Teaching African Politics at American Colleges and Universities: A Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenski, Henry C.; Kenski, Margaret C.

Political scientists who teach African politics courses at U.S. colleges and universities were surveyed in 1973 to (1) discover successful teaching techniques, approaches, and texts; (2) determine the popularity of courses in African politics; and (3) collect data on the status of African politics as a research area. A questionnaire was mailed to…

A Phenomenological Study of African American Women College and University Presidents: Their Career Paths, Challenges and Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Tavis Alicia

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to address the career paths, challenges, and barriers of African American women college or university presidents. In addition, the expectation was to identify the "perceptions" of barriers to acquire the position of president. Using a phenomenological paradigm of inquiry, in-depth semi-structured personal…

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.…

Stakeholder Participation in International Higher Education Partnerships: Results of a Survey of Two Sub-Saharan African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiteng Kot, Felly

2014-01-01

In the last few years, foreign institutions have increasingly sought to establish partnerships with African universities. Likewise, African universities have increasingly sought to establish linkages with foreign institutions. Different factors suggest that these partnerships will continue to be a major focus in the future. This study draws from a…

Factors in the Cross-Cultural Adaptation of African Students in Chinese Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akhtar, Nadeem; Pratt, Cornelius B.; Bo, Shan

2015-01-01

Since 2006, the enrollment of African students in Chinese universities has been increasing steadily. A majority of the students have been recruited through the China Scholarship Council. Cast against that background of growth in the number of African students in Chinese universities, it is important that their educational experience in a country…

Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan African Universities: Recommendations and Monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barry, Boubakar; /Assoc. Afr. Univ.; Chukwuma, Victor

The Digital Divide prevents Africa from taking advantages of new information technologies. One of the most urgent priorities is to bring the Internet in African Universities, Research, and Learning Centers to the level of other regions of the world. eGY-Africa, and the Sharing Knowledge Foundation are two bottom-up initiatives by scientists to secure better cyber-infrastructure and Internet facilities in Africa. Recommendations by the present scientific communities are being formulated at national, regional and international levels. The Internet capabilities are well documented at country level overall, but this is not the case at the University level. The snapshot of the Internetmore » status in universities in 17 African countries, obtained by a questionnaire survey, is consistent with measures of Internet penetration in the corresponding country. The monitoring of Internet performance has been proposed to those African universities to provide an information base for arguing the need to improve the coverage for Africa. A pilot program is recommended that will start scientific collaboration with Europe in western Africa using ICT. The program will lay the foundations for the arrival of new technologies like Grids.« less

The African Connection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oguntoyinbo, Lekan

2012-01-01

From student and faculty exchanges to joint research projects, U.S. universities maintain a broad spectrum of collaborative relationships with African universities. It's unclear how many U.S. colleges and universities have partnerships with African universities. The African Studies Association, an organization of scholars, doesn't keep that kind…

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…

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…

"Inhloso Kanye Bizo": Exploring South African University Students' Conceptions and Enactment of Purpose

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Henry D.

2017-01-01

This article reports a qualitative study that explored South African conceptions and enactment of life purpose. Data collected using semi-structured interviews with 25 first-year university students (female = 56%, age range = 18-25) offer a unique insight into African young adults' conceptions of life purpose. From a phenomenological analysis…

Differentiated Quality Assurance for the African Virtual University's Teacher Education Qualification in Mathematics and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hattingh, A.

2008-01-01

For the African Virtual University and its consortium of African universities the implementation of quality promoting initiatives are not without challenges and scepticisms. To be discussed in this article is the case of a teacher education qualification in ten different African countries. Seven countries were sampled and visited in 2006 with the…

A Xhosa language translation of the CORE-OM using South African university student samples.

PubMed

Campbell, Megan M; Young, Charles

2016-10-01

The translation of well established psychometric tools from English into Xhosa may assist in improving access to psychological services for Xhosa speakers. The aim of this study was to translate the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), a measure of general distress and dysfunction developed in the UK, into Xhosa for use at South African university student counselling centres. The CORE-OM and embedded CORE-10 were translated into Xhosa using a five-stage translation design. This design included (a) forward-translation, (b) back-translation, (c) committee approach, (d) qualitative piloting, and (e) quantitative piloting on South African university students. Clinical and general samples were drawn from English-medium South African universities. Clinical samples were generated from university student counselling centres. General student samples were generated through random stratified cluster sampling of full-time university students. Qualitative feedback from the translation process and results from quantitative piloting of the 34-item CORE-OM English and Xhosa versions supported the reduction of the scale to 10 items. This reduced scale is referred to as the South African CORE-10 (SA CORE-10). A measurement and structural model of the SA CORE-10 English version was developed and cross-validated using an English-speaking university student sample. Equivalence of this model with the SA CORE-10 Xhosa version was investigated using a first-language Xhosa-speaking university sample. Partial measurement equivalence was achieved at the metric level. The resultant SA CORE-10 Xhosa and English versions provide core measures of distress and dysfunction. Additional, culture- and language-specific domains could be added to increase sensitivity and specificity. © The Author(s) 2016.

Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the "Big Five" South African Research Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boshoff, N.

2009-01-01

This article critically examines the methodology of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by generating raw scores for the "big five" South African research universities (Stellenbosch, Cape Town, Kwazulu-Natal, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand, henceforth referred to as SU, UCT, UKZN, UP and WITS) using the ARWU…

Factors Influencing the Academic Progression of African American Male Students in Selected North Carolina Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Dorrance

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that African American males perceived as influencing their retention in higher education. The purpose was also to discover African American males' perceptions of their freshman year experiences and how the university's initiatives influenced their decision to return their sophomore year.…

The influences and experiences of African American undergraduate science majors at predominately White universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blockus, Linda Helen

The purpose of this study is to describe and explore some of the social and academic experiences of successful African American undergraduate science majors at predominately White universities with the expectation of conceptualizing emerging patterns for future study. The study surveyed 80 upperclass African Americans at 11 public research universities about their perceptions of the influences that affect their educational experiences and career interests in science. The mailed survey included the Persistence/ voluntary Dropout Decision Scale, the Cultural Congruity Scale and the University Environment Scale. A variety of potential influences were considered including family background, career goals, psychosocial development, academic and social connections with the university, faculty relationships, environmental fit, retention factors, validation, participation in mentored research projects and other experiences. The students' sources of influences, opportunities for connection, and cultural values were considered in the context of a research university environment and investigated for emerging themes and direction for future research. Results indicate that performance in coursework appears to be the most salient factor in African American students' experience as science majors. The mean college gpa was 3.01 for students in this study. Challenging content, time demands, study habits and concern with poor grades all serve to discourage students; however, for most of the students in this study, it has not dissuaded them from their educational and career plans. Positive course performance provided encouragement. Science faculty provide less influence than family members, and more students find faculty members discouraging than supportive. Measures of faculty relations were not associated with academic success. No evidence was provided to confirm the disadvantages of being female in a scientific discipline. Students were concerned with lack of minority role models

Southern Coup: Recruiting African American Faculty Members at an Elite Private Southern Research University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Thomas Gregory; Smith, Theophus

2008-01-01

Competition for highly qualified African American faculty members among elite universities in the United States remains keen. Two of the most successful research universities at recruiting African American faculty members are located in the Southeast. Employing a conceptual framework grounded in organizational culture and climate literature, in…

African Theatre and the University of Leeds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banham, Martin; Plastow, Jane

2006-01-01

This paper discusses the impact that teaching and research on African theatre in the Workshop Theatre of the University of Leeds' School of English may have had in Africa and elsewhere. After surveying the productivity and influence of the Workshop Theatre to the present, the authors ask if they have contributed meaningfully to the development,…

The African Language Program at Michigan State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwyer, David

1979-01-01

Describes the African language program at Michigan State University, which provides (1) supervised, individualized instruction for high-demand languages, on two levels; (2) regular classroom instruction for Swahili and Hausa; and (3) non-credit, self-instructional programs for low-demand languages. Sample forms are appended. (AM)

An Exploratory Phenomenological Study of African American Male Pre-Service Teachers at a Historical Black University in the Mid-South

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yates, Lucian, III; Pelphrey, Barry A.; Smith, Patricia A.

2008-01-01

This exploratory phenomenological study was conducted to ascertain which factors caused African American male pre-service teachers to persist at a HBCU [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] in the Mid-South. The work is grounded in the conceptual framework called resiliency. Resiliency asks the question, "How do children,…

Teaching Aids: Struggling with/through Student Resistances in Psychology Curricula in South African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilbraham, Lindy

2016-01-01

African universities have been called to respond to the social issues of trauma, adversity, injustice and inequality that trouble their embedding communities, their staff and their students. The need for South African universities to respond to HIV/Aids (in particular) includes the opening up of new knowledge about and ways of managing the impacts…

Education, Language, and Identity amongst Students at a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkinson, Jean; Crouch, Alison

2011-01-01

This article reports on a study of language and cultural identity of mother-tongue Zulu students at an English-medium South African university. The data consist of focus group interviews, questionnaires, and student opinions in essays. Findings include a strong identification of the participants with the Zulu language and Zulu culture, and a view…

On the "Africanization" of English Studies in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornwell, Gareth

2006-01-01

The article is an exploration of current trends within, and the desired destiny of, the humanities discipline of English Studies in the context of calls for the "Africanization" of South African universities. The essay advocates the embrace of a non-universalist, emancipationist humanism. (Contains 8 notes.)

The Pre-University Pathways of Disadvantaged Students for Gaining Entry to University Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norodien-Fataar, Najwa

2016-01-01

This article focuses on the pre-university access pathways of disadvantaged first-generation students studying at a South African university. Based on data collected via qualitative methods, it draws on findings from a study of purposively selected students at a university in the Western Cape Province. It explores the ways they access and gain…

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…

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.

A Phenomenological Exploration of Resilience in African American Male College and University Presidents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raines, Amber Murphy

2017-01-01

Colleges and universities across the nation are seeking a president with unique qualities to transform their institution. Notwithstanding, surprisingly, few studies have examined how African American presidents confront race while also successfully ascending into the presidency. The purpose of this study was to explore and interpret the…

The Digitally Disadvantaged: Access to Digital Communication Technologies among First Year Students at a Rural South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oyedemi, Toks; Mogano, Saki

2018-01-01

Considering the importance of digital skills in university education, this article reports on a study which examined access to technology among first year students at a rural South African university. The study focused on the digital readiness of students prior to their admission to the university, since many universities provide access to…

The Achievement Goals Orientation of South African First Year University Physics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramnarain, Umesh Dewnarain; Ramaila, Sam

2016-01-01

This study investigated the achievement goals orientation of first year physics students at a South African university. The mixed methods design involved a quantitative survey of 291 students using an achievement goals questionnaire and individual interviews of selected participants. Results showed that the students perceived they have a stronger…

Mapping International University Partnerships Identified by East African Universities as Strengthening Their Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health Programs.

PubMed

Yarmoshuk, Aaron N; Guantai, Anastasia Nkatha; Mwangu, Mughwira; Cole, Donald C; Zarowsky, Christina

International university partnerships are recommended for increasing the capacity of sub-Saharan African universities. Many publications describe individual partnerships and projects, and tools are available for guiding collaborations, but systematic mappings of the basic, common characteristics of partnerships are scarce. To document and categorize the international interuniversity partnerships deemed significant to building the capacity of medicine, nursing, and public health programs of 4 East African universities. Two universities in Kenya and 2 in Tanzania were purposefully selected. Key informant interviews, conducted with 42 senior representatives of the 4 universities, identified partnerships they considered significant for increasing the capacity of their institutions' medicine, nursing, and public health programs in education, research, or service. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Partners were classified by country of origin and corresponding international groupings, duration, programs, and academic health science components. One hundred twenty-nine university-to-university partnerships from 23 countries were identified. Each university reported between 25 and 36 international university partners. Seventy-four percent of partnerships were with universities in high-income countries, 15% in low- and middle-income countries, and 11% with consortia. Seventy percent included medicine, 37% nursing, and 45% public health; 15% included all 3 programs. Ninety-two percent included an education component, 47% research, and 24% service; 12% included all 3 components. This study confirms the rapid growth of interuniversity cross-border health partnerships this century. It also finds, however, that there is a pool of established international partnerships from numerous countries at each university. Most partnerships that seek to strengthen universities in East Africa should likely ensure they have a significant education component. Universities should make

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…

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

African American Faculty Expressing Concerns: Breaking the Silence at Predominantly White Research Oriented Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Henry H.; Edwards, Willie J.

2016-01-01

A Delphi method was used with a panel of 24 African American faculty employed at 43 predominantly white doctoral extensive universities to arrive at a group consensus on a list of concerns that African American faculty in general experienced or held. Using the Delphi method a panel of African American faculty initially worked from a list of eight…

African Social Studies Program-2, 1990-91. A Master's Degree Program for African Social Studies Leaders. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana Univ., Bloomington. School of Education.

Eight social studies educators from various African countries completed their masters degrees in education from the Indiana University School of Education during the 1990-91 school year. This report describes the program, including the selection process, the master of science in education program, specialized courses, social studies organizations,…

African American Alumni Feelings of Attachment to a Predominately White Research Intensive University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burley, Hansel; Butner, Bonita; Causey-Bush, Tonia; Bush, Lawson, V

2007-01-01

The authors examined African American alumni opinions of their experience at a predominately white research intensive university from the development office's perspective. Research on decades of African American alumni opinions of their alma mater is nonexistent. Gender, financial aid and matriculation period were the independent variables. The…

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…

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…

Transitioning from a Theological College to a Christian University in East African Context: A Multi-Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulatu, Semeon

2012-01-01

This dissertation analyzed and described transitions from a theological or Bible college to a Christian liberal arts college or university in East African context. The research was specially driven by the desire to find out the reasons for such transitions, the challenges of the transition process and how such transitions affect the mission of the…

African Language Instruction at the University of Wisconsin: A HEA Title VI-Funded Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuntz, Patricia S.

This paper describes the evolution of African language instruction at the University of Wisconsin, examining how faculty and staff have utilized state and federal funding to promote the national capacity in African language proficiency. Six sections describe the program's evolution: "Language Instruction at Wisconsin"; "Origins of…

Factors Affecting African American Faculty Job Satisfaction at a Historically Black University and a Predominantly White Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Quentin

2009-01-01

This study sought to discover job satisfaction factors of African American faculty at a historically black university and a predominantly white institution. Data were gathered through the use of semi-structured interviews of 6 faculty members from a historically black university and 5 faculty from a predominantly white institution. Several themes…

Managerialism and Higher Education Governance: Implications for South African Universities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, F.

2006-01-01

This article identifies some of the implications of corporate forms of higher education governance for the management of South African universities. It explores corporate higher educational governance with reference to institutional autonomy incorporating academic freedom. It is the contention of this article that the primary driver of higher…

The Experiences of Women Academics at a South African University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, N.; Gravett, S.

2000-01-01

Used in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of women academics at a South African university. Found positive and negative experiences: positives included the lessening of overt discrimination and flexible work hours. Negatives included the "double workload" of traditional female duties combined with work life and…

Researching Transformation at a South African University--Ethical Dilemmas in the Politics of Representation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Salma

2011-01-01

This article focuses on the complexity of researching institutional culture and the ethical dilemmas posed in representing staff according to race and gender, drawing on three qualitative studies undertaken at a previously white South African university between 2000 and 2007. During the research process, issues of representation became a concern…

Facing the Challenges of E-Learning Initiatives in African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunga, Samson O.; Ricketts, Ian W.

2007-01-01

This paper explores the possibility of bringing e-learning to African universities through collaborative networks of public-private partnerships. It is envisaged that this approach will solve the dual problem of infrastructural barriers and weak ICT policies. As technology is used more in education, the teachers' roles are increasingly integrated…

African Social Studies Program-1, 1988-89. Final Report. A Master's Degree Program for African Social Studies Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana Univ., Bloomington.

This paper presents the final report on a project that brought African social studies education leaders to Indiana University (Bloomington) to take part in a Master's Degree program. The report contains a brief history of the program, a description of the program, a discussion of issues relating to acculturation, an evaluation, a list of…

Development Priorities for African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baijnath, Narend; James, Genevieve

2015-01-01

African knowledge remains at best on the margins, struggling for an epistemological foothold in the face of an ever dominant Western canon. At worst, African knowledge is disparaged, depreciated, and dismissed. It is often ignored even by African scholars who, having gained control of the academy in the postcolonial context, seemingly remain…

Leaving Home: The Challenges of Black-African International Students Prior to Studying Overseas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Elizabeth Frances; Hyams-Ssekasi, Denis

2016-01-01

Much of the literature on international students centres on their experiences once they arrive in their host countries. This study explores the preparations of Black-African students for leaving their home countries to study abroad. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 50 Black-African students studying at one British university. The…

Do Tutors Matter? Assessing the Impact of Tutors on First-Year Academic Performance at a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKay, Tracey Morton

2016-01-01

This research sought to determine if a teaching intervention using tutors in a South African university could promote epistemological access to university for first-year students. Although hiring, developing and managing tutors takes money, time and energy, the effectiveness of tutors in the South African context is underreported. The first-year…

Cultivating African Academic Capital--Intersectional Narratives of an African Graduate and His PhD Study Supervisor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitzer, Eli; Matimbo, Fulgence

2017-01-01

Three theoretical axes, namely "habitus," "transformational learning" and "doctorateness" informed two narrative doctoral accounts. One is from a Tanzanian public official who graduated from a research-intensive South African university--mostly away from work, family and country. The other is from his study supervisor…

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…

Contradictory Transformations: Observations on the Intellectual Dynamics of South African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheehan, Helena

2009-01-01

What sort of expectations of transformation of higher education have been aroused by liberation movements? Has the new South Africa fulfilled such expectations? This paper explores the promises and processes that have enveloped South African universities in recent decades. It focuses on the underlying assumptions shaping academic disciplines in…

Corneal graft rejection in African Americans at Howard University Hospital

PubMed Central

Ferdinand, Larry; Ngakeng, Vanessa; Copeland, Robert A.

2011-01-01

Purpose There is scarcity of data in the literature on cornel graft rejection rate in patients exclusively of African ancestry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rejection rate of corneal transplant surgery performed at Howard University Hospital on such patients over a 15 year period. Design A retrospective evaluation was performed of the cornea graft rejection and corneal graft failure rate in 125 penetrating keratoplasties (PKPs) done by one corneal specialist at Howard University Hospital from January 1, 1990 to August 31, 2005. Methods Of the 125 patients, 62 were eliminated from the study because of re-grafted eyes, non-African descent, primary graft failures, follow-up less than 1 month and lack of availability of charts. This study, therefore, studied and recorded data from 63 penetrating keratoplasties of 63 eyes from 60 patients. Results Episodes of graft rejection were documented in 23 eyes (36.5% of cases). Nine out of the 23 graft rejections manifested to secondary graft failure (39%). Overall, there were nine out of the 63 PKPs (14.3%) that resulted in secondary graft failure over the past 15 years. The major diagnostic categories were bullous keratopathy 24 (38%), keratoconus 10 (15.8%), Fuch’s dystrophy 4 (6.3%), other 20 (31.7%). Of the cases with episodes of rejection and failure, 4.3% and none were attributable to keratoconus, 30.4% and 22.2% for bullous keratopathy, and 8.7% and 22.2% for Fuch’s dystrophy, respectively. Also, best visual acuity was looked at in patients with rejection episodes. None of the patients had a pre-op visual acuity 20/40 or better; however, post-op PKP 2 (8.7%) of patients achieved 20/40 or better. Also, 4 (17.4%) of patients had a pre-op visual acuity between 20/50 and 20/150, but post-op PKP best visual acuity between 20/50 and 20/150 was increased to 9 (39.1%). Conclusion At 36% the prevalence of corneal graft rejection was one of the highest in the reported literature. But only 14% of those

Corneal graft rejection in African Americans at Howard University Hospital.

PubMed

Ferdinand, Larry; Ngakeng, Vanessa; Copeland, Robert A

2011-07-01

There is scarcity of data in the literature on cornel graft rejection rate in patients exclusively of African ancestry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rejection rate of corneal transplant surgery performed at Howard University Hospital on such patients over a 15 year period. A retrospective evaluation was performed of the cornea graft rejection and corneal graft failure rate in 125 penetrating keratoplasties (PKPs) done by one corneal specialist at Howard University Hospital from January 1, 1990 to August 31, 2005. Of the 125 patients, 62 were eliminated from the study because of re-grafted eyes, non-African descent, primary graft failures, follow-up less than 1 month and lack of availability of charts. This study, therefore, studied and recorded data from 63 penetrating keratoplasties of 63 eyes from 60 patients. Episodes of graft rejection were documented in 23 eyes (36.5% of cases). Nine out of the 23 graft rejections manifested to secondary graft failure (39%). Overall, there were nine out of the 63 PKPs (14.3%) that resulted in secondary graft failure over the past 15 years. The major diagnostic categories were bullous keratopathy 24 (38%), keratoconus 10 (15.8%), Fuch's dystrophy 4 (6.3%), other 20 (31.7%). Of the cases with episodes of rejection and failure, 4.3% and none were attributable to keratoconus, 30.4% and 22.2% for bullous keratopathy, and 8.7% and 22.2% for Fuch's dystrophy, respectively. Also, best visual acuity was looked at in patients with rejection episodes. None of the patients had a pre-op visual acuity 20/40 or better; however, post-op PKP 2 (8.7%) of patients achieved 20/40 or better. Also, 4 (17.4%) of patients had a pre-op visual acuity between 20/50 and 20/150, but post-op PKP best visual acuity between 20/50 and 20/150 was increased to 9 (39.1%). At 36% the prevalence of corneal graft rejection was one of the highest in the reported literature. But only 14% of those episodes resulted in graft failure which is one of

The Formation and Development of Co-Operations among South African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roebken, Heinke

2008-01-01

Organizational collaboration is "en vogue", especially in higher education. So far, little is known about the mechanisms that explain co-operation formation and their impact on the social structure of the research systems. By examining co-authored research papers written at South African universities between 1966 and 2006, co-operation…

Social, Demographic, and Institutional Effects on African American Graduation Rates in U.S. Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, LaQueta L.

2010-01-01

Improving the retention and graduation of African Americans and other minority groups in higher education is an important but highly politicized issue on college and university campuses. Prior studies emphasize the relationship between minority retention and achievement, cultural diversity, and racial policies and climates at predominantly White…

The "Lost Boys" of Higher Education African American Males from Basic Skills through University Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, Marilyn Denise

2010-01-01

Ten African American men, who began their college career in Basic Skills courses at an urban community college in California and successfully transferred to a four-year college or university, share their life stories through that process in this case study. Their experiences differed from the literature in peer group interaction and definition, in…

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.

Understanding him in STEM: Sharing the stories of African American male scholars in engineering academic programs at a predominantly White university

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Robert E., III

Globalization of the world economy has confirmed the need for citizens to exemplify competitive capacities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Since the 1970s, American higher education has seen increasing numbers of students entering college but has witnessed a decline in the number of students enrolling in STEM programs. African American men fall behind other students in regards to academic performance, persistence, and success throughout primary, secondary, and tertiary schooling. Accordingly, participation of African American men in STEM disciplines is low in comparison to White males and other race groups. Various factors have been identified as contributing to the academic failures of Black men. Poor academic and social preparedness, racial identity issues, institutional climates, negative stereotypes, and fear of success have been cited as potential contributors to the relative invisibility of African American men in STEM disciplines. This study explores the life stories of five African American male scholars in the college of engineering at a predominantly white university. The goal of the qualitative investigation is to help university faculty and administrators understand the institutional, interpersonal, and collective mechanisms influencing the success identities of African American male undergraduates in STEM academic programs. Understanding the lived experiences of this population may help universities innovate stronger supports for men of color in college and broaden the borders for all students interested in STEM careers.

Towards Quality Governance and Management of West African Universities: The Way Forward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Etejere, Patricia Agnes Ovigueraye; Aburime, Aminat Ozohu; Aliyu, Olumayowa Kabir; Jekayinfa, Oyeyemi Jumoke

2017-01-01

Internal governance in West African universities is faced with considerable government participation in the performance of their traditional functions. External governing relationship is a function of government policies of the institutions and their commitments to stakeholders. The pressure to "deliver the goods" in good quality as well…

Entering University Studies: Identifying Enabling Factors for a Successful Transition from School to University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGhie, Venicia

2017-01-01

The South African higher education sector is faced with high attrition and low retention rates. Studies conducted by the Council on Higher Education in South Africa have found that 50% of black students who access university study drop out, and the majority of dropouts occurred in the first year of study. While these studies revealed what the…

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…

The Adaptation Process of International Lecturers in a South African University: The Centrality of Agency and Collegiality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeannin, Loïse

2017-01-01

Teaching in a new country initiates a process of adaptation requiring emotional, cognitive and behavioural adjustments. This qualitative study explores international lecturers' perceptions of their adaptation process in a South African university. The findings, based on semi-structured interviews with six lecturers from six different countries,…

Women in the Academy: Ambiguity and Complexity in a South African University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Melanie

1997-01-01

Explores experiences of six women on two senior academic committees at a South African university to understand how practices in such committees contribute to the marginalization and exclusion of women and to constructions of subjectivity. Discusses how the presence of women on such committees challenges the consciousness of all members. (SLD)

Breast cancer risk factors in African-American women: the Howard University Tumor Registry experience.

PubMed Central

Laing, A. E.; Demenais, F. M.; Williams, R.; Kissling, G.; Chen, V. W.; Bonney, G. E.

1993-01-01

This retrospective case-control study examines risk factors for breast cancer in African-American women, who recently have shown an increase in the incidence of this malignancy, especially in younger women. Our study involves 503 cases from the Howard University Hospital and 539 controls from the same hospital, seen from 1978 to 1987. Using information culled from medical charts, an analysis of various factors for their effect on breast cancer risk was made. The source of data necessarily meant that some known risk factors were missing. Increases in risk were found for known risk factors such as decreased age at menarche and a family history of breast cancer. No change in risk was observed with single marital status, nulliparity, premenopausal status, or lactation. An increased odds ratio was found for induced abortions, which was significant in women diagnosed after 50 years of age. Spontaneous abortions had a small but significant protective effect in the same subgroup of women. Birth control pill usage conferred a significantly increased risk. It is of note that abortions and oral contraceptive usage, not yet studied in African Americans, have been suggested as possibly contributing to the recent increase in breast cancer in young African-American women. PMID:8126744

Breast cancer risk factors in African-American women: the Howard University Tumor Registry experience.

PubMed

Laing, A E; Demenais, F M; Williams, R; Kissling, G; Chen, V W; Bonney, G E

1993-12-01

This retrospective case-control study examines risk factors for breast cancer in African-American women, who recently have shown an increase in the incidence of this malignancy, especially in younger women. Our study involves 503 cases from the Howard University Hospital and 539 controls from the same hospital, seen from 1978 to 1987. Using information culled from medical charts, an analysis of various factors for their effect on breast cancer risk was made. The source of data necessarily meant that some known risk factors were missing. Increases in risk were found for known risk factors such as decreased age at menarche and a family history of breast cancer. No change in risk was observed with single marital status, nulliparity, premenopausal status, or lactation. An increased odds ratio was found for induced abortions, which was significant in women diagnosed after 50 years of age. Spontaneous abortions had a small but significant protective effect in the same subgroup of women. Birth control pill usage conferred a significantly increased risk. It is of note that abortions and oral contraceptive usage, not yet studied in African Americans, have been suggested as possibly contributing to the recent increase in breast cancer in young African-American women.

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…

A Phenomenological Study: The Shared Experience of African American Community College Students Who Persisted from Remediation, to Graduation and Transfer to a Four-Year College or University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grady, Damira

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the contributing factors that assist African American community college students to persist from remediation, to graduation and transfer to a four-year college or university, and to understand the students' perceptions of their transition experiences better. Schlossberg's (1984, 1995, 2006, 2012) transition…

Experiences of African American College Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Aundria Chephan

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons that African-American alumni from a historically Black university (HBCU) and a predominantly White university (PWI) chose to attend, remain in, and graduate from college. The central research question was how do African Americans describe their college experiences? The secondary research…

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,…

The Relationship between Chemistry Self-Efficacy of South African First Year University Students and Their Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramnarain, Umesh; Ramaila, Sam

2018-01-01

This study investigated the self-efficacy of first-year Chemistry students at a South African university. The research involved a quantitative survey of 333 students using the College Chemistry Self-Efficacy Scale (CCSS) developed by Uzuntiryaki and Capa Aydin (2009). Descriptive statistics on data for the CCSS scales suggested that students have…

The Lament of a Female Postgraduate PhD Student at a South African University: An Academic Wellness Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magano, Meahabo Dinah

2013-01-01

The paper examines the case of a female doctoral candidate who studied over a period of eight years at a South African university and the challenges she encountered. It reports on a qualitative study that followed a narrative approach and employed a method known as the "listening guide." Findings revealed that the voluntary participant…

Paving the Road to Success: Reflecting Critically on Year One of an Undergraduate Student Support Programme at a Large South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Klerk, Danie; Spark, Linda; Jones, Andrew; Maleswena, Tshepiso

2017-01-01

Student success, faculty and university throughput, and the need for adequate and appropriate student support remain prevalent issues in the South African and global higher education sectors. Subsequently, the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management at a large South African university applied for Teaching and Development Grant funding in order to…

Sub-Saharan African university students' beliefs about condoms, condom-use intention, and subsequent condom use: a prospective study.

PubMed

Heeren, G Anita; Jemmott, John B; Mandeya, Andrew; Tyler, Joanne C

2009-04-01

Whether certain behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs predict the intention to use condoms and subsequent condom use was examined among 320 undergraduates at a university in South Africa who completed confidential questionnaires on two occasions separated by 3 months. Participants' mean age was 23.4 years, 47.8% were women, 48.9% were South Africans, and 51.1% were from other sub-Saharan African countries. Multiple regression revealed that condom-use intention was predicted by hedonistic behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs regarding sexual partners and peers, and control beliefs regarding condom-use technical skill and impulse control. Logistic regression revealed that baseline condom-use intention predicted consistent condom use and condom use during most recent intercourse at 3-month follow-up. HIV/STI risk-reduction interventions for undergraduates in South Africa should target their condom-use hedonistic beliefs, normative beliefs regarding partners and peers, and control beliefs regarding technical skill and impulse control.

Attitudes of Entry-Level University Students towards Computers: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, E.; Oosthuizen, H. J.

2006-01-01

In this paper, we present the findings of a study of attitude changes of entry-level University students towards computers conducted at two South African Universities. Analysis comprised "t" tests to discover differences between the perceptions/attitudes of male and female respondents, English/Afrikaans speakers and those speaking the…

The Capture of Institutional Autonomy by the Political Elite and Its Impact on Academic Freedom in African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appiagyei-Atua, Kwadwo; Beiter, Klaus; Karran, Terence

2015-01-01

Although the cradle of university education is traced to Africa, modern university education in Africa emanated from European systems which set the tone for their replication on the continent through colonialism. For ideological and other reasons, African universities were subjected to significant violations of their institutional autonomy after…

A Phenomenological Study of Perceptions of Identity and Leadership among African-American Female Administrators within Public Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowdy, June Pickett

2011-01-01

This phenomenological study explores how African-American female administrators (individually and collectively) perceive the relationship between their identity and their leadership voice. The study focuses upon perceptions of 11 African-American female administrators who serve the 14 main campuses of the universities constituting the Pennsylvania…

Career Aspirations versus Career Actualizations of African American Executive Level Administrators in Higher Education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a State in the Southeast: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManus, Kristen LeToria

2013-01-01

Despite affirmative action, gender inequities persist at institutions of higher learning in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of African American women serving in executive-level leadership positions at historically black colleges and universities in a state the Southeast. Participants…

Racial and Athletic Identity of African American Football Players at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly White Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinfeldt, Jesse A.; Reed, Courtney; Steinfeldt, M. Clint

2010-01-01

This study examined racial and athletic identity among African American football players at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Negotiating the dualism of racial and athletic identities can be problematic because both roles are subject to prejudice and discrimination, particularly for…

First-Year Students' Perceptions of Extended National Diploma Programmes: The Case of a Comprehensive South African University (2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mavunga, George; Cachalia, Fahmida

2014-01-01

This study compared how the cohort of extended diploma students enrolled at a comprehensive South African university in 2012 perceived the programmes for which they were enrolled at the beginning of their first year and towards the end of the year. Data were gathered using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews involving students enrolled…

A Phenomenological Study of African American Men Who Were Mentored While Pursuing Their Bachelor's Degree at Historically White Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Davin Elizabeth

2013-01-01

African American men pursuing bachelor's degrees at historically White colleges and universities (HWCU) are not graduating at the same rates as Caucasian men. With a continued rapid decline in degree completion, establishing a framework of success for these students is becoming increasingly difficult. While research concerning graduation…

Factors Regarding a Sense of Belonging on a University Campus: Affects on the Success of African American Male Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Addo-Yobo, Festus

2013-01-01

This dissertation examines the relationship of African American male undergraduate students from the context of one academic institution in the southwest border region of the United States. It explores the aspect of a sense of belonging on this particular university campus. The multiple mixed simultaneous study was conducted through the…

The Role of Volunteerism on Social Integration and Adaptation of African Students at a Mid-Western University in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manguvo, Angellar; Whitney, Stephen; Chareka, Ottilia

2013-01-01

This study examined the role of volunteer experiences on Black African international students' social integration and adaptation at a predominantly White Mid-Western university in the United States. The study explores micro-level interactions and relationships fostered during volunteering as well as feelings of inclusion/exclusion and personal…

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety as predictors of suicidal ideation among South African university students.

