

  18. Connectedness and Self-Regulation as Constructs of the Student Success Skills Program in Inner-City African American Elementary School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lemberger, Matthew E.; Clemens, Elysia V.

    2012-01-01

    The authors evaluated a small-group counseling intervention, Student Success Skills, provided to 53 inner-city, 4th- and 5th-grade African American students. Compared with the control group, students who received the treatment reported significant changes in metacognitive skill and feelings of connectedness to school. Furthermore, treatment-group…

  19. The application of embodied conversational agents for mentoring African American STEM doctoral students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gosha, Kinnis

    This dissertation presents the design, development and short-term evaluation of an embodied conversational agent designed to mentor human users. An embodied conversational agent (ECA) was created and programmed to mentor African American computer science majors on their decision to pursue graduate study in computing. Before constructing the ECA, previous research in the fields of embodied conversational agents, relational agents, mentorship, telementorship and successful mentoring programs and practices for African American graduate students were reviewed. A survey used to find areas of interest of the sample population. Experts were then interviewed to collect information on those areas of interest and a dialogue for the ECA was constructed based on the interview's transcripts. A between-group, mixed method experiment was conducted with 37 African American male undergraduate computer science majors where one group used the ECA mentor while the other group pursued mentoring advice from a human mentor. Results showed no significant difference between the ECA and human mentor when dealing with career mentoring functions. However, the human mentor was significantly better than the ECA mentor when addressing psychosocial mentoring functions.

  20. Children of the Drum: Equity Pedagogy, Knowledge Construction, and African American Student Learning through Drama.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanley, Mary Stone

    This paper is an analysis of a project that involved African American middle school students in a drama program that was based on their lives and the stories of their community. Students were trained in performance skills, participated in the development of a script, and then performed the script in local schools. The 10 student participants, 5…

  1. Enriching Inclusive Learning: African Americans in Historic Costume

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ratute, Ashley; Marcketti, Sara B.

    2009-01-01

    Educating students to embrace diversity and value all people is a core value of educators in family and consumer sciences (FCS). For instructors in FCS, integrating the contributions of African Americans--particularly in textiles and clothing--can be an inclusive learning opportunity. The authors compiled resources on African Americans and…

  2. Dating-Partner Preferences among a Group of Inner-City African-American High School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Sherry P.

    1996-01-01

    Examines a set of characteristics that African American inner-city high school students may or may not value in a dating partner. A total of 80 students indicated how important they perceived certain qualities to be in a person they would like to date. The results are in contrast to the previous literature regarding dating-partner preferences…

  3. The Effectiveness of Project-Based Learning on Mathematics Proficiency with African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jenkins, Justina

    2017-01-01

    This sequential exploratory mixed methods study addressed the problem of low academic achievement in mathematics, specifically for African American middle school students who historically score below proficient levels on standardized mathematics assessments. The purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of the Project-Based Learning (PBL)…

  4. African-American Mentoring Program (AAMP): Addressing the Cracks in the Graduate Education Pipeline

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Tonika Duren; Ammah, Beverly Booker; Butler-Byrd, Nola; Brandon, Regina; McIntosh, Angela

    2017-01-01

    In this conceptual article, we focus on mentoring as a strategy to mend the cracks in the education pipeline for African American graduate students. Our article highlights the African American Mentoring Program (AAMP) model and examines the unique methods it uses to support the retention and graduation of African American graduate students from a…

  5. Increasing Prosocial Behavior and Academic Achievement among Adolescent African American Males

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Don; Martin, Magy; Gibson, Suzanne Semivan; Wilkins, Jonathan

    2007-01-01

    African American adolescents disproportionately perform poorly compared to peers in both behavioral and academic aspects of their educational experience. In this study, African American male students participated in an after-school program involving tutoring, group counseling, and various enrichment activities. All students were assessed regarding…

  6. Reading, Interpreting, and Teaching African American History: Examining How African American History Influences the Curricular and Pedagogical Decisions of Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, LaGarrett Jarriel

    2012-01-01

    African American history and how it is taught in classroom spaces have been a point of contention with activists, historians, and educators for decades. In it current form, African American history narratives often are ambiguous and truncated, leaving students with a disjointed construction about U.S. history. Additionally, the pedagogical…

  7. Hookah and Cigarette Smoking among African American College Students: Implications for Campus Risk Reduction and Health Promotion Efforts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Brittni D.; Cunningham-Williams, Renee M.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To identify individual and institutional risks and protections for hookah and cigarette smoking among African American (AA) college students. Participants: AA college students (N = 1,402; mean age = 20, range = 18-24 years; 75% female) who completed the Fall 2012 American College Health Association--National College Health Assessment…

  8. Navigating Racialized Contexts: The Influence of School and Family Socialization on African American Students' Racial and Educational Identity Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCoy, Shuntay Z.

    2013-01-01

    Within the United States, African American students experience school socialization that exposes them to racial segregation, economic stratification, and route learning masked as education. Consequently African American families are compelled to engage in socialization practices that buffer against the adverse influences of racism, oppression, and…

  9. African-American Females: A Theory of Educational Aspiration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ponec, Debra L.

    Although 76% of African-American students graduate from high school, only 25% of these graduates enter institutions of higher education. A systematic analysis of the aspirations among African-American females for post-high-school education was conducted. Initial portions of the study focused on characteristics of support in the areas of familial…

  10. Constructivism and Career Decision Self-Efficacy for Asian Americans and African Americans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grier-Reed, Tabitha; Ganuza, Zoila M.

    2011-01-01

    Career development that adequately addresses the needs of multicultural students is important. The authors explored whether a constructivist career course might be a viable mechanism for improving career decision self-efficacy for 81 Asian American and African American college students. Results indicated significant increases in all 5 elements of…

  11. Perceived Racial Discrimination, Social Support, and Psychological Adjustment among African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prelow, Hazel M.; Mosher, Catherine E.; Bowman, Marvella A.

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine three competing models of the relations among perceived discrimination, social support, and indicators of psychological adjustment in a sample of 135 African American college students. The three competing models, social support buffering, social support mobilization, and social support deterioration, were…

  12. Pedagogies of Experience: A Case of the African American Male Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Anthony L.

    2011-01-01

    Numerous scholars have illustrated how African American teachers' past experiences provide them a philosophical vision committed to teaching for social and educational change for African American students. This article draws from this body of work by looking at the diverse ways five African American male teachers used their past experiences to…

  13. Relationship between Religious Coping and Suicidal Behaviors among African American Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molock, Sherry Davis; Puri, Rupa; Matlin, Samantha; Barksdale, Crystal

    2006-01-01

    This study investigated whether hopelessness and depression were risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in African American adolescents and looked at whether religious participation and religious coping protected these students from suicidality. Participants were 212 African American high school students (133 females, 79 males). The…

  14. African American College Students' Attitudes toward HIV/AIDS: Implications for Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Sandra E.; Jones, Tara

    2007-01-01

    This paper investigated African American college students' responses to a set of interview questions selected from a larger survey instrument in an exploratory study of basic attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Forty-two participants responded to an interview schedule in an investigation of student attitudinal domains regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic.…

  15. Evaluating Academic Achievement of African-American Male Students in Relationship to African-American Male Teachers in Guilford County, North Carolina Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniels, Byron L.

    2010-01-01

    The home and the public school classroom have been key environments in the African American community and have been instrumental in developing identity and encouraging academic progress. Despite this, the dropout rates of African American males in secondary grades have increased, while academic achievement scores of African American males in the…

  16. School Programs for African American Males. ERIC CUE Digest No. 72.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ascher, Carol

    New educational programs are attempting to meet the needs of male African American students. The new programs vary widely in approach, scope, content, and targeted age group. However, they all focus on helping African American male youth develop productive behaviors and values by bringing them into contact with African American male adults. The…

  17. Factors that influence rural African American males' aspirations to attend college

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stuart, Alesia K.

    This study was conducted to research factors which influence rural African American males in their college attendance decision. The study was an attempt to discover specific influences in the higher education pursuit from aspiration to enrollment. As African American males and low income students represent lower enrollment figures in higher education, this study attempts to provide research which may improve these numbers. The literature which provides the theoretical frame is related to Hossler (et al., 1999) and his research entitled Going to College. Hossler's study recommended additional research to study African American males. Hossler concluded this participant segment was influenced by different factors than the majority of study participants. This qualitative study includes student interviews. Three high schools in three counties in the Black Belt of rural Alabama were the sites selected for participants. Thirty African American male seniors' responses were transcribed and coded to identify themes related to influences stated by the participants. The students' voices provided insight into their college enrollment pursuit. The findings indicate rural students lack the resources and academic preparation significant for higher education admission. African American males in rural Alabama tend to be first generation students and lack information important to college enrollment. The rural high schools lack the personnel, college and career guidance to ensure participants are aware and prepared to traverse the process of college enrollment. This study identifies policy development needs to address inadequacies that African American males attending rural schools encounter during secondary enrollment. Research participants state college aspirations. Problems arise as participants move from the aspiration stage toward enrollment. Several factors will limit higher education opportunities for the participants. Inadequate knowledge on ACT scores, college cost financial

  18. Stories of Six Successful African American Males High School Students: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Land, A'Lesia; Mixon, Jason R.; Butcher, Jennifer; Harris, Sandra

    2014-01-01

    This qualitative, narrative study explored experiences of six successful African American male high school students. Findings suggested that barriers prior to high school were negative elements in the home and community. To be successful in high school, they overcame barriers of absent fathers, disruptive homes, negative community, and peers, and…

  19. Beating the Odds: Untold Stories of Fifteen African American Parents of Successful Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leffall, Sonia E.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this narrative analysis study is to explore how fifteen African American parents of successful middle and high school students constructed their parental roles and what parental involvement strategies they employed to support their children's academic success. Based on their narratives, the findings are as follows: (a) The process…

  20. The Role of Postsecondary Remediation for African American Students: A Review of Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Ryan J.; Palmer, Robert T.

    2010-01-01

    The role of remediation in higher education has generated much debate over the last two decades. While states have enacted policies that reduced or eliminated postsecondary remediation, many policy actors and analysts have not completely acknowledged the ways in which remediation affects college access and success for African American students.…

  1. Culture and Climate: Factors That Influence the Academic Success of African American Students in Prelicensure Nursing Education.

    PubMed

    Murray, Teri A

    2015-12-01

    Despite numerous calls to diversify the nursing workforce, little progress has been made in increasing the numbers of African American graduates from prelicensure nursing programs, thus widening the diversity gap in the number of African Americans who enter the RN workforce. An integrative literature review was conducted to determine whether, from the students' perspective, the institutional climate and culture influenced their academic success. Themes of Alienation and Isolation, Persistent Determination, and Difficulty Seeking Help emerged as having an influence on students' academic success. On the basis of this review, professional development programs on topics such as implicit bias, microaggressions, and other unintentional and unconscious behaviors are recommended. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  2. Horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism-collectivism: a comparison of African Americans and European Americans.

    PubMed

    Komarraju, Meera; Cokley, Kevin O

    2008-10-01

    The current study examined ethnic differences in horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism among 96 African American and 149 European American college students. Participants completed the 32-item Singelis et al. (1995) Individualism/Collectivism Scale. Multivariate analyses of variance results yielded a main effect for ethnicity, with African Americans being significantly higher on horizontal individualism and European Americans being higher on horizontal collectivism and vertical individualism. A moderated multiple regression analysis indicated that ethnicity significantly moderated the relationship between individualism and collectivism. Individualism and collectivism were significantly and positively associated among African Americans, but not associated among European Americans. In addition, collectivism was related to grade point average for African Americans but not for European Americans. Contrary to the prevailing view of individualism-collectivism being unipolar, orthogonal dimensions, results provide support for individualism-collectivism to be considered as unipolar, related dimensions for African Americans.

  3. Reconceptualization of African American Self-Concept.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Braithwaite, Harold, Jr.; And Others

    1994-01-01

    Focuses on how African American students define self-concept, and whether there is a specific black self-concept. Questionnaires completed by 60 undergraduates at a historically black college provide insight into student self-esteem and support the existence of a specific black self-concept. (SLD)

  4. Prospective Principals' Openness to Organizational Change and the Education of African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Robert; Peebles, Lucretia D.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a research study that sought to examine and describe prospective principals? attitudes and perceptions regarding current efforts to transform urban education for the betterment of African American Students. Given the current wave of reforms targeted at schools serving large numbers of…

  5. Service-Learning and Civic Responsibility in a Sample of African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blankson, A. Nayena; Rochester, Shana E.; Watkins, Angela Farris

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we investigated the impact of past and current service-learning on the civic attitudes of African American college women: 44 students enrolled in either service-learning or non-service-learning courses were given pretests and posttests measuring civic attitudes. Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to examine the…

  6. African-American Stories and Literary Responses: Does a Child's Ethnicity Affect the Focus of a Response?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altieri, Jennifer L.

    1993-01-01

    Examines the written responses of Hispanic, African-American and Caucasian elementary students after listening to various African-American stories to see whether engagement with text is related to student's ethnicity. Finds that students were equally capable of engagement in the African-American stories regardless of their ethnicity. (RS)

  7. The Effects of a Mentoring Program on African American Collegiate Football Students at a Predominately White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosemond, LaNise D.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this interpretivist qualitative study is to discover and explore what factors influence African American collegiate football student athletes with regard to their experiences that participated in a mentoring program at a predominately white institution. The grounded theory methodology was used for this study. Ten African American…

  8. A Descriptive Qualitative Study Exploring Teacher and Parental Perceptions of African-American Middle School Male Students Related to Mathematics Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fowler, Crystal Nicole

    2013-01-01

    This qualitative descriptive case study explored the perceptions of parents and teachers of the academic achievement gap in mathematics between African-American middle school males and their White counterparts. Ten parents, both African-American and White, with students attending middle school in the Cherokee County School District and 5 teachers…

  9. The Effects of African American and European American Males' Behavior Styles on Preservice Teachers' Ratings of Acceptability, Achievement, and Aggression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cichy, Bryan Ervin

    2010-01-01

    African American students are overrepresented in the category of Emotional Disturbance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act across the United States. This study examined how preservice teachers rated African American and European American students on three ratings scales across four culturally mediated behaviors: (a) movement…

  10. Effects of a Math Intervention Program on Math Academic Performance among African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Willie F., Jr.

    2013-01-01

    In the United States, an academic achievement gap has prevented many African American students from advancement and educational empowerment. Guided by Bandura's theoretical belief, which posits a relationship between social factors and an individual's perception, this non-experimental, causal comparative, control treatment group design study…

  11. African American College Students' Experience of Racial Discrimination and the Role of College Hassles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banks, Kira Hudson

    2010-01-01

    The current study examines the relationship between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms. In particular, it investigated whether college hassles moderated or mediated the relationship. Participants included 194 African American students from a large, Midwestern, state university. Participants provided self-report of their experience of…

  12. Social Achievement Goals: Validation among Rural African American Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Martin H.; Mueller, Christian E.; Royal, Kenneth D.; Shim, Sungok Serena; Hart, Caroline O.

    2013-01-01

    Little extant research attempts to understand why rural African Americans engage in social relationships with peers in school. This is somewhat surprising as rural students' peer interactions often affect their scholastic desires, and peers can alter African Americans' academic performance. Hence, the current study examined both the presence and…

  13. "Peas 'N Rice" or "Rice 'N Peas"-- Which One Are We Really Ordering?: The Plight of African American Male Students Engaged in Educational Exchange Processes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White-Johnson, Adair F.

    2001-01-01

    Explored the perceptions of African American male students who chose to leave a traditional academic setting for an alternative education program within the same setting. Data from students, parents, and teachers indicated that teachers and educational leaders failed to incorporate the relevancy of African American male students into the classroom…

  14. The Soul of Leadership: African American Students' Experiences in Historically Black and Predominantly White Organizations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hotchkins, Bryan K.

    2013-01-01

    This study addresses African American students' leadership experiences at predominantly White institutions. Findings indicated participants utilized servant leadership in historically Black organizations and transformational leadership in predominantly White organizations. The differences displayed showed that participants' leadership perceptions…

  15. Academic attainment and the high school science experiences among high-achieving African American males

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trice, Rodney Nathaniel

    This study examines the educational experiences of high achieving African American males. More specifically, it analyzes the influences on their successful navigation through high school science. Through a series of interviews, observations, questionnaires, science portfolios, and review of existing data the researcher attempted to obtain a deeper understanding of high achieving African American males and their limitations to academic attainment and high school science experiences. The investigation is limited to ten high achieving African American male science students at Woodcrest High School. Woodcrest is situated at the cross section of a suburban and rural community located in the southeastern section of the United States. Although this investigation involves African American males, all of whom are successful in school, its findings should not be generalized to this nor any other group of students. The research question that guided this study is: What are the limitations to academic attainment and the high school science experiences of high achieving African American males? The student participants expose how suspension and expulsion, special education placement, academic tracking, science instruction, and teacher expectation influence academic achievement. The role parents play, student self-concept, peer relationships, and student learning styles are also analyzed. The anthology of data rendered three overarching themes: (1) unequal access to education, (2) maintenance of unfair educational structures, and (3) authentic characterizations of African American males. Often the policies and practices set in place by school officials aid in creating hurdles to academic achievement. These policies and practices are often formed without meaningful consideration of the unintended consequences that may affect different student populations, particularly the most vulnerable. The findings from this study expose that high achieving African American males face major

  16. Experiential Education for Urban African Americans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Jennifer G.; McGinnis, J. Randy

    1995-01-01

    Stresses the importance of experiential educators being prepared to teach environmental education to students in specific contexts. A model for urban African American students includes the introduction and selection of a relevant local environmental issue; teaching strategies to investigate the issue; and techniques for initiating environmental…

  17. Addressing Reading Underachievement in African American Boys through a Multi-Contextual Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Husband, Terry

    2012-01-01

    Much has been written about reading disparities between African American males and other student groups. Interestingly, the majority of this scholarship focuses on African American males at preadolescent states of development and beyond. To date, relatively little has been documented relative to improving reading outcomes in African American males…

  18. African American Administrators at PWIs: Enablers of and Barriers to Career Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gardner, Levester, Jr.; Barrett, T. Gregory; Pearson, L. Carolyn

    2014-01-01

    Despite literature emphasizing the importance of their presence on college campuses to minority student success, African American administrators are severely underrepresented in higher education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of successful African American student affairs administrators at predominantly…

  19. James Edward Scott: The Leadership Journey of a Senior-Level African American Student Affairs Officer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willis, Salatha T.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine, understand, and describe the life, leadership, and influence of Dr. James Edward Scott on higher education and more specifically student affairs; as one of the most well-known and respected African American male chief student affairs officers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Using a qualitative…

  20. Measuring Five Preconditions of Success for African American Male Students in Community Colleges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McManus, Kimberly Ozella

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to measure and compare five preconditions for success of African American male community college students at community colleges by determining if there is a relationship between a) GPA and credits earned, utilizing Wood and Harris' (2012; 2016) Community College Survey of Men (CCSM, 2014) and Community College Success…

  1. "No One Ever Asked Me": Urban African American Students' Perceptions of Educational Resilience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Joseph M.; Portman, Tarrell Awe Agahe

    2014-01-01

    This qualitative study examined high-achieving urban African American high school graduates' (N = 5) retrospective appraisal of what K-12 students from high-risk urban areas need to succeed academically despite seemingly insurmountable social, financial, and educational barriers. Findings revealed 6 themes: shared responsibility for…

  2. Friendships Influence Hispanic Students' Implicit Attitudes toward White Non-Hispanics Relative to African Americans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aberson, Christopher L.; Porter, Michael K.; Gaffney, Amber M.

    2008-01-01

    This study examined the role of Hispanic students' friendships with White non-Hispanics (n-Hs) and African Americans (AAs) in predicting implicit and explicit prejudices toward these groups. Participants (N = 73) completed implicit and explicit attitude measures and a friendship questionnaire. Friendships were associated with implicit attitudes…

  3. Parental Involvement and Academic Achievement of Middle School African American Students in Southeast Arkansas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Christopher Steve

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine if a positive correlation existed between parental involvement measured by the Parental Involvement Survey and African American student Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Exam (AABE) mathematics and reading scores in two rural Southeast Arkansas middle schools. Epstein's theory of…

  4. Providence-St. Mel School: How a School That Works for African American Students Works

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pressley, Michael; Raphael, Lisa; Gallagher, J. David; DiBella, Jeanette

    2004-01-01

    A portrait, using grounded theory qualitative methodologies, was constructed of a K-12 school serving urban, African American students, one producing high achievement. The primary data were observations complemented by questionnaire responses and document analyses. Consistent with conclusions in the effective schooling literature, this school has…

  5. Case Study of the Voluntary Student Transfer Program: The Perspectives of African American Students and Parent Participants in One Midwestern School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Rosalyn Harper

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the perspectives of four students and 6 parent participants of the Voluntary Student Transfer program, an inter-district desegregation program that involves transporting African American students from urban area schools to surrounding county schools. Due to limited and dated research related to the Voluntary Student…

  6. The experiences of African-American students majoring in engineering: Cognitive, non-cognitive and situational aspects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hill, Gloria Pinckney

    1997-12-01

    To understand the causes for the disproportionately high rate of attrition among ethnic minority students, it is important to consider not only how they differ from the majority population, but what differences exist in personal qualities and academic preparation within groups at particular types of institutions, and within particular majors. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of African-American students enrolled in engineering at a predominately white, selective research university to determine which cognitive, non-cognitive and situational variables impact their progress towards graduation. The goal was to see how African-American students who meet or exceed the minimum criteria for admission perceive their experience on campus, and what strategies they use to manage their day-to-day existence. The study was conducted using personal interviews guided by an open-ended questionnaire. The qualitative methodology allowed students to assess the college experience through their own cultural lens, and to identify the cognitive, non-cognitive, and situational variables important to them. Responses were sorted by class and gender, tabulated and grouped into categories. Interpretation was primarily descriptive. Consistencies, inconsistencies, patterns and relationships to concepts in the literature and to the research questions were discussed. Findings indicate that well prepared students become less confident about their commitment to engineering and their ability to succeed academically after they begin matriculating rather than before, and that redefinition of what it means to be academically successful is an effective coping mechanism to sustain the effort required to master courses. The study suggests that the current focus on the impact of the freshman year transition on student retention should be expanded to include the sophomore year. This is particularly true for institutions where engineering students spend the first year in a core

  7. The Attainment of a Science Degree by African American College Students at Arizona State University: An Investigation to Identify The Barriers and Affordances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boyce, Quintin

    Historically, African American students have been underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). If African American students continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, they will not have access to valuable and high-paying sectors of the economy. Despite the number of African Americans in these fields being disproportionately low, there are still individuals that persist and complete science degrees. The aim of this study was to investigate African American students who excel in science at Arizona State University and examine the barriers and affordances that they encounter on their journey toward graduation. Qualitative research methods were used to address the research question of the study. My methodology included creating a case study to investigate the experiences of eight African American undergraduate college students at Arizona State University. These four male and four female students were excelling sophomores, juniors, or seniors who were majoring in a science field. Two of the males came from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, while two of the males were from higher SES backgrounds. The same applied to the four female participants. My research utilized surveys, semistructured interviews, and student observations to collect data that was analyzed and coded to determine common themes and elements that exist between the students. As a result of the data collection opportunities, peer support and financial support were identified as barriers, while, parental support, financial support, peer support, and teacher support were identified as affordances. In analyzing the data, the results indicated that for the student subjects in this study, sex and SES did not have any relationship with the barriers and affordances experienced.

  8. Empowering Instructional Practices of Technology Using Teachers of Low-Income African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cuby Richardson, Crystal

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to investigate the empowering instructional practices of three technology-using teachers in an elementary school populated by low-income African American students. The participants, from Ladson ES, had been teaching a variety of grade levels and had between six and ten years of experience. Over the course of six…

  9. African American Students at Predominantly White Institutions: A Motivational and Self-Systems Approach to Understanding Retention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodgers, Kelly A.; Summers, Jessica J.

    2008-01-01

    Predominantly White institutions have not been as effective as historically Black institutions in retaining and conferring degrees upon African American college students. This review seeks to embed the psychological aspects of the retention process proposed by Bean and Eaton ["A psychological model of college student retention." In J. M. Braxton…

  10. The Parental Investment of First-Generation African American Rural College Graduates in Cultivating College Student Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Crystal Joi

    2013-01-01

    This basic qualitative study examines the parental investment strategies of first-generation African American rural college graduates in cultivating college student success. Extant literature has demonstrated that the role of the family is necessary to support the college student and that the investment of the parent is paramount to student…

  11. Understanding the African-American Student Experience in Higher Education through a Relational Dialectics Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Jake; Lowery-Hart, Russell; Wahl, Shawn T.; McBride, M. Chad

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we sought to understand African-American students' higher-education experiences in predominantly White universities. We utilized Baxter's relational dialectics theory to study components of focus-group discussions in order to understand the discourse and meaning-making process of participants. Our findings provide insight into the…

  12. The Impact of Sexual of Orientation and Gender Expression Bias on African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Majied, Kamilah F.

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses sexual orientation and gender expression bias as they impact the educational experience of African American students. Sexual orientation and gender expression bias have a unique presentation in Black educational settings. The climate in such settings can be metagrobolized by the combination of distorted notions of Black…

  13. HIV/AIDS knowledge scores and perceptions of risk among African American students attending historically black colleges and universities.

    PubMed

    Sutton, Madeline Y; Hardnett, Felicia P; Wright, Pierre; Wahi, Sagina; Pathak, Sonal; Warren-Jeanpiere, Lari; Jones, Sandra

    2011-01-01

    African American young adults are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and often unaware of their personal risk for HIV. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) enroll 25% of college-educated African American young adults and can play an important role in HIV prevention. We examined HIV/AIDS knowledge of students at HBCUs to inform and strengthen our HIV prevention efforts at HBCUs. African American undergraduate HBCU students completed online surveys assessing HIV/AIDS knowledge and behaviors, and we analyzed data to assess their knowledge and behaviors. A total of 1,051 of 1,230 surveys completed (85.4%) were analyzable. Eighty-two percent of students had average/high HIV knowledge scores. Seventy-nine percent of students surveyed perceived themselves to be at low risk for HIV infection; 64% of those who had at least two or more sex partners had not used a condom at last sex encounter. In the final model, significant independent effects were identified for average/high knowledge of HIV risk, including agreeing with assessing a potential partner's HIV risk by all of the five actions listed (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7, 4.3) and never using a needle to inject drugs (AOR=5.6, 95% CI 3.2, 9.7). Educating students about effectively assessing sex partner risk will improve HIV knowledge and prevention efforts at HBCUs.

  14. Something Every Teacher and Counselor Needs to Know about African-American Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Patrick E.

    2007-01-01

    African-American student academic performance, as a group, in most educational settings causes alarm to educators, policymakers, and laypeople, alike. Some suggest that the problems associated with the academic under-achievement of many African-American students are perhaps the most pressing issues facing both educators and researchers. Much…

  15. The Impact of Institutional Support Services, Policies, and Programs on the Completion and Graduation of African American Students Enrolled at Select Two-Year Colleges in Ohio

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harmon, Martino

    2013-01-01

    According to the American Association of Community Colleges (2010), more than 40% of all African American students enrolled in postsecondary education are enrolled in two-year colleges. A review of the literature indicated that improving persistence and completion rates for African American students is a challenge that two-year colleges face. This…

  16. Physical Activities and Sedentary Pursuits in African American and Caucasian Girls

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowda, Marsha; Pate, Russell R.; Felton, Gwen M.; Saunders, Ruth; Ward, Dianne S.; Dishman, Rod K.; Trost, Stewart G.

    2004-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to describe and compare the specific physical activity choices and sedentary pursuits of African American and Caucasian American girls. Participants were 1,124 African American and 1,068 Caucasian American eighth-grade students from 31 middle schools. The 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) was used to measure…

  17. The Journey to Understand the Influence of Culturally Relevant and Responsive Instruction in Writing with African American Students: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ibrahim-Balogun, Ayanna

    2011-01-01

    African American students are underperforming in public education. Unfortunately, a lack of literacy achievement is at the forefront of this issue. Within the area of literacy, writing scores of African American children are plummeting across the nation on standardized assessments. The present study was designed to inform classroom practices about…

  18. Juxtaposing Steele's Thesis on the African-American Student and Pre-Service Education Majors' Concerns about Teaching Diverse Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Patricia L.

    This paper converges Shelby Steele's discussion on issues facing African-American students in his 1990 book, "The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America" (which argues in part that a self-defeating preoccupation with race reduces their academic performance), with education majors' concerns about teaching culturally…

  19. The African American Student Network: An Informal Networking Group as a Therapeutic Intervention for Black College Students on a Predominantly White Campus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grier-Reed, Tabitha

    2013-01-01

    Informal support networks as opposed to formal mental health counseling may represent a culture-specific, indigenous style of coping for Black college students. Using the African American Student Network (or as students refer to it AFAM), this article comments on the potential of an informal networking group as a culturally sensitive therapeutic…

  20. Teaching Third Grade African American Children in Culturally Responsive Ways: Is Anybody Listening?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Piper, Annetra Patrece

    2016-01-01

    African American and other students of color have continued to score lower than White students in many classrooms and on achievement tests in every subject, especially in reading. The purpose of this study was to explore if there is a relationship between a teacher's cultural responsiveness and their third grade African American students'…

  1. African-American Youth Perceptions of Alcohol Advertisements: A Preliminary Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    More, Timothy; Taylor, David; Turner, Dion

    1998-01-01

    Examines motivational factors associated with malt liquor consumption in African American youth. (Malt liquor is directly marketed to African-American youth.) Over 90% of respondents consumed alcohol in the past. Students viewed malt liquor commercials as being more associated with sex and power than were beer commercials. (MMU)

  2. Obesity and African Americans

    MedlinePlus

    ... Data > Minority Population Profiles > Black/African American > Obesity Obesity and African Americans African American women have the ... youthonline . [Accessed 08/18/2017] HEALTH IMPACT OF OBESITY People who are overweight are more likely to ...

  3. The Meaning of African American College Women's Experiences Attending a Predominantly White Institution: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hannon, Christine R.; Woodside, Marianne; Pollard, Brittany L.; Roman, Jorge

    2016-01-01

    Because both race and gender are important to the development of African American women, student affairs professionals need to understand the unique experiences of African American women within the context of the college environment. In this phenomenological study, we examined African American women's lived experiences as college students at a…

  4. Concurrent validity of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI): a study of African American precollege students.

    PubMed

    Flowers, Lamont A; Bridges, Brian K; Moore III, James L

    2012-01-01

    Concurrent validation procedures were employed, using a sample of African American precollege students, to determine the extent to which scale scores obtained from the first edition of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) were appropriate for diagnostic purposes. Data analysis revealed that 2 of the 10 LASSI scales (i.e., Anxiety and Test Strategies) significantly correlated with a measure of academic ability. These results suggested that scores obtained from these LASSI scales may provide valid assessments of African American precollege students’ academic aptitude. Implications for teachers, school counselors, and developmental studies professionals were discussed.

  5. Parental Attachment, Self-Esteem, and Antisocial Behaviors among African American, European American, and Mexican American Adolescents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arbona, Consuelo; Power, Thomas G.

    2003-01-01

    Examines the relation of mother and father attachment to self-esteem and self-reported involvement in antisocial behaviors among African American, European American, and Mexican American high school students. Findings indicated that adolescents from the 3 ethnic/racial groups did not differ greatly in their reported attachment. (Contains 70…

  6. The Effect of Tutoring and Mentoring on Student Success in Single-Parent Middle Class African American Households

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Lachelle Yavette

    2013-01-01

    Evidence suggests that African American male students from single mother households may face more challenges than white male students in obtaining educational success in terms of graduation and test performance. This association has been generated from previous studies that identified themes of poverty, parents' lack of education, absent…

  7. HIV/AIDS Knowledge Scores and Perceptions of Risk Among African American Students Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    PubMed Central

    Sutton, Madeline Y.; Hardnett, Felicia P.; Wright, Pierre; Wahi, Sagina; Pathak, Sonal; Warren-Jeanpiere, Lari; Jones, Sandra

    2011-01-01

    Objective African American young adults are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and often unaware of their personal risk for HIV. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) enroll 25% of college-educated African American young adults and can play an important role in HIV prevention. We examined HIV/AIDS knowledge of students at HBCUs to inform and strengthen our HIV prevention efforts at HBCUs. Methods African American undergraduate HBCU students completed online surveys assessing HIV/AIDS knowledge and behaviors, and we analyzed data to assess their knowledge and behaviors. Results A total of 1,051 of 1,230 surveys completed (85.4%) were analyzable. Eighty-two percent of students had average/high HIV knowledge scores. Seventy-nine percent of students surveyed perceived themselves to be at low risk for HIV infection; 64% of those who had at least two or more sex partners had not used a condom at last sex encounter. In the final model, significant independent effects were identified for average/high knowledge of HIV risk, including agreeing with assessing a potential partner's HIV risk by all of the five actions listed (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7, 4.3) and never using a needle to inject drugs (AOR=5.6, 95% CI 3.2, 9.7). Conclusions Educating students about effectively assessing sex partner risk will improve HIV knowledge and prevention efforts at HBCUs. PMID:21886325

  8. Attitudes and beliefs about smoking among African-American college students at historically black colleges and universities.

    PubMed

    Powe, Barbara D; Ross, Louie; Cooper, Dexter L

    2007-04-01

    Smoking rates are lower among African Americans compared to Caucasians, but African Americans have higher lung cancer mortality. Guided by the Powe Fatalism Model, this descriptive study reports on attitudes and beliefs and predictors of lifetime cigarette smoking behaviors among students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Data were collected using the Attitudes and Beliefs about Perceived Consequences of Smoking Scale and a Demographic Data Questionnaire. The majority (N = 438) were female and single. More than 50% reported trying cigarettes in their lifetime and reported smoking a whole cigarette at age 15.5 years. Only 7.5% of the sample were lifetime smokers. The likelihood that a student would smoke was 15 times greater if their friends smoked and almost seven times greater if they were not members of a Greek organization compared to other students. Males associated smoking with self-confidence, endorsed the emotional benefits and influencing factors of smoking compared to females. Intervention efforts should focus on preventing the initiation of smoking as well as cessation efforts for students at HBCUs. Campus clubs and organizations can play a vital role in long-term changes in smoking behaviors for these students.