PubMed

Bantjes, Jason R; Kagee, Ashraf; McGowan, Taryn; Steel, Henry

2016-01-01

To investigate the 2-week prevalence of suicidal ideations and their associations to symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety among South African university students. Data were collected from 1,337 students between May and August 2013. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between suicidal ideation and symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. Rates of suicidal ideation are higher among university students in South Africa than among the general population of the country and student populations in other parts of the world. Symptoms of depression and exposure to trauma predict suicidal ideation Conclusions: Findings bring into focus the high rates of suicidal ideation among a sample of university students in South African and the need for more research to investigate the psychosocial correlates of this phenomena within the cultural context of the country, especially given the correlation between suicidal ideation and other poor health outcomes.

The Underrepresentation of African American Women Faculty: A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Experiences of McKnight Doctoral Fellow Alumna Serving in the Professoriate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Dionne J.

2013-01-01

While African American women have been participating in higher education for more than a century, they remain significantly underrepresented among college and university professors in America. This study was pursued in an attempt to address the underrepresentation of African American women faculty at public and private universities within the…

What Is the Impact of Same-Race Alumni Mentoring on the Career Development of African American Students Attending Predominantly White Universities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enge, Kari E.

2010-01-01

The goal of this study is to examine the impact Black alumni may have on the career development of African American undergraduate students attending predominantly White universities. The narratives presented in this study aim to highlight the mentoring process and to provide new perspectives on theories of social integration, particularly…

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…

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.

The use of pathological grief outcomes in bereavement studies on African Americans.

PubMed

Granek, Leeat; Peleg-Sagy, Tal

2017-06-01

Pathological bereavement outcomes (i.e., complicated grief, traumatic grief, prolonged grief disorder) are a robust and growing research area in the psychological and medical sciences. Although grief is considered to be a universal phenomenon, it is well documented that grieving processes and outcomes are culturally and contextually bound. The objectives of this study were: (a) to examine representations of African Americans in the grief and mourning literature and to assess the extent to which this research utilizes pathological grief outcomes; and (b) to examine the characteristics of pathological grief constructs in the literature to assess their relevance for African American populations. We conducted comprehensive searches of three scientific databases including PsycNET, Medline, and CINAHL, which contain the majority of grief and mourning literature published between January 1998 and February 2014. We found 59 studies addressing grief and mourning in African Americans. Thirteen of these studies used pathological grief outcomes. Pathological grief outcomes that were constructed and validated on White populations were frequently used as outcome variables with African American participants. We discuss the implications for the grief and mourning field and argue that the failure to use culturally sensitive outcome measures in research studies is a form of epistemological violence that may have negative research and clinical implications for African Americans and other ethnic minorities.

Obesity Status and Body Satisfaction: Are There Differences between African American College Females at Black and White Universities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Delores C. S.; Bonds, Jennifer R.

2006-01-01

The goals of this project were to 1) assess obesity status and body satisfaction among African American college students, and 2) to compare differences in these variables between students at a predominantly white university (PWU) and a historically black college and university (HBCU). Four hundred and two undergraduate females completed a…

Four African American Undergraduate Students and Two White Professors: Reflections of a Difficult Dialogue Program at a Predominately White University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Monica Roshawn Neblett

2013-01-01

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the experiences of four African American undergraduate students and two White professors, all current or former affiliates of a predominantly White university (PWI) in the Midwest. The objective was to gain an understanding of whether their experiences were ones that have been addressed in the past…

Inclusive Education and Training in South African Higher Education: Mapping the Experiences of a Student with Physical Disability at University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ntombela, Sithabile

2013-01-01

The South African Constitution upholds and entrenches the human right of all citizens. Similarly, the Higher Education Act of 1997 promotes equality of access for all, especially for those previously marginalised or excluded. The study reported in this article explored challenges experienced by students with disabilities at his university. Using…

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.

Conversation on African Music.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Leslie R.

1985-01-01

A voice and music education teacher at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, talks about African music in this interview. Topics discussed include differences between African and Western music, African melody, rules for composing African music, the theory of counterpoint, and the popularity of classical composers in Nigeria. (RM)

Hiring Practices of African American Males in Academic Leadership Positions at American Colleges and Universities: An Employment Trends and Disparate Impact Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Jerlando F. L.

2006-01-01

This study examined the status of African American males in academic leadership positions at American colleges and universities in comparison with other males (e.g., Asian). Guided by disparate impact theory, descriptive trend analyses and impact ratios were computed using the 1993 and 1999 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF). These…

Language and Social Justice in South Africa's Higher Education: Insights from a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mwaniki, Munene

2012-01-01

The paper interrogates the issue of language and social justice in South Africa's higher education using quantitative and qualitative data collected at the University of the Free State (UFS). Data were collected using questionnaires. Through purposive sampling based on South African and UFS demographics, 120 questionnaires were administered to UFS…

The Experience of African Students Studying Nursing in the United States in Relation to Their Use of Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyson, Donald Lee

2012-01-01

This qualitative study explores the critical thinking experiences of African nursing students enrolled in several universities in the U.S. Using a semi-structured interview approach, twelve African students discussed their experiences using and learning a western critical thinking approach, as well as described their educational experiences in…

A Glimpse of Challenges and Benefits Associated with Collaborative Postgraduate Programmes in Sub-Saharan African Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mundia, Lisho C.

2017-01-01

The paper presents empirical findings on the potential benefits and challenges associated with collaborative postgraduate programs between African universities. It reflects the empirical benefits and challenges towards a collaborative master in the fields of Earth Observation, Geographical Information Science (GIS) and Remote Sensing. The research…

Short-Term Exercise and Prostate Cancer Prevention in African-American Men

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-01

R. Taylor, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Howard University Washington, DC 20059...African-American men. Study Design: A total of 40 African-American men between the ages of 40 – 70 yrs, from the Howard University Cancer Center...in the packet. Dr. Peter Gaskin (pediatric cardiologist/ Howard University Hospital) has also been included in this project. Dr. Gaskin will

A Comparative Study of African-American Males vs Females at a Minority Institute of Higher Learning and the Role of Supplemental Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafi, Fawad; Karagiannis, Nikolaos

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to draw a comparison of high attrition rates among African-American males versus African-American females in higher education and examine the role of Supplemental Instruction (SI). The study was conducted at a minority institution (Winston-Salem State University) where African-American students are in the majority. For…

Women of African Descent: Persistence in Completing Doctorates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iddrisu, Vannetta Bailey

2010-01-01

This study examines the educational persistence of women of African descent (WOAD) in pursuit of a doctorate degree at universities in the southeastern United States. WOAD are women of African ancestry born outside the African continent. These women are heirs to an inner dogged determination and spirit to survive despite all odds (Pulliam, 2003,…

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…

An ImmunoChip study of multiple sclerosis risk in African Americans.

PubMed

Isobe, Noriko; Madireddy, Lohith; Khankhanian, Pouya; Matsushita, Takuya; Caillier, Stacy J; Moré, Jayaji M; Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; McCauley, Jacob L; Beecham, Ashley H; Piccio, Laura; Herbert, Joseph; Khan, Omar; Cohen, Jeffrey; Stone, Lael; Santaniello, Adam; Cree, Bruce A C; Onengut-Gumuscu, Suna; Rich, Stephen S; Hauser, Stephen L; Sawcer, Stephen; Oksenberg, Jorge R

2015-06-01

The aims of this study were: (i) to determine to what degree multiple sclerosis-associated loci discovered in European populations also influence susceptibility in African Americans; (ii) to assess the extent to which the unique linkage disequilibrium patterns in African Americans can contribute to localizing the functionally relevant regions or genes; and (iii) to search for novel African American multiple sclerosis-associated loci. Using the ImmunoChip custom array we genotyped 803 African American cases with multiple sclerosis and 1516 African American control subjects at 130 135 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms. We conducted association analysis with rigorous adjustments for population stratification and admixture. Of the 110 non-major histocompatibility complex multiple sclerosis-associated variants identified in Europeans, 96 passed stringent quality control in our African American data set and of these, >70% (69) showed over-representation of the same allele amongst cases, including 21 with nominally significant evidence for association (one-tailed test P < 0.05). At a further eight loci we found nominally significant association with an alternate correlated risk-tagging single nucleotide polymorphism from the same region. Outside the regions known to be associated in Europeans, we found seven potentially associated novel candidate multiple sclerosis variants (P < 10(-4)), one of which (rs2702180) also showed nominally significant evidence for association (one-tailed test P = 0.034) in an independent second cohort of 620 African American cases and 1565 control subjects. However, none of these novel associations reached genome-wide significance (combined P = 6.3 × 10(-5)). Our data demonstrate substantial overlap between African American and European multiple sclerosis variants, indicating common genetic contributions to multiple sclerosis risk. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All

A Teacher's Guide to African Narratives. Studies in African Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Sara Talis

This guide is designed to help secondary school teachers include African literature in their classes. It furnishes English and social studies teachers with a foundation for teaching African literature by offering critical commentary on the texts themselves. A synthesis of anthropological and historical material is presented to help both teachers…

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…

Data Networks and Sustainability Education in African Universities: A Case Study for Sub-Saharan Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bothun, Gregory D.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study report of the development of data networks and initial connectivity in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region and how that development evolved into the formation of research and education (R&E) networks that enable new collaborations and curriculum potential.…

Exploration of the academic lives of students with disabilities at South African universities: Lecturers’ perspectives

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background A decade has passed since South Africa signed and ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a human rights treaty that protects the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. However, not much have changed for students with disabilities. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore lecturers’ experiences with, and perspectives on, disability as well as with students with disabilities. It was hoped that this would contribute to the ongoing policy debates about diversity, inclusion and support for students with disabilities at universities. Methods In an effort to understand the lives of students with disabilities better, a study which included students with disabilities, lecturers and disability supporting staff was conducted at two South African universities – University of the Free State and University of Venda. The paper takes a snapshot view of four lecturers and their perceptions of the lives of students with disabilities at their respective universities. Results and Conclusion Although most disability literature report students with disabilities blaming lecturers for their failure to advance their needs, this paper highlights that the education system needs to be supportive to lecturers for the inclusive agenda to be realised. An argument is made for a more comprehensive approach towards a national disability policy in higher education involving many stakeholders. Without a broader understanding of disability, it will be difficult to engage with the complex ways in which inequalities emerge and are sustained. PMID:28730069

Why Not Academia?--The Streamlined Career Choice Process of Black African Women Engineers: A Grounded Theory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mlambo, Yeukai Angela

2017-01-01

Black African women are grossly underrepresented as academic staff in engineering programs at South African universities. The problem is exacerbated at historically White institutions (HWI) where Black women are simply absent as engineering research and teaching staff. The absence of Black African women in the academy occurs despite Black African…

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

Master's Theses on Afro-French and Afro-Hispanic Literatures and Cultures and African American Images in French and Spanish Literatures Produced by Howard University's Department of Romance Languages from 1933-1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, James J.

This paper focuses on the production of Master's theses at Howard University, Department of Romance Languages, over 60 years on the African diaspora, specifically on Black studies and themes in French and Spanish literature from 1930-1960. Howard University was the first of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to offer graduate…

Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress, Depression, and Anxiety as Predictors of Suicidal Ideation among South African University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bantjes, Jason R.; Kagee, Ashraf; McGowan, Taryn; Steel, Henry

2016-01-01

Objective: To investigate the 2-week prevalence of suicidal ideations and their associations to symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety among South African university students. Participants: Data were collected from 1,337 students between May and August 2013. Methods: Hierarchical regression analysis was used to investigate the…

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.

An African Perspective on Human Rights.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shiman, David

1992-01-01

Presents a series of classroom activities comparing differing views of human rights in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights. Includes excerpts from the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (CFR)

African American and Latino Men's Recommendations for an Improved Campus Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cerezo, Alison; Lyda, James; Enriquez, Alma; Beristianos, Matthew; Connor, Michael

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to share findings from semistructured qualitative interviews with 9 African American and 12 Latino men about their ideas on how university personnel could better support their needs. Stressing the need for African American men to learn self-reliance to counter microaggressions, African American participants offered…

Pathways to Success at a Historically Black College and University: An Examination of the Experiences of First Generation African American Male Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Curdedra N.

2017-01-01

Over the past two decades First Generation African American (FGAA) males have been underrepresented in America's colleges and universities. Nearly 67% of those enrolled, specifically at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have failed to obtain a 4-year degree. Therefore, I utilized a phenomenological design with Astin, Spady,…

Outcomes from the Body & Soul Clinical Trials Project: A university-church partnership to improve African American enrollment in a clinical trial registry

PubMed Central

Langford, Aisha T.; Resnicow, Ken; Beasley, Derrick D.

2014-01-01

Objectives Historically, African Americans have been underrepresented in clinical trials (CTs) compared to whites. A growing number of research institutions have created CT registries to match volunteers with appropriate studies. In a sample of 745 African Americans from 16 churches, we tested the impact of a culturally tailored intervention aimed at increasing enrollment in a university-based CT registry. Methods Half of the churches received a culturally tailored CT education program (intervention) and half of the churches received a program about healthy eating (comparison). The main outcomes were the odds of posttest self-reported enrollment and verified enrollment. Using linear regression, posttest willingness to participate in a CT was also assessed. Results Odds of verified enrollment were higher in the intervention than comparison group (OR= 2.95, 95% CI: 1.33–6.5, p=0.01). Posttest self-reported enrollment in the registry was also higher among the intervention group than comparison group members (OR=1.94, 95% CI: 1.08–3.47, p=0.03). Willingness to participate in a future CT was higher in the intervention group (β=0.74, p=0.02). Conclusions A culturally tailored education program about CTs can increase enrollment of African Americans in a university-based clinical trials registry. Practice implications Community engagement and health education workshops may improve minority CT enrollment over time. PMID:25468392

Allocation of Academic Workloads in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Botha, P. A.; Swanepoel, S.

2015-01-01

This article reports on the results of a statistical analysis of the weekly working hours of academics in a Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at a South African university. The aim was to quantify, analyse and compare the workload of academic staff. Seventy-five academics self-reported on their workload by completing the workload measuring…

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…

African Americans Respond Poorly to Hepatitis C Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black Issues in Higher Education, 2004

2004-01-01

African Americans have a significantly lower response rate to treatment for chronic hepatitis C than non-Hispanic Whites, according to a new study led by Duke University Medical Center researchers. Some African Americans--19 percent--did respond to the drug combination of peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin. But in non-Hispanic Whites with the…

Priority: Africa Programme for Action Proposed by the Director-General (1990-1995). Development of Higher Education in Africa--The African University: Into the New Millennium. Results of a Series of Seminars on Higher Education in Africa (Accra: November 1991, Dakar: November 1992 and Alexandria: April 1993).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of African Universities, Accra-North (Ghana).

This document brings into focus the main ideas and action-oriented decisions emanating from the seminars of heads of African universities which took place on the themes of: the mission of the African university (Accra, 1991); restructuring the African university (Dakar, 1992); and the resources and management of the African university (Alexandria,…

The Nurse in the University: A History of University Education for South African Nurses: A Case Study of the University of the Witwatersrand

PubMed Central

Horwitz, Simonne

2011-01-01

This paper charts the history and debates surrounding the introduction of academic, university-based training of nurses in South Africa. This was a process that was drawn out over five decades, beginning in the late 1930s. For nurses, university training was an important part of a process of professionalization; however, for other members of the medical community, nursing was seen as being linked to women's service work. Using the case-study of the University of the Witwatersrand, one of South Africa's premier universities and the place in the country to offer a university-based nursing program, we argue that an historical understanding of the ways in which nursing education was integrated into the university system tells us a great deal about the professionalization of nursing. This paper also recognises, for the first time, the pioneers of this important process. PMID:21994840

Electrocardiographic patterns in African University strength and endurance athletes of Zulu descent.

PubMed

Grace, J; Duvenage, E; Jordaan, J P

2015-11-01

There is concern over the effect of training on heart function of athletes as recorded by 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG). Although ECG abnormalities with respect to ethnic origin of black athletes from the Caribbean, West Africa and East Africa have been reported, black athletes from southern Africa, specifically participating in different sports, have never been investigated before. The purpose of this study was to analyze the ECG patterns in South African students of Zulu descent, who represented our university in boxing (endurance modality) and body building (resistance modality) at a regional level. Fifteen subjects each were assigned to an endurance (E), resistance (R) or control (C) group, respectively. ECG patterns were recorded with a 12-lead ECG. Our subjects indicated no significant differences in ECG patterns in relation to whether they participate in strength or endurance related sport. However, 80% of the endurance group and 67% of the resistance displayed ECG criteria indicative of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), group E displays higher R5/S1-wave voltages (E=43.3 mm; R=36.8 mm; C=37.1 mm) as well distinctly abnormal ECG patterns (E=87%; R=73%; C=53%), raising clinical suspicion of structural heart disease. Our cohort presented with non-significant, marked ST-segment elevation (53% of both the E and R groups) and inverted T-waves in 27% of the E group. Similar to findings in other ethnic Africans, a large proportion of our Zulu study population displayed ECG criteria indicative of LVH on the evidence of a marked increase of R5/S1-wave voltage and ST/T-segment changes with no differences in relation to whether they participate in strength or endurance related sport.

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…

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.

A preliminary study investigating the factors influencing STEM major selection by African American females

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Tiffany Monique

The purpose of this study was to investigate the significant factors influencing STEM major selection by African American females. A quantitative research design with a qualitative component was employed. Ex post facto survey research was conducted utilizing an online questionnaire to collect data from participants. African American undergraduate females that had declared a major in STEM comprised the target population for the study. As a basis for comparison, a second data collection ensued. All non-African American undergraduate females majoring in STEM also received the survey instrument to determine if there was a significant difference between factors that influence STEM major selection between the two groups. The Social Cognitive Career Choice Model comprised the conceptual framework for this study. Frequencies and percentages illustrated the demographic characteristics of the sample, as well as the average influence levels of each of the items without regard for level of significance. The researcher conducted an independent samples t-test to compare the mean scores for undergraduate African American females majoring in STEM and non-African American females majoring in STEM on each influential factor on the survey instrument. The researcher coded responses to open-ended questions to generate themes and descriptions. The data showed that African American female respondents were very influenced by the following items: specific interest in the subject, type of work, availability of career opportunities after graduation, parent/guardian, precollege coursework in science, and introductory college courses. In addition, the majority of respondents were very influenced by each of the confidence factors. African American females were overwhelmingly not influenced by aptitude tests. African American females were more influenced than their non-African American female counterparts for the following factors: reputation of the university, college or department, high level

Managing Resource Dependence Difficulties in African Higher Education: The Case of Multiple Exchange Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wangenge-Ouma, Gerald

2011-01-01

The paper has a twofold structure and focus. The first part is an examination of the funding challenges facing African universities resulting mainly from public finance difficulties, and the second part is a case study of how some Kenyan and South African public universities have attempted to mitigate resource dependence difficulties through…

Knowledge, Attitude, and Experience of Cervical Cancer and Screening among Sub-saharan African Female Students in a UK University

PubMed Central

Ogbonna, Faith Sopuruchukwu

2017-01-01

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the major diseases that affect women of child bearing age. Its main cause is the human papilloma virus; although, other associated factors have been evidenced to increase its risk. Pap-smear screening and vaccination which has been shown to be successful in reducing the incidence and prevalence of the disease in developed countries, has been neglected in developing countries due to lack of knowledge, misconceptions, and cultural beliefs. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving only female Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) students in a UK university setting. Results: One hundred and eighty-six (42%) African female students were recruited from the 442 SSA students attending one of the major Universities in the UK. Seventy-one (38.2%) of the students were aware of cervical screening, but only 20 (10.8%) reported having knowledge of cervical cancer. A small percentage of about 26.9% (50 Students) were already part of this screening program; although, 81 (43.5%) showed willingness to participate in future screening programs. More so, it was evident that student's perception was dependent on their experience of the disease (P = 000) just as their participation in screening program was dependent on their awareness level (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Female African students from the SSA region have poor knowledge of the disease which influenced their attitude toward screening. More needs to be carried out to increase awareness and uptake of screening within the school environment as university setting provides a viable platform to promote healthy behavior. PMID:28300047

Internalization of the Thin Ideal as a Predictor of Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in African, African-American, and Afro-Caribbean Female College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Stefanie C.; Crump, Stacey; Madhere, Serge; Schutz, William

2009-01-01

This study, conducted at a historically Black university, evaluated the impact of awareness and internalization of the Western thin ideal of beauty on body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and bulimia in African-American, African, and Caribbean women. The relationship between internalization of the thin ideal and disordered eating was…

Skin lightening practices: an epidemiological study of South African women of African and Indian ancestries.

PubMed

Dlova, N C; Hamed, S H; Tsoka-Gwegweni, J; Grobler, A

2015-07-01

Cutaneous adverse sequelae of skin lightening creams present with myriad skin complications and affect dermatology practice, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where such products are widely used, with a prevalence of 25-67%. To examine the skin lightening practices of both African and Indian women living in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in the general outpatient departments of two regional university hospitals in Durban, South Africa. All consenting African and Indian women aged 18-70 years were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire. Six hundred women completed the questionnaire, of whom 32·7% reported using skin lightening products. The main reasons cited were treatment of skin problems (66·7%) and skin lightening (33·3%). Products were purchased from a variety of sources. Twenty-five percent reported using sunscreen. The use of skin lightening cosmetics is common among darkly pigmented South African women, including those of both African and Indian ancestries. Despite more than 20 years of governmental regulations aimed at prohibiting both the sale of cosmetics containing mercury, hydroquinone and corticosteroids, and the advertising of any kind of skin lightener, they are far from having disappeared. The main motivations for using these products are the desire to treat skin disorders and to achieve a lighter skin colour. Television and magazine advertisements seem to influence women's choice of these products and, thus, would be efficient channels for raising public awareness about the dangers of using uncontrolled skin lighteners. © 2015 The Authors BJD © 2015 British Association of Dermatologists.

Genetic and environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis in a UK African ancestry population: the GENRA case-control study.

PubMed

Traylor, Matthew; Curtis, Charles; Patel, Hamel; Breen, Gerome; Hyuck Lee, Sang; Xu, Xiaohui; Newhouse, Stephen; Dobson, Richard; Steer, Sophia; Cope, Andrew P; Markus, Hugh S; Lewis, Cathryn M; Scott, Ian C

2017-08-01

To evaluate whether genetic and environmental factors associated with RA in European and Asian ancestry populations are also associated with RA in African ancestry individuals. A case-control study was undertaken in 197 RA cases and 868 controls of African ancestry (Black African, Black Caribbean or Black British ethnicity) from South London. Smoking and alcohol consumption data at RA diagnosis was captured. Genotyping was undertaken (Multi-Ethnic Genotyping Array) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles imputed. The following European/Asian RA susceptibility factors were tested: 99 genome-wide loci combined into a genetic risk score; HLA region [20 haplotypes; shared epitope (SE)]; smoking; and alcohol consumption. The SE was tested for its association with radiological erosions. Logistic regression models were used, including ancestry-informative principal components, to control for admixture. European/Asian susceptibility loci were associated with RA in African ancestry individuals. The genetic risk score provided an odds ratio (OR) for RA of 1.53 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.79; P = 1.3 × 10 - 7 ). HLA haplotype ORs in European and African ancestry individuals were highly correlated ( r = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.94; P = 1.1 × 10 - 4 ). Ever-smoking increased (OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.46, 3.82; P = 4.6 × 10 - 4 ) and drinking alcohol reduced (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.56; P = 2.7 × 10 - 5 ) RA risk in African ancestry individuals. The SE was associated with erosions (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.36, 5.01; P = 3.9 × 10 - 3 ). Gene-environment RA risk factors identified in European/Asian ancestry populations are relevant in African ancestry individuals. As modern statistical methods facilitate analysing ancestrally diverse populations, future genetic studies should incorporate African ancestry individuals to ensure their implications for precision medicine are universally applicable. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for

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

Service Quality and Students' Satisfaction with the Professional Teacher Development Programmes by Distance Mode in a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oduaran, A. B.

2011-01-01

This article reports on the relationship between seven factors that described dimensions of education service quality and overall service quality on one hand, and students' satisfaction with the professional teacher development programmes by distance mode in a South African University on the other. We sought to find out whether students enrolled…

Internationalization of Higher Education: A South African Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rensburg, Ihron; Motala, Shireen; David, Solomon Arulraj

2015-01-01

The evolution of South African universities continues to be shaped by both apartheid and more recent post-apartheid policies. Yet the South African university system is mainly an elite, low participation and high attrition system, offering a medium quality education. Moreover, there is uneven attention to the opportunities that…

Measuring African-American parents' cultural mistrust while in a healthcare setting: a pilot study.

PubMed Central

Moseley, Kathryn L.; Freed, Gary L.; Bullard, Charrell M.; Goold, Susan D.

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND: African Americans' mistrust of healthcare is often cited as a cause of racial disparities in health and has been linked to cultural mistrust. African-American parents' level of cultural mistrust while in a general healthcare setting has not been previously measured. OBJECTIVE: To determine the performance, participant acceptance, feasibility of administration and demographic associations of a measure of cultural mistrust, the Cultural Mistrust Inventory (CMI), in African-American parents seeking healthcare. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 69 self-identified African-American parents of minor children recruited in a university-affiliated, urban pediatric/family practice outpatient clinic completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire containing demographic items and the CMI. RESULTS: The response rate was 91% (n=63), and 49 (78%) -- answered all questions. Measured mistrust did not vary with gender, insurance or education. The CMI's internal consistency was similar to previously published studies of the instrument (alpha=0.92). Parents indicating discomfort with the CMI's questions reported significantly less mistrust than parents who did not indicate discomfort (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The CMI is feasible to administer in a clinic setting and demonstrates good internal consistency. It can be a useful tool to assess the effect of cultural mistrust on the healthcare decisions African-American parents make for their children. However, when measuring cultural mistrust in a healthcare setting, respondents' comfort with the survey questions should be assessed. PMID:17304964

HIV health crisis and African Americans: a cultural perspective.

PubMed

Plowden, K; Miller, J L; James, T

2000-01-01

While incidence of new HIV infections have decreased in the overall population, the numbers continue to rise in African-Americans creating a serious health emergency. Studies seem to imply that part of the rise is due to HIV beliefs and high risk behaviors among African Americans. Due to certain societal factors, African Americans appear to be at greater risk for contracting the virus. This article will examine these critical social factors and their impact on this current state of emergency in the African American community using Leininger's theory of Culture Care and Universality. Implications for health providers are also addressed.

An Interdisciplinary Outreach Model of African American Recruitment for Alzheimer's Disease Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Monique M.; Meisel, Marie M.; Williams, James; Morris, John C.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The African American Outreach Satellite (Satellite) provides educational outreach to facilitate African American recruitment for longitudinal studies at the Washington University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC). This descriptive article characterizes the Satellite's recruitment methods, plan for community engagement, results of…

African palm ethno-medicine.

PubMed

Gruca, Marta; Blach-Overgaard, Anne; Balslev, Henrik

2015-05-13

This study is the first to demonstrate the breadth and patterns of the medicinal applications of African palms. It sheds light on species with the potential to provide new therapeutic agents for use in biomedicine; and links the gap between traditional use of palms and pharmacological evaluation for the beneficial effects of palm products on human health. Last but not least, the study provides recommendations for the areas that should be targeted in future ethno-botanical surveys. The primary objective of this survey was to assemble all available ethno-medicinal data on African palms, and investigate patterns of palm uses in traditional medicine; and highlight possible under-investigated areas. References were found through bibliographic searches using several sources including PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar and search engines of the State and University Libraries of Aarhus, National Library of Denmark and Copenhagen University Libraries, Harvard University Libraries, and the Mertz Library. Information about ethno-medicinal uses of palms was extracted and digitized in a database. Additionally, we used an African palm distribution database to compute the proportion of palm species that have been used for medicinal purposes in each country. We found 782 medicinal uses mentioned in 156 references. At least 23 different palm species (some remained unidentified) were used medicinally in 35 out of Africa's 48 countries. The most commonly used species were Elaeis guineensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Cocos nucifera, and Borassus aethiopum. Medicinal uses were in 25 different use categories of which the most common ones were Infections/Infestations and Digestive System Disorders. Twenty-four different parts of the palms were used in traditional medicine, with most of the uses related to fruit (and palm oil), root, seed and leaf. Palms were used in traditional medicine mostly without being mixed with other plants, and less commonly in mixtures, sometimes in mixture with

Evaluating Cross-Cultural Acculturation Experiences Influencing International Black African Students' Academic Success in a United States University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macharia-Lowe, Josephine

2017-01-01

In 2013-2014, about 25,000 the International Black African Student (IBAS) were enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States. It represents an increase of five percent. There is inadequate research on the Participants were at least 18 years of age and holders of F-1 (academic visa) and/or J-1 (exchange visitors) visas. To validate the…

Facing Financial Difficulties, African Virtual U. Revamps Itself

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kigotho, Wachira

2006-01-01

This article talks about serious financial problems faced by the African Virtual University, the continent's largest online institution, forcing it to accelerate a major restructuring. The university was established in 1997 by the World Bank as a link between foreign and African institutions, and has been impeded by insufficient funds. As a…

African-American Women's Experiences in Graduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education at a Predominantly White University: A Qualitative Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Quentin R.; Hermann, Mary A.

2016-01-01

In this phenomenological investigation we used qualitative research methodology to examine the experiences of 8 African American women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs at 1 predominantly White university (PWU) in the South. Much of the current research in this area uses quantitative methods and only…

An Evaluation of Research Ethics in Undergraduate Health Science Research Methodology Programs at a South African University.

PubMed

Coetzee, Tanya; Hoffmann, Willem A; de Roubaix, Malcolm

2015-10-01

The amended research ethics policy at a South African University required the ethics review of undergraduate research projects, prompting the need to explore the content and teaching approach of research ethics education in health science undergraduate programs. Two qualitative data collection strategies were used: document analysis (syllabi and study guides) and semi-structured interviews with research methodology coordinators. Five main themes emerged: (a) timing of research ethics courses, (b) research ethics course content, (c) sub-optimal use of creative classroom activities to facilitate research ethics lectures, (d) understanding the need for undergraduate project research ethics review, and (e) research ethics capacity training for research methodology lecturers and undergraduate project supervisors. © The Author(s) 2015.

African perceptions of female attractiveness.

PubMed

Coetzee, Vinet; Faerber, Stella J; Greeff, Jaco M; Lefevre, Carmen E; Re, Daniel E; Perrett, David I

2012-01-01

Little is known about mate choice preferences outside Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic societies, even though these Western populations may be particularly unrepresentative of human populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test which facial cues contribute to African perceptions of African female attractiveness and also the first study to test the combined role of facial adiposity, skin colour (lightness, yellowness and redness), skin homogeneity and youthfulness in the facial attractiveness preferences of any population. Results show that youthfulness, skin colour, skin homogeneity and facial adiposity significantly and independently predict attractiveness in female African faces. Younger, thinner women with a lighter, yellower skin colour and a more homogenous skin tone are considered more attractive. These findings provide a more global perspective on human mate choice and point to a universal role for these four facial cues in female facial attractiveness.

Changing Fatherhood: An Exploratory Qualitative Study with African and African Caribbean Men in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Robert; Hewison, Alistair; Wildman, Stuart; Roskell, Carolyn

2013-01-01

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study undertaken with 46 African and African Caribbean men exploring their experiences of fatherhood. Data analysis was informed by Connell's theoretical work on changing gender relations. Findings indicate that fathers' lives were mediated by masculinities, racism, gender, migration and generational…

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…

The UCAR Africa Initiative: Enabling African Solutions to African Needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, R.; Bruintjes, R.; Foote, B.; Heck, S.; Hermann, S.; Hoswell, L.; Konate, M.; Kucera, P.; Laing, A.; Lamptey, B.; Moncrieff, M.; Ramamurthy, M.; Roberts, R.; Spangler, T.; Traoré, A.; Yoksas, T.; Warner, T.