  9. Educational Experiences and Transitions of Reentry College Women: Special Considerations for African American Female Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Veronica G.

    2001-01-01

    Examined motivators, obstacles, and support systems of reentry college women, particularly African American women. Student surveys indicated that respondents were motivated and excited about college reentry, generally reporting increased self-confidence since returning to school but identifying role overload and role conflict as major obstacles.…

  10. Influence of Family Perceptions of Acting White on Acculturative Stress in African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Keisha V.; Lightfoot, Nicole L.; Castillo, Linda G.; Hurst, Morgan L.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined family-oriented stressors on acculturative stress in 83 African American college students attending a predominately White university. Results showed that family pressure for participants not to acculturate, pressure to maintain ethnic group language, perception of Acting White, and acculturation level were related to higher…

  11. Perfectionism in African American students: relationship to racial identity, GPA, self-esteem, and depression.

    PubMed

    Elion, Audrey A; Wang, Kenneth T; Slaney, Robert B; French, Bryana H

    2012-04-01

    This study examined 219 African American college students at predominantly White universities using the constructs of perfectionism, academic achievement, self-esteem, depression, and racial identity. Cluster analysis was performed using the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R), which yielded three clusters that represented adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, and nonperfectionists. These three groups were compared on their scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS), and Grade Point Average (GPA). Adaptive perfectionists reported higher self-esteem and lower depression scores than both the nonperfectionists and maladaptive perfectionists. Adaptive perfectionists had higher GPAs than nonperfectionists. On the racial identity scales, maladaptive perfectionists had higher scores on Pre-Encounter Self Hatred and Immersion-Emersion Anti-White subscales than adaptive perfectionists. The cultural and counseling implications of this study are discussed and integrated. Finally, recommendations are made for future studies of African American college students and perfectionism. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

  12. This Test Is Unfair: African American and Latino High School Students' Perceptions of Standardized College Admission Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walpole, MaryBeth; McDonough, Patricia M.; Bauer, Constance J.; Gibson, Carolyn; Kanyi, Kamau T.; Toliver, Rita

    This qualitative study focused on African American and Latino high school students perceptions of standardized admission tests, including the Scholastic Assessment Tests (I and II) and the ACT Assessment. Students enrolled in college preparatory classes were interviewed about these tests individually and in focus groups in fall 1998 in their…

  13. Promoting Educational Resilience among African American Students at Risk of School Failure: The Role of School Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Joesph M.; Greenleaf, Arie T.; Albert, Tracey; Barnes, Erin F.

    2014-01-01

    While the educational difficulties of African American students from low-income households are well documented and widely discussed in the literature, far less attention has been paid to students who succeed in school despite significant challenges such as poverty, housing instability, and food insecurity. A review of the literature identifies the…

  14. Cajun, Creole, and African American Literacy Narratives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greene, Nicole Pepinster

    2005-01-01

    This article examines students' narrative responses to reading professional literacy histories. Demonstrating the importance of narrative as a way of learning, it shows how elementary education majors of diverse backgrounds explore their relation with language in a traditional grammar class. Cajun, Creole, and African American students recover…

  15. A study of mathematics and science achievement scores among African American students and the impact of teacher-oriented variables on them through the Educational Longitudinal Study, 2002 (ELS: 2002) data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walker, Valentine

    The purpose of this dissertation was to utilize the ELS: 2002 longitudinal data to highlight the achievement of African American students relative to other racial sub-groups in mathematics and science and to highlight teacher oriented variables that might influence their achievement. Various statistical tools, including descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Multiple Regression were used to analyze data that was derived from the students', teachers' and administrations' questionnaires compiled in the base year of the study (2002) as well as the first follow-up transcript study (2006). The major findings are as follows: African American students performed lower than all other major racial subgroups in mathematics and science; Parental variables including SES and parental education were strong correlates of achievement in mathematics and science: The amount and type of mathematics and science courses students took were strong predictors of achievement in mathematics and science; Teachers' race, experience, certification status, graduate courses completed and professional development influenced African American students' achievement in mathematics and science; Aspects of classroom climate including teacher-pupil relationship, classroom management, students' perception of quality instructions, praise and rewards system might influence African American students' achievement in mathematics and science; Teachers' beliefs pertaining to students' background and intellectual ability might influence their educational expectation of African American students and subsequently student achievement in mathematics and science; Teaching strategies such as reviewing, lecturing and using graphing calculators had a positive influence on mathematics achievement while using computers, discussion and using other books than mathematics textbooks had negative influences on mathematics achievement; Computer use in science had positive influence on science achievement while homework had a positive

  16. Profiles of African American College Students' Alcohol Use and Sexual Behaviors: Associations With Stress, Racial Discrimination, and Social Support.

    PubMed

    Metzger, Isha W; Cooper, Shauna M; Ritchwood, Tiarney D; Onyeuku, Chisom; Griffin, Charity Brown

    2017-01-01

    Though studies show that alcohol use and sexual activity increase during emerging adulthood, few studies examine within-ethnic group differences, particularly among African American college students. This investigation utilized a latent class analytic methodology to identify risk behavior profiles of alcohol use (frequency and amount of alcohol consumed), sexual activity (number of intimate partners), and co-occurring risk behaviors (drinking before sexual intercourse) among 228 African American college students. This investigation also examined whether identified risk behavior profiles were associated with stress (interpersonal, intrapersonal, academic, and environmental), experiences of racial discrimination, and social support (from family, friends, and the college community). Results identified five distinct profiles within this sample: (a) High Sexual Risk-above-average sexual activity; (b) Abstainers-below-average alcohol use and sexual activity; (c) Low Risk-average alcohol use and sexual activity; (d) Alcohol Risk-above-average alcohol use and below-average sexual activity; and (e) Co-Occurring Risk-above-average alcohol use and sexual activity. Identified profiles differed across interpersonal and environmental stress, and self-reported frequency of experiences with racial discrimination. Implications for prevention programs and interventions aimed at reducing alcohol and sexual activity for African American college students are discussed.

  17. The Influence of Parental Engagement on Most Restrictive Special Education Placements for African American Students in a Major Urban Texas School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawkins, Dianne Kendrick

    2017-01-01

    African American students receive placements in special education in numbers disproportionate to their representation in the population at large. They are also placed in most restrictive settings in large numbers. The current quantitative study was designed to examine the influence of participation in ARD/IEP meetings by African American parents…

  18. Equity and Excellence: African-American Children's Access to Quality Preschool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnett, Steve; Carolan, Megan; Johns, David

    2013-01-01

    The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans (WHIEEAA) has a mandate on behalf of African-American students to close the achievement gap. This goal requires attention to the full education continuum, from the early childhood years through adulthood. Learning begins at birth and the preparation for learning starts well…

  19. African American Male Adolescents' Hostile Responses to Perceived Racial Discrimination.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wakefield, William D.; Hudley, Cynthia

    This study examined the hostile responses of adolescent African American males to acts of racial discrimination as a function of audience presence, noting attributions of personal control. Participants were 250 male African American students in grades 9-12 in an urban multiethnic high school who completed the Discrimination Response Index (DRI).…

  20. The Reliability and Validity of Big Five Inventory Scores with African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Worrell, Frank C.; Cross, William E., Jr.

    2004-01-01

    This article describes a study that examined the reliability and validity of scores on the Big Five Inventory (BFI; O. P. John, E. M. Donahue, & R. L. Kentle, 1991) in a sample of 336 African American college students. Results from the study indicated moderate reliability and structural validity for BFI scores. Additionally, BFI subscales had few…

  1. Schools in Violent Neighborhoods: The Impact on African American Elementary School Students' Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ingram, Brenda

    2013-01-01

    The academic achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students continues to be a major concern for policymakers and educators. This gap started to shrink in the 1970s and 1980s with integration, but the 1990s showed the achievement gap was on the rise again. The characteristics of the neighborhoods where children live and attend…

  2. Collective Self-Esteem and Africultural Coping Styles in African American Adolescents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Constantine, Madonna G.; Donnelly, Peter C.; Myers, Linda James

    2002-01-01

    Examined relationships between dimensions of collective self-esteem and Africultural coping styles among African American adolescents. Surveys of African American students at a predominantly white high school indicated that respondents with higher public collective self-esteem reported greater use of spiritual-centered Africultural coping styles…

  3. Family matters: Familial support and science identity formation for African American female STEM majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parker, Ashley Dawn

    This research seeks to understand the experiences of African American female undergraduates in STEM. It investigates how familial factors and science identity formation characteristics influence persistence in STEM while considering the duality of African American women's status in society. This phenomenological study was designed using critical race feminism as the theoretical framework to answer the following questions: 1) What role does family play in the experiences of African American women undergraduate STEM majors who attended two universities in the UNC system? 2) What factors impact the formation of science identity for African American women undergraduate STEM majors who attended two universities in the UNC system? Purposive sampling was used to select the participants for this study. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 10 African American female undergraduate STEM major from a predominantly White and a historically Black institution with the state of North Carolina public university system. Findings suggest that African American families and science identity formation influence the STEM experiences of the African American females interviewed in this study. The following five themes emerged from the findings: (1) independence, (2) support, (3) pressure to succeed, (4) adaptations, and (5) race and gender. This study contributes to the literature on African American female students in STEM higher education. The findings of this study produced knowledge regarding policies and practices that can lead to greater academic success and persistence of African American females in higher education in general, and STEM majors in particular. Colleges and universities may benefit from the findings of this study in a way that allows them to develop and sustain programs and policies that attend to the particular concerns and needs of African American women on their campuses. Finally, this research informs both current and future African American female

  4. Communication, Empowerment, and Legacies of Behavior: The African American Perception of Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grant-Williams, April Renee

    2012-01-01

    African American students have been underrepresented in higher education since the 1960s. The study of this disparity has caused many researchers to consider the social and institutional correlating relationships that could contribute to the declining retention rates for African American students in higher education. The purpose of the grounded…

  5. Resistance and Assent: How Racial Socialization Shapes Black Students' Experience Learning African American History in High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thornhill, Theodore E.

    2016-01-01

    African American history is often taught poorly in high school U.S. history courses. However, we know little about how Black students perceive and experience this situation. I use a refined racial socialization framework and interview data with 32 Black college students in the Northeast to investigate how familial racial socialization shapes their…

  6. The Exploration of Spirituality as a Means of Coping and Persistence in African American Female College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Shelia D.

    2009-01-01

    The study sought to investigate persisting African American female college students' means of coping. The study used the lens of Womanist Theory, which places the lived experiences of these students at the center of knowledge creation, thus removing their experiences from the margins of society. The study provided insight into the lives of…

  7. "This Is How We Roll!": How "Successful" White Social Studies Teachers Build Solidarity with African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boucher, Michael Lee, Jr.

    2013-01-01

    Despite a decade of concentration on closing the pervasive achievement gap in America, White students and Black students still attend schools with unequal results. Many strategies aimed at closing the gap exist, including increasing the number of African American teachers, but the majority of urban teachers are White, which will remain the case…

  8. A Study of African American Male Students' Academic Achievement and School Attitude in an Urban Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mohamed, Roslyn J. F. Billy

    2013-01-01

    With the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, much emphasis has been placed on the accountability of schools and school districts to ensure higher academic achievement of all students. The achievement gap remains among African American male students in urban school districts. This purposed quantitative study explored the relationship…

  9. Linking Contextual Affordances: Examining Racial-Ethnic Socialization and Parental Career Support among African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blackmon, Sha'Kema M.; Thomas, Anita Jones

    2014-01-01

    This exploratory investigation examined the link between self-reported racial-ethnic socialization experiences and perceived parental career support among African American undergraduate and graduate students. The results of two separate multivariate multiple regression analyses found that messages about coping with racism positively predicted…

  10. Teacher Characteristics and Effective Implementation of the Accelerated Reader Program, as Reported by Teachers of African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Debra Renee

    2017-01-01

    How are teacher characteristics related to teaching practices in reading instruction? Melton, Smothers, Anderson, Fulton, Replogue, & Thomas (2004) maintained teachers are the most powerful dynamic in the classroom. African American students often attain lower reading scores than other students. It is important to determine which teacher…

  11. Classroom Management Training for Teachers in Urban Environments Serving Predominately African American Students: A Review of the Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larson, Kristine E.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this paper was to review the literature in terms of professional development activities that researchers have enlisted to reduce student problem behaviors and improve classroom management competencies among teachers who work in urban environments serving predominately African American students. First, the author conducted a…

  12. Differences between African-American and Caucasian students on enrollment influences and barriers in kinesiology-based allied health education programs.

    PubMed

    Barfield, J P; Cobler, D C; Lam, Eddie T C; Zhang, James; Chitiyo, George

    2012-06-01

    Kinesiology departments have recently started to offer allied health education programs to attract additional students to teacher education units (9). Although allied health professions offer increased work opportunities, insufficient enrollment and training of minority students in these academic fields contribute to underrepresentation in the workforce (3). To improve workforce diversity, kinesiology departments must understand how enrollment influences and barriers differ by race among prospective students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify differences in allied health education enrollment influences and enrollment barriers between minority and Caucasian students. Participants (n = 601) consisted of students enrolled in kinesiology-based allied health education programs. Multivariate ANOVA was used to compare group differences in enrollment decision making. "Personal influence," "career opportunity," and "physical self-efficacy" were all significantly stronger enrollment influences among African-American students than among Caucasian students, and "social influence," "experiential opportunity," "academic preparation," and "physical self-efficacy" were all perceived as significantly greater barriers compared with Caucasian students. Findings support the need to recruit African-American students through sport and physical education settings and to market program-based experiential opportunities.

  13. Teaching Democracy before "Brown": Civic Education in Georgia's African American Schools, 1930-1954

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preston-Grimes, Patrice

    2007-01-01

    Research on the history of civic education in United States has rarely reflected the perspectives of African American teachers and students. Through analysis of archival data, I document how African American educators in one Southern state reported teaching civic values to students in a racially segregated society before the modern Civil Rights…

  14. Racism-Related Stress and Ethnic Identity as Determinants of African American College Students' Career Aspirations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tovar-Murray, Darrick; Jenifer, Ericka S.; Andrusyk, Jara; D'Angelo, Ryan; King, Tia

    2012-01-01

    Drawing primarily on the construct of psychological buffer, the purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which racism-related stress and ethnic identity are determinants of career aspirations. A total of 163 African American college students from a predominately White Midwestern university participated in the study. A moderation…

  15. An Examination of Color-Blind Racism and Race-Related Stress among African American Undergraduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coleman, M. Nicole; Chapman, Stephanie; Wang, David C.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the role of color-blind racial ideology among a sample of 152 African American undergraduate students in relation to race-related stress. We hypothesized that those who endorsed relatively higher color-blind racial attitudes would experience greater race-related stress because experiences with racism would be interpreted as…

  16. Kids Explore America's African-American Heritage. Westridge Young Writers Workshop.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jefferson County School District R-1, Denver, CO.

    This book was written by 86 students in grades 3-8 at Westridge Elementary School (Littleton, Colorado) during a summer enrichment class. The book is for anyone who wants to learn about African-American culture and heritage. Chapter 1 gives an overview of African history before American contact, the introduction of slavery into America, the road…

  17. Cultural Learning Context as It Relates to Efficacy and the Mathematics Performance of African-American Middle School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burrell, Jennifer O.

    2012-01-01

    Nearly 20 years of empirical work has demonstrated that cultural-asset focused learning environments can improve the academic performance of African-American students. One example is communal learning context, which shifts students' motivational primacy from the individual to the social group. Considering the critical role of efficacy beliefs in…

  18. African Music in an American Context. Mini-Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    African-American Inst., New York, NY. School Services Div.

    Insights are offered into how speech, melody, and rhythm dramatize the differences in the construction and interpretation of music for Africa and America. Intended for use in instructing American students about African music, the learning module relates music to traditional African culture and maintains that the music is at the same time…

  19. The Effects of Single-Gender Classrooms on the Mathematics Achievement of 9th Grade, African American Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newbold, Anthony J.

    2014-01-01

    An achievement gap exists in mathematics between low-income African American male students and their European American counterparts. Although this problem has been approached using different interventions with minimal results, the impact of homogenous grouping is not well understood in spite of its use. As a result, this study was conducted to…

  20. What is taking place in science classrooms?: A case study analysis of teaching and learning in seventh-grade science of one Alabama school and its impact on African American student learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norman, Lashaunda Renea

    This qualitative case study investigated the teaching strategies that improve science learning of African American students. This research study further sought the extent the identified teaching strategies that are used to improve African American science learning reflect culturally responsive teaching. Best teaching strategies and culturally responsive teaching have been researched, but there has been minimal research on the impact that both have on science learning, with an emphasis on the African American population. Consequently, the Black-White achievement gap in science persists. The findings revealed the following teaching strategies have a positive impact on African American science learning: (a) lecture-discussion, (b) notetaking, (c) reading strategies, (d) graphic organizers, (e) hands-on activities, (f) laboratory experiences, and (g) cooperative learning. Culturally responsive teaching strategies were evident in the seventh-grade science classrooms observed. Seven themes emerged from this research data: (1) The participating teachers based their research-based teaching strategies used in the classroom on all of the students' learning styles, abilities, attitudes towards science, and motivational levels about learning science, with no emphasis on the African American student population; (2) The participating teachers taught the state content standards simultaneously using the same instructional model daily, incorporating other content areas when possible; (3) The participating African American students believed their seventh-grade science teachers used a variety of teaching strategies to ensure science learning took place, that science learning was fun, and that science learning was engaging; (4) The participating African American students genuinely liked their teacher; (5) The participating African American students revealed high self-efficacy; (6) The African American student participants' parents value education and moved to Success Middle School

  1. The Role of Colorism in Explaining African American Females' Suspension Risk

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blake, Jamilia J.; Keith, Verna M.; Luo, Wen; Le, Huong; Salter, Phia

    2017-01-01

    African American female students' elevated suspension risk has received national attention. Despite a number of studies documenting racial/ethnic disparities in African American females' school suspension risk, few investigations have attempted to explain why these disparities occur. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of colorism in…

  2. Academic and Career Trajectories of African American Males in San Bernardino

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lyles, Lolita Laree

    2013-01-01

    A qualitative grounded theory approach is utilized to study the academic and career trajectories of twenty African American male collegiate students living in San Bernardino, California. There is limited research that explores the positive educational experiences of young adult African American males. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to…

  3. Learning Contexts, Black Cultural Ethos, and the Science Achievement of African American Students in an Urban Middle School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parsons, Eileen Carlton

    2008-01-01

    As other countries vigorously promote rapid advancement in science, optimizing the participation of all students in the United States in science is imperative. This study focused on African American students and examined their science achievement in relation to Black Cultural Ethos (BCE), a construct rooted in psychology. Via qualitative and…

  4. The Relationship between Racial Identity and Acculturative Stress among African American Students in Counselor Training Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Tiffany A.; Owens, Delila; Queener, John E.; Reynolds, Cynthia A.

    2014-01-01

    In this study, we examined racial identity and acculturative stress among 116 African American counselor education graduate students in Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited programs. Results indicated that racial identity and acculturative stress remain viable variables to take into…

  5. Teacher Characteristics and the Decision to Recommend Placement of African American Male Students in Special Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jester, Ada Vanessa Holliday

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the possible relationships between teacher characteristics and their decisions to recommend placement of African American male students for special education. The teacher characteristics (gender, race, age, years of teaching service, self-efficacy and teacher expectations) were the…

  6. African American English-Speaking Students: An Examination of the Relationship between Dialect Shifting and Reading Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craig, Holly K.; Zhang, Lingling; Hensel, Stephanie L.; Quinn, Erin J.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: In this study, the authors evaluated the contribution made by dialect shifting to reading achievement test scores of African American English (AAE)-speaking students when controlling for the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), general oral language abilities, and writing skills. Method: Participants were 165 typically developing…

  7. Postsecondary Educators' Cultural and Institutional Awareness of Issues Faced by African American Students with Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becton, Alicia B.; Foster, Amanda L.; Chen, Roy K.

    2016-01-01

    Being a part of an ethnic minority group and a student with a disability (SWD) often presents as a barrier to college retention and graduation rates among members of this marginalized group. Purpose: To examine educators' awareness of racial and institutional influences that impact African American SWD. Method: Data for this study were gathered…

  8. Negating Stereotype Threat: Autonomy Support and Academic Identification Boost Performance of African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nadler, Dustin R.; Komarraju, Meera

    2016-01-01

    Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, we examined the effects of stereotype threat and autonomy support on the test performance of 190 African American college students. Participants completed a set of 7 easy and 7 difficult problems from Raven's Progressive Matrices and a survey including measures of Academic Self-Concept, Learning Climate, and…

  9. Predictors of Academic Achievement for African American Males at a Predominantly White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Jarvis M.

    2013-01-01

    African American male college students are graduating at rates lower than their White male college counterparts. This epidemic is a result of the historical implications of institutional racism within American society. Despite these barriers, there are African American males that achieve academically and graduate college. This phenomenological…

  10. Our Voices: A Descriptive Account of African American Parental Involvement in an Urban Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sudduth, Charletta D.

    2011-01-01

    Parent involvement may have implications for student achievement (Epstein, 1986; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brisse, 1987; Lopez, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001). Today African-American parents are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, & Weiss, 2006). African-American parent…

  11. Trio Student Support Services: A Comparative Study of African American Students at Three Texas Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powell, Hattie Marie

    2013-01-01

    Although access to postsecondary education for ethnic minorities has increased since desegregation in 1954, the college completion rates for these groups have not, particularly for African Americans. For this reason, it is important to continue to examine strategies that contribute to increases in completion rates for African Americans. The…

  12. Voices of African Students in America: "We're Not from the Jungle"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Traore, Rosemary

    2006-01-01

    Negative stereotypes about Africa abound in American schools and in the media, making it virtually impossible for newly arrived African students, whether immigrants or refugees, to accomplish their goals of getting a quality education. African students arrive on American shores with vibrant hope and expectancy that their American education will…

  13. A critical hermeneutic study: Third grade elementary African American students' views of the nature of science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walls, Leon

    Nature of Science is one of the most fundamental aspects of understanding science. How different cultures, races and ethnicities see and interpret science differently is critical. However, the NOS views specific to African American teachers and learners have gone largely unresearched. The views of a purposeful sample of African American third grade children reported in this study contribute to efforts to make science equitable for all students. Conducted in two Midwest urban settings, within the students' regular classrooms, three instruments were employed: Views of Nature of Science Elementary (an interview protocol), Elementary Draw a Scientist Test (a drawing activity supplemented by an explicating narrative), and Identify a Scientist (a simple select-a-photo technique supported by Likert-measured sureness). The responses provided by twenty-three students were coded using qualitative content analysis. The findings are represented in three main categories: Science - is governed by experimentation, invention and discovery teach us about the natural world, school is not the only setting for learning science; Scientists - intelligent, happy, studious men and women playing multiple roles, with distinct physical traits working in laboratories; Students - capable users and producers of science and who view science as fun. This study advocates for: use of such instruments for constant monitoring of student views, using the knowledge of these views to construct inquiry based science lessons, and increased research about students of color.

  14. Trichotillomania symptoms in African American women: are they related to anxiety and culture?

    PubMed

    Neal-Barnett, Angela; Statom, Deborah; Stadulis, Robert

    2011-08-01

    Trichotillomania (TTM) is a little understood disorder that has been underresearched in the African American community. Furthermore, the incorporation of cultural factors into TTM research has virtually been ignored. Existing data from an African American college student population suggest TTM is associated with high levels of anxiety. In this study, we explored anxiety symptoms and cultural hair messages in an African American female community sample with TTM symptoms. We predicted high levels of TTM severity and impairment would be associated with high level of anxiety symptoms. We also predicted that cultural messages about hair will influence both TTM and anxiety symptoms. In this telephone study, 41 African American females participated in interviews about their TTM. TTM impairment and severity was positively correlated with general anxiety symptoms as measured on the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL 90-R(®) ). Severity was also positively correlated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Given the significance of hair for African American women, we also explored the childhood cultural messages receive about hair. Over half the sample received at least one cultural message about hair. Although many women received the same message, the value they placed on the message differed. Messages received about hair were not associated with TTM severity or impairment. The association among obsessive-compulsive symptoms and hair messages approached significance. Results highlight the importance of assessing anxiety comorbidity and culture with African American TTM samples. Little is known about TTM in African American samples. Existing research indicates this population seeks TTM help from their hairdressers. Among college students, a significant correlation has been found for anxiety as measured on the Beck Anxiety Inventory and TTM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to examine cultural messages about hair in an African American sample. In addition

  15. African-American males in computer science---Examining the pipeline for clogs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stone, Daryl Bryant

    The literature on African-American males (AAM) begins with a statement to the effect that "Today young Black men are more likely to be killed or sent to prison than to graduate from college." Why are the numbers of African-American male college graduates decreasing? Why are those enrolled in college not majoring in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines? This research explored why African-American males are not filling the well-recognized industry need for Computer Scientist/Technologists by choosing college tracks to these careers. The literature on STEM disciplines focuses largely on women in STEM, as opposed to minorities, and within minorities, there is a noticeable research gap in addressing the needs and opportunities available to African-American males. The primary goal of this study was therefore to examine the computer science "pipeline" from the African-American male perspective. The method included a "Computer Science Degree Self-Efficacy Scale" be distributed to five groups of African-American male students, to include: (1) fourth graders, (2) eighth graders, (3) eleventh graders, (4) underclass undergraduate computer science majors, and (5) upperclass undergraduate computer science majors. In addition to a 30-question self-efficacy test, subjects from each group were asked to participate in a group discussion about "African-American males in computer science." The audio record of each group meeting provides qualitative data for the study. The hypotheses include the following: (1) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between fourth and eighth graders. (2) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between eighth and eleventh graders. (3) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree" self-efficacy between eleventh graders and lower-level computer science majors. (4) There is no significant difference in "Computer Science Degree

  16. African-Americans and Alzheimer's

    MedlinePlus

    ... Share Plus on Google Plus African-Americans and Alzheimer's alz.org | IHaveAlz Introduction 10 Warning Signs Brain ... African-Americans are at a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease. Many Americans dismiss the warning signs of ...

  17. Mental Health and African Americans

    MedlinePlus

    ... than Non-Hispanic whites. The death rate from suicide for African American men was more than four ... for African American women, in 2014. However, the suicide rate for African Americans is 70% lower than ...

  18. Resilience Differences of Black Greek-Lettered Organization Members and African-American Students at Predominately White Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Sherra' M.

    2013-01-01

    Even though the number of African American students has increased on college campuses, particularly Predominately White Institutions (PWIs), over the last century, they are less likely to graduate than their White counterparts are. They face discrimination, hostile environments, adversity, low or no social or mentoring support, and often feel…

  19. Racial Identity, Centrality and Giftedness: An Expectancy-Value Application of Motivation in Gifted African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodgers, Kelly A.

    2008-01-01

    This article explores the interaction between racial and ethnic identity, racial centrality, and giftedness and then uses an expectancy-value motivation model as a framework for understanding how the interplay among racial identity, centrality, and giftedness contributes to the motivation of African American gifted students. The analysis begins by…

  20. The Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities on the Academic Success of African-American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Mikyong Minsun; Conrad, Clifton F.

    2006-01-01

    Anchored in national longitudinal data analyzed through hierarchical linear and non-linear modeling, this study found that African-American students have a similar probability of obtaining a BA degree whether they attended a historically Black college or university (HBCU) or a historically White college or university (HWCU). Among…

  1. More than an Ally: A Successful White Teacher Who Builds Solidarity with His African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boucher, Michael Lee, Jr.

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative case study provides a counternarrative to the literature of White teachers who are unsuccessful in bridging the achievement gap and disrupts the assumed meaning of solidarity between successful White teachers and their African American students. As part of successful classroom practice, this teacher interrogated his own whiteness…

  2. Academic Performance Differences among Male and Female African American Students: An Urban High School Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simmons, Livia A.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine differences between male and female African American high school students in an urban setting. The participants were from a senior academy located in a Southern state. Of the 270 participants in the study, 76 were seniors, 89 were juniors, 95 were sophomores, and 10 were freshmen. The gender composition…

  3. Academic Success of At-Risk African American Male Students Who Receive Culturally Relevant Teaching, College Readiness Preparation, and Mentorship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Timothy L.

    2016-01-01

    This quantitative study analyzed archival data to determine whether a significant difference existed in the reading comprehension scores and student success (enrollment in honors and or advanced placement classes and college after graduation) of at-risk African American male students who received Advancement via Individual Determination/African…

  4. Dimensions of Ethnic Identity as Protective Factors for Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors in African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowman Heads, Angela M.; Glover, Angel M.; Castillo, Linda G.; Blozis, Shelley; Kim, Su Yeong

    2018-01-01

    Objective: To examine ethnic identity and ethnic socialization as potential protective factors for risk behaviors among US college students. Participants: Participants were 398 African American and Afro-Caribbean students recruited from 30 colleges and universities during September 2008-October 2009. Methods: Data on hazardous alcohol use,…

  5. The Feasibility of an E-Mail-Delivered Intervention to Improve Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors in African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackey, Eleanor; Schweitzer, Amy; Hurtado, Maria Eugenia; Hathway, Joanne; DiPietro, Loretta; Lei, Kai Y.; Klein, Catherine J.

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an e-mail-delivered program to promote nutrition and physical activity in African American college students. Participants: Forty-seven students (76% female, aged 18-20 years). Methods: Students participated in a 24-week randomized controlled trial, receiving either general health…

  6. Teachers' and Parents' Perceptions of Special Education Referral for African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith-McClelland, Darlene

    2017-01-01

    Patterns of representation of African Americans in K-12 special education programs vary across the United States. A school district in Arizona has a 13% African American population, yet the African American special education representation is 17%. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an understanding of the processes related…

  7. Parental Characteristics, Ecological Factors, and the Academic Achievement of African American Males

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hines, Erik M.; Holcomb-McCoy, Cheryl

    2013-01-01

    Parental characteristics, ecological factors, and the academic achievement of African American male high school students were examined. One hundred fifty-three 11th and 12th grade African American males completed the Parenting Style Index (Steinberg, Lamborn, Darling, Mounts, & Dornbusch, 1994) and a demographic questionnaire. Results…

  8. Graduation 101: Critical Strategies for African American Men College Completion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tolliver, David V., III; Miller, Michael T.

    2018-01-01

    African American men have not historically participated in higher education at the same levels or with the same success as others. And, as colleges and universities have sought to diversify their student populations, the rapidly increasing enrollment of Asian American and Hispanic students has illustrated the difficulty in trying to increase the…

  9. Educational Resilience in African American Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cunningham, Michael; Swanson, Dena Phillips

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to examine factors within the school context that facilitates educational resilience among African American high school students. The authors expected academic self-esteem to be positively associated with future expectations (academic and general). They expected perceptions of school-based social support to have…

  10. The Effect of Social Problem Solving Skills in the Relationship between Traumatic Stress and Moral Disengagement among Inner-City African American High School Students

    PubMed Central

    Coker, Kendell L.; Ikpe, Uduakobong N.; Brooks, Jeannie S.; Page, Brian; Sobell, Mark B.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between traumatic stress, social problem solving, and moral disengagement among African American inner-city high school students. Participants consisted of 45 (25 males and 20 females) African American students enrolled in grades 10 through 12. Mediation was assessed by testing for the indirect effect using the confidence interval derived from 10,000 bootstrapped resamples. The results revealed that social problem-solving skills have an indirect effect on the relationship between traumatic stress and moral disengagement. The findings suggest that African American youth that are negatively impacted by trauma evidence deficits in their social problem solving skills and are likely to be at an increased risk to morally disengage. Implications for culturally sensitive and trauma-based intervention programs are also provided. PMID:25071874

  11. African Americans and Mathematics Outcomes on National Assessment of Educational Progress: Parental and Individual Influences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noble, Richard, III; Morton, Crystal Hill

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated within group differences between African American female and male students who participated in the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment. Using results from participating states, we compare average scale scores of African American students based on home regulatory environment and interest…

  12. Recruitment and Retention of Kindergarten through Grade 12 African American Male Educators in Rural Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Shannon

    2013-01-01

    African American male teachers represent a disproportionately low number of educators in the American public school system. This lack of representation has implications for understanding, interacting with and educating the growing population of students of African descent in public schools. In addition, all students benefit from experiencing…

  13. Transforming attitudes and lives: Liberating African-American elementary and middle school students in out-of-school time STEM education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Charisse F.

    Statistically, African-Americans, women, and the disabled are underrepresented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Historically, these underrepresented students, are described as being unrecognized and underdeveloped in the American STEM circuit. Many experience deficient and inadequate educational resources, are not encouraged to pursue STEM education and careers, and are confronted with copious obstructions. In this quantitative study, the researcher collected pretest and posttest survey data from a group of 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade African-American students in Title I funded schools. The reseacher used quantitative analysis to determine any significant differences in the science related attitudes between and within groups who participated in Out of School-Time Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs and those who did not. Results revealed no significant differences in the science related attitudes between the groups of the students who participated in the Out of School Time-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs and those who did not. Results also revealed no significant differences in the science related attitudes within the groups of students who participated in the Out of School Time-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs and those who did not.

  14. Does race still matter in nursing? The narratives of African-American nursing faculty members.

    PubMed

    Beard, Kenya V; Julion, Wrenetha A

    The rise in undergraduate enrollment of African-American students has not translated into more African-American faculty members, although they could mentor minority students and promote an ethos that encourages their academic success. Discrimination against African-American faculty members continues, which could lessen their presence. This study explored the narratives of 23 African-American faculty members to determine if race still matters in nursing. A narrative approach grounded in social constructionism and critical race theory was used to illustrate the journey of African-American faculty into and throughout academia and to reveal factors related to decisions to enter and remain in academia. Most of the participants stated that they faced racial discrimination that tested their resilience and reinforced their commitment to the academy. Intentional actions and open discourse could strengthen institutional commitments to racial diversity and facilitate the recruitment and retention of racially diverse nursing faculties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. African American Suicide

    MedlinePlus

    African American Suicide Fact Sheet Based on 2012 Data (2014) Overview • In 2012, 2,357 African Americans completed suicide in the U.S. Of these, 1,908 (80. ... rate of 9.23 per 100,000). The suicide rate for females was 1.99 per 100, ...