2007-12-01

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Africa Initiative (AI) is a coordinated effort aimed at building sustainable partnerships between UCAR and African institutions in order to pursue research and applications for the benefit of the African people. The initiative is based on four fundamental operating principles, concisely summarized by the overall philosophy of enabling African solutions to African needs. The four principles are: • Collaborate with African institutions • Focus on institutional capacity building and research support • Explore science research themes critical to Africa and important for the world • Leverage the research infrastructure in UCAR to add value These principles are realized in a set of pilot activities, chosen for their high probability of short-term results and ability to set the stage for longer-term collaboration. The three pilot activities are listed below. 1. A modest radar network and data-distribution system in Mali and Burkina Faso, including a data-sharing MOU between the Mail and Burkina Faso Weather Services. 2. A partnership among UCAR, the Ghana Meteorological Agency, and the Ghana university community to develop an operational Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for West Africa. The output is used by researchers and operational forecasters in Africa. Model output is also part of a demonstration project that aims to allow humanitarian agencies to share geo-referenced information in Africa via a web portal. 3. A workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from April 2-6, 2007, with the theme Improving Lives by Understanding Weather. The workshop, co-organized with Programme SAAGA and the Commité Permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte Contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS), included over 80 participants from 18 countries, and produced a set of recommendations for continued collaboration. Our presentation will provide an update of these pilot activities and point to future directions. Recognizing

These Hallowed Halls: African American Women College and University Presidents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Gerri

2007-01-01

Early laws prohibited African Americans from learning to read and write in the United States. The right to an education has produced a significant number of African American women acquiring higher education. Racial and gender diversity at the presidential level in higher education 4-year institutions appears to be changing rapidly. The data…

The Nature and Role of Religious Studies at the University of Zambia: 1985-2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmody, Brendan

2008-01-01

The place of religion in higher education has been and remains a complex issue internationally. This article aims to outline the nature and development of Religious Studies at the University of Zambia in Lusaka (UNZA) as an instance of how religion entered higher education in an African setting. In doing so, it will also provide perspectives on…

An Analysis of Stereotype Threat in African American Engineering Students at Predominantly White, Ethnically Diverse, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, David M.

2013-01-01

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).…

Travelling Drum with Different Beats: Experiencing African Music and Culture in Australian Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Dawn

2005-01-01

This article reports on a study that examined the effectiveness of introducing African music and culture to Australian non-specialist primary teacher education students at Deakin University in Melbourne (Australia). The study demonstrates that African music enhanced the generic musical experiences, learning, motivation, interest, confidence and…

A Phenomenological Study: African-American Males in the Educational Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Kristopher

2012-01-01

This phenomenological research study explored the perceptions and lived experiences of African-American male teachers related to the underrepresentation of African-American males in the teaching profession. The study was guided by four research questions. The data was collected from 15 African-American male teachers at the elementary school level,…

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…

Developing a Language Learning Rationale for African Language Tutorials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwyer, David

1999-01-01

Presents a rationale for the supervised tutorial component of the African language program at Michigan State University. The supervised tutorial is one of two modes through which African languages are offered at Michigan State University. The other, which is teacher led, is offered for high enrollment languages such as Arabic, Swahili, and Hausa.…

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.

Cohort Profile: Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans (SABPA) prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Malan, Leoné; Hamer, Mark; Frasure-Smith, Nancy; Steyn, Hendrik S; Malan, Nicolaas T

2015-12-01

Adapting to an over-demanding stressful urban environment may exhaust the psychophysiological resources to cope with these demands, and lead to sympathetic nervous system dysfunction. The evidence that an urban-dwelling lifestyle may be detrimental to the cardiometabolic health of Africans motivated the design of the Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African Prospective cohort study. We aimed to determine neural mechanistic pathways involved in emotional distress and vascular remodelling. The baseline sample included 409 teachers representing a bi-ethnic sex cohort from South Africa. The study was conducted in 2008-09 and repeated after 3-year follow-up in 2011-12, with an 87.8% successful follow-up rate. Seasonal changes were avoided and extensive clinical assessments were performed in a well-controlled setting. Data collection included sociodemographics, lifestyle habits, psychosocial battery and genetic analysis, mental stress responses mimicking daily life stress (blood pressure and haemostatic, cardiometabolic, endothelial and stress hormones). Target organ damage was assessed in the brain, heart, kidney, blood vessels and retina. A unique highly phenotyped cohort is presented that can address the role of a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system and neural response pathways contributing to the burden of cardiometabolic diseases in Africans. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

African-American and white head and neck carcinoma patients in a university medical center setting. Are treatments provided and are outcomes similar or disparate?

PubMed

Murdock, J M; Gluckman, J L

2001-01-01

Racial and ethnic disparities occur in many areas of the health care management system in the United States. These disparities include disease incidence, access to health and medical services, treatments provided, and disease outcomes. Health care delivery organizations have limited resources. Encounters between patients and providers in health care delivery organizations typically are cross-cultural. Access to care, quality of care, and equity may be affected by limited resources and cross-cultural encounters. This impacts the diagnosis, treatments provided, and outcomes, with African-American patients faring poorly compared with white patients. African Americans are 15% more likely to develop cancer than whites and are about 34% more likely to die of cancer than whites in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the characteristics of African-American patients and white patients with carcinoma of the head and neck at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, an equal-access facility, reporting similarities and disparities in disease stage at the time of diagnosis, treatment received, and patient outcomes. Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society.

Meeting the Knowledge Needs of the Academy and Industry: A Case Study of a Partnership between a University and a Large Energy Company in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cele, Mlungisi Gabriel

2005-01-01

This case study examines the evolution of the 21-year research partnership between the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African Coal Oil and Gas Corporation (SASOL). The study finds that an individual academic has played a significant role in steering transformation research activities and culture in the university?s Chemical…

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.

Consortium List of African-American Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Casper L., Ed.

A bibliography is provided of the materials identified by the consortium participating in the African-American Materials Project. Members of the consortium include: Atlanta University, Fisk University, Hampton Institute, North Carolina Central University, South Carolina State College, and Tuskegee Institute. The materials listed were located in…

Being black in a white skin: Beliefs and stereotypes around albinism at a South African university.

PubMed

Phatoli, Relebohile; Bila, Nontembeko; Ross, Eleanor

2015-01-01

Background: Partly because of the legacy of apartheid, and despite being a constitutional democracy, South Africa continues to be a deeply divided society, particularly along racial lines. In this context many people with albinism do not fit neatly into black and white categories and are likely to experience social discrimination and marginalisation. Objectives: The study endeavoured to explore the beliefs and practices regarding albinism within a South African university, and the availability of support services. Method: The research was located within an interpretive qualitative paradigm and was framed within the theories of stigma, discrimination and 'othering'. Interviews were conducted with five students with albinism and 10 students without albinism. Results: Findings confirmed the existence of myths and stereotypes regarding albinism. Students with albinism tended to exclude themselves from the rest of the student community to avoid discrimination and stereotypes around their condition. Conclusion: People with albinism can teach us about social constructions of race, colour and relations between minority groups and the majority culture. Results have implications for schools, disability units at universities, and albinism societies in terms of opening up channels of communication between people with albinism and the general public and fostering knowledge and awareness thereof.

African and Non-African Admixture Components in African Americans and An African Caribbean Population

PubMed Central

Murray, Tanda; Beaty, Terri H.; Mathias, Rasika A.; Rafaels, Nicholas; Grant, Audrey Virginia; Faruque, Mezbah U.; Watson, Harold R.; Ruczinski, Ingo; Dunston, Georgia M.; Barnes, Kathleen C.

2013-01-01

Admixture is a potential source of confounding in genetic association studies, so it becomes important to detect and estimate admixture in a sample of unrelated individuals. Populations of African descent in the US and the Caribbean share similar historical backgrounds but the distributions of African admixture may differ. We selected 416 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to estimate and compare admixture proportions using STRUCTURE in 906 unrelated African Americans (AAs) and 294 Barbadians (ACs) from a study of asthma. This analysis showed AAs on average were 72.5% African, 19.6% European and 8% Asian, while ACs were 77.4% African, 15.9% European, and 6.7% Asian which were significantly different. A principal components analysis based on these AIMs yielded one primary eigenvector that explained 54.04% of the variation and captured a gradient from West African to European admixture. This principal component was highly correlated with African vs. European ancestry as estimated by STRUCTURE (r2 = 0.992, r2 = 0.912, respectively). To investigate other African contributions to African American and Barbadian admixture, we performed PCA on ~14,000 (14k) genome-wide SNPs in AAs, ACs, Yorubans, Luhya and Maasai African groups, and estimated genetic distances (FST). We found AAs and ACs were closest genetically (FST = 0.008), and both were closer to the Yorubans than the other East African populations. In our sample of individuals of African descent, ~400 well-defined AIMs were just as good for detecting substructure as ~14,000 random SNPs drawn from a genome-wide panel of markers. PMID:20717976

IDEAL Symposium on the East African Lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, T. C.; Kelts, K.; Lehman, J. T.; Wuest, A.

A vast array of interdisciplinary problems presented by the African Great Lakes were highlighted at the International Symposium on the Limnology, Climatology and Paleoclimatology of the East African Lakes, organized by the International Decade for the East African Lakes (IDEAL) February 17-21 in Jinja, Uganda. Approximately 125 scientists attended from North America, Europe, Africa, and New Zealand. Jinja is located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria at the head-waters of the Nile and is the site of the host institution for the symposium, the Uganda Freshwater Fisheries Research Organization (UFFRO). The conveners of the symposium were Tom Johnson of Duke University, George Kitaka of UNESCO-ROSTA, and Eric Odada of the University of Nairobi.

South African-ness Among Adolescents: The Emergence of a Collective Identity within the Birth to Twenty Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Norris, Shane A; Roeser, Robert W.; Richter, Linda M; Lewin, Nina; Ginsburg, Carren; Fleetwood, Stella A; Taole, Elizabeth; van der Wolf, Kees

2009-01-01

We assessed the emergence of a South African identity among Black, Colored (mixed ancestral origin), White (predominantly English speaking), and Indian adolescents participating in a birth cohort study called “Birth to Twenty” in Johannesburg, South Africa. We examined young people's certainty of their self-categorization as South African, the centrality of their personal, racial and linguistic, and South African identities in their self-definition, and their perceptions of South African life and society today. These results reflect a historical opportunity for full citizenship and national enfranchisement that the end of Apartheid heralded for Black and Colored individuals. Black and Colored youth tend to be more certain about their South African-ness, have a more collective identity, and have a more positive perception around South Africa. In contrast, White and Indian youth are less certain about their South African-ness, have a more individualistic identity, and have a less positive perception about South Africa today. PMID:19461896

On Medium of Instruction and African Scholarship: The Case of isiZulu at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamwendo, Gregory; Hlongwa, Nobuhle; Mkhize, Nhlanhla

2014-01-01

After the demise of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, 11 languages (English, Afrikaans and 9 indigenous African languages) were given official status. In the higher education landscape, English remains the dominant language of scholarship. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, English is the main medium of instruction but the institution's language…

Political Studies: An Entry into "Social Science Thought" in the South African Academy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tselapedi, Thapelo

2016-01-01

This paper briefly examines the epistemic orientation of the Politics discipline in South Africa, and specifically in "formerly white universities". The focus is to expose the disparity between this epistemic orientation and the South African locale that it finds itself in; that is, a locale whose history is different from its…

The relationship between childhood adversity, recent stressors, and depression in college students attending a South African university.

PubMed

Mall, Sumaya; Mortier, Philippe; Taljaard, Lian; Roos, Janine; Stein, Dan J; Lochner, Christine

2018-03-09

College students are at risk of depression. This risk may be increased by the experience of childhood adversity and/or recent stressors. This study examined the association between reported experiences of childhood adversity, recent stressors and depression during the last 12 months in a cohort of South African university students. Six hundred and eighty-six first year students at Stellenbosch University in South Africa completed a health-focused e-survey that included items on childhood adversity, recent stressors and mood. Individual and population attributable risk proportions (PARP) between experiences of childhood adversity and 12-month stressful experiences and 12-month depression were estimated using multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis. About one in six students reported depression during the last 12 months. Being a victim of bullying and emotional abuse or emotional neglect during childhood were the strongest predictors of depression in the past year at both individual and population level. With regard to recent stressors, a romantic partner being unfaithful, serious ongoing arguments or break-ups with some other close friend or family member and a sexual or gender identity crisis were the strongest predictors of depression. The predictor effect of recent stressors was significantly reduced in the final model that adjusted for the type and number of childhood traumatic experiences. At a population level, academic stress, serious ongoing arguments or break-ups with a close friend or family member, and serious betrayal by someone close were the variables that yielded the highest PARP. Our findings suggest a significant relationship between early adversity, recent stressors, and depression here and throughout, consistent with the broader literature on predictors of depression. This study contributes to the limited data on college students' mental health in low and middle income countries including on the African continent. The findings provide

Towards a Cosmopolitan African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waghid, Y.

2009-01-01

In this article I offer a defence of cosmopolitanism as an enabling condition for university education in Africa. Recent xenophobic outbursts in South Africa suggests that the enactment of defensible virtues in societies remain distant from the practices of many people. My contention is that university education ought to take seriously the…

Comprehensive Genetic Characterization of Intraprostatic Chronic Inflammation and Prostate Cancer in African American Men

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

history. 23 CONCLUSION: Various alternative finger length ratios show strong differences between African-American and white men in this study. The...African American Men PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Elisa Marie Ledet, PhD CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Administrators of the Tulane University New Orleans...Intraprostatic Chronic Inflammation and Prostate Cancer in African American Men 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-15-1-0379 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S

An Exploratory Study on Initial STEM Classes and African American Freshman Males Who Are STEM Majors at a Large Mid-Atlantic State University: Factors Affecting Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Persistence in the STEM Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calhoun, William Jason

The purpose of this study was to test how well social cognitive career theory (SCCT) explains the effects of an introductory freshman year science course on the career perspectives of African American males at a large, public mid-Atlantic state university. Embracing SCCT as the foundation of this project, the dissertation intended to gather data from these young men to develop insight into how and in what ways their self-efficacy throughout the semester was influenced by their first science course, and changing their outlook on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers while in school and after graduation. To a small number of freshman African American male students who have declared themselves STEM majors, I utilized a qualitative study investigating this phenomenon. The major findings detailed themes that affected these young men including concerns about mathmatics preparation, isolation, balance, microagression, and help-seeking. Results indicate that there was an impact on the confidence, achievement, and goal setting for these young men due to these factors and that social cognitive career theory was an appropriate framework from which to test these questions.

Understanding the experiences and perceptions of African American female STEM majors at a single-sex HBCU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Rahshida S.

This study uses qualitative methods to explore and understand the experiences of African American female STEM majors at a single-sex historically Black university (HBCU). The study focuses on the perspectives of Black women and how they perceive the strategies and practices utilized at a single-sex HBCU that aid in fostering the successful development of Black women in STEM fields. Although limited to one institution, the findings shed light on the ways in which African American women experience the single-sex HBCU, and how the institution aids in their persistence in STEM majors. This study also discusses how such strategies and practices at a single-sex HBCU aid in mitigating the challenges and barriers that limit the attainment of African American women in STEM fields, and provides an opportunity for them to develop strong identities in STEM. Drawing on the findings, the paper concludes with recommendations for improving implementation of strategies revealed in historically Black colleges/universities and predominantly White colleges/ universities (PWIs). Recommendations for future research suggest that the experiences of African American women in single-sex and co-educational historically Black and predominantly White institutions could be further explored.

Race Consciousness. African-American Studies for the New Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fossett, Judith Jackson, Ed.; Tucker, Jeffrey A., Ed.

This collection of essays represents new scholarship in African American studies, drawing lessons from the past and providing insights into current intellectual trends. Topics such as the culture of America as a culture of race, legacies of slavery and colonialism, crime and welfare politics, and African American cultural studies are addressed.…

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…

Sociostructural factors influencing health behaviors of urban African-American men.

PubMed

Plowden, Keith O; Young, Anthony E

2003-06-01

African-American men are suffering disproportionately from most illnesses. Seemingly, action is needed if health disparities that disproportionately affect African-American men as compared to their White and female counterparts are to be reduced or eliminated. An important step in decreasing common health disparities evidenced among African-American men is to understand social factors that act as motivators and barriers to seeking care for most of this vulnerable population. Following a constructionist epistemology, this study used ethnography to explore social structure factors that motivate urban African-American men to seek care. Leininger's Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory guided this study. Qualitative interviews were conducted with urban African-American men and other individuals in the community to explore understanding, attitudes, and beliefs about health. Critical issues examined included social factors associated with health seeking behaviors. Themes that emerged from these data indicated that critical social factors include: 1) Kinship/significant others; 2) accessibility of resources; 3) ethnohealth belief; and 4) accepting caring environment. The data also indicated a relationship between these social factors and health seeking behaviors of urban African-American men.

International Students' Cocurricular Involvement at a University in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naik, Sapna; Wawrzynski, Matthew R.; Brown, Joelle

2017-01-01

Despite a growing body of literature on international student involvement, international students in the South African context have remained understudied. In this quantitative study, we examined international students' cocurricular involvement and associated learning and development in a South African university. Participants included 198…

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…

Iron metabolism in African American women in the second and third trimesters of high-risk pregnancies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective: To examine iron metabolism during the second and third trimesters in African American women with high-risk pregnancies. Design: Longitudinal pilot study. Setting: Large, university-based, urban Midwestern U.S. medical center. Participants: Convenience sample of 32 African American wome...

African American Parental Beliefs about Resiliency: A Delphi Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Vita; Higgins, Kyle; Boone, Randall; Miller, Susan P.; Sileo, Nancy

2014-01-01

This study involved a Delphi inquiry concerning the characteristics of resiliency specific to African American children/youth. The study was conducted with a large group of African American parents who were considered experts in resiliency because they had graduated from high school and had at least one child who had graduated from high school.…

Being black in a white skin: Beliefs and stereotypes around albinism at a South African university

PubMed Central

Phatoli, Relebohile; Bila, Nontembeko

2015-01-01

Background: Partly because of the legacy of apartheid, and despite being a constitutional democracy, South Africa continues to be a deeply divided society, particularly along racial lines. In this context many people with albinism do not fit neatly into black and white categories and are likely to experience social discrimination and marginalisation. Objectives: The study endeavoured to explore the beliefs and practices regarding albinism within a South African university, and the availability of support services. Method: The research was located within an interpretive qualitative paradigm and was framed within the theories of stigma, discrimination and ‘othering’. Interviews were conducted with five students with albinism and 10 students without albinism. Results: Findings confirmed the existence of myths and stereotypes regarding albinism. Students with albinism tended to exclude themselves from the rest of the student community to avoid discrimination and stereotypes around their condition. Conclusion: People with albinism can teach us about social constructions of race, colour and relations between minority groups and the majority culture. Results have implications for schools, disability units at universities, and albinism societies in terms of opening up channels of communication between people with albinism and the general public and fostering knowledge and awareness thereof. PMID:28730019

Experiences of undergraduate African health sciences students: A hermeneutic inquiry.

PubMed

Inyama, Davis; Williams, Allison; McCauley, Kay

2015-06-01

While efforts have been made to understand the experiences of African students in predominantly white environments, the experiences of African students in clinical placement areas have rarely been explored. This paper is a report on a study designed to address the gap in educational research on the experiences of African health sciences students in clinical placements in predominantly white environments. Interviews adopting an open approach to conversations were conducted with nine African students from three health disciplines at one metropolitan university in Australia between 2012 and 2013. Interview transcripts were analyzed using philosophical hermeneutics, where shared meanings were arrived at by employing key Gadamerian hermeneutic components. Findings revealed a number of factors that had a direct effect on the meaning students derived from their clinical placement experiences. These, as revealed in the interlinked domains of body, space, relationships, and time included difference, acceptance, resilience, and cultural sensitivity. Insights from this study may lead to the adoption of strategies designed to improve the experiences of African students studying health sciences in predominantly white environments. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

PUBLISHING SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP IN THE GLOBAL ACADEMIC COMMUNITY.

PubMed

Le Roux, Elizabeth

2015-09-20

South Africa's academic publishing history has been profoundly influenced by its colonial heritage. This is reflected in the publication of Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society (later, the Royal Society of South Africa) from 1878. Although the Society and journal sought to promote original research about South Africa, it was modelled after the Royal Society in London and formed part of an imperial scientific community. As the local higher education institutions grew more independent and research-focused, local scholarly publishing developed as well, with university presses playing an increasingly important role. The University of South Africa (Unisa) Press started publishing departmental journals in the 1950s, with a focus on journals that 'speak to the student', and it is today the only South African university press with an active journals publishing programme. As external funding declined and the country became intellectually isolated in the high apartheid period, the Press managed to attract journals that could no longer be subsidized by learned societies and other universities. More recently, new co-publishing arrangements have brought South African journals back into an international intellectual community. Although some argue that this constitutes a re-colonization of South African knowledge production, it is also an innovative strategy for positioning local research in a global context.

Publishing South African scholarship in the global academic community

PubMed Central

le Roux, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

South Africa's academic publishing history has been profoundly influenced by its colonial heritage. This is reflected in the publication of Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society (later, the Royal Society of South Africa) from 1878. Although the Society and journal sought to promote original research about South Africa, it was modelled after the Royal Society in London and formed part of an imperial scientific community. As the local higher education institutions grew more independent and research-focused, local scholarly publishing developed as well, with university presses playing an increasingly important role. The University of South Africa (Unisa) Press started publishing departmental journals in the 1950s, with a focus on journals that ‘speak to the student’, and it is today the only South African university press with an active journals publishing programme. As external funding declined and the country became intellectually isolated in the high apartheid period, the Press managed to attract journals that could no longer be subsidized by learned societies and other universities. More recently, new co-publishing arrangements have brought South African journals back into an international intellectual community. Although some argue that this constitutes a re-colonization of South African knowledge production, it is also an innovative strategy for positioning local research in a global context. PMID:26495579

Career Plans of Final-Year South African Student Teachers: Migration to "Greener Pastures"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Villiers, J. J. R.

2017-01-01

Teacher loss due to migration is a global phenomenon that impacts both developed and developing nations the world over. The aim of this study was to find out about the career plans of final-year South African student teachers. A group of final-year Bachelor of Education student teachers from a South African university responded to a questionnaire…

Colleges in the Making of Manhood and Masculinity: Gendered Perspectives on African American Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dancy, T. Elon, II

2011-01-01

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this paper explores the ways in which colleges become sites that socialise African American men as gendered beings. Twenty-four African American men enrolled in 12 colleges and universities across the 19 southern and border states of America participated in this study. The purpose is to illustrate how…

Staff Responsiveness to Transformation Initiatives and Diversity at a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joubert, J. P. R.; Martins, N.

2013-01-01

South African organisations and particularly institutions of higher learning have been confronted with workforces that increasingly reflect the diversity of the South African population. This changing workforce composition implies that the multitude of individual and cultural differences and similarities become increasingly apparent among…

A prospective study of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d levels and mortality among African Americans and non-African Americans.

PubMed

Signorello, Lisa B; Han, Xijing; Cai, Qiuyin; Cohen, Sarah S; Cope, Elizabeth L; Zheng, Wei; Blot, William J

2013-01-15

The beneficial biologic effects attributed to vitamin D suggest a potential to influence overall mortality. Evidence addressing this hypothesis is limited, especially for African Americans who have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency. The authors conducted a nested case-control study within the prospective Southern Community Cohort Study to relate baseline serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) with subsequent mortality. Cases were 1,852 participants who enrolled from 2002 to 2009 and died >12 months postenrollment. Controls (n = 1,852) were matched on race, sex, age, enrollment site, and blood collection date. The odds ratios for quartile 1 (<10.18 ng/mL) versus quartile 4 (>21.64 ng/mL) levels of 25(OH)D were 1.60 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20, 2.14) for African Americans and 2.11 (95% CI: 1.39, 3.21) for non-African Americans. The effects were strongest for circulatory disease death, where quartile 1 versus quartile 4 odds ratios were 2.53 (95% CI: 1.44, 4.46) and 3.25 (95% CI: 1.33, 7.93) for African Americans and non-African Americans, respectively. The estimated odds of total mortality were minimized in the 25(OH)D range of 35-40 ng/mL. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that vitamin D status may have an important influence on mortality for both African Americans and non-African Americans.

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

Students with hearing impairment at a South African university: Self-identity and disclosure.

PubMed

Bell, Diane; Carl, Arend; Swart, Estelle

2016-01-01

A growing number of students with hearing loss are being granted access to higher education in South Africa due to the adoption of inclusive educational policies. However, available statistics indicate that participation by students with hearing impairments in higher education remains low and research suggests that support provisioning for those who do gain access is inadequate. This article aims to illustrate that the assumed self-identity of students with hearing impairment influences their choice to disclose their disability. The choice not to disclose their hearing loss prevents them from accessing the necessary reasonable accommodations and this in turn may affect their eventual educational success. Reported here is a qualitative descriptive case study at a South African university. Purposive sampling methods were employed. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with seven students with hearing impairment ranging from moderate to profound, using spoken language. Constructivist grounded theory was used as an approach to the process of generating and transforming the data, as well as the construction of theory. All the student participants identified as having a hearing rather than a D/deaf identity cultural paradigm and viewed themselves as 'normal'. Linked to this was their unwillingness to disclose their hearing impairment and thus access support. It is crucially important for academic, support and administrative staff to be aware of both the assumed 'hearing' identity and therefore subsequent non-disclosure practices of students with a hearing impairment using the oral method of communication. Universities need to put measures in place to encourage students to voluntarily disclose their hearing impairment in order to provide more targeted teaching and learning support. This could lead to improved educational outcomes for students.

A one-size-fits-all HIV prevention and education approach?: Analyzing and interpreting divergent HIV risk perceptions between African American and East African immigrant women in Washington, DC

PubMed Central

De Jesus, Maria; Taylor, Juanita; Maine, Cathleen; Nalls, Patricia

2015-01-01

Background To date, there are very few comparative US studies and none in DC that distinguish between US-born and foreign-born Black women to examine and compare their perceptions of HIV risk. This qualitative study, therefore, analyzes African American and East African women’s perceptions of HIV risk in the Washington DC Metropolitan area, which has the highest AIDS rate in the US. Methods Forty in-depth, semi-structured interviews and 10 cognitive interviews were conducted among a sample of 25 African American women and 25 East African born women between October 2012 and March 2013 to examine perceptions regarding HIV risk. The in-depth semi-structured interviews were preceded by the cognitive interviews and accompanying survey. Study protocol was reviewed and approved by the American University Institutional Review Board. Results Adopting Boerma and Weir’s Proximate Determinants conceptual framework to interpret the data, the results of the study demonstrate that African American and East African immigrant women have divergent perceptions of HIV risk. While African American women ascribe HIV risk to individual-level behaviors and choices such as unprotected sex, East African women attribute HIV risk to conditions of poverty and survival. Conclusions Study findings suggest that addressing HIV prevention and education among Black women in DC will require distinct and targeted strategies that are culturally and community-centered in order to resonate with these different audiences. PMID:26766523

Howard University Engineers Success: Interdisciplinary Study Keeps Howard on the Cutting Edge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Cassie M.

2004-01-01

According to Engineering Workforce Commission annual reports, in 1999 Howard University graduated 108 students, 92 of whom were African American, in its chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs and computer science programs. After two more years of graduating approximately 100 students across programs, in 2002, according to…

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.

African Studies as a Part of Philologists' Professional Training in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ikonnikova, Maryna

2016-01-01

It has been concluded that until recently debates on what is understood as African Studies have involved American scholars or have been mainly located within the African Studies Association (ASA) in the USA. Lately, European scholars have begun to occupy more discursive space and challenged Afrocentric orientations as well. African Studies…

Does the Colorline Still Exist in the 21st Century: Examining Racial Climate on the Campus of a University with a Diverse Student Body (UDSB) as Perceived by a Group of African American College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charles-Johnson, Princess Jasmine

2013-01-01

This qualitative study employs three theoretical frameworks as the source of its foundation, covering literature from Acting White, Stereotype Threat and Campus Climate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of Racial Climate as perceived by African American college students attending a University with a Diverse Student Body…

Investing Money to Spur Intellectual Capital? The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in African Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, 2010

2010-01-01

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), an organisation representing 95 Canadian higher education institutions, is partnering with the Association of African Universities (AAU), to strengthen African universities' relationships with regional industry. Under a new project financially supported by the Canadian International…

Sub-Saharan African Universities' Adult and Continuing Education and the Challenge of Relevance in the Knowledge-Based Economy of the Twenty-First Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oduaran, Akpovire

2008-01-01

Beyond the dogged expectations that Sub-Saharan African universities' adult and continuing education needs to play a more visible key role in dealing with the challenges of HIV and AIDS, environmental pollution and excruciating poverty, the twenty-first century has brought in at its heels debates surrounding relevance in the era of an upsurge in…

The TG/HDL-C ratio does not predict insulin resistance in overweight women of African descent: a study of South African, African American and West African women.

PubMed

Knight, Michael G; Goedecke, Julia H; Ricks, Madia; Evans, Juliet; Levitt, Naomi S; Tulloch-Reid, Marshall K; Sumner, Anne E

2011-01-01

Women of African descent have a high prevalence of diseases caused by insulin resistance. To positively impact cardiometabolic health in Black women, effective screening tests for insulin resistance must be identified. Recently, the TG/HDL-C ratio has been recommended as a tool to predict insulin resistance in overweight people. While the ratio predicts insulin resistance in White women, it is ineffective in African American women. As there are no data for African women, we tested the ability of the TG/HDL-C ratio to predict insulin resistance in Black women from South Africa, West Africa and the United States. For comparison, the ratio was also tested in White women from South Africa. Participants were 801 women (157 Black South African, 382 African American, 119 West African, 143 White South African, age 36 +/- 9y [mean +/- SD]). Standardized scores were created from log-transformed homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance values from each population. Participants in the upper third of their population distribution were classified as insulin-resistant. To predict insulin resistance by the TC/HDL-C ratio, area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) curve was used and criteria were: 0.50 for no discrimination and > or = 0.70 for acceptable. Seventy-one percent of the Black women were overweight vs 51% of White women (P<.01). In overweight White women, AUC-ROC curve for prediction of insulin resistance by TG/HDL-C was 0.76 +/- 0.06, but below the 0.70 threshold in each group of overweight Black women (Black South African: 0.64 +/- 0.06, African American: 0.66 +/- 0.03, and West African: 0.63 +/- 0.07). Therefore, TG/HDL-C does not predict insulin resistance in overweight African American women and this investigation extends that finding to overweight Black South African and West African women. Resources to identify effective markers of insulin resistance are needed to improve cardiometabolic health in women of African descent.

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

Student Wellbeing at a University in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Comparison with a British University Sample Using the GP-CORE Measure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Charles; Campbell, Megan

2014-01-01

This article provides GP-CORE norms for a South African university sample, which are compared to published data obtained from a United Kingdom university sample. The measure appears to be both reliable and valid for this multilingual and multicultural South African sample. The profiles of the psychological distress reported by white South African…

Teaching of Chemical Bonding: A Study of Swedish and South African Students' Conceptions of Bonding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nimmermark, Anders; Ohrstrom, Lars; Mårtensson, Jerker; Davidowitz, Bette

2016-01-01

Almost 700 Swedish and South African students from the upper secondary school and first-term chemistry university level responded to our survey on concepts of chemical bonding. The national secondary school curricula and most common textbooks for both countries were also surveyed and compared for their content on chemical bonding. Notable…

Genetic and environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis in a UK African ancestry population: the GENRA case–control study

PubMed Central

Traylor, Matthew; Curtis, Charles; Patel, Hamel; Breen, Gerome; Hyuck Lee, Sang; Xu, Xiaohui; Newhouse, Stephen; Dobson, Richard; Steer, Sophia; Cope, Andrew P.; Markus, Hugh S.; Lewis, Cathryn M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Objectives. To evaluate whether genetic and environmental factors associated with RA in European and Asian ancestry populations are also associated with RA in African ancestry individuals. Methods. A case–control study was undertaken in 197 RA cases and 868 controls of African ancestry (Black African, Black Caribbean or Black British ethnicity) from South London. Smoking and alcohol consumption data at RA diagnosis was captured. Genotyping was undertaken (Multi-Ethnic Genotyping Array) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles imputed. The following European/Asian RA susceptibility factors were tested: 99 genome-wide loci combined into a genetic risk score; HLA region [20 haplotypes; shared epitope (SE)]; smoking; and alcohol consumption. The SE was tested for its association with radiological erosions. Logistic regression models were used, including ancestry-informative principal components, to control for admixture. Results. European/Asian susceptibility loci were associated with RA in African ancestry individuals. The genetic risk score provided an odds ratio (OR) for RA of 1.53 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.79; P = 1.3 × 10 −7). HLA haplotype ORs in European and African ancestry individuals were highly correlated (r = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.94; P = 1.1 × 10 −4). Ever-smoking increased (OR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.46, 3.82; P = 4.6 × 10 −4) and drinking alcohol reduced (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.56; P = 2.7 × 10 −5) RA risk in African ancestry individuals. The SE was associated with erosions (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.36, 5.01; P = 3.9 × 10 −3). Conclusion. Gene–environment RA risk factors identified in European/Asian ancestry populations are relevant in African ancestry individuals. As modern statistical methods facilitate analysing ancestrally diverse populations, future genetic studies should incorporate African ancestry individuals to ensure their implications for precision medicine are universally applicable. PMID:28407095

Genetic Ancestry-Smoking Interactions and Lung Function in African Americans: A Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Colangelo, Laura A.; Williams, L. Keoki; Sen, Saunak; Kritchevsky, Stephen B.; Meibohm, Bernd; Galanter, Joshua; Hu, Donglei; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Liu, Yongmei; Harris, Tamara B.; Ziv, Elad; Zmuda, Joseph; Garcia, Melissa; Leak, Tennille S.; Foreman, Marilyn G.; Smith, Lewis J.; Fornage, Myriam; Liu, Kiang; Burchard, Esteban G.