  16. The Academic Achievement Gap between African American and White Students: An Exploratory Study on Reading Achievement and Intrinsic Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herron-McCoy, La-Monica

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the academic achievement gap between upper elementary African American and White students. This study sought to assess any relationships between whether academic reading, students attitudes toward reading, and academic intrinsic motivation related to ethnicity. This study also sought to assess whether…

  17. African American Adolescents Living and Coping with Community Violence on Chicago's Southside

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Voisin, Dexter R.; Bird, Jason D. P.; Hardestry, Melissa; Shiu, Cheng Shi

    2011-01-01

    This study explores community violence exposures among African American adolescents and whether coping strategies were gendered. In-depth interviews are conducted with a sample of 32 African American high school students. Data are analyzed using a thematic analysis. The primary forms of violence exposures are physical attacks, fighting, and…

  18. Cultural Enrichment: Connecting African American Elementary Children to Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winston, Deborah L.

    2011-01-01

    A large, growing number of mis-educated American citizens are being produced by America's public schools. Many of these students are being funneled into the penal system shortly after dropping out of high school. This phenomenon is especially prevalent among African American male students, many of whom have withdrawn academically years prior…

  19. Psychological Misdiagnosis of African Americans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garretson, Deborah J.

    1993-01-01

    Reviews historical and current problems with making accurate psychological diagnoses of African Americans. Suggests that misdiagnosis is strongly related to pathologization of African-American culture itself. Explores diagnostic process, stereotypes of African-American psychopathology, cultural differences in values and life stressors, and…

  20. Depressive Symptoms in African-American Women.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reed, Michael K.; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an African American female college student sample (n=78) using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). MMPI-2 was a more conservative scale than BDI in identifying depressive symptom levels. Discusses stress inoculation methods to assist…

  1. Effects of Multimedia-Based Instructional Technology on African American Ninth Grade Students' Mastery of Algebra Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Malik, Ishan Z.

    2011-01-01

    Urban African American students lack an abstract understanding of algebra and are below their academic level in comparison to other ethnic groups, and this is a pervasive problem (McKinney, Chappell, Berry, & Hickman, 2009). The purpose of this quantitative study using a quasi-experimental design was to determine whether the use of…

  2. An examination of the association between demographic and educational factors and African American achievement in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cottledge, Michael Christopher

    Objective of the Study: The objective of this research study was to investigate whether an association exists between teacher demographic factors (years of teaching experience and gender), 2 educational factors (certification type and certification pathway) and the percent passing rate of tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS. Answers to the following questions were sought: 1. Is there an association between teacher demographic factors and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS? 2. Is there an association between teacher educational factors and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS? 3. Is there an association between teacher demographic factors, educational factors and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS? Status of the Question: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), science and engineering jobs in the U.S. have increased steadily over recent years and by the year 2016 the number of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs will have grown by more than 21 percent. This increase in science and engineering jobs will double the growth rate of all other workforce sectors combined. The BLS also reports that qualified minority applicants needed to fill these positions will be few and far between. African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities constitute 24 percent of the U.S. population but only 13 percent of college graduates and just 10 percent of people with college degrees who work in science and engineering (Education Trust, 2009). Drawing on the above information, I proposed the following hypotheses to the research questions: H01: There will be no significant statistical association between the demographic factors teacher gender and years of teaching experience and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African

  3. Transition Planning for African-American Learning Disabled Students: Are Career and Technical Education Schools the Key to Postsecondary Success?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Tara D.

    2017-01-01

    Career and technical education (CTE) programs have been a part of secondary education reform efforts in Georgia aimed at closing the achievement gaps among disadvantaged groups and preparing all students to be college and career ready. The problem is African-American students with learning disabilities (AASWLD) continue to have worse postsecondary…

  4. Examination of Spanish Literacy and Language Proficiency of African-American Students at Versatile Innovative Education Accelerated Charter High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnett, Todd L.

    2017-01-01

    There is a growing interest in the quandary of literacy and proficiency amongst K-12 students in the United States. Similarly, because of uncharted research about biliteracy amongst African-American students in urban schools and benefits of Spanish fluency, communicative gaps are increased and fluency is breached. If advantages are properly…

  5. African Americans in bereavement: grief as a function of ethnicity.

    PubMed

    Laurie, Anna; Neimeyer, Robert A

    2008-01-01

    Few empirical studies have explored the grieving process among different ethnic groups within the United States, and very little is known about how African Americans and Caucasians may differ in their experience of loss. The purpose of this study was to examine the African-American experience of grief, with particular emphasis on issues of identity change, interpersonal dimensions of the loss, and continuing attachments with the deceased. Participants were 1,581 bereaved college students (940 Caucasians and 641 African Americans) attending classes at a large southern university. Each participant completed the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised, the Continuing Bonds Scale, and questions regarding the circumstances surrounding his or her loss. Results revealed that African Americans experienced more frequent bereavement by homicide, maintenance of a stronger continuing bond with the deceased, greater grief for the loss of extended kin beyond the immediate family, and a sense of support in their grief, despite their tendency to talk less with others about the loss or seek professional support for it. Overall, African Americans reported higher levels of complicated grief symptoms than Caucasians, especially when they spent less time speaking to others about their loss experience. Implications of these findings for bereavement support services for African Americans were briefly noted.

  6. Factors Associated with African-American Freshmen and Non-African-American Freshmen Retention and Graduation at a Predominantly White, Regional University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owens, Robert L., II

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine further, the factors at a Predominantly White College or University (PWCU) that may affect the first-year retention and six-year graduation of African-American (AA) and non-AA students. Biographical and descriptive data was obtained for each student entering Tennessee Technological University (TTU) from the…

  7. To Break Away or Strengthen Ties to Home: A Complex Issue for African American College Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guiffrida, Douglas

    2005-01-01

    African American students and former students from a predominantly white institution (PWI) were interviewed to understand their perceptions regarding the impact of their families on their academic achievement and persistence. The characteristics of families that students perceived to support and hinder their academic success at college are…

  8. An exploration of the impact of family background factors on the science achievement of Afro-Caribbean and African American students in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinder, Patrice J.

    Ogbu and Simons (1998) defined voluntary immigrants as individuals who chose to migrate to the United States (U.S.). Involuntary immigrants are defined as individuals whose ancestors were brought to the U.S. by force (Obgu & Simons, 1998). There have been recent reports indicating that voluntary immigrants are outperforming involuntary immigrants (Fisher, 2005; Williams, Fleming, Jones, & Griffin, 2007). There seems to be a trend in voluntary immigrants exhibiting a higher academic achievement pattern than involuntary immigrants (Fisher, 2005; Rong & Preissle, 1998; Williams et al., 2007). However, the reason for the groups' differences in achievement has not been extensively explored. The primary objective of this research study was to explore the impact of family background on the academic achievement patterns of Afro-Caribbean and African American students in the United States. The study utilized two research designs; a causal-comparative and a correlational design. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of eighty-seven high school students. Eighteen of the participants were Afro-Caribbean students, and sixty-seven were African American students. Chemistry test scores for the students were also provided. The results of the study indicated that Afro-Caribbean students outperformed African American students on the test of science achievement. The difference was statistically significant (t= 2.43, p<0.05). Additionally, results suggested that there were a few significant differences in Afro-Caribbean and African American students' family backgrounds. Moreover, the findings of this study suggest that the positive impact of arrival status on the first-generation of Afro-Caribbean immigrants may be influencing their children's academic success in science. The present study holds a few implications for parents and teachers of immigrant minority students. Additionally, the current researcher has offered several implications for future research on ethnicity

  9. Cultural Orientation as a Protective Factor against Tobacco and Marijuana Smoking for African American Young Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nasim, Aashir; Corona, Rosalie; Belgrave, Faye; Utsey, Shawn O.; Fallah, Niloofar

    2007-01-01

    The present study examined cultural orientation as a protective factor against tobacco and marijuana smoking for African American young women (ages 18 to 25). African American college students (N = 145) from a predominantly White university were administered subscales from the African American Acculturation Scale-Revised (AAAS-R); the shortened…

  10. Teaching Modules to Build HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Safer Sex Skills among African-American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kanekar, Amar; Sharma, Manoj

    2011-01-01

    The HIV/AIDS epidemic has taken a tremendous toll on the population of the United States. College students, including African-Americans aged 13-24 years, across the nation are susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS as they participate in unsafe sex practices. The purpose of this article is to provide teaching…

  11. The relationship between racial identity and self-esteem in African American college and high school students.

    PubMed

    Rowley, S J; Sellers, R M; Chavous, T M; Smith, M A

    1998-03-01

    The Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity was used to examine the relationship between racial identity and personal self-esteem (PSE) in a sample of African American college students (n = 173) and a sample of African American high school students (n = 72). Racial identity was assessed using the Centrality and Regard scales of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, whereas the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to assess PSE. Four predictions were tested: (a) racial centrality is weakly but positively related to PSE; (b) private regard is moderately related to PSE; (c) public regard is unrelated to PSE; and (d) racial centrality moderates the relationship between private regard and PSE. Multiple regression analysis found that racial centrality and public racial regard were unrelated to PSE in both samples. Private regard was positively related to PSE in the college sample. Racial centrality moderated the relationship between private regard and PSE in both samples, such that the relationship was significant for those with high levels of centrality but nonsignificant for those with low levels.

  12. Constructions of provider role identity among African American men: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Diemer, Matthew A

    2002-02-01

    This exploratory study examined the identity constructions of African American men using a qualitative research methodology. Seven African American men, ranging in age from 20 to 47 years and whose education levels ranged from a 1st-year university student to a PhD, were interviewed for this study. Central to how all of these men defined themselves was the breadwinner or provider role. Participants emphasized education as "insurance" against discrimination and an awareness of educational and occupational opportunities. For these participants, education was a means of ensuring opportunity, which afforded fulfillment of the provider role. This study supports the work of N. Cazenave (1979, 1981), who demonstrated the salience of the provider role among African American men. The implications of the provider role among African American men for research are also discussed. The data also suggested diversity within the African American male experience. As 1 participant described African American men. "We come like flowers, you know. Some in bouquets, and some wild." By providing constructions of identity that diverge from existing negative stereotypes of African American men, this study attempted to deconstruct those stereotypes. Finally, this study provided a voice to an underrepresented group in the research literature.

  13. Teaching African-American Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horton, Harold

    1994-01-01

    Examines the historical blighting of African-American slaves' minds, which stripped them of their African culture. Examines the effect on African-American children, as well as other children of color. Offers suggestions for coping with the problems of modern schools in terms of respecting and teaching these children that the system is the problem,…

  14. African American Accounting Majors and the 150-hr Requirement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Booker, Quinton; Hill, Cecil L.; Wright, Carl

    2010-01-01

    The study provides information on African American accounting majors' views regarding 150-hr issues. The authors collected data from 152 students at two schools. Students at one school supported the requirement while those at the other school did not. However, students believed that the 150-hr requirement enhances the quality of certified public…

  15. African American Women’s Preparation for Childbirth From the Perspective of African American Health-Care Providers

    PubMed Central

    Abbyad, Christine; Robertson, Trina Reed

    2011-01-01

    Preparation for birthing has focused primarily on Caucasian women. No studies have explored African American women’s birth preparation. From the perceptions of 12 African American maternity health-care providers, this study elicited perceptions of the ways in which pregnant African American women prepare for childbirth. Focus group participants answered seven semistructured questions. Four themes emerged: connecting with nurturers, traversing an unresponsive system, the need to be strong, and childbirth classes not a priority. Recommendations for nurses and childbirth educators include: (a) self-awareness of attitudes toward African Americans, (b) empowering of clients for birthing, (c) recognition of the role that pregnant women’s mothers play, (d) tailoring of childbirth classes for African American women, and (e) research on how racism influences pregnant African American women’s preparation for birthing. PMID:22211059

  16. Constructing Authority across Racial Difference: A White Teacher Signifyin(g) with African American Students in a High School English Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ford, Amy Carpenter

    2010-01-01

    This in-depth case study of classroom interaction illuminated how a white female teacher and African American students used talk to build positive authority relationships across their racial difference. Racial difference in classrooms can engender cultural misunderstandings between teachers and students around behavior, communication, and learning…

  17. College Persistence of First-Year African American and African Immigrant Males: Differences of Non-Academic and Other Factors on Community College Black Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams-Mahaley, Charlene

    2012-01-01

    Literature has postulated that noncognitive or psychosocial variables are a strong predictor of African American and international students persisting in college. Using a modified version of the Noncognitive-Revised (NCQ-R) questionnaire developed by Tracey and Sedlacek (1984), this mixed methods descriptive study investigated the relationships…

  18. Gout in African Americans.

    PubMed

    Krishnan, Eswar

    2014-09-01

    African Americans have a substantially higher prevalence of risk factors for gout than Caucasians. The aim of the present study was to compare the risk for incident gout among African Americans and Caucasians. Incidence rates of physician-diagnosed gout among 11,559 Caucasian men and 931 African American men aged 35 to 57 years and at high cardiovascular risk, observed for 7 years as a part of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, were analyzed. Cox regression models were used to account for potential confounding by age, body mass index, diuretic use, hypertension and diabetes status, aspirin and alcohol consumption, and kidney disease. At baseline, after accounting for risk factors, African Americans had a 14% lower prevalence of hyperuricemia than Caucasians. Incidence of gout increased with increasing prevalence of risk factors in both Caucasians and African Americans. Ethnic disparities in incidence rates were most apparent among those without other risk factors for gout. In separate Cox regression models, after accounting for risk factors, African American ethnicity was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.93) for physician-diagnosed gout and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85-0.90) for incident hyperuricemia. Significant interactions were observed; the association was the strongest (hazard ratio 0.47; 0.37-0.60). These associations were unaffected by addition of serum urate as a covariate or by using alternate case definitions for gout. After accounting for the higher prevalence of risk factors, African American ethnicity is associated with a significantly lower risk for gout and hyperuricemia compared with Caucasian ethnicity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Impostorism as a Mediator between Survivor Guilt and Depression in a Sample of African American College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Austin, Chammie C.; Clark, Eddie M.; Ross, Michael J.; Taylor, Matthew J.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the current study was to explore the mediating effects of impostorism on the association between survivor guilt feelings and self-report depressive symptomatology. Ninety-seven African American college students were asked to complete measures of empathy based survivor guilt, impostor feelings, and depression. Results indicated that…

  20. Science self-efficacy of African American middle school students: Relationship to motivation self-beliefs, achievement, gender, and gender orientation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Britner, Shari Lynn

    Motivation researchers have established that students' self-efficacy beliefs, the confidence they have in their academic capabilities, are related to academic outcomes. Self-efficacy has been amply researched in mathematics and language arts and nearly exclusively with White students. African American students and the area of science have each received scant attention. Typically, gender differences favor boys in mathematics and girls in language arts. Researchers have also found that these differences may be a function of gender orientation beliefs. The purpose of this study was to extend findings in science self-efficacy and to African American middle school students. I sought to determine whether self-efficacy assessed at differing levels of specificity (lab skills versus science grades) would each predict science achievement assessed at corresponding levels, to discover whether mean scores in academic motivation and achievement would differ by gender, and to determine whether these differences are a function of gender orientation (N = 268). Science grade self-efficacy was positively associated with the grades obtained by boys and by girls. For girls, grades were also associated positively with science self-concept and negatively with value of science. For reasons resulting from problematic instructional practices, lab skills self-efficacy was not associated with lab grades. Girls reported stronger science self-efficacy and received higher grades in science class. Gender orientation beliefs did not account for these differences, but masculinity and femininity were each associated with science grade self-efficacy, suggesting that androgyny is an adaptive orientation for the science self-efficacy beliefs of African American students. Findings are interpreted within the framework of A. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory.

  1. African American English-speaking students: an examination of the relationship between dialect shifting and reading outcomes.

    PubMed

    Craig, Holly K; Zhang, Lingling; Hensel, Stephanie L; Quinn, Erin J

    2009-08-01

    In this study, the authors evaluated the contribution made by dialect shifting to reading achievement test scores of African American English (AAE)-speaking students when controlling for the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), general oral language abilities, and writing skills. Participants were 165 typically developing African American 1st through 5th graders. Half were male and half were female, one third were from low-SES homes, and two-thirds were from middle-SES homes. Dialect shifting away from AAE toward Standard American English (SAE) was determined by comparing AAE production rates during oral and written narratives. Structural equation modeling evaluated the relative contributions of AAE rates, SES, and general oral language and writing skills on standardized reading achievement scores. AAE production rates were inversely related to reading achievement scores and decreased significantly between the oral and written narratives. Lower rates in writing predicted a substantial amount of the variance in reading scores, showing a significant direct effect and a significant indirect effect mediated by measures of oral language comprehension. The findings support a dialect shifting-reading achievement hypothesis, which proposes that AAE-speaking students who learn to use SAE in literacy tasks will outperform their peers who do not make this linguistic adaptation.