2012-01-01

Background Smoking tobacco reduces lung function. African Americans have both lower lung function and decreased metabolism of tobacco smoke compared to European Americans. African ancestry is also associated with lower pulmonary function in African Americans. We aimed to determine whether African ancestry modifies the association between smoking and lung function and its rate of decline in African Americans. Methodology/Principal Findings We evaluated a prospective ongoing cohort of 1,281 African Americans participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study initiated in 1997. We also examined an ongoing prospective cohort initiated in 1985 of 1,223 African Americans in the Coronary Artery Disease in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Pulmonary function and tobacco smoking exposure were measured at baseline and repeatedly over the follow-up period. Individual genetic ancestry proportions were estimated using ancestry informative markers selected to distinguish European and West African ancestry. African Americans with a high proportion of African ancestry had lower baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) per pack-year of smoking (−5.7 ml FEV1/ smoking pack-year) compared with smokers with lower African ancestry (−4.6 ml in FEV1/ smoking pack-year) (interaction P value  = 0.17). Longitudinal analyses revealed a suggestive interaction between smoking, and African ancestry on the rate of FEV1 decline in Health ABC and independently replicated in CARDIA. Conclusions/Significance African American individuals with a high proportion of African ancestry are at greater risk for losing lung function while smoking. PMID:22737244

Students with hearing impairment at a South African university: Self-identity and disclosure

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background A growing number of students with hearing loss are being granted access to higher education in South Africa due to the adoption of inclusive educational policies. However, available statistics indicate that participation by students with hearing impairments in higher education remains low and research suggests that support provisioning for those who do gain access is inadequate. Objectives This article aims to illustrate that the assumed self-identity of students with hearing impairment influences their choice to disclose their disability. The choice not to disclose their hearing loss prevents them from accessing the necessary reasonable accommodations and this in turn may affect their eventual educational success. Method Reported here is a qualitative descriptive case study at a South African university. Purposive sampling methods were employed. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with seven students with hearing impairment ranging from moderate to profound, using spoken language. Constructivist grounded theory was used as an approach to the process of generating and transforming the data, as well as the construction of theory. Findings All the student participants identified as having a hearing rather than a D/deaf identity cultural paradigm and viewed themselves as ‘normal’. Linked to this was their unwillingness to disclose their hearing impairment and thus access support. Conclusion It is crucially important for academic, support and administrative staff to be aware of both the assumed ‘hearing’ identity and therefore subsequent non-disclosure practices of students with a hearing impairment using the oral method of communication. Universities need to put measures in place to encourage students to voluntarily disclose their hearing impairment in order to provide more targeted teaching and learning support. This could lead to improved educational outcomes for students. PMID:28730053

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

Three Generations, Three Wars: African American Veterans.

PubMed

Black, Helen K

2016-02-01

This article emerged from pilot research exploring experiences of war and suffering among African American veterans who served in World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Men's experiences as soldiers reflected both racism and the social change that occurred in the Unites States while they served. We used techniques of narrative elicitation, conducting qualitative, ethnographic interviews with each of five veterans in his home. Interviews focused on unique and shared experiences as an African American man and a soldier. Three important themes emerged: (a) Expectations related to War--Although men viewed service to country as an expected part of life, they also expected equal treatment in war, which did not occur; (b) Suffering as an African American--Informants interpreted experiences of suffering in war as related to the lower status of African American servicemen; and (c) Perception of present identity--Each man was honed by the sum of his experiences, including those of combat, racism, and postwar opportunities and obstacles. From 40 to 70 years after the wars were fought, there are few scholarly narrative studies on African American veterans, despite the fact that Korean War Veterans are entering old-old age and few World War II Veterans are alive. The value of pilot research that offers narratives of unheard voices is significant; larger studies can interview more African American veterans to advance knowledge that might soon be lost. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Phenomenologicial Narrative Study of African American Male Community College Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Jerry L.

2014-01-01

This qualitative phenomenological research study used narrative inquiry to explore the lived experiences of African American male community college instructors using interviews, classroom observations, and personal testimonies conducted at a Southeast Texas community college. Brown (2009) previously conducted a study on African American male…

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…

Is ApoE ε4 Associated with Cognitive Functioning in African Americans Diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease? An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Mount, David L.; Ashley, Angela V.; Lah, James J.; Levey, Allan I.; Goldstein, Felicia C.

2015-01-01

Objective The effect of the apolipoprotein ε4 allele (ApoE ε4) on cognitive performance in patients with probable Alzheimer disease (AD) has been studied in primarily Caucasian samples. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine whether the presence of ApoE ε4 is associated with cognitive performance in African American AD patients. Methods A cross-sectional, retrospective design was used to address the study objective. Data were extracted from the records of 65 African American patients who participated in the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Aging (NIH-NIA) Emory University Alzheimer Disease Center Registry. Inclusion criteria were a clinical diagnosis of probable AD, cognitive testing using the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery, and ApoE genotyping. Results Seventy percent of the patients were ApoE ε4 positive. Multiple regression analyses indicated that ApoE ε4 was significantly associated with poorer design copying (CERAD Constructional Praxis subtest), but other significant relationships were not observed between positive ε4 status and cognitive performance. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that the ApoE ε4 allele is not strongly associated with a particular pattern of cognitive functioning in African Americans once they are diagnosed with AD. However, these findings require replication in a large prospectively recruited and population-based sample of African American AD patients before firm conclusions can be reached. PMID:19668025

Poor Access for African Researchers to African Emergency Care Publications: A Cross-sectional Study.

PubMed

Bruijns, Stevan R; Maesela, Mmapeladi; Sinha, Suniti; Banner, Megan

2017-10-01

Based on relative population size and burden of disease, emergency care publication outputs from low- and middle-income regions are disproportionately lower than those of high-income regions. Ironically, outputs from regions with higher publication rates are often less relevant in the African context. As a result, the dissemination of and access to local research is essential to local researchers, but the cost of this access (actual and cost-wise) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to describe access to African emergency care publications in terms of publisher-based access (open access or subscription) and alternate access (self-archived or author provided), as well as the cost of access. We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using all emergency medicine publications included in Scopus between 2011 and 2015. A sequential search strategy described access to each article, and we calculated mean article charges against the purchasing power parity index (used to describe out-of-pocket expense). We included 666 publications from 49 journals, of which 395 (59.3%) were open access. For subscription-based articles, 106 (39.1%) were self-archived, 60 (22.1%) were author-provided, and 105 (38.8%) were inaccessible. Mean article access cost was $36.44, and mean processing charge was $2,319.34. Using the purchasing power parity index it was calculated that equivalent out-of-pocket expenditure for South African, Ghanaian and Tanzanian authors would respectively be $15.77, $10.44 and $13.04 for access, and $1,004.02, $664.36 and $830.27 for processing. Based on this, the corrected cost of a single-unit article access or process charge for South African, Ghanaian and Tanzanian authors, respectively, was 2.3, 3.5 and 2.8 times higher than the standard rate. One in six African emergency care publications are inaccessible outside institutional library subscriptions; additionally, the cost of access to publications in low- and middle-income countries appears

Beauty and Body Image Concerns Among African American College Women

PubMed Central

Awad, Germine H.; Norwood, Carolette; Taylor, Desire S.; Martinez, Mercedes; McClain, Shannon; Jones, Bianca; Holman, Andrea; Chapman-Hilliard, Collette

2014-01-01

The current study examined body image concerns among African American women. In recent years, there has been an attempt to include ethnic minority samples in body image studies (e.g., Grabe & Hyde, 2006; Hrabosky & Grilo, 2007; Lovejoy, 2001) but few specifically examine unique issues pertaining to beauty and body image for African American college age women. A total of 31 African American women participated in one of five focus groups on the campus of a large Southwestern University to examine beauty and body image. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach and several themes were identified. The majority of themes pertained to issues related to hair, skin tone, body type, and message sources. Themes included: sacrifice, ignorance/racial microaggressions, and validation and invalidation by others, thick/toned/curvy as optimal, hypersexualization, and being thin is for White women. Findings of the current study suggest a reconceptualization of body image for African American women where relevant characteristics such as hair and skin tone are given more priority over traditional body image concerns often associated with European American women. PMID:26778866

Job Satisfaction in a South African Academic Library in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Genevieve

2010-01-01

Job satisfaction was investigated at a South African university library undergoing change on many fronts. The study included 31 members of staff and the data were gathered via interviews/questionnaires, informed by standard HRM job satisfaction theory. The study found a "love-hate" relationship between respondents and their work. The key…

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.

Self-estimates of intelligence: a study in two African countries.

PubMed

Furnham, Adrian; Callahan, Ines; Akande, Debo

2004-05-01

Black and White South Africans (n = 181) and Nigerians (n = 135) completed a questionnaire concerning the estimations of their own and their relatives' (father, mother, sister, brother) multiple intelligences as well as beliefs about the IQ concept. In contrast to previous results (A. Furnham, 2001), there were few gender differences in self-estimates. In a comparison of Black and White South Africans, it was clear the Whites gave higher estimates for self, parents, and brothers. However, overall IQ estimates for self and all relatives hovered around the mean of 100. When Black South Africans and Nigerians were compared, there were both gender and nationality differences on the self-estimates with men giving higher self-estimates than women and Nigerians higher self-estimates than South Africans. There were also gender and nationality differences in the answers to questions about IQ. The authors discuss possible reasons for the relatively few gender differences in this study compared with other studies as well as possible reasons for the cross-cultural difference.

Priority Health Behaviors among South African Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Kandice; Johnson, Ping Hu; Petrillo, Jane

2009-01-01

This study examined the priority health behaviors of South African youth by administering a questionnaire to 635 undergraduate students enrolled in a large metropolitan university in South Africa. Results indicate that 65.5% of the participants tried cigarettes at least once during their lifetime, over 15.2% had their first cigarette and 31.2% had…

Exploring the Lived Experiences of African American and White Female Faculty toward Tenure-Granting and Promotion Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Ralphilia C.

2010-01-01

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to explore African American and White female faculty members' perceptions about tenure and promotion processes at research universities. As more women enter the ranks of academia, the difficulties encountered toward attainment of tenure continue to prevail, specifically for African American women. It is hoped…

The history and visions of African American psychology: multiple pathways to place, space, and authority.

PubMed

Holliday, Bertha Garrett

2009-10-01

The author describes the multiple pathways of events and strategies that served to nurture African American psychology in the United States. Special attention is given to strategies for inclusion and empowerment used in 4 psychological professional and scholarly associations: the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, the Association of Black Psychologists, and the Society for Research in Child Development. In addition, the author describes 4 major intellectual traditions that informed not only the strategies of inclusion but also the theoretical, research, and intervention perspectives and other professional and academic efforts of African American psychologists. Those perspectives are the Afrocentric/African-centered tradition derived from longstanding nationalist/Pan-African and culturally centered traditions within African American communities; the social contextual/multidisciplinary research tradition of the University of Chicago School of Social Science; the empirical social science research tradition of the University of Michigan; and the Black scholar/activist tradition of Howard University. This article also presents a chronological timeline of major events in the history of African American psychology. Copyright 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

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…

Research Resources for the Study of African-American and Jewish Relations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gubert, Betty Kaplan

1994-01-01

Discusses New York City library resources for the study of African American and Jewish American relations. Highlights include library collections, access to materials, audio and visual materials, international newspapers, clippings, archives, children's books, and acquisitions. A list of the major libraries for the study of African American and…

Genome-wide Association Study Identifies African-Specific Susceptibility Loci in African Americans with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PubMed Central

Brant, Steven R.; Okou, David T.; Simpson, Claire L.; Cutler, David J.; Haritunians, Talin; Bradfield, Jonathan P.; Chopra, Pankaj; Prince, Jarod; Begum, Ferdouse; Kumar, Archana; Huang, Chengrui; Venkateswaran, Suresh; Datta, Lisa W.; Wei, Zhi; Thomas, Kelly; Herrinton, Lisa J.; Klapproth, Jan-Micheal A.; Quiros, Antonio J.; Seminerio, Jenifer; Liu, Zhenqiu; Alexander, Jonathan S.; Baldassano, Robert N.; Dudley-Brown, Sharon; Cross, Raymond K.; Dassopoulos, Themistocles; Denson, Lee A.; Dhere, Tanvi A.; Dryden, Gerald W.; Hanson, John S.; Hou, Jason K.; Hussain, Sunny Z.; Hyams, Jeffrey S.; Isaacs, Kim L.; Kader, Howard; Kappelman, Michael D.; Katz, Jeffry; Kellermayer, Richard; Kirschner, Barbara S.; Kuemmerle, John F.; Kwon, John H.; Lazarev, Mark; Li, Ellen; Mack, David; Mannon, Peter; Moulton, Dedrick E.; Newberry, Rodney D.; Osuntokun, Bankole O.; Patel, Ashish S.; Saeed, Shehzad A.; Targan, Stephan R.; Valentine, John F.; Wang, Ming-Hsi; Zonca, Martin; Rioux, John D.; Duerr, Richard H.; Silverberg, Mark S.; Cho, Judy H.; Hakonarson, Hakon; Zwick, Michael E.; McGovern, Dermot P.B.; Kugathasan, Subra

2016-01-01

Background & Aims The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) cause significant morbidity and are increasing in prevalence among all populations, including African Americans. More than 200 susceptibility loci have been identified in populations of predominantly European ancestry, but few loci have been associated with IBD in other ethnicities. Methods We performed 2 high-density, genome-wide scans comprising 2345 cases of African Americans with IBD (1646 with CD, 583 with UC, and 116 inflammatory bowel disease unclassified [IBD-U]) and 5002 individuals without IBD (controls, identified from the Health Retirement Study and Kaiser Permanente database). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated at P<5.0×10−8 in meta-analysis with a nominal evidence (P<.05) in each scan were considered to have genome-wide significance. Results We detected SNPs at HLA-DRB1, and African-specific SNPs at ZNF649 and LSAMP, with associations of genome-wide significance for UC. We detected SNPs at USP25 with associations of genome-wide significance associations for IBD. No associations of genome-wide significance were detected for CD. In addition, 9 genes previously associated with IBD contained SNPs with significant evidence for replication (P<1.6×10−6): ADCY3, CXCR6, HLA-DRB1 to HLA-DQA1 (genome-wide significance on conditioning), IL12B, PTGER4, and TNC for IBD; IL23R, PTGER4, and SNX20 (in strong linkage disequilibrium with NOD2) for CD; and KCNQ2 (near TNFRSF6B) for UC. Several of these genes, such as TNC (near TNFSF15), CXCR6, and genes associated with IBD at the HLA locus, contained SNPs with unique association patterns with African-specific alleles. Conclusions We performed a genome-wide association study of African Americans with IBD and identified loci associated with CD and UC in only this population; we also replicated loci identified in European populations. The detection of variants associated with IBD risk in only

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies African-Specific Susceptibility Loci in African Americans With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PubMed

Brant, Steven R; Okou, David T; Simpson, Claire L; Cutler, David J; Haritunians, Talin; Bradfield, Jonathan P; Chopra, Pankaj; Prince, Jarod; Begum, Ferdouse; Kumar, Archana; Huang, Chengrui; Venkateswaran, Suresh; Datta, Lisa W; Wei, Zhi; Thomas, Kelly; Herrinton, Lisa J; Klapproth, Jan-Micheal A; Quiros, Antonio J; Seminerio, Jenifer; Liu, Zhenqiu; Alexander, Jonathan S; Baldassano, Robert N; Dudley-Brown, Sharon; Cross, Raymond K; Dassopoulos, Themistocles; Denson, Lee A; Dhere, Tanvi A; Dryden, Gerald W; Hanson, John S; Hou, Jason K; Hussain, Sunny Z; Hyams, Jeffrey S; Isaacs, Kim L; Kader, Howard; Kappelman, Michael D; Katz, Jeffry; Kellermayer, Richard; Kirschner, Barbara S; Kuemmerle, John F; Kwon, John H; Lazarev, Mark; Li, Ellen; Mack, David; Mannon, Peter; Moulton, Dedrick E; Newberry, Rodney D; Osuntokun, Bankole O; Patel, Ashish S; Saeed, Shehzad A; Targan, Stephan R; Valentine, John F; Wang, Ming-Hsi; Zonca, Martin; Rioux, John D; Duerr, Richard H; Silverberg, Mark S; Cho, Judy H; Hakonarson, Hakon; Zwick, Michael E; McGovern, Dermot P B; Kugathasan, Subra

2017-01-01

The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) cause significant morbidity and are increasing in prevalence among all populations, including African Americans. More than 200 susceptibility loci have been identified in populations of predominantly European ancestry, but few loci have been associated with IBD in other ethnicities. We performed 2 high-density, genome-wide scans comprising 2345 cases of African Americans with IBD (1646 with CD, 583 with UC, and 116 inflammatory bowel disease unclassified) and 5002 individuals without IBD (controls, identified from the Health Retirement Study and Kaiser Permanente database). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated at P < 5.0 × 10 -8 in meta-analysis with a nominal evidence (P < .05) in each scan were considered to have genome-wide significance. We detected SNPs at HLA-DRB1, and African-specific SNPs at ZNF649 and LSAMP, with associations of genome-wide significance for UC. We detected SNPs at USP25 with associations of genome-wide significance for IBD. No associations of genome-wide significance were detected for CD. In addition, 9 genes previously associated with IBD contained SNPs with significant evidence for replication (P < 1.6 × 10 -6 ): ADCY3, CXCR6, HLA-DRB1 to HLA-DQA1 (genome-wide significance on conditioning), IL12B,PTGER4, and TNC for IBD; IL23R, PTGER4, and SNX20 (in strong linkage disequilibrium with NOD2) for CD; and KCNQ2 (near TNFRSF6B) for UC. Several of these genes, such as TNC (near TNFSF15), CXCR6, and genes associated with IBD at the HLA locus, contained SNPs with unique association patterns with African-specific alleles. We performed a genome-wide association study of African Americans with IBD and identified loci associated with UC in only this population; we also replicated IBD, CD, and UC loci identified in European populations. The detection of variants associated with IBD risk in only people of African descent demonstrates the

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.

Lower Lateral Cartilages: An Anatomic and Morphological Study in Noses of Black Southern Africans.

PubMed

McIntosh, Cameron N D; van Wyk, F Carl; Joubert, Gina; Seedat, Riaz Y

2017-03-01

The anatomy of the nose of different ethnic groups has been widely researched in order to facilitate a better understanding of the individual nose as a foundation for improving surgical outcomes. The only anatomical research of the lower lateral cartilages (LLCs) available to the surgeon working with an African patient is to extrapolate data from studies already published on African Americans. The aim of this descriptive cadaveric study was to assess the normal anatomy of the LLCs in noses of Black South Africans and compare this to data from studies on noses from Caucasian, Asian, Korean, and African-American populations. Ninety lower lateral cartilages of 45 cadavers of Black South Africans who did not have previous surgery or trauma to the nose were dissected. The morphological shapes and 12 standard anatomical measurements were recorded. The results were analyzed and compared to data in the literature from studies on lower lateral cartilages of Caucasian, Asian, Korean, and African-American populations. A statistically significant difference was found in terms of overall cartilage dimensions, distance from nasal rim, and morphological shapes, compared to all previously studied groups, including the African-American population. There were significant differences in cartilage dimensions between males and females. This translates to clinically significant data that is useful during reconstructive and aesthetic nasal surgery on patients with a Southern African background. This study sets norms for alar cartilages in Black Southern Africans.

Factors influencing HIV-risk behaviors among HIV-positive urban African Americans.

PubMed

Plowden, Keith O; Fletcher, Audwin; Miller, J Lawrence

2005-01-01

Urban African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV, the virus associated with AIDS. Although incidence and mortality appear to be decreasing in some populations, they continue to remain steady among inner-city African Americans. A major concern is the number of HIV-positive individuals who continue to practice high-risk behaviors. Understanding factors that increase risks is essential for the development and implementation of effective prevention initiatives. Following a constructionist epistemology, this study used ethnography to explore social and cultural factors that influence high-risk behaviors among inner-city HIV-positive African Americans. Leininger's culture care diversity and universality theory guided the study. Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with HIV-positive African Americans in the community to explore social and cultural factors that increase HIV-risky behaviors. For this study, family/kinship, economic, and education factors played a significant role in risky behaviors. Reducing HIV disparity among African Americans is dependent on designing appropriate interventions that enhance protective factors. Clinicians providing care to HIV-positive individuals can play a key role in reducing transmission by recognizing and incorporating these factors when designing effective prevention interventions.

A One-Size-Fits-All HIV Prevention and Education Approach?: Interpreting Divergent HIV Risk Perceptions Between African American and East African Immigrant Women in Washington, DC Using the Proximate-Determinants Conceptual Framework.

PubMed

De Jesus, Maria; Taylor, Juanita; Maine, Cathleen; Nalls, Patricia

2016-02-01

To date, there are very few comparative US studies and none in DC that distinguish between US-born and foreign-born black women to examine and compare their perceptions of HIV risk. This qualitative study, therefore, analyzes African American and East African women's perceptions of HIV risk in the Washington DC Metropolitan area, which has the highest AIDS rate in the United States. Forty in-depth, semistructured interviews and 10 cognitive interviews were conducted among a sample of 25 African American women and 25 East African born women between October 2012 and March 2013 to examine perceptions regarding HIV risk. The in-depth semistructured interviews were preceded by the cognitive interviews and accompanying survey. Study protocol was reviewed and approved by the American University Institutional Review Board. Adopting Boerma and Weir's Proximate Determinants conceptual framework to interpret the data, the results of the study demonstrate that African American and East African immigrant women have divergent perceptions of HIV risk. Although African American women ascribe HIV risk to individual-level behaviors and choices such as unprotected sex, East African women attribute HIV risk to conditions of poverty and survival. Study findings suggest that addressing HIV prevention and education among black women in DC will require distinct and targeted strategies that are culturally and community-centered to resonate with these different audiences.

Individual interviews with African-American women regarding condom use: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hunter, Teressa Sanders

2010-07-01

African-American women between 25 and 34 years of age are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Current prevention techniques, including education, have not had a significant influence on decreasing the rates of HIV and increasing safer sexual practices among some African-American women. This pilot study is one step towards increasing the understanding of this serious problem and developing effective interventions to stem the tide of HIV infection in African-American women. A grounded theory approach was used to address the process that unmarried, heterosexual, African-American women used to negotiate condom use with their sexual partner. Major concepts, connections between the categories, and theoretical codes are identified in this study and can be used to predict, speculate, explain, and understand the reported behavior of African-American women in negotiating condom use with their sexual partner.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen among biomedical students of African descent in Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.

PubMed

Okwesili, A N; Onuigwe, F U; Ibrahim, K; Buhari, H; Ibrahim, A; Jafaru, H; Erhabor, O; Onuigwe, F U; Isaac, Z; Ahmed, M H; Mainasara, M Y; Adias, T C; Yeldu, M H; Uko, E K; Udoma, F

2015-12-23

Hepatitis B (HB) is a serious global public health problem that put health professionals particularly at risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among Biomedical Students of African descent attending Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto in North-Western Nigeria. The Onsite HBsAg (CTK Biotech, USA) was used to detect the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen. We tested 186 consecutively-recruited students consisting of 147 males and 39 females aged 18-35 years (mean age 26 ± 2.0 years). Of the 186 students tested, 25 (13.4%) were positive for HBsAg. The prevalence of HBsAg was significantly higher among students in the 21-25 years age group. Hepatitis B vaccination uptake among students was 7%. Majority of subjects were single 173(93.1%) compared to married 13 (6.9%). Ethnic distribution of the subjects indicated that 104(55.9%) were Hausa compared to Yoruba 32 (17.2%), other ethnic groups 21(11.3%), Fulani 20(10.8%) and Igbo 9(4.8%). This study indicates a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among Biomedical students in Sokoto, North Western, Nigeria. Finding from this study is enough justification for the implementation of a policy to routinely test students entering into the biomedical professions for Hepatitis B virus infection. There is the need to provide hepatitis B vaccination universally to all those who are found negative prior to commencement of their biomedical training. There is also need to educate students entering biomedical professions and healthcare workers on the modes of transmission and prevention, importance of being compliant with protective vaccination as well as the need to observe universal precaution and infection control guidelines during their training and future professional practice.

Addressing the nutritional needs of university students

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The USDA Delta Obesity Prevention Research Project seeks to identify and evaluate dietary and physical activity patterns in African American students to develop an educational intervention that is nutritionally adequate and culturally relevant for 18- to 24-year-old African-American university stude...

Genome-wide association studies in Africans and African Americans: Expanding the Framework of the Genomics of Human Traits and Disease

PubMed Central

Peprah, Emmanuel; Xu, Huichun; Tekola-Ayele, Fasil; Royal, Charmaine D.

2014-01-01

Genomic research is one of the tools for elucidating the pathogenesis of diseases of global health relevance, and paving the research dimension to clinical and public health translation. Recent advances in genomic research and technologies have increased our understanding of human diseases, genes associated with these disorders, and the relevant mechanisms. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have proliferated since the first studies were published several years ago, and have become an important tool in helping researchers comprehend human variation and the role genetic variants play in disease. However, the need to expand the diversity of populations in GWAS has become increasingly apparent as new knowledge is gained about genetic variation. Inclusion of diverse populations in genomic studies is critical to a more complete understanding of human variation and elucidation of the underpinnings of complex diseases. In this review, we summarize the available data on GWAS in recent-African ancestry populations within the western hemisphere (i.e. African Americans and peoples of the Caribbean) and continental African populations. Furthermore, we highlight ways in which genomic studies in populations of recent African ancestry have led to advances in the areas of malaria, HIV, prostate cancer, and other diseases. Finally, we discuss the advantages of conducting GWAS in recent African ancestry populations in the context of addressing existing and emerging global health conditions. PMID:25427668

The Recruitment, Retention, and Promotion of African American Faculty in the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Gary

This paper examines the past and current attitudes and practices toward hiring, retaining, and promoting African American faculty members, and explores suggestions and predictions pertaining to increased inclusion of African Americans on university and college faculties. It argues that the major problem resulting from the lack of African American…

African-American and Caucasian disparities in colorectal cancer mortality and survival by data source: an epidemiologic review.

PubMed

Alexander, Dominik D; Waterbor, John; Hughes, Timothy; Funkhouser, Ellen; Grizzle, William; Manne, Upender

2007-01-01

Over the past four decades in the United States, there has been a divergent trend in mortality rates between African-Americans and Caucasians with colorectal cancer (CRC). Rates among Caucasians have been steadily declining, whereas rates among African-Americans have only started a gradual decline in recent years. We reviewed epidemiologic studies of CRC racial disparities between African-Americans and Caucasians, including studies from SEER and population-based cancer registries, Veterans Affairs (VA) databases, healthcare coverage databases, and university and other medical center data sources. Elevated overall and stage-specific risks of CRC mortality and shorter survival for African-Americans compared with Caucasians were reported across all data sources. The magnitude of racial disparities varied across study groups, with the strongest associations observed in university and non-VA hospital-based medical center studies, while an attenuated discrepancy was found in VA database studies. An advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis among African-Americans is a major contributing factor to the racial disparity in survival. Several studies, however, have shown that an increased risk of CRC death among African-Americans remains even after controlling for tumor stage at diagnosis, socioeconomic factors, and co-morbidity. Despite advances in treatment, improvements in the standard of care, and increased screening options, racial differences persist in CRC mortality and survival. Therefore, continued research efforts are necessary to disentangle the clinical, social, biological, and environmental factors that constitute the racial disparity. In addition, results across data sources should be considered when evaluating racial differences in cancer outcomes.

African-American and Caucasian disparities in colorectal cancer mortality and survival by data source: An epidemiologic review

PubMed Central

Alexander, Dominik D.; Waterbor, John; Hughes, Timothy; Funkhouser, Ellen; Grizzle, William; Manne, Upender

2009-01-01

Over the past four decades in the United States, there has been a divergent trend in mortality rates between African-Americans and Caucasians with colorectal cancer (CRC). Rates among Caucasians have been steadily declining, whereas rates among African-Americans have only started a gradual decline in recent years. We reviewed epidemiologic studies of CRC racial disparities between African-Americans and Caucasians, including studies from SEER and population-based cancer registries, Veterans Affairs (VA) databases, healthcare coverage databases, and university and other medical center data sources. Elevated overall and stage-specific risks of CRC mortality and shorter survival for African-Americans compared with Caucasians were reported across all data sources. The magnitude of racial disparities varied across study groups, with the strongest associations observed in university and non-VA hospital-based medical center studies, while an attenuated discrepancy was found in VA database studies. An advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis among African-Americans is a major contributing factor to the racial disparity in survival. Several studies, however, have shown that an increased risk of CRC death among African-Americans remains even after controlling for tumor stage at diagnosis, socioeconomic factors, and comorbidity. Despite advances in treatment, improvements in the standard of care, and increased screening options, racial differences persist in CRC mortality and survival. Therefore, continued research efforts are necessary to disentangle the clinical, social, biological, and environmental factors that constitute the racial disparity. In addition, results across data sources should be considered when evaluating racial differences in cancer outcomes. PMID:18048968

Successfully Navigating through College: Voices of African American Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anumba, Ethel

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that facilitated college persistence and retention among African American males who were enrolled in an undergraduate program at two four-year public universities in Southern California. This research addressed the growing problem of college attrition among Black males by conducting an in-depth…

Clarence Sumner Greene, Sr.: the first African-American neurosurgeon.

PubMed

McClelland, Shearwood; Harris, Kimbra S

2006-12-01

Largely because of the advances of the Civil Rights movement in the mid-20th century, an increasing number of African-Americans have had the opportunity to become physicians and enter the distinguished field of neurosurgery. Many have made the most of this opportunity, becoming prominent in both academics and private practice. Unfortunately, the details regarding the first African-American neurosurgeon, Clarence Sumner Greene, Sr., have remained in relative obscurity. Born on December 26, 1901 in Washington, D.C., Dr. Greene received his M.D. from the Howard University College of Medicine with distinction in 1936. After 7 years of general surgery residency and 4 years as a professor of surgery at Howard University, he was granted the opportunity by the legendary Wilder G. Penfield to train in neurosurgery at the world-renowned Montreal Neurological Institute from 1947 to 1949. Receiving high praise from Dr. Penfield, Dr. Greene became the first African-American certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery on October 22, 1953. Subsequently, he was appointed as chair of neurosurgery at Howard University, where he successfully treated intracranial aneurysms, brain tumors, and herniated intervertebral discs until his tragic death in 1957. The diligence and perseverance of Clarence Sumner Greene, Sr., M.D., D.D.S., F.A.C.S. enabled him to overcome incredible odds to become the first African-American neurosurgeon, trained by Dr. Penfield at the Montreal Neurological Institute. A true pioneer, his achievements have opened the door for subsequent African-Americans to enhance the field of neurosurgery.

The Genetic Structure and History of Africans and African Americans

PubMed Central

Tishkoff, Sarah A.; Reed, Floyd A.; Friedlaender, Françoise R.; Ehret, Christopher; Ranciaro, Alessia; Froment, Alain; Hirbo, Jibril B.; Awomoyi, Agnes A.; Bodo, Jean-Marie; Doumbo, Ogobara; Ibrahim, Muntaser; Juma, Abdalla T.; Kotze, Maritha J.; Lema, Godfrey; Moore, Jason H.; Mortensen, Holly; Nyambo, Thomas B.; Omar, Sabah A.; Powell, Kweli; Pretorius, Gideon S.; Smith, Michael W.; Thera, Mahamadou A.; Wambebe, Charles; Weber, James L.; Williams, Scott M.

2010-01-01

Africa is the source of all modern humans, but characterization of genetic variation and of relationships among populations across the continent has been enigmatic. We studied 121 African populations, four African American populations, and 60 non-African populations for patterns of variation at 1327 nuclear microsatellite and insertion/deletion markers. We identified 14 ancestral population clusters in Africa that correlate with self-described ethnicity and shared cultural and/or linguistic properties. We observed high levels of mixed ancestry in most populations, reflecting historical migration events across the continent. Our data also provide evidence for shared ancestry among geographically diverse hunter-gatherer populations (Khoesan speakers and Pygmies). The ancestry of African Americans is predominantly from Niger-Kordofanian (~71%), European (~13%), and other African (~8%) populations, although admixture levels varied considerably among individuals. This study helps tease apart the complex evolutionary history of Africans and African Americans, aiding both anthropological and genetic epidemiologic studies. PMID:19407144

Factors That Influence African American Male Retention and Graduation: The Case of Gateway University, a Historically Black College and University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Errick D.; Hope, Warren C.

2015-01-01

African American males face major challenges in retention and graduation from institutions of higher education. The 6-year graduation rate for African American males at 4-year public institutions and private nonprofit colleges is less than 40%. This figure suggests that persistence toward degree attainment is a problem. The purpose of this study…

Physical Performance and Anthropometric Characteristics of Male South African University Soccer Players.

PubMed

Kubayi, Alliance; Paul, Yvonne; Mahlangu, Prescott; Toriola, Abel

2017-12-01

Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide. Despite its global acclaim, scientific studies of soccer have tended to focus on tactics and techniques, thereby neglecting the physical and physiological profile of the players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine physical and anthropometric characteristics of male South African university soccer players. Twenty-seven male soccer players aged 19 to 24 (mean age: 22.1 years; s = 1.5 years) volunteered to participate in the study. The results showed that goalkeepers (77.5 ± 9.7 kg) and defenders (68.2 ± 6.5 kg) were the heaviest compared to players in other playing positions. The goalkeepers also had the highest percentage of body fat (11.3 ± 2.3%), in contrast to midfielders who had the lowest body fat content (9.1 ± 0.9%). With regard to flexibility, defenders (45.1 ± 4.9 cm) and midfielders (45.9 ± 5.4 cm) performed better than goalkeepers (37.1 ± 4.3 cm) and strikers (40.1 ± 3.4 cm). Midfielders (57.2 ± 3.1 ml 1 ·kg -1 ·min 1 ) and defenders (56.1 ± 5.1 ml 1 ·kg -1 ·min 1 ) had significantly higher values of maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ) than goalkeepers (47.9 ± 0.2 ml -1 ·kg -1 ·min -1 ) and strikers (49.8 ± 6.2 ml -1 ·kg -1 ·min -1 ). No significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed for all other variables, with the exception of body height, body mass, and VO 2max . It was therefore concluded that sports scientists and coaches should tailor conditioning programmes in soccer according to players' positions in view of the implications for successful performance.

Physical Performance and Anthropometric Characteristics of Male South African University Soccer Players

PubMed Central

Paul, Yvonne; Mahlangu, Prescott; Toriola, Abel

2017-01-01

Abstract Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide. Despite its global acclaim, scientific studies of soccer have tended to focus on tactics and techniques, thereby neglecting the physical and physiological profile of the players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine physical and anthropometric characteristics of male South African university soccer players. Twenty-seven male soccer players aged 19 to 24 (mean age: 22.1 years; s = 1.5 years) volunteered to participate in the study. The results showed that goalkeepers (77.5 ± 9.7 kg) and defenders (68.2 ± 6.5 kg) were the heaviest compared to players in other playing positions. The goalkeepers also had the highest percentage of body fat (11.3 ± 2.3%), in contrast to midfielders who had the lowest body fat content (9.1 ± 0.9%). With regard to flexibility, defenders (45.1 ± 4.9 cm) and midfielders (45.9 ± 5.4 cm) performed better than goalkeepers (37.1 ± 4.3 cm) and strikers (40.1 ± 3.4 cm). Midfielders (57.2 ± 3.1 ml1·kg−1·min1) and defenders (56.1 ± 5.1 ml1·kg−1·min1) had significantly higher values of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) than goalkeepers (47.9 ± 0.2 ml−1·kg−1·min−1) and strikers (49.8 ± 6.2 ml−1·kg−1·min−1). No significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed for all other variables, with the exception of body height, body mass, and VO2max. It was therefore concluded that sports scientists and coaches should tailor conditioning programmes in soccer according to players’ positions in view of the implications for successful performance. PMID:29339995

The Impact of Managerialism on the Strategy Work of University Middle Managers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Annemarie; Jansen van Rensburg, Mari; Venter, Peet

2016-01-01

In an attempt to understand the effects of managerialism on university managers in a developing country, we set out to gather rich data on the strategy work of middle managers through a single case study at a South African university. Managerialism has the potential to solve inefficiencies in university systems and processes, as it could help to…

Mainstreaming Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in an African Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mays, Tony John

2017-01-01

The study derives from a multi-year project implemented by OER Africa. The project sought to understand how OER might be used as a catalyst for pedagogical transformation in African universities. Within a nondeterminist and interpretivist theoretical framework and an over-arching project methodology of participatory action research, the study made…

Poor Access for African Researchers to African Emergency Care Publications: A Cross-sectional Study

PubMed Central

Bruijns, Stevan R.; Maesela, Mmapeladi; Sinha, Suniti; Banner, Megan

2017-01-01

Introduction Based on relative population size and burden of disease, emergency care publication outputs from low- and middle-income regions are disproportionately lower than those of high-income regions. Ironically, outputs from regions with higher publication rates are often less relevant in the African context. As a result, the dissemination of and access to local research is essential to local researchers, but the cost of this access (actual and cost-wise) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to describe access to African emergency care publications in terms of publisher-based access (open access or subscription) and alternate access (self-archived or author provided), as well as the cost of access. Methods We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using all emergency medicine publications included in Scopus between 2011 and 2015. A sequential search strategy described access to each article, and we calculated mean article charges against the purchasing power parity index (used to describe out-of-pocket expense). Results We included 666 publications from 49 journals, of which 395 (59.3%) were open access. For subscription-based articles, 106 (39.1%) were self-archived, 60 (22.1%) were author-provided, and 105 (38.8%) were inaccessible. Mean article access cost was $36.44, and mean processing charge was $2,319.34. Using the purchasing power parity index it was calculated that equivalent out-of-pocket expenditure for South African, Ghanaian and Tanzanian authors would respectively be $15.77, $10.44 and $13.04 for access, and $1,004.02, $664.36 and $830.27 for processing. Based on this, the corrected cost of a single-unit article access or process charge for South African, Ghanaian and Tanzanian authors, respectively, was 2.3, 3.5 and 2.8 times higher than the standard rate. Conclusion One in six African emergency care publications are inaccessible outside institutional library subscriptions; additionally, the cost of access to publications in low

A Snapshot: South African University Students' Attitudes, Perceptions and Knowledge of HIV/AIDS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raijmakers, L. R.; Pretorius, J. D.

2006-01-01

This article presents the findings of a survey conducted in August 2004 of students' attitudes, perceptions and knowledge about sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and sexual practices at an Institution of Higher Education. The study was set against the backdrop of the 2004 South African national survey, conducted by the Reproductive Health…

Racial Microaggressions: The Narratives of African American Faculty at a Predominantly White University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittman, Chavella T.

2012-01-01

What role does race play in the lives of fourteen African American (7 women, 7 men) faculty on a predominantly White campus? This case study focuses on their narratives which revealed that racial microaggressions were a common and negative facet of their lives on campus. Specifically, their narratives suggest interactions of microinvalidations…

Swahili-L: Using Computer Technology To Promote African Language Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuntz, Patricia S.

The evolution of Swahili-L, an Internet distribution list service for multi-address mailings written in Swahili, is chronicled and its applications in second language teaching, literacy education, and worldwide communication among Swahili speakers are discussed. Developed by the African studies outreach program at the University of Wisconsin, the…

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…

In Search of Historical Consciousness: An Investigation into Young South Africans' Knowledge and Understanding of "Their" National Histories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angier, Kate

2017-01-01

This study reports the findings of an investigation into young South Africans' knowledge and understanding of their national past derived from narrative accounts of South African history written by 27 university students who had recently completed the national school history curriculum. Analysis of these narratives indicates two fundamental…

Necropsy and histopathologic findings in 14 African hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris): a retrospective study.

PubMed

Raymond, J T; White, M R

1999-06-01

From fiscal years 1992 through 1996, 14 African hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) cases were submitted to the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University. The most common diagnoses were splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis (91%), hepatic lipidosis (50%), renal disease (50%), and neoplastic disease (29%). Other less frequent necropsy findings were myocarditis (21%), colitis (14%), bacterial septicemia (14%), and pneumonia (14%). The data indicate that splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis, hepatic lipidosis, renal disease, and neoplasms are frequent postmortem findings in hedgehogs.

Away with Good Bantus: De-Linking African Language Literature from Culture, "Tribe" and Propriety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mkhize, Nomalanga

2016-01-01

This paper argues that the "institutionalisation" model used by universities to spearhead the intellectualisation of African languages is a non-starter for taking African languages in new creative directions. The major constraint for African language literary culture is that written output has historically been heavily bent towards…

To Test or Not to Test: Barriers and Solutions to Testing African American College Students for HIV at a Historically Black College/University.

PubMed

Hall, Naomi M; Peterson, Jennifer; Johnson, Malynnda

2014-01-01

Young African Americans are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The purpose was to identify reasons that African American college students at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) identified as barriers to HIV testing, and how these barriers can be removed. Fifty-seven heterosexual-identified undergraduate students (ages 18-25) attending an HBCU in the southeastern US participated in a mixed method study. Latent content analytic techniques were used to code the transcripts for themes and categories, and representative quotations were used in the findings. Quantitative data indicates high levels of perceived knowledge about HIV transmission, low perception of risk and concern of contracting HIV, yet continued sexual risk behavior. Qualitative data indicates three main themes used to avoid testing and three themes to encourage testing. Students were forthcoming in discussing the themes around avoidance of HIV testing (being scared to know, preferring not to know, and lack of discussion about HIV) and encouraging testing (group testing, increasing basic knowledge, and showing the reality of HIV). It is important for college healthcare professionals, researchers, and officials to identify appropriate ways to encourage HIV testing, and promote testing as part of overall health.

On University of Texas' Flagship Campus, Soul-Searching over Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sander, Libby

2012-01-01

The author reports on a Supreme Court case that is echoing across the University of Texas at Austin, and for some students, it is personal. Not long after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Abigail Fisher's case against the University of Texas at Austin, a lighthearted joke made the rounds at the Warfield Center for African and African-American…

Academic Programmes in Universities in East Africa: A Catalyst to Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karimi, Florah Katanu

2015-01-01

The types of academic programmes offered by universities, both public and private, are considered to be critical to the realization of development agendas. This study was descriptive in nature and sought to establish whether universities in the East African region were offering academic programmes that were relevant to the realization of the…

On-Going Research at Slippery Rock University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Craig

1985-01-01

Summarizes eight research studies in the field of outdoor/environmental education being completed at Slippery Rock University in 1985. Topics include isolation among National Park Service rangers, school participation in recycling programs, the use of trees to modify microclimates in West African urban centers, and evaluation of environmental…

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.

Wheelchair users, access and exclusion in South African higher education.

PubMed

Chiwandire, Desire; Vincent, Louise

2017-01-01

South Africa's Constitution guarantees everyone, including persons with disabilities, the right to education. A variety of laws are in place obliging higher education institutions to provide appropriate physical access to education sites for all. In practice, however, many buildings remain inaccessible to people with physical disabilities. To describe what measures South African universities are taking to make their built environments more accessible to students with diverse types of disabilities, and to assess the adequacy of such measures. We conducted semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews with disability unit staff members (DUSMs) based at 10 different public universities in South Africa. Challenges with promoting higher education accessibility for wheelchair users include the preservation and heritage justification for failing to modify older buildings, ad hoc approaches to creating accessible environments and failure to address access to toilets, libraries and transport facilities for wheelchair users. South African universities are still not places where all students are equally able to integrate socially. DUSMs know what ought to be done to make campuses more accessible and welcoming to students with disabilities and should be empowered to play a leading role in sensitising non-disabled members of universities, to create greater awareness of, and appreciation for, the multiple ways in which wheelchair user students continue to be excluded from full participation in university life. South African universities need to adopt a systemic approach to inclusion, which fosters an understanding of inclusion as a fundamental right rather than as a luxury.

Estimation of true height: a study in population-specific methods among young South African adults.

PubMed

Lahner, Christen Renée; Kassier, Susanna Maria; Veldman, Frederick Johannes

2017-02-01

To investigate the accuracy of arm-associated height estimation methods in the calculation of true height compared with stretch stature in a sample of young South African adults. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. Pietermaritzburg, Westville and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 2015. Convenience sample (N 900) aged 18-24 years, which included an equal number of participants from both genders (150 per gender) stratified across race (Caucasian, Black African and Indian). Continuous variables that were investigated included: (i) stretch stature; (ii) total armspan; (iii) half-armspan; (iv) half-armspan ×2; (v) demi-span; (vi) demi-span gender-specific equation; (vii) WHO equation; and (viii) WHO-adjusted equations; as well as categorization according to gender and race. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21.0. Significant correlations were identified between gender and height estimation measurements, with males being anatomically larger than females (P<0·001). Significant differences were documented when study participants were stratified according to race and gender (P<0·001). Anatomical similarities were noted between Indians and Black Africans, whereas Caucasians were anatomically different from the other race groups. Arm-associated height estimation methods were able to estimate true height; however, each method was specific to each gender and race group. Height can be calculated by using arm-associated measurements. Although universal equations for estimating true height exist, for the enhancement of accuracy, the use of equations that are race-, gender- and population-specific should be considered.

Factors Contributing to the Persistence of African American and Hispanic Undergraduate Males Enrolled at a Regional Predominantly White Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Reginal R.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that may contribute to the persistence and graduation rates of African American and Hispanic undergraduate males enrolled at regional fouryear public universities in Texas. African American and Hispanic males have lower graduation rates in both secondary and post-secondary education than their White…

Emotional face processing deficit in schizophrenia: A replication study in a South African Xhosa population.

PubMed

Leppänen, J M; Niehaus, D J H; Koen, L; Du Toit, E; Schoeman, R; Emsley, R

2006-06-01

Schizophrenia is associated with a deficit in the recognition of negative emotions from facial expressions. The present study examined the universality of this finding by studying facial expression recognition in African Xhosa population. Forty-four Xhosa patients with schizophrenia and forty healthy controls were tested with a computerized task requiring rapid perceptual discrimination of matched positive (i.e. happy), negative (i.e. angry), and neutral faces. Patients were equally accurate as controls in recognizing happy faces but showed a marked impairment in recognition of angry faces. The impairment was particularly pronounced for high-intensity (open-mouth) angry faces. Patients also exhibited more false happy and angry responses to neutral faces than controls. No correlation between level of education or illness duration and emotion recognition was found but the deficit in the recognition of negative emotions was more pronounced in familial compared to non-familial cases of schizophrenia. These findings suggest that the deficit in the recognition of negative facial expressions may constitute a universal neurocognitive marker of schizophrenia.

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…

A study of the historical role of African Americans in science, engineering and technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Keith Wayne

2000-11-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is adequate documentation of an historical role of African and African American involvement in science, engineering, and technology. Through the use of history of science and technology research methodology, along with an examination of the sociological and economic impacts of adequately accredited innovations and inventions contributed by Africans and African Americans, the researcher investigated their contributions to the following areas of science and technology: life science, physical sciences and chemistry, engineering, and science education. In regard to the timeframe for this study, the researcher specifically investigated African and African American involvement in science and technology that includes periods prior to black enslavement, scientific racism and colonialism, as well as during and after those periods. This research study reveals that there are adequate historical data regarding African and African American contributions to science, engineering, and technology. The data reveals that for many millennia African peoples have been continually involved in science and world science histories. The data further show that the numbers of African Americans acquiring BS, MS, Ph.D., Doctor of Science and Doctor of Engineering degrees in science and engineering disciplines are increasing. That these increases are not happening at a rate representative of the present or future African American percentages of the population. Consequently, because of future changes in our nation's demographics, increasing the numbers of people from under-represented groups who pursue scientific and engineering professions has become a matter of national security at the highest levels of government. Moreover, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are not pursuing careers or taking courses in science and engineering at a rate high enough to fulfill the prospective needs for the United States' industries, government

The relationships among Black consciousness, self-esteem, and academic self-efficacy in African American men.

PubMed

Okech, Allan Prince; Harrington, Rick

2002-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among Black consciousness, self-esteem, and academic self-efficacy in African American men. The participants were 120 African American male college students at a predominantly African American university. The authors administered 3 instruments--the Developmental Inventory of Black Consciousness (DIB-C; J. Milliones, 1980), the M. Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, and R. E. Wood and E. A. Locke's (1987) Academic Self-Efficacy Scale--to test the hypotheses. They used an independent-measures t test and a Pearson r correlation to analyze the data. The results of the study supported the hypotheses under investigation. Significant positive relationships were found between Black consciousness and self-esteem and Black consciousness and academic self-efficacy. The results of the study showed that Black consciousness appears to be an important construct to use in understanding self-esteem and academic self-efficacy in African American men.

International Studies in Dementia With Particular Emphasis on Populations of African Origin

PubMed Central

Hendrie, Hugh C.; Murrell, Jill; Gao, Sujuan; Unverzagt, Fredrick W.; Ogunniyi, Adesola; Hall, Kathleen S.

2011-01-01

Epidemiologic studies on dementia generally have 2 major interacting objectives: descriptive, where rates of dementia and Alzheimer Disease (AD) are calculated for communities and selected populations, and analytic, which attempt to explain the observed phenotypic variations in communities and populations by identifying disease risk factors. The public health benefits derived from descriptive studies are exemplified by the recent published review of the global prevalence of dementia under the auspices of Alzheimer Disease International. This review emphasized the enormous and growing burden associated with dementia particularly for countries in the developing world and outlined strategies to influence policy making, planning, and healthcare allocation. One interesting feature of descriptive studies on dementia is that although the few epidemiologic studies conducted in Africa suggest that rates of dementia and AD are relatively low, rates of AD and dementia have been reported to be relatively high for African Americans. The Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project has reported that the incidence rates for AD and dementia in Yoruba are less than half the incidence rates for AD and dementia in African Americans. Analytic studies are now underway to identify risk factors that may account for these rate differences. The risk factor model being applied, attempts to identify not only putative genetic and environmental factors but also their interactions. So far the major findings have included: apolipoprotein E e4, a major risk factor for AD in most populations, is also a risk factor for AD in African Americans but not for Yoruba; African Americans are at higher risk not only for AD, but also for diseases associated with increased cardiovascular risk such as hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome; African Americans have higher rates of hypercholesterolemia than Yoruba: there is an interaction between apolipoprotein E e4, cholesterol, and AD risk in both Yoruba and

International studies in dementia with particular emphasis on populations of African origin.

PubMed

Hendrie, Hugh C; Murrell, Jill; Gao, Sujuan; Unverzagt, Fredrick W; Ogunniyi, Adesola; Hall, Kathleen S

2006-01-01

Epidemiologic studies on dementia generally have 2 major interacting objectives: descriptive, where rates of dementia and Alzheimer Disease (AD) are calculated for communities and selected populations, and analytic, which attempt to explain the observed phenotypic variations in communities and populations by identifying disease risk factors. The public health benefits derived from descriptive studies are exemplified by the recent published review of the global prevalence of dementia under the auspices of Alzheimer Disease International. This review emphasized the enormous and growing burden associated with dementia particularly for countries in the developing world and outlined strategies to influence policy making, planning, and healthcare allocation. One interesting feature of descriptive studies on dementia is that although the few epidemiologic studies conducted in Africa suggest that rates of dementia and AD are relatively low, rates of AD and dementia have been reported to be relatively high for African Americans. The Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project has reported that the incidence rates for AD and dementia in Yoruba are less than half the incidence rates for AD and dementia in African Americans. Analytic studies are now underway to identify risk factors that may account for these rate differences. The risk factor model being applied, attempts to identify not only putative genetic and environmental factors but also their interactions. So far the major findings have included: apolipoprotein E e4, a major risk factor for AD in most populations, is also a risk factor for AD in African Americans but not for Yoruba; African Americans are at higher risk not only for AD, but also for diseases associated with increased cardiovascular risk such as hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome; African Americans have higher rates of hypercholesterolemia than Yoruba: there is an interaction between apolipoprotein E e4, cholesterol, and AD risk in both Yoruba and

Supporting At-Risk Learners at a Comprehensive University in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayet, Razia

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a study done within the Learning Development Unit (LDU) at a South African university. It addresses the issue that many students who arrive at university lack the requisite academic skills needed for success in higher education which increases the time taken to graduate. One of the multiple reasons for this is the…

4th Annual SATN Conference 2011: Curriculum Transformation at Universities of Technology: Towards Development of New Generation Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mthembu, T.

2012-01-01

The South African Technology Network (SATN) would like to thank the Editor of the "South African Journal of Higher Education" (SAJHE) for the opportunity to publish papers read at the 4th Annual SATN Conference that was hosted by Central University of Technology and held in Bloemfontein in November 2011. The journal makes it possible for…

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…

African American Women and Brown: A Lingering Twilight or Emerging Dawn?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, Beverly

1994-01-01

Critically examines the factors continuing to impede the integral presence of African American women in pivotal decision-making positions in colleges and universities. Interviews with three African American women who were among the first deans or associate deans of education at leading schools are presented, detailing their experiences and views…

Posttraumatic stress disorder in African Americans: a two year follow-up study.

PubMed

Pérez Benítez, Carlos I; Sibrava, Nicholas J; Kohn-Wood, Laura; Bjornsson, Andri S; Zlotnick, Caron; Weisberg, Risa; Keller, Martin B

2014-12-15

The present study was a prospective, naturalistic, longitudinal investigation of the two year course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of African Americans with anxiety disorders. The study objectives were to examine the two year course of PTSD and to evaluate differences between African Americans with PTSD and anxiety disorders and African Americans with anxiety disorders but no PTSD with regard to comorbidity, psychosocial impairment, physical and emotional functioning, and treatment participation. The participants were 67 African Americans with PTSD and 98 African Americans without PTSD (mean age 41.5 years, 67.3% female). Individuals with PTSD were more likely to have higher comorbidity, lower functioning, and they were less likely to seek treatment than those with other anxiety disorders but no PTSD. The rate of recovery from PTSD over two years was 0.10 and recovery from comorbid Major Depressive Disorder was 0.55. PTSD appears to be persistent over time in this population. The rates of recovery were lower than what has been reported in previous longitudinal studies with predominantly non-Latino Whites. It is imperative to examine barriers to treatment and factors related to treatment engagement for this population. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Undergraduate Students' Infractions and the Administration of Social Justice in Nigerian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igbineweka, V. O.; Iguodala, W. A.; Anukaenyi, Blessing Osuigwe

2016-01-01

Nigeria, situated in the West African sub-region of the African continent has an estimated population of over 170 million people with 146 universities. The demand for these universities in the recent past has been unprecedented with an average of 1.5 million applicants for placement annually, the highest anywhere in the world. Regrettably, public…

Marketing University Education: The Southern African Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maringe, Felix; Foskett, Nick

2002-01-01

Examined the perceptions of university marketers in southern Africa. Found a varying awareness of the significance of marketing, with more mature institutions exhibiting more developed marketing orientations. Strategies ranged from marketing as public relations to marketing as sales, with universities in South Africa the only ones demonstrating a…

Exploring knowledge, attitudes, and barriers toward the use of evidence-based practice amongst academic health care practitioners in their teaching in a South African university: a pilot study.

PubMed

McInerney, Patricia; Suleman, Fatima

2010-06-01

If institutions of higher education are to produce health professionals whose practice is research based, then students need to be exposed to learning opportunities that include searching for information and critical appraisal. This requires teachers to incorporate the latest research in their teaching. One of the identified strategic goals of a South African university was to produce evidence-based health care practitioners. Evidence-based practice (EBP) requires that health care practitioners plan their actions based on clinically relevant studies and research as opposed to traditional actions that are steeped in opinion. To determine the extent to which academic health care practitioners use "evidence" in their teaching and what they perceived as barriers to the use of EBP. A quantitative design was chosen and a structured questionnaire was used. The areas that were measured included knowledge and attitudes, use of EBP and perceived barriers to the use of EBP. Twenty-three academic health care practitioners completed the questionnaire. Knowledge and attitudes: 80% strongly agreed on a four-point Likert scale, that there is a strong need to incorporate EBP into teaching, with only 48% strongly agreeing that EBP is another perspective of clinical effectiveness. Use of EBP: 73.9% stated that they used EBP in their teaching and 60.9% agreed that it imposes another demand on an already overloaded academic. More than half reported using journals, textbooks, the Internet, colleagues, and the Cochrane library to improve their teaching. Academic health care practitioners attempting to implement EBP have encountered a significant number of barriers in this South African institution. These barriers include lack of knowledge pertaining to EBP, lack of access to research findings, insufficient evidence, and insufficient time.

Views of South African Chemistry Students in University Bridging Programs on the Reliability of Experimental Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rollnick, Marissa; Dlamini, Betty; Lotz, Sandra; Lubben, Fred

2001-08-01

This paper reports an investigation of the status of procedural knowledge in chemistry amongst students entering into bridging programs at two South African universities. The students answered a questionnaire which investigated their perceived reasons for repeating readings and their ideas about handling data. Students also answered a question on laboratory apparatus which was used to assess their laboratory experience. The overall responses were analysed, as well as their relationship to laboratory experience and home language. The findings show that students overall tend to repeat in order to get a recurring reading. Very few students were able to use a line of best fit for a set of graphical data. There is some relationship between their responses and previous laboratory experiences, but little fundamental difference between the responses of the two main language groups. Some implications for tertiary education in chemistry are discussed.

Collection Development Policy for the University of Kansas Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheldon, Ted, Ed.; And Others

This policy reflects developmental patterns governing the evolution of collections in the University of Kansas Libraries. Policy statements, written by bibliographers, are provided for 54 subject areas: African studies; anthropology; applied English; architecture and urban design; art; astronomy and physics; biological sciences; business…

An ImmunoChip study of multiple sclerosis risk in African Americans

PubMed Central

Isobe, Noriko; Madireddy, Lohith; Khankhanian, Pouya; Matsushita, Takuya; Caillier, Stacy J.; Moré, Jayaji M.; Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; McCauley, Jacob L.; Beecham, Ashley H.; Piccio, Laura; Herbert, Joseph; Khan, Omar; Cohen, Jeffrey; Stone, Lael; Santaniello, Adam; Cree, Bruce A. C.; Onengut-Gumuscu, Suna; Rich, Stephen S.; Hauser, Stephen L.; Sawcer, Stephen

2015-01-01

The aims of this study were: (i) to determine to what degree multiple sclerosis-associated loci discovered in European populations also influence susceptibility in African Americans; (ii) to assess the extent to which the unique linkage disequilibrium patterns in African Americans can contribute to localizing the functionally relevant regions or genes; and (iii) to search for novel African American multiple sclerosis-associated loci. Using the ImmunoChip custom array we genotyped 803 African American cases with multiple sclerosis and 1516 African American control subjects at 130 135 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms. We conducted association analysis with rigorous adjustments for population stratification and admixture. Of the 110 non-major histocompatibility complex multiple sclerosis-associated variants identified in Europeans, 96 passed stringent quality control in our African American data set and of these, >70% (69) showed over-representation of the same allele amongst cases, including 21 with nominally significant evidence for association (one-tailed test P < 0.05). At a further eight loci we found nominally significant association with an alternate correlated risk-tagging single nucleotide polymorphism from the same region. Outside the regions known to be associated in Europeans, we found seven potentially associated novel candidate multiple sclerosis variants (P < 10−4), one of which (rs2702180) also showed nominally significant evidence for association (one-tailed test P = 0.034) in an independent second cohort of 620 African American cases and 1565 control subjects. However, none of these novel associations reached genome-wide significance (combined P = 6.3 × 10−5). Our data demonstrate substantial overlap between African American and European multiple sclerosis variants, indicating common genetic contributions to multiple sclerosis risk. PMID:25818868

A Qualitative Study of African American Women in Engineering Technology Programs in Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blakley, Jacquelyn

2016-01-01

This study examined the experiences of African American women in engineering technology programs in community colleges. There is a lack of representation of African American women in engineering technology programs throughout higher education, especially in community/technical colleges. There is also lack of representation of African American…

Universities in Africa: Strategies for Stabilization and Revitalization. World Bank Technical Paper No. 194, Africa Technical Department Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saint, William S.

This publication presents the results of a study on how to overcome the current crisis of quality, relevance and finance in African universities. The analysis developed from the 1988 policy study, "Education in Sub-Saharan Africa," and discussion within the Donors to African Education Working Group on Higher Education. In 12 chapters the…

Cooperative Policies and African International Students: Do Policy Spirits Match Experiences?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLellan, Carlton E.

2009-01-01

This paper explores the policy implications of experiences of African international students (AIS) studying at post-apartheid South Africa universities. It argues that given the spirit and tone of continental, regional, and domestic policies to which South Africa has committed that at the very least there is an implicit expectation of…

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…

Active smoking and survival following breast cancer among African American and non-African American women in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study.

PubMed

Parada, Humberto; Sun, Xuezheng; Tse, Chiu-Kit; Olshan, Andrew F; Troester, Melissa A; Conway, Kathleen

2017-09-01

To examine racial differences in smoking rates at the time of breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent survival among African American and non-African American women in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study (Phases I/II), a large population-based North Carolina study. We interviewed 788 African American and 1,020 Caucasian/non-African American women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 1993 to 2000, to assess smoking history. After a median follow-up of 13.56 years, we identified 717 deaths using the National Death Index; 427 were breast cancer-related. We used Cox regression to examine associations between self-reported measures of smoking and breast cancer-specific survival within 5 years and up to 18 years after diagnosis conditional on 5-year survival. We examined race and estrogen receptor status as potential modifiers. Current (vs never) smoking was not associated with 5-year survival; however, risk of 13 year conditional breast cancer-specific mortality was elevated among women who were current smokers at diagnosis (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06-2.25), compared to never smokers. Although smoking rates were similar among African American (22.0%) and non-African American (22.1%) women, risk of breast cancer-specific mortality was elevated among African American (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.00-2.85), but only weakly elevated among non-African American (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.70-2.14) current (vs. never) smokers (P Interaction  = 0.30). Risk of breast cancer-specific mortality was also elevated among current (vs never) smokers diagnosed with ER - (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.35-4.93), but not ER + (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.69-1.78) tumors (P Interaction  = 0.17). Smoking may negatively impact long-term survival following breast cancer. Racial differences in long-term survival, as related to smoking, may be driven by ER status, rather than by differences in smoking patterns.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-04-01

Mutations in African Americans PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Howard University Washington DC 20059 REPORT DATE...OR SELL ANY PATENTED INVENTION THAT MAY RELATE TO THEM. LIMITED RIGHTS LEGEND Award Number: DAMD17-98-1-8106 Organization: Howard University Those...7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Howard University REPORT NUMBER Washington DC 20059 E-Mail:cbroome

Wheelchair users, access and exclusion in South African higher education

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background South Africa’s Constitution guarantees everyone, including persons with disabilities, the right to education. A variety of laws are in place obliging higher education institutions to provide appropriate physical access to education sites for all. In practice, however, many buildings remain inaccessible to people with physical disabilities. Objectives To describe what measures South African universities are taking to make their built environments more accessible to students with diverse types of disabilities, and to assess the adequacy of such measures. Method We conducted semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews with disability unit staff members (DUSMs) based at 10 different public universities in South Africa. Results Challenges with promoting higher education accessibility for wheelchair users include the preservation and heritage justification for failing to modify older buildings, ad hoc approaches to creating accessible environments and failure to address access to toilets, libraries and transport facilities for wheelchair users. Conclusion South African universities are still not places where all students are equally able to integrate socially. DUSMs know what ought to be done to make campuses more accessible and welcoming to students with disabilities and should be empowered to play a leading role in sensitising non-disabled members of universities, to create greater awareness of, and appreciation for, the multiple ways in which wheelchair user students continue to be excluded from full participation in university life. South African universities need to adopt a systemic approach to inclusion, which fosters an understanding of inclusion as a fundamental right rather than as a luxury. PMID:28936420

One African Male in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Robert L.