  2. Narcolepsy in African Americans

    PubMed Central

    Kawai, Makoto; O'Hara, Ruth; Einen, Mali; Lin, Ling; Mignot, Emmanuel

    2015-01-01

    Study Objectives: Although narcolepsy affects 0.02–0.05% of individuals in various ethnic groups, clinical presentation in different ethnicities has never been fully characterized. Our goal was to study phenotypic expression across ethnicities in the United States. Design/Setting: Cases of narcolepsy from 1992 to 2013 were identified from searches of the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy Research database. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition diagnosis criteria for type 1 and type 2 narcolepsy were used for inclusion, but subjects were separated as with and without cataplexy for the purpose of data presentation. Information extracted included demographics, ethnicity and clinical data, HLA-DQB1*06:02, polysomnography (PSG), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) data, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1 level. Patients: 182 African-Americans, 839 Caucasians, 35 Asians, and 41 Latinos with narcolepsy. Results: Sex ratio, PSG, and MSLT findings did not differ across ethnicities. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score was higher and age of onset of sleepiness earlier in African Americans compared with other ethnicities. HLA-DQB1*06:02 positivity was higher in African Americans (91.0%) versus others (76.6% in Caucasians, 80.0% in Asians, and 65.0% in Latinos). CSF hypocretin-1 level, obtained in 222 patients, was more frequently low (≤ 110 pg/ml) in African Americans (93.9%) versus Caucasians (61.5%), Asians (85.7%) and Latinos (75.0%). In subjects with low CSF hypocretin-1, African Americans (28.3%) were 4.5 fold more likely to be without cataplexy when compared with Caucasians (8.1%). Conclusions: Narcolepsy in African Americans is characterized by earlier symptom onset, higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, higher HLA-DQB1*06:02 positivity, and low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 level in the absence of cataplexy. In African Americans, more subjects without cataplexy have type 1 narcolepsy. Citation: Kawai M, O'Hara R, Einen M, Lin L

  3. The Education of African-Americans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willie, Charles V., Ed.; And Others

    The 17 papers in this volume are products of a study group on the education of African Americans that was part of a national project, "The Assessment of the Status of African-Americans." The volume takes a comprehensive look at the education of African Americans, specifically early childhood through postsecondary education, and relevant…

  4. Predicting the admission into medical school of African American college students who have participated in summer academic enrichment programs.

    PubMed

    Hesser, A; Cregler, L L; Lewis, L

    1998-02-01

    To identify cognitive and noncognitive variables as predictors of the admission into medical school of African American college students who have participated in summer academic enrichment programs (SAEPs). The study sample comprised 309 African American college students who participated in SAEPs at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine from 1980 to 1989 and whose educational and occupational statuses were determined by follow-up tracking. A three-step logistic regression was used to analyze the data (with alpha = .05); the criterion variable was admission to medical school. The 17 predictor variables studied were one of two types, cognitive and noncognitive. The cognitive variables were (1) Scholastic Aptitude Test mathematics (SAT-M) score, (2) SAT verbal score, (3) college grade-point average (GPA), (4) college science GPA, (5) SAEP GPA, and (6) SAEP basic science GPA (BSGPA). The noncognitive variables were (1) gender, (2) highest college level at the time of the last SAEP application, (3) type of college attended (historically African American or predominately white), (4) number of SAEPs attended, (5) career aspiration (physician or another health science option) (6) parents who were professionals, (7) parents who were health care role models, (8) evidence of leadership, (9) evidence of community service, (10) evidence of special motivation, and (11) strength of letter of recommendation in the SAEP application. For each student the rating scores for the last four noncognitive variables were determined by averaging the ratings of two judges who reviewed relevant information in each student's file. In step 1, which explained 20% of the admission decision variance, SAT-M score, SAEP BSGPA, and college GPA were the three significant cognitive predictors identified. In step 2, which explained 31% of the variance, the three cognitive predictors identified in step 1 were joined by three noncognitive predictors: career aspiration, type of college, and

  5. Prosocial Involvement among African American Young Adults: Considering Racial Discrimination and Racial Identity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White-Johnson, Rhonda L.

    2012-01-01

    Prosocial involvement is conceptualized as support for or engaging in behaviors that contribute to or benefit African American communities. The current study examines the relationship between prosocial involvement and race-related factors among 303 African American college students. Using two underlying dimensions of prosocial involvement,…

  6. Lung cancer disparities and African-Americans.

    PubMed

    Sin, Mo-Kyung

    2017-07-01

    African-Americans, as historically disadvantaged minorities, have more advanced stages of cancer when diagnosed, lower survival rates, and lower rates of accessing timely care than do Caucasians. Lung cancer incidence and mortality, in particular, are high among African-Americans. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently released an evidence-based lung cancer screening technology called low-dose computerized tomography. High-risk African-Americans might benefit greatly from such screening but not many are aware of this technology. Public health nurses can play a key role in increasing awareness of the technology among African-American communities and encouraging qualified African-Americans to obtain screening. This study discusses issues with lung cancer and smoking among African-Americans, a recently released evidence-based lung cancer screening technology, and implications for public health nurses to enhance uptake of the new screening technology among high-risk African-Americans. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Young African American Boys Narrating Identities in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kane, Justine M.

    2016-01-01

    The goal of this study is to bring the voices of African American boys front and center in science education research in an effort to strengthen our understandings of their experiences of school and science. Using an interpretivist perspective within a narrative inquiry approach, I focus on the student and science-student identities two African…

  8. "I am Not a Statistic": Identities of African American Males in Advanced Science Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, Diane Wynn

    The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010) expects new industries to generate approximately 2.7 million jobs in science and technology by the year 2018, and there is concern as to whether there will be enough trained individuals to fill these positions. A tremendous resource remains untapped, African American students, especially African American males (National Science Foundation, 2009). Historically, African American males have been omitted from the so called science pipeline. Fewer African American males pursue a science discipline due, in part; to limiting factors they experience in school and at home (Ogbu, 2004). This is a case study of African American males who are enrolled in advanced science courses at a predominantly African American (84%) urban high school. Guided by expectancy-value theory (EVT) of achievement related results (Eccles, 2009; Eccles et al., 1983), twelve African American male students in two advanced science courses were observed in their science classrooms weekly, participated in an in-depth interview, developed a presentation to share with students enrolled in a tenth grade science course, responded to an open-ended identity questionnaire, and were surveyed about their perceptions of school. Additionally, the students' teachers were interviewed, and seven of the students' parents. The interview data analyses highlighted the important role of supportive parents (key socializers) who had high expectations for their sons and who pushed them academically. The students clearly attributed their enrollment in advanced science courses to their high regard for their science teachers, which included positive relationships, hands-on learning in class, and an inviting and encouraging learning environment. Additionally, other family members and coaches played important roles in these young men's lives. Students' PowerPoint(c) presentations to younger high school students on why they should take advanced science courses highlighted these

  9. School Attendance Revisited: A Study of Urban African American Students' Grade Point Averages and Coping Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steward, Robbie J.; Steward, Astin Devine; Blair, Jonathan; Jo, Hanik; Hill, Martin F.

    2008-01-01

    Urban African American first-year high school students' absenteeism was found to be negatively related to grade point average (GPA) and avoidance as a means of coping (use of substances as a way to escape--food, alcohol, smoking, caffeine, etc.) and positively related to use of social support as a means of coping (efforts to stay emotionally…

  10. Understanding Physical Activity Behavior in African American and Caucasian College Students: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blanchard, Chris; Fisher, Janet; Sparling, Phil; Nehl, Erich; Rhodes, Ryan; Courneya, Kerry; Baker, Frank

    2008-01-01

    Only 30% of college students meet the recommended amount of physical activity (PA) for health benefits, and this number is lower for African American students. Moreover, the correlates of PA may vary by ethnicity. Objective: In the present study, the authors tested the utility of the theory of planned behavior for explaining PA intentions and…

  11. Representin' and Disrespectin': African-American Wind Band Students' Meanings of a Composition-Based Secondary Music Curriculum and Classroom Power Structures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoffman, Adria Rachel; Carter, Bruce Allen

    2013-01-01

    Although cultural diversity is important to the social context of classrooms, few researchers have explored school music experiences from the perspective of students of colour. Possibly of greater concern is the absence of research examining African-American students' educational experiences in early secondary education, during which time the…

  12. Racial Identity Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement among African American Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bonvillain, Jocelyn Freeman; Honora, Detris

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which racial identity attitudes and self-esteem could predict academic performance for African American middle school students. A total of 175 African American adolescents in 7th grade attending one of two urban schools participated in the study. The Multi-Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM)…

  13. Improving Education Outcomes for African American Youth: Issues for Consideration and Discussion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center for Law and Social Policy, Inc. (CLASP), 2014

    2014-01-01

    The current state of low academic achievement among a large majority of African American students is complex. While the U.S. has long professed that a world-class education is the right of every child, there are still major inequities in the education system that leave African American children with fewer opportunities to receive a quality…

  14. Understanding the Meaning African-American Men Give to Their Student Leadership Involvement and Engagement Activities in College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Karl A.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences and perceptions of African-American (A-A) men who are persisting in college and who demonstrate participation in co-curricular activities defined as student leadership involvement and engagement activities (SLIEA). The…

  15. A Different World: African American, First Generation College Women at a Selective University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Jennifer Michelle

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the academic and social experiences of African American, first generation college students attending a selective university. Following interpretive case study methodology, the major research questions guiding this study were: How do African American, first generation college students…

  16. Leadership Practices that Enhance Reading Achievement for African American Males: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dawson, Dawnay Ardrean

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine leadership practices that lead to improving academic achievement for African American males. Specifically, this study examined cultural insensitivity and its impact on educating African American male students in reading. The study utilized several techniques to determine what practices educators used to…

  17. My Iowa Journey: The Life Story of the University of Iowa's First African American Professor. Singular Lives: The Iowa Series in North American Autobiography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hubbard, Philip G.

    This autobiography recounts the life story of an African American educator at the University of Iowa from 1965 to 1991, as its first African American professor and then as its first African American administrator. The book recounts his childhood and family relations, his student years at the university and his graduation as an electrical engineer,…

  18. Narcolepsy in African Americans.

    PubMed

    Kawai, Makoto; O'Hara, Ruth; Einen, Mali; Lin, Ling; Mignot, Emmanuel

    2015-11-01

    Although narcolepsy affects 0.02-0.05% of individuals in various ethnic groups, clinical presentation in different ethnicities has never been fully characterized. Our goal was to study phenotypic expression across ethnicities in the United States. Cases of narcolepsy from 1992 to 2013 were identified from searches of the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy Research database. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition diagnosis criteria for type 1 and type 2 narcolepsy were used for inclusion, but subjects were separated as with and without cataplexy for the purpose of data presentation. Information extracted included demographics, ethnicity and clinical data, HLA-DQB1*06:02, polysomnography (PSG), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) data, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1 level. 182 African-Americans, 839 Caucasians, 35 Asians, and 41 Latinos with narcolepsy. Sex ratio, PSG, and MSLT findings did not differ across ethnicities. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score was higher and age of onset of sleepiness earlier in African Americans compared with other ethnicities. HLA-DQB1*06:02 positivity was higher in African Americans (91.0%) versus others (76.6% in Caucasians, 80.0% in Asians, and 65.0% in Latinos). CSF hypocretin-1 level, obtained in 222 patients, was more frequently low (≤ 110 pg/ml) in African Americans (93.9%) versus Caucasians (61.5%), Asians (85.7%) and Latinos (75.0%). In subjects with low CSF hypocretin-1, African Americans (28.3%) were 4.5 fold more likely to be without cataplexy when compared with Caucasians (8.1%). Narcolepsy in African Americans is characterized by earlier symptom onset, higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, higher HLA-DQB1*06:02 positivity, and low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 level in the absence of cataplexy. In African Americans, more subjects without cataplexy have type 1 narcolepsy. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

  19. Sexual health information seeking on the Internet: comparisons between White and African American college students.

    PubMed

    Fogel, Joshua; Fajiram, Sandra; Morgan, Phyllis D

    2010-01-01

    College students are often interested in information about sexual health topics. A study of 149 college students and their use of the Internet for sexual health information was conducted. The study findings indicated that African American college students, as compared to White college students, and women, as compared to men, had greater odds for searching on the Internet for birth control information. Among male college students, a higher internal locus of control was associated with lower odds for looking at birth control information on the Internet. Nurses and healthcare providers working in college settings can use these findings to develop strategies for identifying those who are more likely to reference the Internet to obtain birth control and sexual health information.

  20. The Comparative Effects of Function-Based versus Nonfunction-Based Interventions on the Social Behavior of African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mustian, April Leigh

    2010-01-01

    Disproportionality has been a persistent problem in special education for decades. Despite mandates outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004), African American students continue to be disproportionately represented in the Emotional Disturbance (ED) category in special education (e.g., Skiba,…

  1. Educational Equality and Excellence: Perceptual Barriers to the Dream. Selected Essays on Educating African American Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Cornell

    Essays in this collection explore the education of African American children. More attention is required to the ways African American children are taught. The ways teachers teach profoundly affect the ways students perceive what is being taught. These perceptions have an impact on students' internal motivations for accepting and learning new…

  2. Social Support and Success in Higher Education: The Influence of On-Campus Support on African American and Latino College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Christina N.

    2013-01-01

    This study focuses on how personal support from the college environment influences the academic performance of African American and Latino college students attending selective colleges. Under-represented students at selective colleges continue to face challenges to their academic success, and support from the college environment is a key factor in…

  3. The Teachers' Perspectives on Effective Strategies for African American Students Embedded in the GO Math Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sumter, Jeremiah, Jr.

    2016-01-01

    Research and history has demonstrated the overwhelming disparity and gap of mathematical achievement between African Americans and their White counterparts. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the achievement gap on a national level is prevalent. The USA jurisdiction has Black 8th grade math students results at 12%…

  4. Culturally Relevant Beliefs of Teachers and Their Affect on the School Experience of African American Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davenport, Reginald O.

    2009-01-01

    The study was conducted in two suburban middle schools. These schools are located in a very diverse public school district in Middlesex County New Jersey. Like many school districts throughout this country, many African American male students are experiencing school and schooling differently based on the differences still seen in the number of…

  5. African American Pioneers in Aviation: 1920-Present. Teacher Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Flahavan, Leslie

    This teacher's guide provides activities about the National Air and Space Museum (Washington, DC) for students to complete. The guide includes primary and secondary source materials for teachers to photocopy and use during their study of African Americans in aviation based on the exhibition "Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation."…

  6. Key Competencies: African and Afro-American Studies, Secondary Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Philadelphia School District, PA. Office of Curriculum and Instruction.

    This booklet identifies major competencies for African and Afro-American studies courses in grades seven through 12 in the Philadelphia school system. Afro-American studies are viewed as (1) developing students' ability to gain insights and destroy stereotypes and (2) providing a frame of reference for understanding the forces which have shaped…

  7. Racelessness in Private Schools: Should We Deconstruct the Racial and Cultural Identity of African-American Adolescents?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fordham, Signithia

    1991-01-01

    Paper argues that racelessness is a concept that symbolizes efforts to deconstuct historically constituted relationships between African-American and whites, including intrusion into the notion of academic adequacy and African-American students' enrollment in private schools. The paper discusses implications of racelessness for African-American…

  8. "God Has My Back": The Role of Faith-Based Institutions in Preparing African-American Students for College Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Placenti, Phillip M.

    2012-01-01

    African-American students are less likely to attend and successfully complete college than their Asian and White peers. Possible explanations for this disparity include racial and ethnic segregation, socioeconomic challenges, persistent shortages of qualified teachers, and scant access to college-preparatory curricula. In the context of such…

  9. Case Study Analysis of the Effect of Contextual Supports and Barriers on African American Students' Persistence in Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montgomery, Lisa

    2009-01-01

    Using case study methodology (Stake, 2006), this research examined the environmental influences, or contextual supports and barriers, that were most influential in contributing to African American students' persistence in an engineering major. Social cognitive career theory provides the framework for understanding the role of contextual supports…

  10. Digital History: Using the Internet to Enhance African American Studies in the Secondary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scheuerell, Scott; Jaeger, Matt

    2015-01-01

    The authors discuss how high school students participated in a unit in which they learned about African American history in a 1:1 computer classroom--in particular, how they were able to use digital history to learn about a variety of African American leaders who are not frequently covered in the traditional American History textbook. In addition,…

  11. Perceptions of selected science careers by African American high school males

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ijames, Erika Denise

    Research indicates that internal and external factors such as role models, stereotypes, and pressures placed on African American males by their family and friends influence their perceptions of science careers (Assibey-Mensah, 1997; Hess & Leal, 1997; Jacobowitz, 1983; Maple & Stage, 1991; Thomas, 1989; Ware & Lee, 1988). The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of African American high school males about selected science careers based on apparent internal and external factors. Two questions guided this research: (1) What are high school African American males' perceptions of science careers? (2) What influences high school African American males' perceptions of science careers? This research was based on a pilot study in which African American college males perceived a selection of science careers along racial and gender lines. The follow-up investigation was conducted at Rockriver High School in Acorn County, and the participants were three college-bound African American males. The decision to choose males was based on the concept of occupational niching along gender lines. In biology, niching is defined as the role of a particular species regarding space and reproduction, and its interactions with other factors. During the seven-week period of the students' senior year, they met with the researcher to discuss their perceptions of science careers. An ethnographic approach was used to allow a richer and thicker narrative to occur. Critical theory was used to describe and interpret the voices of the participants from a social perspective. The data collected were analyzed using a constant comparative analysis technique. The participants revealed role models, negative stereotypes, peer pressure, social pressures, and misconceptions as some of the factors that influenced their perceptions of science careers. Results of this research suggest that by dispelling the misconceptions, educators can positively influence the attitudes and perceptions of

  12. A Focus Group Study of African American Students' Experiences with Classroom Discussions about Race at a Predominantly White University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walls, Jill K.; Hall, Scott S.

    2018-01-01

    Past research has drawn attention to the unique challenges for students of color attending predominantly white colleges and universities, yet few have focused on the classroom as a micro-context in which race-related discussions often occur. Using a focus group methodology, 22 African American undergraduate students from a variety of academic…

  13. Psychosocial Keys to African American Achievement? Examining the Relationship between Achievement and Psychosocial Variables in High Achieving African Americans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dixson, Dante D.; Roberson, Cyrell C. B.; Worrell, Frank C.

    2017-01-01

    Grit, growth mindset, ethnic identity, and other group orientation are four psychosocial variables that have been associated with academic achievement in adolescent populations. In a sample of 105 high achieving African American high school students (cumulative grade point average [GPA] > 3.0), we examined whether these four psychosocial…

  14. Perceptions of Mate Selection for Marriage among African American, College-Educated, Single Mothers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holland, Rochelle

    2009-01-01

    This ethnographic study researched the perceptions of mate selection for marriage and the decisions of college-educated, African American mothers who bore children while single. Twenty-five senior-level African American students who attended a college in New York City participated in the study. There has been a significant change in the family…

  15. African American Therapists Working with African American Families: An Exploration of the Strengths Perspective in Treatment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell-Tolliver, Laverne; Burgess, Ruby; Brock, Linda J.

    2009-01-01

    With the exception of Hill's (1971, 1999) work, historically much of the literature on African American families has focused more on pathology than strengths. This study used interviews with 30 African American psychotherapists, self-identified as employing a strengths perspective with African American families, to investigate which strengths they…

  16. Culturally Grounded Stress Reduction and Suicide Prevention for African American Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Robinson, W. LaVome; Case, Mary H.; Whipple, Christopher R.; Gooden, Adia S.; Lopez-Tamayo, Roberto; Lambert, Sharon F.; Jason, Leonard A.

    2016-01-01

    Suicide is an often-overlooked manifestation of violence among African American youth that has become more prevalent in the last two decades. This article reports on the process used to culturally adapt a cognitive-behavioral coping with stress prevention intervention for African American adolescents. We implemented this adapted school-based suicide prevention intervention with 758 African American 9th, 10th and 11th grade students at four high schools in a large Midwestern city. The findings presented are preliminary. The adolescents in this sample endorsed high levels of suicide risk, with females endorsing significantly more suicide risk than males. Those receiving the prevention intervention evidenced an 86% relative suicide risk reduction, compared to the standard care control participants. The presented model of adaptation and resulting culturally-grounded suicide prevention intervention significantly reduced suicide risk among African American adolescents. Clinical, research and policy implications are discussed. PMID:27517094

  17. Perceptions of Stereotype Vulnerability, Belonging and Campus Climate by African Americans Attending a Predominately White Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Loren Wright

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine of stereotype vulnerability, sense of belonging and campus climate for African American college students at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) in the Southeast. This research used a sociocultural model to explore African American student perceptions at a PWI in the southeast of the United States. This…

  18. The Persistence of African American College Men

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beale, Tyson J.

    2010-01-01

    This study explored the family dynamics of persistent African American college men. These students were typical Black males, not those pre-categorized as high-achieving or unprepared for college. The stories of participants revealed their strength, ambition, and intentions to successfully gain a baccalaureate degree. In general Black males are…

  19. Predicting Non-African American Lesbian and Heterosexual Preadoptive Couples' Openness to Adopting an African American Child

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldberg, Abbie E.; Smith, JuliAnna Z.

    2009-01-01

    Despite increases in transracial adoption, African American children remain the least likely to be adopted. No research has examined the factors that predict prospective adopters' willingness to adopt an African American child. This study used multilevel modeling to examine predictors of willingness to adopt an African American child in a sample…

  20. Violent Behaviors, Weapon Carrying, and Firearm Homicide Trends in African American Adolescents, 2001-2015.

    PubMed

    Khubchandani, Jagdish; Price, James H

    2018-04-07

    African American youths have the highest risk for firearm and other weapon related homicides. This study utilized the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys from 2001 to 2015 to assess trends in violence related behaviors and weapon carrying of African American adolescents. Our analyses found statistically significant reductions in physical fighting and weapon carrying among African American male adolescents from 2007 to 2015. Planning suicide increased in both male and female African American adolescents since 2007. In addition, the number of firearm homicides increased in African American males. African American females and males had groups of items highly predictive of weapon carrying behaviors: alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and violent risk behaviors. Both female and male students who made mostly A's or B's in school were significantly less likely to carry weapons in and out of school. Our findings indicate that firearm homicides have increased in African American adolescents, but weapon carrying in school going adolescents has significantly declined. School engagement and satisfactory school performance seems to have a significant protective effect on firearm homicides and violent behavior risks in African American adolescents.

  1. The Socio-Economic Impact of Student Loan Debt on African American Graduates of the University of Phoenix Residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniels, Terrence D.

    2017-01-01

    Little is known about the long-term socio-economic impact of student loan debt on African-American graduates of the University of Phoenix who reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this case study is to examine the socio-economic impact of student loan debt on these students five years after receiving a degree from this for-profit…

  2. Twenty-Five Years after "Larry P.": The California Response to Overrepresentation of African Americans in Special Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powers, Kristin M.; Hagans-Murillo, Kristi S.; Restori, Alberto F.

    2004-01-01

    In this article, major laws, regulations, court cases, policies and practices related to intelligence testing of African American students in California are reviewed. A California Department of Education (CDE) ban on intelligence testing of African American students for the purpose of determining special education eligibility is in effect and…

  3. The Effects of Maternal Parenting Style and Religious Commitment on Self-Regulation, Academic Achievement, and Risk Behavior among African-American Parochial College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abar, Beau; Carter, Kermit L.; Winsler, Adam

    2009-01-01

    This study explored relations between religiosity, both parent and student, and maternal parenting style and student academic self-regulation, academic achievement, and risk behavior among African-American youth attending a parochial college. Eighty-five students completed self-report survey measures of religiosity, self-regulation, academic…

  4. "I Want to Do the Right Thing but What Is It?": White Teachers' Experiences with African American Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henfield, Malik S.; Washington, Ahmad R.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative study examines 26 White middle school teachers' perceptions of their experiences in a predominantly White middle school with a growing African American student population. Utilizing in-depth focus group interviews, teachers elaborated on their experiences with navigating racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries as they attempted to…

  5. "I Have to Be Three Steps Ahead": Academically Gifted African American Male Students in an Urban High School on the Tension between an Ethnic and Academic Identity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graham, Anthony; Anderson, Kenneth A.

    2008-01-01

    This case study investigation of three Academically Gifted African American male high school seniors in a predominantly African American urban high school examines the interplay between their ethnic and academic identity. Using an embedded micro-ethnographic approach, we explore the extent to which these students value educational attainment, the…

  6. Digital expression among urban, low-income African American adolescents.

    PubMed

    Baker, Christina M; Staiano, Amanda E; Calvert, Sandra L

    2011-01-01

    Digital production is a means through which African American adolescents communicate and express their experiences with peers. This study examined the content and the form of the digital productions of 24 urban, low-income African American adolescents who attended a summer academic program. The content of student digital productions focused on academic experiences and friendships. Their production styles revealed that youth used perceptually salient production features, such as rapid scene changes and loud rap music. The results suggest that when placed in a supportive, academic environment and provided with digital production resources, students who traditionally face barriers due to cultural and economic inequalities digitally express to their peers an interest in academics and positive peer relationships, and that these youth communicate their experiences through a shared production style that reflects their broader cultural experiences.

  7. African American and Black Caribbean Feelings of Closeness to Africans

    PubMed Central

    Thornton, Michael C.; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Chatters, Linda M.; Forsythe-Brown, Ivy

    2016-01-01

    African American and Black Caribbean relations dominate research on interactions across black ethnic divides. Using National Survey of American Life data, we explore a different aspect of black interethnic attitudes: how close these groups feel toward Africans. African Americans and Black Caribbeans were largely similar in their feelings of closeness to Africans. For Black Caribbeans, younger and male respondents, those reporting higher levels of financial strain, living in the northeast and persons who immigrated to the United States at least 11 years ago, report feeling especially close to Africans. Being male was the only significant correlate among African Americans. The findings are discussed in relation to how race, ethnicity and national origin shape personal identities within the U.S. and their significance for intergroup perceptions. These broader issues warrant further consideration in light of assertions that race as a defining feature of American life and intergroup relations is obsolete. PMID:28943747

  8. Gender, mathematics, reading comprehension and science reasoning as predictors of science achievement among African-American students at a historical black college or university

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davis, Consuella Artiemese

    This study investigated predictors that influence the science achievement of African-American non-science majors in a Physical Science class. The population consisted of male and female college students enrolled in Physical Science courses at a historical black college or university (HBCU) located in the southeastern portion of the United States. A personal data information sheet was administered to 120 participants during the Fall of 2008. The personal data information sheet consisted of questions pertaining to the high school courses, students took in math, language arts and science. It also consisted of basic background information. Students also gave written consent for their midterm and final grades earned in Physical Science to be used in the study as part of the analyses. A t-Test including chi-square tests revealed that there was not a significant difference in the raw scores of African-American females and African American males on the American College Test. A significant difference was not observed between the females and males on the ACT math subtest, t (118) = -.78, p = .43; reading comprehension subtest, t (118) = -1.44, .15 or on the science reasoning subtest, t (118) = -1.46, p = .15. A significant difference was not found between the final grades of African American females and the final grades of African American males. Chi-square tests were conducted to determine goodness of fit, X2 = 6.11, df = 1, p = .191. Although the grades of females were higher than males, results were not significant. The correlation between math ACT and final grades were not significant, r = .131, N = 120, p = .155, reading comprehension ACT and final grades were not significant, r = .072, N = 120, p = .434 and science reasoning ACT and final grades were found not to be significant, r = .109, N = 120, p = .237. Being that the majority of students who participated in the study were from one state, had similar high school backgrounds, had similar majors and were similar in

  9. "Sounds like something a white man should be doing": Academic identity in African American female engineering students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stitt, Rashunda LaRuth

    This study exposed the way African American female engineering students constructed their academic identities by focusing on their lived experiences. Participants included nine engineering students at Mid-South University (pseudonym) who identified as African American females. Participants were required to sit for one semi-structured academic life history interview that focused on their academic experiences from early childhood to present. This study employed two levels of theory in order to obtain a comprehensive view of participants' experiences. Black feminist theory, which accounts for the intersectionality of participants' race and gender, served as the macro level theory and academic identity, which accounts for the individual's sense of identity within an academic context, served as the mid-level theory. I engaged in thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and creative analytic practice in order to highlight similarities between participants' stories, differences between participants' experiences, and to make this research accessible to individuals outside of academia. As a result, the following three themes emerged to highlight the similarities between participants: (a) just because you struggle, does not mean you should quit; (b) engineering is something you cannot do alone; and (c) I can be creative and do math and science? That's cool! Narrative analysis exposed the academic identity statuses of participants to be either identity achieved, identity moratorium, identity foreclosed or identity diffused. The final piece of analysis involved creating a play that highlights the experiences of an African American girl's pursuit of her engineering degree. Additionally, the final chapter provides conclusions, implications, suggestions for future research, and limitations of the current study.

  10. Mechanisms of Vowel Variation in African American English.

    PubMed

    Holt, Yolanda Feimster

    2018-02-15

    This research explored mechanisms of vowel variation in African American English by comparing 2 geographically distant groups of African American and White American English speakers for participation in the African American Shift and the Southern Vowel Shift. Thirty-two male (African American: n = 16, White American controls: n = 16) lifelong residents of cities in eastern and western North Carolina produced heed,hid,heyd,head,had,hod,hawed,whod,hood,hoed,hide,howed,hoyd, and heard 3 times each in random order. Formant frequency, duration, and acoustic analyses were completed for the vowels /i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ, ɑ, ɔ, u, ʊ, o, aɪ, aʊ, oɪ, ɝ/ produced in the listed words. African American English speakers show vowel variation. In the west, the African American English speakers are participating in the Southern Vowel Shift and hod fronting of the African American Shift. In the east, neither the African American English speakers nor their White peers are participating in the Southern Vowel Shift. The African American English speakers show limited participation in the African American Shift. The results provide evidence of regional and socio-ethnic variation in African American English in North Carolina.

  11. Involvement of African-American Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nkere, Nsidi

    A qualitative case study was conducted by examining the perceptions of fifth-grade African American girls about their experiences with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and potential for STEM as a future career. As the United States suffers from waning participation across all demographics in STEM and a high level of underrepresentation of African American women in STEM, the proposed study examined data collected through open-ended interviews with fifth-grade African American girls to explore how their current experiences and perceptions might relate to the underrepresentation of African American women in the STEM fields. Participants were selected from Miracle Elementary School (pseudonym), and consisted of all five students in a small class of high-achieving fifth-grade girls. Data were collected through in-class observations and open-ended interviews, and were analyzed using computer content analysis. The most important key results threaded through the data were related to the importance and role of the teacher, the importance of math to students, the role of experimentation and discovery, and hands-on and personal experience. Future studies are encouraged to utilize longitudinal design to follow students from elementary to university level in an effort to develop and understand the perception, persistence, and experience of all girls in STEM programs.

  12. Close relationships between Asian American and European American college students.

    PubMed

    Chen, C; Edwards, K; Young, B; Greenberger, E

    2001-02-01

    The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships were less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Americans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.

  13. Leading the Way: Inside the Experiences of High-Achieving African-American Male Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harper, Shaun R.

    2005-01-01

    More than two-thirds of all African American males who begin college never finish. This and a legion of other discouraging facts about African American males are the usual headlines. Sharon Fries-Britt suggests that "the disproportionate focus on Black underachievement in the literature not only distorts the image of the community of Black…

  14. Persistence of African American Men in Science: Exploring the Influence of Scientist Identity, Mentoring, and Campus Climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guy, Breonte Stephan

    The scant literature on persistence of African American males in science typically takes a deficits-based approach to encapsulate the myriad reasons this population is so often underrepresented. Scientist Identity, Mentoring, and Campus Climate have, individually, been found to be related to the persistence of African American students. However, the unified impact of these three variables on the persistence of African American students with science interests has not been evaluated, and the relationship between the variables, the students' gender, and markers of academic achievement have not been previously investigated. The current study takes a strengths-based approach to evaluating the relationship between Scientist Identity, Mentoring, and Campus climate with a population of African American students with science interests who were studying at six Minority Serving Institutions and Predominantly White Institutions in the Southern United States. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the impact of Scientist Identity, Mentoring, and Campus Climate on Intention to Persist of African American males. The results indicate that Scientist Identity predicts Intention to Persist, and that gender, academic performance, and institution type moderate the relationship between Scientist Identity and Intention to Persist. These results lend credence to the emerging notion that, for African American men studying science, generating a greater depth and breadth of understanding of the factors that lead to persistence will aid in the development of best practices for supporting persistence among this perpetually underrepresented population.