2016-01-01

Many predominantly White universities and colleges are seeking ways to both recruit and retain Black students (Simmons, J., Lowery-Hart, R., Wahl, S. T., & McBride, M. C. (2013). "Understanding the African-American student experience in higher education through a relational dialectics perspective." "Communication…

A Case Study Examining the Influence of Black Greek Letter Fraternal Presence, Policies, and Practices on African American Male Student Success at a Predominantly White Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, Stanley Duane

2010-01-01

This qualitative case study was conducted at a mid-sized university in the southeastern United States to determine if a nexus existed among BGLF presence, policies, and practices at a PWI that influences the student success of African American males. This research focused on the analysis of two direct associations--the association between the BGLF…

An Exploratory Study of Responses to Low-Dose Lithium in African Americans and Hispanics

PubMed Central

Arnold, Jodi Gonzalez; Salcedo, Stephanie; Ketter, Terrence A.; Calabrese, Joseph R.; Rabideau, Dustin J.; Nierenberg, Andrew A.; Bazan, Melissa; Leon, Andrew C.; Friedman, Edward S.; Iosifescu, Dan; Sylvia, Louisa G.; Ostacher, Michael; Thase, Michael; Reilly-Harrington, Noreen A.; Bowden, Charles L.

2015-01-01

Objectives Few prospective studies examine the impact of ethnicity or race on outcomes with lithium for bipolar disorder. This exploratory study examines differences in lithium response and treatment outcomes in Hispanics, African Americans, and non-Hispanic Whites with bipolar disorder in the Lithium Treatment Moderate Dose Use Study (LiTMUS). Methods LiTMUS was a six-site randomized controlled trial of low-dose lithium added to optimized treatment (OPT; personalized, evidence-based pharmacotherapy) versus OPT alone in outpatients with bipolar disorder. Of 283 participants, 47 African Americans, 39 Hispanics, and 175 non-Hispanic whites were examined. We predicted minority groups would have more negative medication attitudes and higher attrition rates, but better clinical outcomes. Results African Americans in the lithium group improved more on depression and life functioning compared to whites over the 6 month study. African Americans in the OPT only group had marginal improvement on depression symptoms. For Hispanics, satisfaction with life did not significantly improve in the OPT only group, in contrast to whites and African Americans who improved over time on all measures. Attitudes toward medications did not differ across ethnic/racial groups. Conclusions African Americans show some greater improvements with lithium than non-Hispanic whites, and Hispanics showed more consistent improvements in the lithium group. The impact of low-dose lithium should be studied in a larger sample as there may be particular benefit for African Americans and Hispanics. Given that the control group (regardless of ethnicity/race) had significant improvements, optimized treatment may be beneficial for any ethnic group. PMID:25827507

Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions’ capacity for operational health research

PubMed Central

Cole, Donald C; Gaye, Oumar; Mmbaga, Blandina T; Mwapasa, Victor; Tagbor, Harry

2017-01-01

Objectives Research is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps. Setting Four African universities. Participants 83 university staff and students from 11 cadres. Intervention/methods A literature-informed ‘benchmark’ was developed and used to itemise all components of a university’s health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified. Results Common gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges. Conclusions Identification of each institutions’ strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research

Understanding Tobacco Use Onset Among African Americans.

PubMed

Roberts, Megan E; Colby, Suzanne M; Lu, Bo; Ferketich, Amy K

2016-04-01

Compared to the majority of non-Hispanic white ("white") cigarette smokers, many African American smokers demonstrate a later age of initiation. The goal of the present study was to examine African American late-onset smoking (ie, regular smoking beginning at age 18 or later) and determine whether late-onset (vs. early-onset) smoking is protective in terms of quit rates and health outcomes. We used data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) because the wide age range of participants (20-75 at baseline) allowed the examination of smoking cessation and mortality incidence across the lifespan. Consistent with previous research, results indicated a later average age of smoking onset among African Americans, compared to whites. Disentangling effects of race from age-of-onset, we found that the cessation rate among late-onset African American smokers was 33%, whereas rates for early-onset African American smokers and early- and late-onset white smokers ranged from 52% to 57%. Finally, results showed that among white, low-socioeconomic status (SES) smokers, the hazard rate for mortality was greater among early- versus late-onset smokers; in contrast, among African American smokers (both low- and high-SES) hazard rates for mortality did not significantly differ among early- versus late-onset smokers. Although late (vs. early) smoking onset may be protective for whites, the present results suggest that late-onset may not be similarly protective for African Americans. Tobacco programs and regulatory policies focused on prevention should expand their perspective to include later ages of initiation, in order to avoid widening tobacco-related health disparities. This study indicates that late-onset smoking is not only the norm among African American adult smokers, but that late- versus early-onset smoking (ie, delaying onset) does not appear to afford any benefits for African Americans in terms of cessation or mortality. These results

Recruiting intergenerational African American males for biomedical research Studies: a major research challenge.

PubMed

Byrd, Goldie S; Edwards, Christopher L; Kelkar, Vinaya A; Phillips, Ruth G; Byrd, Jennifer R; Pim-Pong, Dora Som; Starks, Takiyah D; Taylor, Ashleigh L; Mckinley, Raechel E; Li, Yi-Ju; Pericak-Vance, Margaret

2011-06-01

The health and well-being of all individuals, independent of race, ethnicity, or gender, is a significant public health concern. Despite many improvements in the status of minority health, African American males continue to have the highest age-adjusted mortality rate of any race-sex group in the United States. Such disparities are accounted for by deaths from a number of diseases such as diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cancer, and cardiovascular disease, as well as by many historical and present social and cultural constructs that present as obstacles to better health outcomes. Distrust of the medical community, inadequate education, low socioeconomic status, social deprivation, and underutilized primary health care services all contribute to disproportionate health and health care outcomes among African Americans compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Results of clinical research on diseases that disproportionately affect African American males are often limited in their reliability due to common sampling errors existing in the majority of biomedical research studies and clinical trials. There are many reasons for underrepresentation of African American males in clinical trials, including their common recollection and interpretation of relevant historical of biomedical events where minorities were abused or exposed to racial discrimination or racist provocation. In addition, African American males continue to be less educated and more disenfranchised from the majority in society than Caucasian males and females and their African American female counterparts. As such, understanding their perceptions, even in early developmental years, about health and obstacles to involvement in research is important. In an effort to understand perspectives about their level of participation, motivation for participation, impact of education, and engagement in research, this study was designed to explore factors that impact their willingness to participate. Our

Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions' capacity for operational health research.

PubMed

Wallis, Selina; Cole, Donald C; Gaye, Oumar; Mmbaga, Blandina T; Mwapasa, Victor; Tagbor, Harry; Bates, Imelda

2017-09-05

Research is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps. Four African universities. 83 university staff and students from 11 cadres. A literature-informed 'benchmark' was developed and used to itemise all components of a university's health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified. Common gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges. Identification of each institutions' strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research capacity. Research capacity gaps that were common to several institutions could be

Recruitment of a hidden population: African Americans with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Williams, Monnica T; Proetto, Dante; Casiano, Delane; Franklin, Martin E

2012-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, however for reasons that are poorly understood ethnic minority groups are not well represented in clinical research studies. Thus, although African Americans experience equivalent rates of OCD according to epidemiological surveys, the generalizability of findings from clinical trials remains unknown. Research designed to improve identification, assessment and treatment of OCD is an important public health priority. The purpose of this study is to report outreach methods used to recruit African American adults for participation in an OCD research study. A variety of methods were employed, including radio advertisements, public transportation advertising, community outreach, and online advertising. A total of 83 African American adult participants were recruited over a 9.5 month period at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and given comprehensive psychiatric assessments. African Americans with OCD symptoms were reliably identified and assessed, for a total of 75 with lifetime OCD (4 past and 71 current diagnoses). There was variability in the success and cost effectiveness of study recruitment methods. Radio ads were the most expensive means of recruitment, newspaper ads accounted for the largest number of eligible participants, and no cost methods such as Craig's List and word of mouth were also effective. The authors conclude that, with focused efforts, there are many effective methods for recruiting African Americans with OCD. Guidelines for recruitment are discussed, with a focus on cultural considerations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recruitment of a Hidden Population: African Americans with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

PubMed Central

Williams, Monnica T.; Proetto, Dante; Casiano, Delane; Franklin, Martin

2011-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, however for reasons that are poorly understood ethnic minority groups are not well represented in clinical research studies. Thus, although African Americans experience equivalent rates of OCD according to epidemiological surveys, the generalizability of findings from clinical trials remains unknown. Research designed to improve identification, assessment and treatment of OCD is an important public health priority. The purpose of this study is to report outreach methods used to recruit African American adults for participation in an OCD research study. A variety of methods were employed, including radio advertisements, public transportation advertising, community outreach, and online advertising. A total of 83 African American adult participants were recruited over a 9.5 month period at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and given comprehensive psychiatric assessments. African Americans with OCD symptoms were reliably identified and assessed, for a total of 75 with lifetime OCD (4 past and 71 current diagnoses). There was variability in the success and cost effectiveness of study recruitment methods. Radio ads were the most expensive means of recruitment, newspaper ads accounted for the largest number of eligible participants, and no cost methods such as Craig’s List and word of mouth were also effective. The authors conclude that, with focused efforts, there are many effective methods for recruiting African Americans with OCD. Guidelines for recruitment are discussed, with a focus on cultural considerations. PMID:21983626

Strategies to prevent and reduce diabetes and obesity in Sacramento, California: the African American Leadership Coalition and University of California, Davis.

PubMed

Ziegahn, Linda; Styne, Dennis; Askia, Joyce; Roberts, Tina; Lewis, Edward T; Edwards, Whitney

2013-11-14

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of illness and death for African Americans and people of African descent throughout the United States and in the city and county of Sacramento, California. The involvement of families and communities in developing prevention strategies can increase the likelihood that behavioral changes will be sustained. Three member organizations of the African American Leadership Coalition (AALC) entered into a partnership with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to engage families in developing a process to identify barriers to diabetes and obesity prevention and reduction, exchange strategies, and create action plans for prevention. The intervention comprised 3 phases: 1) coalition formation and training; 2) data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results; and 3) development of family and community action plans. Academic and community partners planned and implemented all project phases together. Sources of information about diabetes and obesity were primarily doctors and the Internet; barriers were related to lack of time needed to prepare healthy meals, high food costs, transportation to fresh markets, motivation around healthy habits, and unsafe environments. Action plans addressed behavioral change and family cohesion. The group discussion format encouraged mutual support and suggestions for better eating and physical exercise habits. This collaborative partnership model can strengthen existing group relationships or promote new affiliations that form the basis for future action coalitions. Participants worked both within and across groups to exchange information, stories of success and challenges, and specific health improvement strategies.

Dean of Women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Story Left Untold

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herdlein, Richard; Cali, Christine Frezza; Dina, Joanne

2008-01-01

There is a paucity of historical discourse on the distinct contributions of African American women serving as deans of women at historically Black colleges and universities. Using historical research and the case study approach, the analysis focused on three deans of women: Lucy Diggs Slowe--Howard University, Owena Hunter Davis--Johnson C. Smith…

Leukoedema: an epidemiological study in white and African Americans.

PubMed

Martin, J L

1997-01-01

Leukoedema, a benign grayish-white lesion which characteristically involves the oral mucosa of humans, was once indicated as a probable precursor to leukoplakia. The author reports an incidence of fifty-three percent in a population of 13,000 white and African Americans who reside in the Southeastern region of the United States. This longitudinal study revealed that the incidence of leukoedema per 1,000 persons increased with age in both ethnic groups up to ages 40-49 and then declined systematically. There was no sex predilection. The occurrence of leukoedema was significantly greater in African Americans.

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…

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…

Black Tribal African Religion with Some Emphasis on Christianity and Islam in Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmons, Marian

This 6th grade social studies unit delves into the belief systems and external religious, cultural practices of Black Africans. It is part of a series of guides developed by the Public Education Religion Studies Center at Wright State University. Study is focused upon the Ashanti tribe of Ghana knowing that although the multiplicity of tribes have…

International Students' Motivations for Studying in UK HE: Insights into the Choice and Decision Making of African Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maringe, Felix; Carter, Steve

2007-01-01

Purpose: International students' HE decision making is a high stakes process. There is an insufficient evidence base that would aid university level strategic planning in areas of recruitment from the African continent and in supporting its students to maximise the benefits from a UK HE experience. This paper aims to explore the decision making…

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…

Discourses of culture and illness in South African mental health care and indigenous healing, Part I: Western psychiatric power.

PubMed

Yen, Jeffery; Wilbraham, Lindy

2003-12-01

This discourse analytic study explores constructions of culture and illness in the talk of psychiatrists, psychologists and indigenous healers as they discuss possibilities for collaboration in South African mental health care. Versions of 'culture', and disputes over what constitutes 'disorder', are an important site for the negotiation of power relations between mental health practitioners and indigenous healers. The results of this study are presented in two parts. Part I explores discourses about western psychiatric/psychological professionalism, tensions in diagnosis between cultural relativism and psychiatric universalism, and how assertion of 'cultural differences' may be used to resist psychiatric power. Part II explores how discursive constructions of 'African culture' and 'African madness' work to marginalize indigenous healing in South African mental health care, despite repeated calls for collaboration.

Identifying tagging SNPs for African specific genetic variation from the African Diaspora Genome

PubMed Central

Johnston, Henry Richard; Hu, Yi-Juan; Gao, Jingjing; O’Connor, Timothy D.; Abecasis, Gonçalo R.; Wojcik, Genevieve L; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Gourraud, Pierre-Antoine; Lizee, Antoine; Hansen, Mark; Genuario, Rob; Bullis, Dave; Lawley, Cindy; Kenny, Eimear E.; Bustamante, Carlos; Beaty, Terri H.; Mathias, Rasika A.; Barnes, Kathleen C.; Qin, Zhaohui S.; Preethi Boorgula, Meher; Campbell, Monica; Chavan, Sameer; Ford, Jean G.; Foster, Cassandra; Gao, Li; Hansel, Nadia N.; Horowitz, Edward; Huang, Lili; Ortiz, Romina; Potee, Joseph; Rafaels, Nicholas; Ruczinski, Ingo; Scott, Alan F.; Taub, Margaret A.; Vergara, Candelaria; Levin, Albert M.; Padhukasahasram, Badri; Williams, L. Keoki; Dunston, Georgia M.; Faruque, Mezbah U.; Gietzen, Kimberly; Deshpande, Aniket; Grus, Wendy E.; Locke, Devin P.; Foreman, Marilyn G.; Avila, Pedro C.; Grammer, Leslie; Kim, Kwang-Youn A.; Kumar, Rajesh; Schleimer, Robert; De La Vega, Francisco M.; Shringarpure, Suyash S.; Musharoff, Shaila; Burchard, Esteban G.; Eng, Celeste; Hernandez, Ryan D.; Pino-Yanes, Maria; Torgerson, Dara G.; Szpiech, Zachary A.; Torres, Raul; Nicolae, Dan L.; Ober, Carole; Olopade, Christopher O; Olopade, Olufunmilayo; Oluwole, Oluwafemi; Arinola, Ganiyu; Song, Wei; Correa, Adolfo; Musani, Solomon; Wilson, James G.; Lange, Leslie A.; Akey, Joshua; Bamshad, Michael; Chong, Jessica; Fu, Wenqing; Nickerson, Deborah; Reiner, Alexander; Hartert, Tina; Ware, Lorraine B.; Bleecker, Eugene; Meyers, Deborah; Ortega, Victor E.; Maul, Pissamai; Maul, Trevor; Watson, Harold; Ilma Araujo, Maria; Riccio Oliveira, Ricardo; Caraballo, Luis; Marrugo, Javier; Martinez, Beatriz; Meza, Catherine; Ayestas, Gerardo; Francisco Herrera-Paz, Edwin; Landaverde-Torres, Pamela; Erazo, Said Omar Leiva; Martinez, Rosella; Mayorga, Alvaro; Mayorga, Luis F.; Mejia-Mejia, Delmy-Aracely; Ramos, Hector; Saenz, Allan; Varela, Gloria; Marina Vasquez, Olga; Ferguson, Trevor; Knight-Madden, Jennifer; Samms-Vaughan, Maureen; Wilks, Rainford J.; Adegnika, Akim; Ateba-Ngoa, Ulysse; Yazdanbakhsh, Maria

2017-01-01

A primary goal of The Consortium on Asthma among African-ancestry Populations in the Americas (CAAPA) is to develop an ‘African Diaspora Power Chip’ (ADPC), a genotyping array consisting of tagging SNPs, useful in comprehensively identifying African specific genetic variation. This array is designed based on the novel variation identified in 642 CAAPA samples of African ancestry with high coverage whole genome sequence data (~30× depth). This novel variation extends the pattern of variation catalogued in the 1000 Genomes and Exome Sequencing Projects to a spectrum of populations representing the wide range of West African genomic diversity. These individuals from CAAPA also comprise a large swath of the African Diaspora population and incorporate historical genetic diversity covering nearly the entire Atlantic coast of the Americas. Here we show the results of designing and producing such a microchip array. This novel array covers African specific variation far better than other commercially available arrays, and will enable better GWAS analyses for researchers with individuals of African descent in their study populations. A recent study cataloging variation in continental African populations suggests this type of African-specific genotyping array is both necessary and valuable for facilitating large-scale GWAS in populations of African ancestry. PMID:28429804

Woman in the Making: The Impact of the Constructed Campus Environment of Xavier University of Louisiana on the Construction of Black Womanhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Njoku, Nadrea R.

2017-01-01

This study explores the experiences of African American women as students at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA). This study specifically focuses on how these women's experiences at their HBCU facilitated their construction of Black womanhood. This study did not aim to compare, contrast, or situate the experiences of African American women…

Strengthening United States National Security Through Education in the African American Community

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-01

Howard University , 1974, "Can America Solve Its Biggest Problems?" Focus. February & March 1992: 5-6. Chubb, John E. and...Antoine M.,"Educating and Motivating African American Males to Succeed", The Journal of Negro Eci. Howard University , Washington DC: Howard University Press...Jerome,"Strategies for Success", The Journal of Nearo Education. Howard University , Washington DC: Howard University Press, Volume 59, Number 2,

Discovering the Possibilities: A Study of African American Youth Resistance and Activism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis-Williams, Antoinette

2007-01-01

This article presents a study of African American youth resistance and activism. The data revealed that African American youth have a large capacity for activism and ability to resist. Early engagement on issues of social justice, equality and freedom by family, teachers, pastors and community leaders can help to shape political character and…

STEM Outreach to the African Canadian Community - The Imhotep Legacy Academy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hewitt, Kevin

2012-02-01

Like the African American community in the US, the African Canadian community is underrepresented in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. To serve these communities two outreach organizations emerged in Canadian cities where there is a critical mass of learners of African Descent - Toronto and Halifax. I will describe the Imhotep's Legacy Academy, which began in the Physics labs of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has grown to a province-wide program serving three-quarters of the school boards in the province with an annual budget that has grown to 400,000 in 2011-12. It follows the learner from the time they enter grade 7 to the time they graduate from university, through three programs: (a) Weekly After-School science enrichment for junior high learners, (b) Virtual High school tutoring program and (c) Summer student internships and research scholarships for post-secondary students. This year, the program was the beneficiary of funding from TD Bank to establish scholarships for program participants to enter Dalhousie university. Modeled on the Meyerhoff scholarships the program participants are identified at an early stage and are promised a subset of funding as they meet selected criteria during participation in the program. The program enjoys support from the Department of Education and the highest levels of government. A tri-mentoring system exists where faculty of African descent train mentors, who are science students of African descent at associated universities, to deliver hands-on enrichment activities to learners of African Descent. Evidence supporting the success of the program will be highlighted. Project outcomes measured include (i) recruitment; (ii) attendance; (iii) stakeholder relationships; (iv) programming; (v) staff training; (vi) perception of ILASP's value; (vii) academic performance. The end results are new lessons and best practices that are incorporated into a strategic plan for the new project

University Teaching and Social Cohesion in the Age of AIDS: A South African Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesko, Nancy

2007-01-01

In the context of ongoing social divisions, lack of coherent leadership by government, and even divisiveness over medical advances and public health mandates, how might universities respond? What university actions can support "social cohesion" in a society splintered by class, race, gender, colonial legacies, the history of apartheid,…

Genome-Wide Association Studies of the PR Interval in African Americans

PubMed Central

Palmer, Cameron; Meng, Yan A.; Soliman, Elsayed Z.; Musani, Solomon K.; Kerr, Kathleen F.; Schnabel, Renate B.; Lubitz, Steven A.; Sotoodehnia, Nona; Redline, Susan; Pfeufer, Arne; Müller, Martina; Evans, Daniel S.; Nalls, Michael A.; Liu, Yongmei; Newman, Anne B.; Zonderman, Alan B.; Evans, Michele K.; Deo, Rajat; Ellinor, Patrick T.; Paltoo, Dina N.

2011-01-01

The PR interval on the electrocardiogram reflects atrial and atrioventricular nodal conduction time. The PR interval is heritable, provides important information about arrhythmia risk, and has been suggested to differ among human races. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified common genetic determinants of the PR interval in individuals of European and Asian ancestry, but there is a general paucity of GWA studies in individuals of African ancestry. We performed GWA studies in African American individuals from four cohorts (n = 6,247) to identify genetic variants associated with PR interval duration. Genotyping was performed using the Affymetrix 6.0 microarray. Imputation was performed for 2.8 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using combined YRI and CEU HapMap phase II panels. We observed a strong signal (rs3922844) within the gene encoding the cardiac sodium channel (SCN5A) with genome-wide significant association (p<2.5×10−8) in two of the four cohorts and in the meta-analysis. The signal explained 2% of PR interval variability in African Americans (beta  = 5.1 msec per minor allele, 95% CI  = 4.1–6.1, p = 3×10−23). This SNP was also associated with PR interval (beta = 2.4 msec per minor allele, 95% CI = 1.8–3.0, p = 3×10−16) in individuals of European ancestry (n = 14,042), but with a smaller effect size (p for heterogeneity <0.001) and variability explained (0.5%). Further meta-analysis of the four cohorts identified genome-wide significant associations with SNPs in SCN10A (rs6798015), MEIS1 (rs10865355), and TBX5 (rs7312625) that were highly correlated with SNPs identified in European and Asian GWA studies. African ancestry was associated with increased PR duration (13.3 msec, p = 0.009) in one but not the other three cohorts. Our findings demonstrate the relevance of common variants to African Americans at four loci previously associated with PR interval in European and Asian samples

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

University-Community Engagement: Case Study of University Social Responsibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chile, Love M.; Black, Xavier M.

2015-01-01

Corporatisation of universities has drawn parallels between contemporary universities and business corporations, and extended analysis of corporate social responsibility to universities. This article reports on a case study of university-community engagement with schools and school communities through youth engagement programmes to enhance…

BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-10-01

BRCA2 Mutations in African Americans PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Howard University Washington, DC 20059...DAMD17-98-1-8106 6. AUTHOR(S) Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D. 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Howard University REPORT... Howard University Women’s Health Institute, Washington DC, April, 1999. The Proceedings of Health Issues and Concerns of Women of Color: A Call to

Exploring the Sexuality of African American Older Women

PubMed Central

Laganá, Luciana; White, Theresa; Bruzzone, Daniel E.; Bruzzone, Cristine E.

2014-01-01

Aims To identify sexually-related themes of the sexuality of older African American women. Study Design Mixed method. Place and Duration of Study Department of Psychology, California State University Northridge, between July 2009 and June 2011. Methodology We included 13 African American older women (57 to 82 years of age), 11 of whom self-identified as heterosexual, one as bisexual, and one as lesbian. We used a semi-structured interview protocol through which we explored some aspects of the respondents’ sexuality (assessed at a superficial level, to be as tactful as possible). Moreover, we collected information on demographics and self-rated physical health. Two co-authors served as coders, and used content analysis to identify the most salient sexuality themes. Results Emerging themes were (in order from most to least endorsed): having sexual desire (often unfulfilled); engaging in less sexual activity in older age; experiencing changes in one’s sexual life as a function of absence of a spouse; and exercising control over how one’s sexual life is conducted. Motivated by the paucity of our sexuality data, we have also provided suggestions to scholars interested in conducting more in-depth further research on this topic with older African American women. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the common notion that older women are asexual is a myth, while lack of a suitable sexual partner is a problem reported by many African American older women who would otherwise enjoy sexual interaction. PMID:25632380

The role of small satellites in the development of the South African space programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Peter

In the 1990s a team of scientists and engineers at Stellenbosch University built the first South African satellite to fly in space, the 64-kg Sunsat. This university-based satellite programme took advantage of the skills and facilities developed in the previous South African space programme of the 1980s and early 1990s, which had developed a much larger satellite (Greensat), but was cancelled in the mid-1990s prior to launch. Sunsat incorporated a number of novel capabilities for a microsatellite platform, and interest was shown in these technologies by other groups developing similar satellites. As the University was not the ideal environment to develop the commercial potential of these microsatellite technologies, a company called Sunspace was later established, thus creating industrial capacity in South Africa in a niche area of space technology. This new industrial capability, together with the infrastructure from the previous space programme, have created a foundation upon which to build the new South African space programme. This paper discusses the historical, current and possible future roles of small satellites in the development of the South African space programme.

Food allergy in South African children with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Gray, Claudia L; Levin, Michael E; Zar, Heather J; Potter, Paul C; Khumalo, Nonhlanhla P; Volkwyn, Lucia; Fenemore, Bartha; du Toit, George

2014-10-01

The prevalence of food allergy in South Africa is unknown, but previously thought to be rare in black South Africans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, IgE-mediated food allergy in South African children with atopic dermatitis (AD). This was a prospective, observational study in a paediatric university hospital in Cape Town. Children with AD, aged 6 months to 10 yrs, were randomly recruited from the dermatology clinic. They were assessed for sensitization and allergy by questionnaire, skin prick tests, Immuno Solid Phase Allergen Chip (ISAC) test and incremental food challenges. 100 participants (59 black Africans and 41 of mixed race) were enrolled, median age 42 months. There were high overall rates of food sensitization (66%) and food allergy (40%). Egg (25%) and peanut (24%) were the most common allergies. Black participants had comparable sensitization (69% vs. 61%) but lower allergy rates (34% vs. 46%) than mixed race participants. This was especially evident for peanut allergy (15% Blacks vs. 37% mixed race allergic to peanut, p = 0.01). Early-onset AD (<6 months), severe eczema, and young age <2 yrs were significant risk factors for food allergy. The prevalence of food allergy is unexpectedly high in South African children with AD, and comparable with food allergy rates in patients with AD in developed countries. There are ethnic differences, with significantly lower peanut allergy rates in Blacks compared to mixed race patients. These results are not generalizable to an unselected South African population, which requires further study. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

African Studies Curriculum Materials for Teachers. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Univ., Urbana. Center for African Studies.

This handbook features an exhaustive collection of African studies curriculum materials considered most appropriate for teachers. The material is coded for elementary school, middle school, senior high school/adult, and general interest. Material is presented in the following chapters: "General Information" which contains facts sheets on…

Strategies for Recruitment of Healthy Premenopausal Women into the African American Nutrition for Life (A NULIFE) Study

PubMed Central

Duello, Theresa M.; Miranda, Patricia Y.; Hodges, Kelly P.; Shelton, Andrea J.; Chukelu, Paul; Jones, Lovell A.

2010-01-01

Abstract Background Although African American women have an overall lower incidence of breast cancer, African American women <40 years of age are more likely than Caucasian women of all ages and postmenopausal African American women to be diagnosed with breast cancer and exhibit tumor characteristics associated with poorer survival. To begin to address this disparity, studies must be conducted to examine breast cancer preventive factors in this subpopulation of women. However, the strategies needed to recruit younger African American women have not been well defined. Methods In this study, we assessed methods used for recruiting and retaining healthy premenopausal African American women into the African American Nutrition for Life (A NULIFE) Study. The number of women contacted, enrolled, and retained by each recruitment strategy and the efficiency of individual strategies were calculated. Results Overall, recruitment through social networking was most effective in contacting large numbers of healthy premenopausal African American women. The worksite recruitment method was the most efficient recruitment strategy employed, with a ratio of 40%. The study participants (n = 164) were more likely to be ≥35 years of age and have completed some college. Additionally, the interpersonal relationships recruitment approach proved most efficient (33%) in retaining participants who completed the yearlong study. Conclusions The findings from this study add to the evolving research literature on minority recruitment strategies for research studies but specifically address effective recruitment of healthy young premenopausal African American women. The results demonstrate the need to use multiple recruitment strategies when recruiting this subgroup of African American women. PMID:20392156

Behavioral studies of learning in the Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera L.).

PubMed

Abramson, Charles I; Aquino, Italo S

2002-01-01

Experiments on basic classical conditioning phenomena in adult and young Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are described. Phenomena include conditioning to various stimuli, extinction (both unpaired and CS only), conditioned inhibition, color and odor discrimination. In addition to work on basic phenomena, experiments on practical applications of conditioning methodology are illustrated with studies demonstrating the effects of insecticides on learning and the reaction of bees to consumer products. Electron microscope photos are presented of Africanized workers, drones, and queen bees. Possible sub-species differences between Africanized and European bees are discussed. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

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.…

Sino-African Relationship: Its Implications on U.S. National Security Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-20

AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY SINO-AFRICAN RELATIONSHIP : ITS IMPLICATIONS ON U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS by Kimberly S. Vinson... Management Apprentice after graduating from tech school, but converted to a Personnel Apprentice in 1998. Chief Vinson has been assigned to bases in...Maryland, South Korea, Germany, Nevada, Italy, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. iv Abstract The Sino-African relationship has

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…

African American Women's Sexual Objectification Experiences: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Laurel B.; Robinson, Dawn; Dispenza, Franco; Nazari, Negar

2012-01-01

The purpose of our study was to investigate African American women's experiences with sexual objectification. Utilizing grounded theory methodology as well as Black feminist thought and objectification theory as the research lenses, the results of this study uncovered how racist, sexist, and classist ideologies contributed to sexual…

Shorter telomere length in Europeans than in Africans due to polygenetic adaptation.

PubMed

Hansen, Matthew E B; Hunt, Steven C; Stone, Rivka C; Horvath, Kent; Herbig, Utz; Ranciaro, Alessia; Hirbo, Jibril; Beggs, William; Reiner, Alexander P; Wilson, James G; Kimura, Masayuki; De Vivo, Immaculata; Chen, Maxine M; Kark, Jeremy D; Levy, Daniel; Nyambo, Thomas; Tishkoff, Sarah A; Aviv, Abraham

2016-06-01

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which reflects telomere length in other somatic tissues, is a complex genetic trait. Eleven SNPs have been shown in genome-wide association studies to be associated with LTL at a genome-wide level of significance within cohorts of European ancestry. It has been observed that LTL is longer in African Americans than in Europeans. The underlying reason for this difference is unknown. Here we show that LTL is significantly longer in sub-Saharan Africans than in both Europeans and African Americans. Based on the 11 LTL-associated alleles and genetic data in phase 3 of the 1000 Genomes Project, we show that the shifts in allele frequency within Europe and between Europe and Africa do not fit the pattern expected by neutral genetic drift. Our findings suggest that differences in LTL within Europeans and between Europeans and Africans is influenced by polygenic adaptation and that differences in LTL between Europeans and Africans might explain, in part, ethnic differences in risks for human diseases that have been linked to LTL. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Diabetes and Obesity in Sacramento, California: The African American Leadership Coalition and University of California, Davis

PubMed Central

Styne, Dennis; Askia, Joyce; Roberts, Tina; Lewis, Edward T.; Edwards, Whitney

2013-01-01

Background Diabetes is one of the leading causes of illness and death for African Americans and people of African descent throughout the United States and in the city and county of Sacramento, California. The involvement of families and communities in developing prevention strategies can increase the likelihood that behavioral changes will be sustained. Context Three member organizations of the African American Leadership Coalition (AALC) entered into a partnership with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to engage families in developing a process to identify barriers to diabetes and obesity prevention and reduction, exchange strategies, and create action plans for prevention. Methods The intervention comprised 3 phases: 1) coalition formation and training; 2) data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results; and 3) development of family and community action plans. Academic and community partners planned and implemented all project phases together. Outcomes Sources of information about diabetes and obesity were primarily doctors and the Internet; barriers were related to lack of time needed to prepare healthy meals, high food costs, transportation to fresh markets, motivation around healthy habits, and unsafe environments. Action plans addressed behavioral change and family cohesion. The group discussion format encouraged mutual support and suggestions for better eating and physical exercise habits. Interpretation This collaborative partnership model can strengthen existing group relationships or promote new affiliations that form the basis for future action coalitions. Participants worked both within and across groups to exchange information, stories of success and challenges, and specific health improvement strategies. PMID:24229570

Can the Virtual University Expand Access to Higher Education in Africa? The Dialectic of the Local and the Global

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adala, A. Atieno

2010-01-01

A recent phenomenon in higher education is the emergence of the virtual university. Some observers have attributed its emergence to globalization and technological innovation. This dissertation study is about one particular instance of the virtual university phenomenon, the African Virtual University (AVU). The AVU initiative was launched with…

Exploring the Causes of Underachievement of African American Boys: A Qualitative Descriptive Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ennis, Rosetta

2017-01-01

The qualitative descriptive case study explores the underachievement phenomenon of fourth-grade African American boys in New York City public elementary schools. Numerous studies have been conducted at the middle school through college levels. However, very little is known about the underachievement phenomenon of fourth-grade African American…

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…

Race and Psychological Distress: The South African Stress and Health Study

PubMed Central

Jackson, Pamela Braboy; Williams, David R.; Stein, Dan J.; Herman, Allen; Williams, Stacey L.; Redmond, Deidre L.

2012-01-01

We analyze data from the South African Stress and Health Study, a nationally representative in-person psychiatric epidemiologic survey of 4,351 adults conducted as part of the World Mental Health Survey Initiative between January 2002 and June 2004. All blacks (Africans, Coloreds, and Indians) initially report higher levels of non-specific distress and anger/hostility than whites. Access to socioeconomic resources helps explain differences in non-specific distress between Coloreds and whites and Indians and whites. However, only when social stressors are considered do we find few differences in psychological distress (i.e., non-specific distress and anger/hostility) between Africans and whites. In addition, self-esteem and mastery have independent effects on non-specific distress and anger/hostility, but differences between Coloreds and whites in feelings of anger/hostility are not completely explained by self-esteem and mastery. The findings contribute to the international body of work on social stress theory, challenge underlying assumptions of the minority status perspective, and raise a series of questions regarding mental health disparities among South Africans. PMID:21131621

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…

Leading and Managing in Complexity: The Case of South African Deans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seale, Oliver; Cross, Michael

2016-01-01

In recent years, deanship in universities has become more complex and challenging. Deans in South African universities take up their positions without appropriate training and prior executive experience, and with no clear understanding of the ambiguity and complexity of their roles. This paper calls for appropriate leadership development…

Biochemical and clinical deficiency is uncommon in African immigrants despite a high prevalence of low vitamin D: the Africans in America study.

PubMed

Thoreson, Caroline K; Chung, Stephanie T; Ricks, Madia; Reynolds, James C; Remaley, Alan T; Periwal, Vipul; Li, Yanjun; Sumner, Anne E

2015-11-01

African ancestry is associated with low vitamin D levels but high bone density. Fifty percent of African immigrants had low vitamin D levels, but <10 % had evidence of deficiency. The value of providing vitamin D supplementation to African immigrants without evidence of deficiency needs to be determined. The Endocrine Society and Institute of Medicine (IOM) have concluded from studies in largely white populations that 25(OH)D is necessary for bone health. However, their definition of vitamin D insufficiency differs. The Endocrine Society recommends a 25(OH)D threshold of <30 ng/mL. The IOM uses a lower threshold of 25(OH)D of <20 ng/mL. As African ancestry is associated with decreased 25(OH)D but increased bone mineral density (BMD), the applicability of these thresholds to Africans is unknown. Therefore, we examined in African immigrants the relationship of 25(OH)D to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and BMD. One hundred eighty-six African immigrants(69 % male, age 38 ± 10 (mean ± SD), range 20-64 years) living in metropolitan Washington, DC, were enrolled. BMD was determined from whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Decreased BMD required T-scores ≤-1.0. The threshold for low 25(OH)D was the concentration of 25(OH)D at which PTH became suppressed. This is known as the inflection point. Biochemical deficiency required low 25(OH)D and PTH of >65 pg/mL. Clinical deficiency required low 25(OH)D and T-scores ≤-1.0. 25(OH)D <30 and <20 ng/mL occurred in 83 and 46 % of African immigrants, respectively. PTH inversely correlated with 25(OH)D (r = -0.31, P = 0.002). The inflection point occurred at a 25(OH)D concentration of 20 ng/mL. Biochemical and clinical deficiency occurred in only 8 and 3 % of immigrants, respectively. As PTH became suppressed at 25(OH)D of 20 ng/mL, the 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL threshold for insufficiency may apply to African immigrants. However, ~50 % of African immigrants have 25(OH)D <20 ng/mL, but only <10 % had

Women Chief Executives and Their Approaches towards Equity in American Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, Beverly

1999-01-01

Semistructured interviews with four African-American women serving as university president or provost examined their qualifications, past mentors, racial or gender factors affecting their position, career impediments, experiences with nonsupportive supervisors, reasons for scarcity of African-American women administrators, educational equity and…

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…

Mainstreaming environment and sustainability: an analysis of a master's in environmental science and a tree-planting project at Chancellor College, University of Malawi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiotha, Sosten S.

2010-06-01

In 2004, Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability in African Universities (MESA) was formally launched by UNEP, UNESCO and the Association of African Universities. This paper sets the stage for a critical analysis of ESD by reviewing historical perspectives of conservation in Africa as a means of appreciating the need for African universities to mainstream both environmental concerns and those relating to sustainability. Two case studies from Chancellor College, University of Malawi are discussed to illustrate that good practice in mainstreaming environment and sustainability requires challenges to be refined and knowledge to be extended on an ongoing basis. To analyse the reorientation of the curriculum for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the paper examines the introduction of an Environmental Science Master's programme at the college and notes how environmental issues are covered. The article also looks at the college's tree-planting programme in terms of the training, research and outreach involved.

African American and Caucasian Attempters Compared for Suicide Risk Factors: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Alec

2003-01-01

The aim of the study was to compare African American and Caucasian substance dependent suicide attempters for risk factors for suicidal behavior. One hundred and fifty-eight African American and 95 Caucasian substance dependent patients who had attempted suicide were interviewed and their family history of suicidal behavior recorded. Patients…

Recruiting African American Men for Cancer Screening Studies: Applying a Culturally Based Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abernethy, Alexis D.; Magat, Maricar M.; Houston, Tina R.; Arnold, Harold L., Jr.; Bjorck, Jeffrey P.; Gorsuch, Richard L.

2005-01-01

In a study of psychosocial factors related to prostate cancer screening (PCS) of African American men, researchers achieved significant success in recruitment. Key strategies included addressing specific barriers to PCS for African American men and placing recruitment efforts in a conceptual framework that addressed cultural issues (PEN-3 model).…

A Link to the Future: A Pilot Study Look at How Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Journalism and Mass Communications Units Use the Internet in Recruiting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Jerry, II

2012-01-01

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have had the ability to recruit African-American students since the 1860s by stressing a sense of inclusion and family through their mission statements and community outreach. There was little to no competition for African-American students from predominantly white institutions until integration…

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…

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…

FTO Genetic Variation and Association With Obesity in West Africans and African Americans

PubMed Central

Adeyemo, Adebowale; Chen, Guanjie; Zhou, Jie; Shriner, Daniel; Doumatey, Ayo; Huang, Hanxia; Rotimi, Charles

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE The FTO gene is one of the most consistently replicated loci for obesity. However, data from populations of African ancestry are limited. We evaluated genetic variation in the FTO gene and investigated associations with obesity in West Africans and African Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study samples comprised 968 African Americans (59% female, mean age 49 years, mean BMI 30.8 kg/m2) and 517 West Africans (58% female, mean age 54 years, mean BMI 25.5 kg/m2). FTO genetic variation was evaluated by genotyping 262 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the entire gene. Association of each SNP with BMI, waist circumference, and percent fat mass was investigated under an additive model. RESULTS As expected, both African-ancestry samples showed weaker linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns compared with other continental (e.g., European) populations. Several intron 8 SNPs, in addition to intron 1 SNPs, showed significant associations in both study samples. The combined effect size for BMI for the top SNPs from meta-analysis was 0.77 kg/m2 (P = 0.009, rs9932411) and 0.70 kg/m2 (P = 0.006, rs7191513). Two previously reported associations with intron 1 SNPs (rs1121980 and rs7204609, r2 = 0.001) were replicated among the West Africans. CONCLUSIONS The FTO gene shows significant differences in allele frequency and LD patterns in populations of African ancestry compared with other continental populations. Despite these differences, we observed evidence of associations with obesity in African Americans and West Africans, as well as evidence of heterogeneity in association. More studies of FTO in multiple ethnic groups are needed. PMID:20299471

Dietary Fat and Vitamin E in Prostate Cancer Risk Among African Americans and Africans: A Case-Control Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

ns ɘ.001 Table 5: Pattern of consumption of ice cream, yogurt , salad dressing & mayonnaise in the past three months by ethnic subgroup...Food Item African- Americans African Migrants African Nigerians Total 947 p-value Ice Cream/ Yogurt Regular Low fat Fat...p-value Corn Flour 200 (80.6) 35 (60.3) 537 (83.8) 771 (81.4) ɘ.001 Corn Flour Form Corn Bread Corn Pudding * Fermented Pudding

Creating a Learning Climate: A South African Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrim, Nasima Mohamed Hoosen; Basson, Johan Schutte

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether there were differences in how one public and two private South African organizations created a learning climate. Design/methodology/approach: This article is based on a survey and comparative analysis of specific departments in a chemical and gas company, an insurance company, and a…

Meta-analysis of loci associated with age at natural menopause in African-American women.

PubMed

Chen, Christina T L; Liu, Ching-Ti; Chen, Gary K; Andrews, Jeanette S; Arnold, Alice M; Dreyfus, Jill; Franceschini, Nora; Garcia, Melissa E; Kerr, Kathleen F; Li, Guo; Lohman, Kurt K; Musani, Solomon K; Nalls, Michael A; Raffel, Leslie J; Smith, Jennifer; Ambrosone, Christine B; Bandera, Elisa V; Bernstein, Leslie; Britton, Angela; Brzyski, Robert G; Cappola, Anne; Carlson, Christopher S; Couper, David; Deming, Sandra L; Goodarzi, Mark O; Heiss, Gerardo; John, Esther M; Lu, Xiaoning; Le Marchand, Loic; Marciante, Kristin; Mcknight, Barbara; Millikan, Robert; Nock, Nora L; Olshan, Andrew F; Press, Michael F; Vaiyda, Dhananjay; Woods, Nancy F; Taylor, Herman A; Zhao, Wei; Zheng, Wei; Evans, Michele K; Harris, Tamara B; Henderson, Brian E; Kardia, Sharon L R; Kooperberg, Charles; Liu, Yongmei; Mosley, Thomas H; Psaty, Bruce; Wellons, Melissa; Windham, Beverly G; Zonderman, Alan B; Cupples, L Adrienne; Demerath, Ellen W; Haiman, Christopher; Murabito, Joanne M; Rajkovic, Aleksandar

2014-06-15

Age at menopause marks the end of a woman's reproductive life and its timing associates with risks for cancer, cardiovascular and bone disorders. GWAS and candidate gene studies conducted in women of European ancestry have identified 27 loci associated with age at menopause. The relevance of these loci to women of African ancestry has not been previously studied. We therefore sought to uncover additional menopause loci and investigate the relevance of European menopause loci by performing a GWAS meta-analysis in 6510 women with African ancestry derived from 11 studies across the USA. We did not identify any additional loci significantly associated with age at menopause in African Americans. We replicated the associations between six loci and age at menopause (P-value < 0.05): AMHR2, RHBLD2, PRIM1, HK3/UMC1, BRSK1/TMEM150B and MCM8. In addition, associations of 14 loci are directionally consistent with previous reports. We provide evidence that genetic variants influencing reproductive traits identified in European populations are also important in women of African ancestry residing in USA. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Case Studies of Three African-American Families Use of Literacy during Nonschool Hours

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Patricia A.

2011-01-01

The use of literacy during non-school hours of three African-American families was examined. This study used a qualitative research design to probe the meanings and value of literacy in the homes of three African-American families during nonschool hours, including before school, after school, weekends, holidays, and summer breaks. The structure…

Unpacking (White) Privilege in a South African University Classroom: A Neglected Element in Multicultural Educational Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swartz, Sharlene; Arogundade, Emma; Davis, Danya

2014-01-01

Multiculturalism currently aims for the political accommodation of difference instead of the subversion of the resulting privileges of difference. In the South African context such a distinction is especially important since the economic and symbolic subjugation of the majority of Black South Africans continues despite political transformation,…

Frequency of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and degree of hepatic steatosis in African-American patients.

PubMed Central

Giday, Samuel A.; Ashiny, Zelalem; Naab, Tammy; Smoot, Duane; Banks, Alpha

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study evaluates the degree and distribution of hepatic steatosis in predominantly African-American patients who had liver biopsies over a period of five years in our institution. METHOD: A search in the pathology registry of Howard University Hospital was performed for the presence of fat in liver biopsies. Each biopsy was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 320 liver biopsies that were reviewed, 61 were found to have steatosis. Fifty-six of the 61 patients were African-American. The mean body mass index in those African-American patients was found to be 30. Grade-1 steatosis was found in 16 patients, grade 2 in 22 patients, grade 3 in 14 patients and nine patients had grade-4 steatosis. Four patients fulfilled the criteria for the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). All four patients had simple steatosis without any inflammation. The frequency of NAFLD in our study population was found to be <2%. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was not found in any of our study population. Dyslipidemia was found in all four patients with steatosis. CONCLUSION: NAFLD has a low prevalence in African-American patients. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was not found in any of the African-American patients seen at our institution. PMID:17052050

Northern Studies at Northern Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northern Review: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Arts and Social Sciences of the North, 1994

1994-01-01

Describes college programs and research projects focused on the Arctic, northern studies, or northern concerns at Athabasca University (Alberta), the University of British Columbia, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Scott Polar Institute at the University of Cambridge (England), and Kent State University…

Challenges in recruiting African-American women for a breast cancer genetics study.

PubMed

Compadre, Amanda J; Simonson, Melinda E; Gray, Katy; Runnells, Gail; Kadlubar, Susan; Zorn, Kristin K

2018-01-01

African-American women, especially in the southern United States, are underrepresented in cancer genetics research. A study was designed to address this issue by investigating the germline mutation rate in African-American women in Arkansas with a personal and/or family history of breast cancer. Women were tested for these mutations using a large panel of breast cancer susceptibility genes. In this analysis, we discuss the challenges encountered in recruiting African-American women from an existing biorepository to participate in this study. We attempted to contact 965 African-American women with a personal and/or family history of breast cancer who participated in Spit for the Cure (SFTC) between 2007 and 2013 and provided consent to be recontacted. The SFTC participants were invited by telephone and email to participate in the genetic study. Enrollment required completion of a phone interview to obtain a family and medical history and return of a signed consent form. Among eligible SFTC participants, 39.6% (382/965) were able to be contacted with the phone numbers and email addresses they provided. Of these, 174 (45.5%) completed a phone interview and returned a signed consent form. Others were not able to be contacted ( n  = 583), declined to participate ( n  = 57), did not keep phone interview appointments ( n  = 82), completed the phone interview but never returned a signed consent ( n  = 54), were deceased ( n  = 13), or were too confused to consent to participate ( n  = 2). Recruiting African-American women into our breast cancer genetics study proved challenging primarily due to difficulty establishing contact with potential participants. Given their prior participation in breast cancer research, we anticipated that this would be a highly motivated population. Indeed, when we were able to contact SFTC participants, only 14.9% declined to participate in our study. Innovative communication, retention, and recruitment strategies are

Is Entrepreneurial Education at South African Universities Successful? An Empirical Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentoor, E. R.; Friedrich, C.

2007-01-01

After more than ten years of democracy in South Africa, many of the previously disadvantaged segments of the community, especially Blacks, would have hoped that a new economic order would have been created. Instead, South Africa still has very high unemployment and even young Black South Africans with a degree are not guaranteed a job. The purpose…

World Sounds through Universal Fellowship: Linking African Sounds through Collaborative Networking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klopper, Christopher

2005-01-01

The Pan African Society of Musical Arts Education (PASMAE) initiated the concept of Music Action Research Teams (MAT cells) at the grass-roots level for the collaborative sharing and learning of educators throughout Africa. The current number of 27 cells in Africa is a modest realization of the society's aims. However, it is strongly felt that if…

East African ROAD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tekle, Kelali

2016-10-01

In the developing world astronomy had been treated as the science of elites. As a result of this overwhelming perception, astronomy compared with other applied sciences has got less attention and its role in development has been insignificant. However, the IAU General Assembly decision in 2009 opened new opportunity for countries and professionals to deeply look into Astronomy and its role in development. Then, the subsequent establishment of regional offices in the developing world is helping countries to integrate astronomy with other earth and space based sciences so as to progressively promote its scientific and development importance. Gradually nations have come to know that space is the frontier of tomorrow and the urgency of preeminence on space frontier starts at primary school and ascends to tertiary education. For this to happen, member nations in east African region have placed STEM education at the center of their education system. For instance, Ethiopian has changed University enrollment strategy to be in favor of science and engineering subjects, i.e. every year seventy percent of new University entrants join science and engineering fields while thirty percent social science and humanities. Such bold actions truly promote astronomy to be conceived as gateway to science and technology. To promote the concept of astronomy for development the East African regional office has actually aligned it activities to be in line with the focus areas identified by the IAU strategy (2010 to 2020).

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…

Competency Development of Southern African Housing Officers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Munita; Dunkel, Norbert W.

2013-01-01

The Report on the Ministerial Committee for the Review of the Provision of Student Housing at South African Universities (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2011) has provided a comprehensive review of residences across several housing functional areas. In one of the residence management and administration recommendations it stated,…

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…

Sociocultural Influences on African Americans' Representations of Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Shiyanbola, Olayinka O; Ward, Earlise; Brown, Carolyn

2018-01-01

Illness representations, known as patients' beliefs and expectations about an illness, may be influenced by cultural beliefs and personal experiences. This study explored African Americans' perceptions of the sociocultural factors that influence their representations of diabetes. Six semi-structured focus groups. Private space at a convenient site. Forty African Americans, aged 45-60 years with type 2 diabetes for at least one year prior. Participants perceived that there was a race-mediated effect of how they developed diabetes because of poverty due to past slavery, racial discrimination by health care providers, and the stigma associated with diabetes within the African American community. Participants perceived that poverty influenced African Americans' unhealthy eating habits, which led to diabetes diagnosis among their ancestors and their development of the disease since it was hereditary. Participants also perceived that there was provider ill intention, ie, providers were purposefully making people sick, and their lack of education on diabetes from providers was done on purpose, as information on diabetes was withheld and not shared due to racial discrimination. Perceived stigma by the community led to African Americans' avoidance and denial of the disease, and subsequently the development of diabetes. To enhance disease management for African Americans with diabetes, it is important to focus on the sociocultural context of how African Americans view their world that may be influenced by their knowledge of negative historical circumstances and their current provider relationship, which, in turn, may be reflected in their perceptions of diabetes.

Qualitative study of African-American job satisfaction in a scientific/technical research environment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krossa, Cheryl Delemos

1996-09-01

Many studies have been conducted in the area of job satisfaction. Its necessary attributes sor components have been studied, analyzed, validated, standardized, and normed, onpredominantly white male populations. Few of these studies have focused on people of color, specifically African-Americans, and fewer still on those African-Americans working in a high-tech, scientific and research environments. The researchers have defined what is necessary for the current dominent culture`s population, but are their findings applicable and valid for our nation`s other cultures and ethnic groups? Among the conclusions: the subjects felt that there was no real difference in job satisfiers from their whitemore » colleagues; however the subjects had the sense of community (African-American) and the need to give back to it. Frustrations included politics, funding, and lack of control.« less

The Effect of Learning Communities on Achievement in STEM Fields for African Americans across Four Campuses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Orlando L.; McGowan, Jill; Alston, Sharon T.

2008-01-01

Four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Howard University, Jackson State University, Talladega College, and Xavier University of Louisiana, participated in a project titled, Learning Communities for STEM Academic Achievement (LCSAA), whose goal was to increase the participation of African American students in the fields of…

The Influence of Ethnic and Mainstream Cultures on African Americans’ Health Behaviors: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Swierad, Ewelina M.; Vartanian, Lenny R.; King, Marlee

2017-01-01

Background: Culture plays an important role in shaping individuals’ health behaviors. This qualitative research examines the relationship between African Americans’ ethnic and mainstream cultures and their health behaviors (i.e., food intake and physical activity). Methods: This study used in-depth semi-structured interview format with a group of 25 African Americans to examine the influence of ethnic and mainstream culture on African Americans’ food intake and physical activity. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes and patterns related to African Americans’ health behaviors as well as to report these patterns within data. Results: The present study found that African Americans position both their ethnic and mainstream culture as important influences on their health behaviors pertaining to food intake and physical activity. Most participants reported taking advantage of “the best of both worlds” by engaging in picking and choosing healthy behaviors from both cultures to which they belong, and they perceived preparing healthy makeovers as a way to optimize their health. They also identified a range of practical considerations that can facilitate or hinder engagement in healthy eating and physical activity (e.g., affordability, social support). Participants discussed a number of other positive (e.g., resilience, spirituality) and negative (e.g., experience of discrimination) influences on health behaviors. Conclusions: African Americans consider both their ethnic and mainstream cultures important in shaping their health behaviors. These cultural influences need to be understood in the context of other psycho-socio-environmental factors that affect individuals’ health behaviors. The current study has practical implications for designing health promotion programs for African Americans. PMID:28777312

The Influence of Ethnic and Mainstream Cultures on African Americans' Health Behaviors: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Swierad, Ewelina M; Vartanian, Lenny R; King, Marlee

2017-08-04

Culture plays an important role in shaping individuals' health behaviors. This qualitative research examines the relationship between African Americans' ethnic and mainstream cultures and their health behaviors (i.e., food intake and physical activity). This study used in-depth semi-structured interview format with a group of 25 African Americans to examine the influence of ethnic and mainstream culture on African Americans' food intake and physical activity. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes and patterns related to African Americans' health behaviors as well as to report these patterns within data. The present study found that African Americans position both their ethnic and mainstream culture as important influences on their health behaviors pertaining to food intake and physical activity. Most participants reported taking advantage of "the best of both worlds" by engaging in picking and choosing healthy behaviors from both cultures to which they belong, and they perceived preparing healthy makeovers as a way to optimize their health. They also identified a range of practical considerations that can facilitate or hinder engagement in healthy eating and physical activity (e.g., affordability, social support). Participants discussed a number of other positive (e.g., resilience, spirituality) and negative (e.g., experience of discrimination) influences on health behaviors. African Americans consider both their ethnic and mainstream cultures important in shaping their health behaviors. These cultural influences need to be understood in the context of other psycho-socio-environmental factors that affect individuals' health behaviors. The current study has practical implications for designing health promotion programs for African Americans.

Genome-wide Association Analysis of Blood-Pressure Traits in African-Ancestry Individuals Reveals Common Associated Genes in African and Non-African Populations

PubMed Central

Franceschini, Nora; Fox, Ervin; Zhang, Zhaogong; Edwards, Todd L.; Nalls, Michael A.; Sung, Yun Ju; Tayo, Bamidele O.; Sun, Yan V.; Gottesman, Omri; Adeyemo, Adebawole; Johnson, Andrew D.; Young, J. Hunter; Rice, Ken; Duan, Qing; Chen, Fang; Li, Yun; Tang, Hua; Fornage, Myriam; Keene, Keith L.; Andrews, Jeanette S.; Smith, Jennifer A.; Faul, Jessica D.; Guangfa, Zhang; Guo, Wei; Liu, Yu; Murray, Sarah S.; Musani, Solomon K.; Srinivasan, Sathanur; Velez Edwards, Digna R.; Wang, Heming; Becker, Lewis C.; Bovet, Pascal; Bochud, Murielle; Broeckel, Ulrich; Burnier, Michel; Carty, Cara; Chasman, Daniel I.; Ehret, Georg; Chen, Wei-Min; Chen, Guanjie; Chen, Wei; Ding, Jingzhong; Dreisbach, Albert W.; Evans, Michele K.; Guo, Xiuqing; Garcia, Melissa E.; Jensen, Rich; Keller, Margaux F.; Lettre, Guillaume; Lotay, Vaneet; Martin, Lisa W.; Moore, Jason H.; Morrison, Alanna C.; Mosley, Thomas H.; Ogunniyi, Adesola; Palmas, Walter; Papanicolaou, George; Penman, Alan; Polak, Joseph F.; Ridker, Paul M.; Salako, Babatunde; Singleton, Andrew B.; Shriner, Daniel; Taylor, Kent D.; Vasan, Ramachandran; Wiggins, Kerri; Williams, Scott M.; Yanek, Lisa R.; Zhao, Wei; Zonderman, Alan B.; Becker, Diane M.; Berenson, Gerald; Boerwinkle, Eric; Bottinger, Erwin; Cushman, Mary; Eaton, Charles; Nyberg, Fredrik; Heiss, Gerardo; Hirschhron, Joel N.; Howard, Virginia J.; Karczewsk, Konrad J.; Lanktree, Matthew B.; Liu, Kiang; Liu, Yongmei; Loos, Ruth; Margolis, Karen; Snyder, Michael; Go, Min Jin; Kim, Young Jin; Lee, Jong-Young; Jeon, Jae-Pil; Kim, Sung Soo; Han, Bok-Ghee; Cho, Yoon Shin; Sim, Xueling; Tay, Wan Ting; Ong, Rick Twee Hee; Seielstad, Mark; Liu, Jian Jun; Aung, Tin; Wong, Tien Yin; Teo, Yik Ying; Tai, E. Shyong; Chen, Chien-Hsiun; Chang, Li-ching; Chen, Yuan-Tsong; Wu, Jer-Yuarn; Kelly, Tanika N.; Gu, Dongfeng; Hixson, James E.; Sung, Yun Ju; He, Jiang; Tabara, Yasuharu; Kokubo, Yoshihiro; Miki, Tetsuro; Iwai, Naoharu; Kato, Norihiro; Takeuchi, Fumihiko; Katsuya, Tomohiro; Nabika, Toru; Sugiyama, Takao; Zhang, Yi; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Xuegong; Zhou, Xueya; Jin, Li; Zhu, Dingliang; Psaty, Bruce M.; Schork, Nicholas J.; Weir, David R.; Rotimi, Charles N.; Sale, Michele M.; Harris, Tamara; Kardia, Sharon L.R.; Hunt, Steven C.; Arnett, Donna; Redline, Susan; Cooper, Richard S.; Risch, Neil J.; Rao, D.C.; Rotter, Jerome I.; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Reiner, Alex P.; Levy, Daniel; Keating, Brendan J.; Zhu, Xiaofeng

2013-01-01

High blood pressure (BP) is more prevalent and contributes to more severe manifestations of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African Americans than in any other United States ethnic group. Several small African-ancestry (AA) BP genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been published, but their findings have failed to replicate to date. We report on a large AA BP GWAS meta-analysis that includes 29,378 individuals from 19 discovery cohorts and subsequent replication in additional samples of AA (n = 10,386), European ancestry (EA) (n = 69,395), and East Asian ancestry (n = 19,601). Five loci (EVX1-HOXA, ULK4, RSPO3, PLEKHG1, and SOX6) reached genome-wide significance (p < 1.0 × 10−8) for either systolic or diastolic BP in a transethnic meta-analysis after correction for multiple testing. Three of these BP loci (EVX1-HOXA, RSPO3, and PLEKHG1) lack previous associations with BP. We also identified one independent signal in a known BP locus (SOX6) and provide evidence for fine mapping in four additional validated BP loci. We also demonstrate that validated EA BP GWAS loci, considered jointly, show significant effects in AA samples. Consequently, these findings suggest that BP loci might have universal effects across studied populations, demonstrating that multiethnic samples are an essential component in identifying, fine mapping, and understanding their trait variability. PMID:23972371

A randomized controlled exercise training trial on insulin sensitivity in African American men: The ARTIIS study: Major category: study design, statistical design, study protocols.

PubMed

Newton, Robert L; Johnson, William D; Hendrick, Chelsea; Harris, Melissa; Andrews, Emanuel; Johannsen, Neil; Rodarte, Ruben Q; Hsia, Daniel S; Church, Timothy S

2015-07-01

Lack of regular physical activity at prescribed intensity levels is a modifiable risk factor for insulin resistance and the development of diabetes. African American men are at increased risk for developing diabetes and most African American men are not meeting the current recommended levels of physical activity. The primary objective of the Aerobic Plus Resistance Training and Insulin Resistance in African American Men (ARTIIS) study is to determine the effectiveness of an exercise training intervention aimed at reducing diabetes risk factors in African American men at risk for developing diabetes. Insufficiently active 35-70 year old African American men with a family history of diabetes were eligible for the study. The 5-month randomized controlled trial assigns 116 men to an exercise training or healthy living control arm. The exercise training arm combines aerobic and resistance training according to the current national physical activity recommendations and is conducted in community (YMCA) facilities. The healthy living arm receives information promoting healthy lifestyle changes. Insulin response to an oral glucose load is the primary outcome measure, and changes in physiological parameters, cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, body composition, and psychological well-being comprise the secondary outcomes. The ARTIIS study is one of the first adequately powered, rigorously designed studies to investigate the effects of an aerobic plus resistance exercise training program and to assess adherence to exercise training in community facilities, in African American men. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applied Research Centres at South African Universities. The Relationship between 'Base' Internal Structures and Network 'Superstructures'

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, David

2005-01-01

This article considers the way in which applied research centres and units at South African higher education institutions enhance their networks with industry, government and community organizations. The findings from 12 case studies of research groupings at higher education institutions in Cape Town support the author's argument for a more…

An Exploratory Study of Differences in Self-Esteem, Kinship Social Support, and Coping Responses among African American ACOAs and Non-ACOAs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, J. Camille

2007-01-01

The author sought to identify differences in kinship social support, self-esteem, and coping responses between African American college students who identify themselves as adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and adult children of nonalcoholics (non-ACOAs) at 2 separate universities. The results indicate that there were no differences in levels of…

Training for the Future? A Case Study of Emerging Education, Training and Development Practitioners in the South African Clothing Manufacturing Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Barbara; Cooper, Linda; McMillan, Janice

2006-01-01

This article investigates how training instructors in the South African clothing industry were prepared for their roles as Education, Training and Development Practitioners (ETDPs) by a university adult education programme. The key focus is on how these emerging ETDPs experienced their changing roles, identities and approaches to teaching and the…

A GENOME WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY FOR DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY GENES IN AFRICAN AMERICANS

PubMed Central

McDonough, Caitrin W.; Palmer, Nicholette D.; Hicks, Pamela J.; Roh, Bong H.; An, S. Sandy; Cooke, Jessica N.; Hester, Jessica M.; Wing, Maria R.; Bostrom, Meredith A.; Rudock, Megan E.; Lewis, Joshua P.; Talbert, Matthew E.; Blevins, Rebecca A.; Lu, Lingyi; Ng, Maggie C.Y.; Sale, Michele M.; Divers, Jasmin; Langefeld, Carl D.; Freedman, Barry I.; Bowden, Donald W.

2011-01-01

A genome-wide association study was performed using the Affymetrix 6.0 chip to identify genes associated with diabetic nephropathy in African Americans. Association analysis was performed adjusting for admixture in 965 type 2 diabetic African American patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and in 1029 African Americans without type 2 diabetes or kidney disease as controls. The top 724 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with evidence of association to diabetic nephropathy were then genotyped in a replication sample of an additional 709 type 2 diabetes-ESRD patients and 690 controls. SNPs with evidence of association in both the original and replication studies were tested in additional African American cohorts consisting of 1246 patients with type 2 diabetes without kidney disease and 1216 with non-diabetic ESRD to differentiate candidate loci for type 2 diabetes-ESRD, type 2 diabetes, and/or all-cause ESRD. Twenty-five SNPs were significantly associated with type 2 diabetes-ESRD in the genome-wide association and initial replication. Although genome-wide significance with type 2 diabetes was not found for any of these 25 SNPs, several genes, including RPS12, LIMK2, and SFI1 are strong candidates for diabetic nephropathy. A combined analysis of all 2890 patients with ESRD showed significant association SNPs in LIMK2 and SFI1 suggesting that they also contribute to all-cause ESRD. Thus, our results suggest that multiple loci underlie susceptibility to kidney disease in African Americans with type 2 diabetes and some may also contribute to all-cause ESRD. PMID:21150874

A genome-wide association study for diabetic nephropathy genes in African Americans.