  15. Survival Disparity of African American Versus Non-African American Patients With ESRD Due to SLE.

    PubMed

    Nee, Robert; Martinez-Osorio, Jorge; Yuan, Christina M; Little, Dustin J; Watson, Maura A; Agodoa, Lawrence; Abbott, Kevin C

    2015-10-01

    A recent study showed an increased risk of death in African Americans compared with whites with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to lupus nephritis (LN). We assessed the impact of age stratification, socioeconomic factors, and kidney transplantation on the disparity in patient survival among African American versus non-African American patients with LN-caused ESRD, compared with other causes. Retrospective cohort study. Using the US Renal Data System database, we identified 12,352 patients with LN-caused ESRD among 1,132,202 patients who initiated maintenance dialysis therapy from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2006, and were followed up until December 31, 2010. Baseline demographics and comorbid conditions, Hispanic ethnicity, socioeconomic factors (employment status, Medicare/Medicaid insurance, and area-level median household income based on zip code as obtained from the 2000 US census), and kidney transplantation as a time-dependent variable. All-cause mortality. Multivariable Cox and competing-risk regressions. Mean duration of follow-up in the LN-caused ESRD and other-cause ESRD cohorts were 6.24±4.20 (SD) and 4.06±3.61 years, respectively. 6,106 patients with LN-caused ESRD (49.43%) and 853,762 patients with other-cause ESRD (76.24%) died during the study period (P<0.001). Patients with LN-caused ESRD were significantly younger (mean age, 39.92 years) and more likely women (81.65%) and African American (48.13%) than those with other-cause ESRD. In the fully adjusted multivariable Cox regression model, African American (vs non-African American) patients with LN-caused ESRD had significantly increased risk of death at age 18 to 30 years (adjusted HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.24-1.65) and at age 31 to 40 years (adjusted HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02-1.34). Among patients with other-cause ESRD, African Americans were at significantly increased risk at age 18 to 30 years (adjusted HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11-1.22). We used zip code-based median household income as a

  16. The Status of African American Physicists within the DOE Laboratories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, Keith

    2005-03-01

    In May 2002 there was a backpage article published in American Physical Society Newsletter by the President of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). This article showed that of the 3372 professional physicists employed at the DOE national labs, only 11 are African American, which on a percentage basis is 4 times less than the total availability of Ph.D. African American physicists in the labor force. NSBP want to provide an update of the interaction between National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and the department of Energy in particular the Office of Science on the issue of employment of African American Physicists in scientific and technical. You might ask the following question: Why should the current generation of African American Physicists be concerned about their underepresentation on the scientific staffs of the DOE National Laboratories? The answer to this question may vary from person to person, but I would like to propose the following: The National Laboratories are the largest providers of career opportunities in Physics in the United States. There is a general view in the community; African Americans are not getting a return on their national investment in the DOE National Labs. Failure to engage with HBCU’s through their user facilities causes a training or skills deficit when it comes to preparing students to participate at the forefront of physics research. By rebuffing interactions with HBCU¹s, as many the laboratories have done, the national laboratories are in effect refusing to transfer scientific knowledge to the stakeholders in the African American community. The update will contain some additional information about NSBP proposals to solve the problem of underepresentation of African American and Hispanic physicists within the National Laboratories and how the Office of Science has response these proposals.

  17. An Environmental Intervention to Prevent Excess Weight Gain in African American Students: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Newton, Robert L.; Han, Hongmei; Anton, Stephen D.; Martin, Corby K.; Stewart, Tiffany M.; Lewis, Leslie; Champagne, Catherine M.; Sothern, Melinda; Ryan, Donna; Williamson, Donald A.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose Examine the influence of an environmental intervention to prevent excess weight gain in African American children. Design Single-group repeated measures. Setting The intervention was delivered to a school composed of African American children. Subjects Approximately 45% (N = 77) of enrolled second through sixth grade students. Intervention The 18-month intervention was designed to alter the school environment to prevent excess weight gain by making healthier eating choices and physical activity opportunities more available. Measures Body Mass Index Percentile was the primary outcome variable. Body mass index Z-score was also calculated, and percent body fat, using bioelectrical impedance, was also measured. Total caloric intake (kcal), and percent kcal from fat, carbohydrate, and protein were measured by digital photography. Minutes of physical activity and sedentary behavior were self-reported. Analysis Mixed models analysis was used, covarying baseline values. Results Boys maintained while girls increased percent body fat over 18-months (p = .027). All children decreased percent of kcal consumed from total and saturated fat, and increased carbohydrate intake and self-reported physical activity during the intervention (p values < .025). body mass index Z-score, sedentary behavior, and total caloric intake were unchanged. Conclusion The program may have resulted in maintenance of percent body fat in boys. Girl's percent body fat steadily increased, despite similar behavioral changes as boys. School-based interventions targeting African American children should investigate strategies that can be effective across gender. PMID:20465148

  18. Afro-Caribbean and African American Students, Family Factors, and the Influence on Science Performance in the United States: The Untold Story

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinder, Patrice Juliet

    2012-01-01

    The primary objectives of this research were to explore achievement pattern differences and the influence of family factors on the achievement patterns of Afro-Caribbean and African American students within the United States (U.S.). The study utilized two research designs; a causal-comparative and a correlational design. A student family…

  19. African-American Sacred Music.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, A. Peter

    1991-01-01

    The history of African-American sacred music is traced from the time of slavery to the present interest in gospel music. The religious music of African Americans is geared toward liberation themes. It is important that this music does not dilute its power through cross-over with other music forms. (SLD)

  20. The nature of culturally responsive pedagogy in two urban African American middle school science classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bondima, Michelle Harris

    This ethnographic in nature study explores how two middle school science teachers who have classes populated by urban African Americans teach their students and how their students perceive their teaching. Since urban African American students continue to perform lower than desired on measures of science achievement, there is an urgent need to understand what pedagogical methodologies assist and hinder urban African American students in achieving higher levels of success in science. A pedagogical methodology that theorists posit assists subordinated school populations is culturally responsive pedagogy. Culturally responsive pedagogy is defined as a teaching methodology concerned with preparing students to question inequality, racism, and injustice. Teachers who use culturally responsive pedagogy respect the culture students bring to the class, and require that the teachers willingly do whatever is necessary to educate students (Nieto, 2000). The teacher participants were two female African Americans who were identified by their school supervisors as being highly effective with urban African American students. The researcher presented the teachers in separate case studies conducted over a data collection period of nine months. Data were collected by participant observation, interviews, and artifact collection. Data were analyzed by application of grounded theory techniques. Findings of the teachers' (and the students') beliefs about pedagogy that both assisted and hindered the students' performance in science were reported in a rich and nuanced storytelling manner based on multiple perspectives (teachers', students', and the researcher's). Pedagogical methodologies that the teachers used that assisted their students were the use of cultural metaphors and images in science and applications of motivational techniques that encouraged a nurturing relationship between the teacher and her students. Pedagogical methodologies that hindered students varied by teacher

  1. Against the Odds: A Phenomenological Study of African American Male Teachers in a Rural Elementary/High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reeves-Weaver, Ann

    2010-01-01

    Many studies have documented the failure and attrition of African American male students to complete high school or college. Much less attention has been given to the ways in which these students successfully matriculate from these institutions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of African American male…

  2. A hermeneutic phenomenological study of the experiences of female African American undergraduate engineering students at a predominantly White and an historically Black institution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frillman, Sharron Ann

    2011-12-01

    This phenomenological study examined the experiences of twelve female African Americans enrolled as fulltime undergraduate engineering students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, an historically Black university, and seven female African Americans enrolled as undergraduate engineering students at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, a traditionally White institution. Interviews provided insights into the "lived" experiences of these young women and the factors they believe have contributed to their success in their respective engineering programs. Data analysis involved coding each participant's responses to interview questions using Atlas.ti, a powerful qualitative data analysis tool. This generated 181 codes that were further categorized into nine emergent themes, indicating the potential for extensive associations among the variables. The emergent themes are as follows: (1) Demographic information/special circumstances, (2) Personal attributes and characteristics, (3) Personal insights, (4) Sense of mission, (5) Sources of negative stress, (6) Success strategies, (7) Various forms of support, (8) Would/would not have made it to where she is now, and (9) Being African American and female in engineering. Analysis of these themes and their relationships led to the development of the Frillman Model of Emergent Themes in Female African American Engineering Students. Success. In addressing similarities and differences, three overriding theme categories emerged. These were: (1) Four personhood themes and dual social identity theme; (2) Environmental input and response theme; and (3) Outcome emergent theme of Would/Would not have made it to where she is now. Recommendations were made for future research to expand upon this exploratory study.

  3. Achieving equity through critical science agency: An ethnographic study of African American students in a health science career academy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haun-Frank, Julie

    The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of a High School Health Science Career Academy to support African American students' science career trajectories. I used three key theoretical tools---critical science agency (Basu, 2007; Calabrese Barton & Tan, 2008), power (Nespor, 1994), and cultural production (Carlone, 2004; Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998) to highlight the intersections between the career trajectory implied by the Academy (its curriculum, classroom activities, and clinical experiences) and the students' pursued career trajectories. Data was collected over five months and included individual student interviews, group interviews, parent and administrator interviews, field notes from a culminating medical course and clinical internship, and Academy recruitment documents. The results of this study suggest that participants pursued a health science career for altruistic purposes and the Academy was a resource they drew upon to do so. However, the meanings of science and science person implied by the Academy hindered the possibility for many participants' to advance their science career trajectories. While the Academy promised to expose students to a variety of high-status health care roles, they were funneled into feminine, entry-level positions. This study adds to previous underrepresentation literature by contextualizing how identity-related factors influence African American students' career attainment.

  4. 16 Extraordinary African Americans.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lobb, Nancy

    This collection for children tells the stories of 16 African Americans who helped make America what it is today. African Americans can take pride in the heritage of these contributors to society. Biographies are given for the following: (1) Sojourner Truth, preacher and abolitionist; (2) Frederick Douglass, abolitionist; (3) Harriet Tubman, leader…

  5. Physical activities and sedentary pursuits in African American and Caucasian girls.

    PubMed

    Dowda, Marsha; Pate, Russell R; Felton, Gwen M; Saunders, Ruth; Ward, Dianne S; Dishman, Rod K; Trost, Stewart G

    2004-12-01

    The purposes of this study were to describe and compare the specific physical activity choices and sedentary pursuits of African American and Caucasian American girls. Participants were 1,124 African American and 1,068 Caucasian American eighth-grade students from 31 middle schools. The 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) was used to measure participation in physical activities and sedentary pursuits. The most frequently reported physical activities were walking, basketball, jogging or running, bicycling, and social dancing. Differences between groups were found in 11 physical activities and 3 sedentary pursuits. Participation rates were higher in African American girls (p < or = .001) for social dancing, basketball, watching television, and church attendance but lower in calisthenics, ballet and other dance, jogging or running, rollerblading, soccer, softball or baseball, using an exercise machine, swimming, and homework. Cultural differences of groups should be considered when planning interventions to promote physical activity.

  6. African American College Women's Body Image: An Examination of Body Mass, African Self-Consciousness, and Skin Color Satisfaction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Falconer, Jameca Woody; Neville, Helen A.

    2000-01-01

    Investigated the general and cultural factors associated with body image perceptions of African American female college students. Data from surveys of 124 women at a historically black college indicated that African self-consciousness, skin color satisfaction, and body mass index collectively accounted for significant variance in dimensions of…

  7. Gender and the tobacco-depression relationship: a sample of African American college students at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

    PubMed

    Wang, Yan; Browne, Dorothy C; Storr, Carla L; Wagner, Fernando A

    2005-08-01

    This study examined the relationship between tobacco use and depression and its possible variation by gender among African American young adults. A paper-and-pencil survey was administered to African American college students graduating in 2003 from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Tobacco use measures included lifetime involvement. Depression symptoms were assessed using a revised version of the CES-D. Male smokers were found to be four times more likely to be depressed than male non-smokers (OR=4.4; 95% CI, 1.4, 14.3; p=0.012). However, female smokers were not more likely to be depressed than female non-smokers (OR=1.0; 95% CI, 0.5, 2.1). Findings from this study suggest the need of gender-specific tobacco or depression interventions among HBCU students.

  8. The Impact of the Differentiated Curriculum on African American Women High School Students: The Case in St. Louis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graves, Karen L.

    1995-01-01

    Examines patterns of course selection among African American female students in St. Louis public high schools from 1914 to 1930, the period of transition to a differentiated high school curriculum. Finds that the differentiated curriculum resulted in gender segregation across courses of study and supported the racial division of labor within the…

  9. An Examination of Referral and Eventual Placement of African American Students and English Language Learners in Special Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deveaux, Eneas Ruel

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that educators in a large, suburban, public school district in the southeastern United States believe contribute to African American and English Language Learners (ELL) being referred to special education at a higher rate than traditional students by exploring the attitudes and perceptions…

  10. Who Will Teach African American Youth?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gill, Wali

    Disparities between Whites and African Americans exist in many areas in U.S. society. These disparities are exacerbated by social ills, including the Persian Gulf conflict. Positive change on the part of African American educators is required to combat these problems. The following four postulates for teaching African American youth are provided:…

  11. Mechanisms of Vowel Variation in African American English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holt, Yolanda Feimster

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: This research explored mechanisms of vowel variation in African American English by comparing 2 geographically distant groups of African American and White American English speakers for participation in the African American Shift and the Southern Vowel Shift. Method: Thirty-two male (African American: n = 16, White American controls: n =…

  12. African Americans' perceived sociocultural determinants of suicide: afrocentric implications for public health inequalities.

    PubMed

    Borum, Valerie

    2014-01-01

    The cultural values of African Americans have not been adequately incorporated as a theoretical base to develop new public health models. The major objectives of this study were to explore, with a purposive sample, via seven focus groups, 40 African American college students, the following: How do (a) ethnic culture and (b) a "minoritized" status influence perceptions of sociocultural determinants in explaining increases in the incidence of suicide among African Americans? Thematic results of focus group discussions including the following: (a) racism, discrimination, and stereotyping; (b) U.S. individualism; (c) integration and cultural assimilation; and, (d) the prison industrial complex.

  13. College and Career Readiness for Gifted African American Girls: A Call to School Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayes, Renae D.; Hines, Erik M.

    2014-01-01

    Current literature on college and career readiness highlights the role of educators in promoting the success of all students. However, few studies have focused on the specific needs of gifted African American girls. This article discusses the school experiences and career development of gifted African American girls and it provides a culturally…

  14. The Black Cultural Ethos and science teachers' practices: A case study exploring how four high school science teachers meet their African American students' needs in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strachan, Samantha L.

    The underachievement of African American students in science has been a persistent problem in science education. The achievement patterns of African American students indicate that researchers must take a closer look at the types of practices that are being used to meet these students' needs in science classrooms. Determining why science teachers decide to employ certain practices in their classrooms begins with a careful examination of teachers' beliefs as well as their instructional approaches. The purpose of this study was to explore four urban high school science teachers' beliefs about their African American students' learning needs and to investigate how these teachers go about addressing students' needs in science classrooms. This research study also explored the extent to which teachers' practices aligned with the nine dimensions of an established cultural instructional theory, namely the Black Cultural Ethos. Qualitative research methods were employed to gather data from the four teachers. Artifact data were collected from the teachers and they were interviewed and observed. Believing that their students had academic-related needs as well as needs tied to their learning preferences, the four science teachers employed a variety of instructional strategies to meet their students where they were in learning. Overall, the instructional strategies that the teachers employed to meet their students' needs aligned with five of the nine tenets of the Black Cultural Ethos theory.

  15. A Culture-Focused Study with Accomplished Black Educators on Pedagogical Excellence for African American Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acosta, Melanie M.

    2013-01-01

    To address the pedagogical needs of African American learners, some educational researchers have rejected the seductive tendency to document damage, but rather intentionally showcase excellence in Black education. They have studied highly successful teachers of African American students, their teaching practices, beliefs, and self-efficacy. What…

  16. The Effects of Stereotypes on the Achievement Gap: Reexamining the Academic Performance of African American High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kellow, J. Thomas; Jones, Brett D.

    2008-01-01

    This study investigated whether African American high school freshman students experience stereotype threat when taking a test that is seen as a predictor of their success on a high-stakes test. The authors conceptually replicated a previous study by Kellow and Jones (2005) using a true experimental design, as opposed to a quasi-experimental…

  17. Social Influences Contributing to African Americans Discontinuing K-12 Education and Enrolling into General Education Development Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Danielle A.

    2017-01-01

    For many decades, the social imbalances had a significant impact on the academic success of African Americans. High school completion rates for African American students were disproportionately lower when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. This purpose of this qualitative study was to display factors that contributed to African American…

  18. Assessing Motivation of Collegiate African American Males in a Rural Area of East Texas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Calvin Earl

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate achievement factors of African American males on a college campus in the state of Texas, primarily a private 4-year college that serves a predominantly African American student population. The researcher used a case study approach to determine factors that affect the persistence of these college-aged…

  19. A mediational model of racial discrimination and alcohol-related problems among african american college students.

    PubMed

    Boynton, Marcella H; O'Hara, Ross E; Covault, Jonathan; Scott, Denise; Tennen, Howard

    2014-03-01

    Racial discrimination has been identified as an important predictor of alcohol-related outcomes for African Americans. The goal of the current study was to extend previously found links between lifetime discrimination, alcohol use, and alcohol problems as well as to elucidate the affective mechanisms underlying these associations, as moderated by gender. A multiple-groups structural equation model was computed using survey data collected from 619 students from a historically Black college/university. The final model provided excellent fit to the data, explaining 6% of the variance in alcohol consumption and 37% of the variance in alcohol problems. Discrimination was a significant predictor of alcohol-related problems but not, by and large, level of use. For men, anger-but not discrimination-specific anger-was a significant partial mediator of the link between discrimination and both alcohol use and alcohol problems. Depression partially mediated the link between discrimination and alcohol problems for both men and women. The results suggest that, for African Americans whose drinking leads to drinking-related problems, discrimination and poor affective self-regulation are highly relevant and predictive factors, especially for men.

  20. A Preliminary Investigation of Academic Disidentification, Racial Identity, and Academic Achievement among African American Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cokley, Kevin; McClain, Shannon; Jones, Martinique; Johnson, Samoan

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine academic disidentification along with demographic and psychological factors related to the academic achievement of African American adolescents. Participants included 96 African American students (41 males, 55 females) in an urban high school setting located in the Southwest. Consistent with previous…