PubMed

McDonough, Caitrin W; Palmer, Nicholette D; Hicks, Pamela J; Roh, Bong H; An, S Sandy; Cooke, Jessica N; Hester, Jessica M; Wing, Maria R; Bostrom, Meredith A; Rudock, Megan E; Lewis, Joshua P; Talbert, Matthew E; Blevins, Rebecca A; Lu, Lingyi; Ng, Maggie C Y; Sale, Michele M; Divers, Jasmin; Langefeld, Carl D; Freedman, Barry I; Bowden, Donald W

2011-03-01

A genome-wide association study was performed using the Affymetrix 6.0 chip to identify genes associated with diabetic nephropathy in African Americans. Association analysis was performed adjusting for admixture in 965 type 2 diabetic African American patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and in 1029 African Americans without type 2 diabetes or kidney disease as controls. The top 724 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with evidence of association to diabetic nephropathy were then genotyped in a replication sample of an additional 709 type 2 diabetes-ESRD patients and 690 controls. SNPs with evidence of association in both the original and replication studies were tested in additional African American cohorts consisting of 1246 patients with type 2 diabetes without kidney disease and 1216 with non-diabetic ESRD to differentiate candidate loci for type 2 diabetes-ESRD, type 2 diabetes, and/or all-cause ESRD. Twenty-five SNPs were significantly associated with type 2 diabetes-ESRD in the genome-wide association and initial replication. Although genome-wide significance with type 2 diabetes was not found for any of these 25 SNPs, several genes, including RPS12, LIMK2, and SFI1 are strong candidates for diabetic nephropathy. A combined analysis of all 2890 patients with ESRD showed significant association SNPs in LIMK2 and SFI1 suggesting that they also contribute to all-cause ESRD. Thus, our results suggest that multiple loci underlie susceptibility to kidney disease in African Americans with type 2 diabetes and some may also contribute to all-cause ESRD.

Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability: An Analysis of a Master's in Environmental Science and a Tree-Planting Project at Chancellor College, University of Malawi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiotha, Sosten S.

2010-01-01

In 2004, Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability in African Universities (MESA) was formally launched by UNEP, UNESCO and the Association of African Universities. This paper sets the stage for a critical analysis of ESD by reviewing historical perspectives of conservation in Africa as a means of appreciating the need for African universities…

Barriers and strategies for sustained participation of African-American men in cohort studies.

PubMed

Hoyo, Cathrine; Reid, M LaVerne; Godley, Paul A; Parrish, Theodore; Smith, Lenora; Gammon, Marilie

2003-01-01

Prostate cancer incidence is about 70% higher among African Americans compared to Whites. Factors associated with this differential remain unclear, although several studies suggest that genetic factors may play a role. Before epidemiologic research can adequately identify factors associated with this differential, we need studies to determine the feasibility of recruiting and retaining African-American men in cohort studies, especially those that collect biological and questionnaire data. We conducted 4 focus group discussions among African-American men aged 40 to 64 years in North Carolina, and an additional group comprised of their partners, using a semi-structured interview protocol (total N=55 subjects). Data were analyzed with QRS NU*DIST to identify themes. Participants' willingness to participate in cohort studies seemed to be motivated by a perceived risk of prostate cancer. Barriers to participation included mistrust of the research community, poor knowledge of cancer-site specific heterogeneity, anticipated time commitment, and the invasive nature of disease detection procedures. To foster trust and increase disease knowledge, recommended strategies included: partnering with known civic organizations that provide education on risk factors; discussing early signs and symptoms at the point of recruitment; recruiting participants from community clusters; and providing periodic feedback on biologic samples (if collected) to reassure participants of their proper usage. Observational cohort studies focused on African-American men are feasible if certain barriers to participation are addressed.

Why We Must Continue to Investigate Menthol's Role in the African American Smoking Paradox.

PubMed

Alexander, Linda A; Trinidad, Dennis R; Sakuma, Kari-Lyn K; Pokhrel, Pallav; Herzog, Thaddeus A; Clanton, Mark S; Moolchan, Eric T; Fagan, Pebbles

2016-04-01

The disproportionate burden of tobacco use among African Americans is largely unexplained. The unexplained disparities, referred to as the African American smoking paradox, includes several phenomena. Despite their social disadvantage, African American youth have lower smoking prevalence rates, initiate smoking at older ages, and during adulthood, smoking rates are comparable to whites. Smoking frequency and intensity among African American youth and adults are lower compared to whites and American Indian and Alaska Natives, but tobacco-caused morbidity and mortality rates are disproportionately higher. Disease prediction models have not explained disease causal pathways in African Americans. It has been hypothesized that menthol cigarette smoking, which is disproportionately high among African Americans, may help to explain several components of the African American smoking paradox. This article provides an overview of the potential role that menthol plays in the African American smoking paradox. We also discuss the research needed to better understand this unresolved puzzle. We examined prior synthesis reports and reviewed the literature in PubMed on the menthol compound and menthol cigarette smoking in African Americans. The pharmacological and physiological effects of menthol and their interaction with biological and genetic factors may indirectly contribute to the disproportionate burden of cigarette use and diseases among African Americans. Future studies that examine taste sensitivity, the menthol compound, and their effects on smoking and chronic disease would provide valuable information on how to reduce the tobacco burden among African Americans. Our study highlights four counterintuitive observations related to the smoking risk profiles and chronic disease outcomes among African Americans. The extant literature provides strong evidence of their existence and shows that long-standing paradoxes have been largely unaffected by changes in the social

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.

Teaching Criteria That Matter in University Academic Promotions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subbaye, Reshma; Vithal, Renuka

2017-01-01

While many universities have taken steps to recognise teaching in academic promotions, debate continues on the teaching criteria to be used and their evaluation. This article analyses the 10 criteria that inform the evaluation of teaching and eventual promotion decisions at a South African university: rationale for teaching, teaching methods,…

Illicit Drugs and African American Youth in Summit University. A Summit University Anti-Drug Initiative Task Force Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Human Services, St. Paul. Chemical Dependency Program Div.

This report addresses the legislation passed by the 1990 Minnesota Legislature concerning the African American Youth Treatment Planning effort for providing five recommendations on prevention, treatment, and aftercare of drug abuse for this population. Based on a literature review and needs assessment that entailed a demographic and socioeconomic…

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

Black versus Black: The Relationship among African, African American, and African Caribbean Persons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Jennifer V.; Cothran, Mary E.

2003-01-01

Surveyed people of African descent regarding relationships among African, African-American, and African-Caribbean persons, focusing on contact and friendship, travel to countries of the diaspora, cross-cultural communication, thoughts and stereotypes, and education. Most respondents had contacts with the other groups, but groups had preconceived…

An Intervention to Reduce Psychosocial and Biological Indicators of Stress in African American Lupus Patients: The Balancing Lupus Experiences with Stress Strategies Study.

PubMed

Williams, Edith M; Penfield, Megan; Kamen, Diane; Oates, James C

2014-01-01

Very little is known about the impact of psychosocial stress on African American lupus patients. Due to the exposure of African Americans to a unique trajectory of stressors throughout life, it may be critical to understand the relationship between psychosocial stress and underlying biological mechanisms that influence disease activity and pathology in this high risk group. The Balancing Lupus Experiences with Stress Strategies (BLESS) study piloted the validated "Better Choices, Better Health" Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) in 30 African-American lupus patients participating in the SLE Clinic Database Project at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Measures of psychosocial and biological indicators of stress were collected in all of the patients in each of the study conditions before and after intervention activities, as well as four months post-intervention, to assess the effectiveness of the program in reducing perceived and biological indicators of stress. Participation in the workshops had large effects upon depression ( d =1.63 and d = 1.68), social/role activities limitations ( d =1.15), health distress ( d =1.13 and d = 0.78), fatigue ( d =1.03), pain ( d =0.96), and lupus self-efficacy ( d =0.85). Neither the differences in cortisol or DHEA levels pre- and post-intervention were found to be significantly different between intervention participants and controls. The intervention workshops acted to reduce perceived stress and improve quality of life. Our findings imply that comparable, if not more significant gains in relevant health indicators are possible in African American patients when provided the opportunity to participate in CDSMP's.

The Role and Mission of African Higher Education: Preparing for the 21st Century and Beyond.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assie-Lumumba, N'Dri T.

1996-01-01

Summarizes issues and recommendations from eight recent studies of the mission of African higher education, including those concerning demand, access, equity, quality and relevance, science and technology, governance, links between universities and the broader society (including business and government), adequate and sustainable funding, and…

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…

"Having Our Say": High Achieving African American Male College Graduates Speak about Parental Involvement and Parenting Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, Lynn Lanier; McNeese, Rose M.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of parental involvement and parenting styles of the parents of academically successful African American males who graduated from historically Black colleges or universities (Odom, 2013). More specifically, the study investigated relationships among students' perceptions of their parents'…

The Relationship between African Traditional Cosmology and Students' Acquisition of a Science Process Skill.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jegede, Olugbemiro J.; Okebukola, Peter Akinsola

This study investigated the influence of students' belief in traditional African cosmology, beliefs, and superstitions on observation skills. Data was collected from 319 science students with a mean age of 16.9 years from one Nigerian University. Instruments used were the Traditional Cosmology Test and the Test of Observational Skills. The results…

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.

Breastfeeding in African Americans May Not Depend on Sleep Arrangement: A Mixed-Methods Study

PubMed Central

Kadakia, Ashaini; Joyner, Brandi; Tender, Jennifer; Oden, Rosalind; Moon, Rachel Y.

2015-01-01

Background Despite high bedsharing rates, breastfeeding rates are low among African Americans. Objective Describe the association between breastfeeding and bedsharing; elucidate barriers to breastfeeding in African Americans. Methods African American mothers with infants <6 months were recruited for this cross-sectional, mixed-methods study and completed an infant care practices survey. A subgroup participated in focus groups or individual interviews. Results A total of 412 completed the survey; 83 participated in a focus group or interview. Lower socioeconomic status mothers were more likely to breastfeed exclusively or at all if they bedshared (P = .02 and P = .01, respectively). Bedsharing was not associated with breastfeeding among higher socioeconomic status mothers. Breast pain, lack of support, and maternal skepticism about breastfeeding benefits were barriers; the latter was a recurrent theme among nonbreastfeeding mothers. Conclusions While bedsharing is associated with breastfeeding in lower socioeconomic groups, it is not in higher socioeconomic African American groups. Skepticism about breastfeeding benefits may contribute to low breastfeeding rates in African Americans. PMID:25139664

Breastfeeding in African Americans may not depend on sleep arrangement: a mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Kadakia, Ashaini; Joyner, Brandi; Tender, Jennifer; Oden, Rosalind; Moon, Rachel Y

2015-01-01

Despite high bedsharing rates, breastfeeding rates are low among African Americans. Describe the association between breastfeeding and bedsharing; elucidate barriers to breastfeeding in African Americans. African American mothers with infants <6 months were recruited for this cross-sectional, mixed-methods study and completed an infant care practices survey. A subgroup participated in focus groups or individual interviews. A total of 412 completed the survey; 83 participated in a focus group or interview. Lower socioeconomic status mothers were more likely to breastfeed exclusively or at all if they bedshared (P = .02 and P = .01, respectively). Bedsharing was not associated with breastfeeding among higher socioeconomic status mothers. Breast pain, lack of support, and maternal skepticism about breastfeeding benefits were barriers; the latter was a recurrent theme among nonbreastfeeding mothers. While bedsharing is associated with breastfeeding in lower socioeconomic groups, it is not in higher socioeconomic African American groups. Skepticism about breastfeeding benefits may contribute to low breastfeeding rates in African Americans. © The Author(s) 2014.

African American males diagnosed with schizophrenia: a phenomenological study.

PubMed

Anderson, Lorraine Ballard

2014-08-01

Little is known about how African American men with schizophrenia experience their every day existence. Through applying interpretive phenomenology and using a methodological structure designed by van Manen (1990, 1997), this research aimed to enrich the current understanding of what it is like for these African American males to live with schizophrenia. In this study, five men ranging in age from 21 to 57 described their lives within the context of existing with the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The lived experiences across the interviews revealed four overarching themes: They know that they are mentally ill; they make a special effort to test reality; they assert their autonomy and; they experience reality differently, which they see as a gift. To provide appropriate treatment support to African American males diagnosed with schizophrenia, it is important to recognize the clients' ability to assert their autonomy and appreciate each man's view of himself as unique and special. Moreover, in terms of symptom management, it is pivotal to understand that although the client may not be free of hallucinations and delusions, he nevertheless may be at his optimum state of wellness. The realization that these men have transcended their diagnosis of schizophrenia rather than being crushed by their condition is evident in their stories.

Obesity and synergistic risk factors for chronic kidney disease in African American adults: the Jackson Heart Study.

PubMed

Olivo, Robert E; Davenport, Clemontina A; Diamantidis, Clarissa J; Bhavsar, Nrupen A; Tyson, Crystal C; Hall, Rasheeda; Bidulescu, Aurelian; Young, Bessie; Mwasongwe, Stanford E; Pendergast, Jane; Boulware, L Ebony; Scialla, Julia J

2017-08-30

that metabolic factors may be key determinants of obesity-associated CKD risk. Interactions between obesity and APOL1 genotype should be considered in studies of African Americans. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

Crisis phenomena among African adolescents.

PubMed

Pretorius, J W; Ferreira, G V; Edwards, D N

1999-01-01

This study investigated inadequate parent-child relationships, problems with regard to sexuality, and substance abuse among African university students. They reported experiencing positive aspects of the parent-child relationship, such as acceptance, love, understanding, encouragement, and guidance, as well as negative aspects, including inadequate communication and parents' authoritarian attitudes. Numerous sexual issues and the abuse of alcohol and other drugs were perceived as serious problems among teenagers in general. Although an inadequate parent-child relationship appears to contribute to substance abuse and sexuality problems, it cannot be regarded as solely responsible, as a multitude of factors also play a role. The results indicate the need for life-skills training for both adolescents and parents, particularly regarding communication.

Does Poor Quality Schooling and/or Teacher Quality Hurt Black South African Students Enrolling for a Degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal?

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Wealthy schools appoint better qualified teachers, less wealthy schools under qualified teachers. Added to this mix is a powerful teacher’s union whose policies attempt to entrench the job security of teachers in the less wealthy schools irrespective of whether they can teach their subjects or not. Can one isolate these effects from that of other socio-demographic factors that may also be affecting the performance of students when they enrol for a degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)? An outcome variable that subtracts the number of courses that have been failed from the number of courses that have been passed, dividing this by the total number of years that they have spent studying for a particular degree will be used as a response variable for this paper. Objectives The system of secondary education in South Africa is highly polarized. On the one hand, we have a group of mainly Black African students, forming about 80% of the total student population, that come from a vastly under-resourced rural or township based community. On the other hand, we have a group of predominantly White and Indian students who are able to attend a far better resourced set of private schools. Added to this mix, we have 240,000 of South Africa’s total number of 390,000 primary and secondary school teachers who belong to a powerful teacher’s union which enjoys a strong political alliance with the ruling party in South Africa. With most of their union members teaching in the less wealthy schools in South Africa, `school background’ now includes a politically motivated component that focuses on teacher self–interest rather than the education of the child. What sort of effect does school background have on the performance of students when they enter an institution of higher learning? More importantly, can one isolate the effect of school background from that of other possibly confounding factors such as gender, financial aid and the receipt of some form of

Does Poor Quality Schooling and/or Teacher Quality Hurt Black South African Students Enrolling for a Degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal?

PubMed

Murray, Mike

2016-01-01

Wealthy schools appoint better qualified teachers, less wealthy schools under qualified teachers. Added to this mix is a powerful teacher's union whose policies attempt to entrench the job security of teachers in the less wealthy schools irrespective of whether they can teach their subjects or not. Can one isolate these effects from that of other socio-demographic factors that may also be affecting the performance of students when they enrol for a degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)? An outcome variable that subtracts the number of courses that have been failed from the number of courses that have been passed, dividing this by the total number of years that they have spent studying for a particular degree will be used as a response variable for this paper. The system of secondary education in South Africa is highly polarized. On the one hand, we have a group of mainly Black African students, forming about 80% of the total student population, that come from a vastly under-resourced rural or township based community. On the other hand, we have a group of predominantly White and Indian students who are able to attend a far better resourced set of private schools. Added to this mix, we have 240,000 of South Africa's total number of 390,000 primary and secondary school teachers who belong to a powerful teacher's union which enjoys a strong political alliance with the ruling party in South Africa. With most of their union members teaching in the less wealthy schools in South Africa, `school background' now includes a politically motivated component that focuses on teacher self-interest rather than the education of the child. What sort of effect does school background have on the performance of students when they enter an institution of higher learning? More importantly, can one isolate the effect of school background from that of other possibly confounding factors such as gender, financial aid and the receipt of some form of residence based accommodation

Factors for Academic Success among African-American Men: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Samuel Rontez

2017-01-01

Academic success among African men has increased but many African-American men continue to fall behind the academic achievements of their Caucasian male counterparts. African-American men who achieve academic success have been marginalized in research that primarily focuses on reporting deficit or negative factors that hinder and not promote…

Black South Africans in the United States: An Analysis of Their Educational and Practical Training Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Beth S.; Kreidle, Ann M.

A study was done of the experiences of Black South Africans who came to the United States for education and training. The research studied 140 individuals who participated in two programs between 1980 and 1991. Data were collected from the student files and from standard university data from "Profiles of American Colleges" by Barron's…

Negro, Black, Black African, African Caribbean, African American or what? Labelling African origin populations in the health arena in the 21st century

PubMed Central

Agyemang, C.; Bhopal, R.; Bruijnzeels, M.

2005-01-01

Broad terms such as Black, African, or Black African are entrenched in scientific writings although there is considerable diversity within African descent populations and such terms may be both offensive and inaccurate. This paper outlines the heterogeneity within African populations, and discusses the strengths and limitations of the term Black and related labels from epidemiological and public health perspectives in Europe and the USA. This paper calls for debate on appropriate terminologies for African descent populations and concludes with the proposals that (1) describing the population under consideration is of paramount importance (2) the word African origin or simply African is an appropriate and necessary prefix for an ethnic label, for example, African Caribbean or African Kenyan or African Surinamese (3) documents should define the ethnic labels (4) the label Black should be phased out except when used in political contexts. PMID:16286485

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.

Comrades' Power: Student Representation and Activism in Universities in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macharia, Mwangi J.

2015-01-01

In the last decade, student politics and governance of universities in Kenya and in other African countries have undergone a tremendous transformation. The unprecedented expansion and massification of public universities, the introduction of "Module 2" programmes, the admission of private, "parallel" and…

The Nature of E-Learning Adoption by Stakeholders of a University in Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ansong, Eric; Boateng, Richard; Boateng, Sheena L.; Anderson, Augustus B.

2017-01-01

Studies looking at the nature of technology adoption from a multi-dimensional perspective have remained below expectation especially in African countries. This study, therefore, sought to explore the nature of e-learning adoption in the University of Ghana using a multi-stakeholder approach. A quantitative survey approach was adopted for this…

Incidence of atrial fibrillation in whites and African-Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

PubMed

Alonso, Alvaro; Agarwal, Sunil K; Soliman, Elsayed Z; Ambrose, Marietta; Chamberlain, Alanna M; Prineas, Ronald J; Folsom, Aaron R

2009-07-01

To define the incidence and cumulative risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in a population-based cohort of whites and African Americans. African-Americans reportedly have a lower risk of AF than whites despite their higher exposure to AF risk factors. However, precise estimates of AF incidence in African Americans have not been previously published. We studied the incidence of AF in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, which has followed up 15,792 men and women 45 to 65 years of age at baseline from 4 communities in the United States since 1987. Atrial fibrillation cases were identified from electrocardiograms conducted at baseline and 3 follow-up visits, and from hospitalizations and death certificates through the end of 2004. During follow-up, 1,085 new cases of AF were identified (196 in African Americans, 889 in whites). Crude incidence rates of AF were 6.7, 4.0, 3.9, and 3.0 per 1,000 persons per year in white men, white women, African-American men, and African-American women, respectively. Increasing age was exponentially associated with an elevated risk of AF. Compared to whites, African-Americans had a 41% (95% CI: 8%-62%) lower age- and sex-adjusted risk of being diagnosed with AF. The cumulative risk of AF at 80 years of age was 21% in white men, 17% in white women, and 11% in African-American men and women. In this population-based cohort, African Americans presented a lower risk of AF than whites. Still, the burden of AF among the former is substantial, with 1 in 9 receiving a diagnosis of AF before 80 years of age.

Symptom Dimensions in Two Samples of Africans Americans with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

PubMed Central

Williams, M. T.; Elstein, J.; Buckner, E.; Abelson, J.; Himle, J.

2012-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, however, there is a lack of research that includes African Americans, thus it is unclear whether findings about symptom dimensions can be generalized to this population. A sample of adult African Americans with OCD (N=74) was recruited at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and administered the Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive checklist (YBOCS) to better understand the phenomenology of OCD in African Americans. Frequencies of symptoms are reported and compared to findings from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL; N=54). A principal components analysis of YBOCS categories and items was performed on the Penn sample. A six-component solution was found, that included Contamination & Washing, Hoarding, Sexual Obsessions & Reassurance, Aggression & Mental Compulsions, Symmetry & Perfectionism, and Doubt & Checking, explaining 59.1% of the variance. Factors identified were similar to those of previous studies in primarily white samples. African Americans with OCD reported more contamination symptoms and were twice as likely to report excessive concerns with animals as European Americans with OCD. The results indicate the presence of cultural differences, which is consistent with findings among non-clinical samples. Implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:22708117

Adverse Clinical Outcome Associated With Mutations That Typify African American Colorectal Cancers.

PubMed

Wang, Zhenghe; Li, Li; Guda, Kishore; Chen, Zhengyi; Barnholtz-Sloan, Jill; Park, Young Soo; Markowitz, Sanford D; Willis, Joseph

2016-12-01

African Americans have the highest incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer (CRC) of any US racial group. We recently described a panel of 15 genes that are statistically significantly more likely to be mutated in CRCs from African Americans than in Caucasians (AA-CRC genes). The current study investigated the outcomes associated with these mutations in African American CRCs (AA-CRCs). In a cohort of 66 patients with stage I-III CRCs, eight of 27 CRCs with AA-CRC gene mutations (Mut+) developed metastatic disease vs only four of 39 mutation-negative (Mut-) cases (P = .03, Cox regression model with two-sided Wald test). Moreover, among stage III cases (n = 33), Mut+ cancers were nearly three times more likely to relapse as Mut- cases (7 of 15 Mut+ vs 3 of 18 Mut-; P = .03, Cox regression model with two-sided Wald test). AA-CRC mutations may thus define a high-risk subset of CRCs that contributes to the overall disparity in CRC outcomes observed in African Americans. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

African Games of Strategy: A Teaching Manual. African Outreach Series, No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, Louise

Appreciation of African games has increased in this country; especially board games which have been popularized through commercial versions. African games are invaluable resources for studying subjects requiring mathematical concepts, as well as social studies, history, geography, and languages. This manual presents some of the better known…

Compiling an Evidence-Based Improvement Plan for the Support of Distance-Education Students at a Southern African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makhakhane, Bothephana; Wilkinson, Annette C.; Ndeya-Ndereya, Charity N.

2016-01-01

This article illustrates how an event guide can be used to organise, systematise and prioritise the large amount of findings from an extensive study. The study aimed to enhance student support at a distance-education institute in a Southern African country (Lesotho). In this case study an improvement-oriented evaluation of the strengths,…

Management of obesity in low-income African Americans.

PubMed Central

Kaul, L.; Nidiry, J. J.

1999-01-01

The Bariatrics Clinic at Howard University Hospital was initiated to help low-income African-American adults with low literacy skills in obesity control. Fourteen African-American women and two men participated in the study. Essential components of the treatment included nutrition education, exercise, and behavior modification related to food intake. The nutrition education component involved teaching nutritional needs, taking into account low literacy skills, low economic status, and individual food preferences. A realistic diet plan was based on individual needs, economic status, availability of food, likes and dislikes, lifestyle, and family dynamics. On average, patients lost 2 lb a week on this program. On average, a 14-lb weight loss occurred in seven weeks. There has been a 10% dropout from this program as opposed to drop out rates of 40% to 50% with other treatments. The main reasons for the success of this program is that it is individualized and is sensitive to food preferences. PMID:10203915

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…

The social psychological costs of racial segmentation in the workplace: a study of African Americans' well-being.

PubMed

Forman, Tyrone A

2003-09-01

Although several studies have documented how social-structural constraints impair psychological functioning, few have considered how race-related structural constraints impair African Americans' psychological functioning. This study focuses on an under-studied form of race-related structural constraints: racial segmentation in the workplace. Specifically, I examine the association between perceived workplace racial segmentation, conceived and assessed from a social psychological perspective, and African Americans' psychological well-being. The magnitude and consistency of the relationship is evaluated across both a national sample and a local probability sample of African Americans. Findings across the two samples indicate a modest but consistent negative relationship between perceived racial segmentation and psychological well-being. In addition, this association remains significant after controlling for perceived discrimination as well as sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. Consistent with prior research on relative deprivation, the adverse influence of perceived racial segmentation on well-being was stronger among higher socioeconomic status African Americans than lower socioeconomic African Americans.

A comprehensive examination of breast cancer risk loci in African American women.

PubMed

Feng, Ye; Stram, Daniel O; Rhie, Suhn Kyong; Millikan, Robert C; Ambrosone, Christine B; John, Esther M; Bernstein, Leslie; Zheng, Wei; Olshan, Andrew F; Hu, Jennifer J; Ziegler, Regina G; Nyante, Sarah; Bandera, Elisa V; Ingles, Sue A; Press, Michael F; Deming, Sandra L; Rodriguez-Gil, Jorge L; Palmer, Julie R; Olopade, Olufunmilayo I; Huo, Dezheng; Adebamowo, Clement A; Ogundiran, Temidayo; Chen, Gary K; Stram, Alex; Park, Karen; Rand, Kristin A; Chanock, Stephen J; Le Marchand, Loic; Kolonel, Laurence N; Conti, David V; Easton, Douglas; Henderson, Brian E; Haiman, Christopher A

2014-10-15

Genome-wide association studies have identified 73 breast cancer risk variants mainly in European populations. Given considerable differences in linkage disequilibrium structure between populations of European and African ancestry, the known risk variants may not be informative for risk in African ancestry populations. In a previous fine-mapping investigation of 19 breast cancer loci, we were able to identify SNPs in four regions that better captured risk associations in African American women. In this study of breast cancer in African American women (3016 cases, 2745 controls), we tested an additional 54 novel breast cancer risk variants. Thirty-eight variants (70%) were found to have an association with breast cancer in the same direction as previously reported, with eight (15%) replicating at P < 0.05. Through fine-mapping, in three regions (1q32, 3p24, 10q25), we identified variants that better captured associations with overall breast cancer or estrogen receptor positive disease. We also observed suggestive associations with variants (at P < 5 × 10(-6)) in three separate regions (6q25, 14q13, 22q12) that may represent novel risk variants. Directional consistency of association observed for ∼65-70% of currently known genetic variants for breast cancer in women of African ancestry implies a shared functional common variant at most loci. To validate and enhance the spectrum of alleles that define associations at the known breast cancer risk loci, as well as genome-wide, will require even larger collaborative efforts in women of African ancestry. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Barriers and motivators to reducing secondhand smoke exposure in African American families of head start children: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Hoehn, Jessica L; Riekert, Kristin A; Borrelli, Belinda; Rand, Cynthia S; Eakin, Michelle N

2016-08-01

To identify barriers and motivators for reducing secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) for families of African-American, low-income, urban children. Audiotaped intervention sessions of 52 African-American caregivers of Head Start children who reported being a smoker and/or had at least one smoker in the home were randomly sampled from a larger trial examining the effectiveness of a motivational-interviewing intervention in reducing child's SHSe. Counseling sessions were qualitatively coded to identify barriers and motivators to implementing a home smoking ban or quitting smoking. African-American families identified several themes that were either or both barriers and motivators for SHSe reduction, including: asking others not to smoke, other family living in the home, neighborhood safety, absence of childcare, cost/availability of cessation tools, physician support and prevention of health problems. Urban, low-income African-American families face numerous barriers to reducing SHSe. Families were able to identify many motivators for reducing SHSe, suggesting an awareness of the importance for SHSe reduction but uncertainty in their confidence to change behaviors. Counseling should include tailoring to be most effective in supporting health behavior change. Greater emphasis on motivators is needed, such as low-cost/free cessation tools, engagement from physicians and greater involvement of extended family members. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gun Violence, African Ancestry, and Asthma: A Case-Control Study in Puerto Rican Children.

PubMed

Rosas-Salazar, Christian; Han, Yueh-Ying; Brehm, John M; Forno, Erick; Acosta-Pérez, Edna; Cloutier, Michelle M; Alvarez, María; Colón-Semidey, Angel; Canino, Glorisa; Celedón, Juan C

2016-06-01

Exposure to gun violence and African ancestry have been separately associated with increased risk of asthma in Puerto Rican children. The objective of this study was to examine whether African ancestry and gun violence interact on asthma and total IgE in school-aged Puerto Rican children. This is a case-control study of 747 Puerto Rican children aged 9 to 14 years living in San Juan, Puerto Rico (n = 472), and Hartford, Connecticut (n = 275). Exposure to gun violence was defined as the child's report of hearing gunshots more than once, and the percentage of African ancestry was estimated using genome-wide genotypic data. Asthma was defined as parental report of physician-diagnosed asthma and wheeze in the previous year. Serum total IgE (IU/mL) was measured in study participants. Multivariate logistic and linear regressions were used for the analysis of asthma and total IgE, respectively. In multivariate analyses, there was a significant interaction between exposure to gun violence and African ancestry on asthma (P = .001) and serum total IgE (P = .04). Among children exposed to gun violence, each quartile increase in the percentage of African ancestry was associated with approximately 45% higher odds of asthma (95% CI, 1.15-1.84; P = .002) and an approximately 19% increment in total IgE (95% , 0.60-40.65, P = .04). In contrast, there was no significant association between African ancestry and asthma or total IgE in children not exposed to gun violence. Our results suggest that exposure to gun violence modifies the estimated effect of African ancestry on asthma and atopy in Puerto Rican children. Copyright © 2016 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Case Study of the Development of African American Women Executives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks Greaux, Lisa

2010-01-01

Even in an era when the country elected an African American man as President of the United States, there is still a paucity of African American women executives within Fortune 500 companies. Although more African American women have joined the ranks of corporate management over the last two decades, the numbers, when compared to those of White…

Perceptions of participation in an observational epidemiologic study of cancer among African Americans.

PubMed

Gooden, Kyna M; Carter-Edwards, Lori; Hoyo, Cathrine; Akbar, Jabar; Cleveland, Rebecca J; Oates, Veronica; Jackson, Ethel; Furberg, Helena; Gammon, Marilie D

2005-01-01

Recruitment and retention of African Americans in cancer research studies has become increasingly important. However, little is known about factors bearing on recruitment and retention in etiologic observational studies of cancer. We assessed perceptions and attitudes of African Americans towards participation in an observational epidemiologic study of cancer, and attitudes toward the data collection process. Five focus groups, each lasting approximately 2 hours, were conducted. Participants were comprised of men and women between 41-65 years of age. A total of 35 adults from three rural and two urban counties in North Carolina participated. Data were analyzed using NVivo software. Four key themes emerged on the perception of participation and retention in an epidemiologic study of cancer: (1) fear of cancer prognosis; (2) conflicts between mistrust and trust in researchers; (3) comprehension of prospective study purpose, structure, and participation strategies; and (4) the necessity for and obligation to provide feedback. Results indicate that African Americans would be willing to participate in epidemiologic studies to identify etiologic risk factors for cancer. However, culturally appropriate efforts to thoroughly inform them of study process and progress are deemed essential for successful recruitment and retention.

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.

Prenatal care of African American women in selected USA urban and rural cultural contexts.

PubMed

Morgan, M

1996-01-01

The purpose of this ethnonursing research was to systematically discover, describe, and analyze the beliefs, practices, and values of African American women related to prenatal care. The domain of inquiry was prenatal care of African American women within their familiar cultural contexts. The study was conceptualized within Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality which enabled the researcher to study professional and generic care as influenced by the worldview, social structural factors, cultural values and beliefs, ethnohistory, and environmental context. The goal of the study was to discover knowledge that could be used by health professionals to provide culturally congruent prenatal care that would increase the health and well being of the people. The rationale for the study was based on studies that showed the lack of prenatal care in the African American cultural group leads to low birth weights and high infant mortality rates. Four major themes that focused on the domain of inquiry were identified: 1) Cultural care meant protection, presence, and sharing; 2) social structural factors that greatly influenced the health and well being were spirituality, kinship, and economics; 3) professional prenatal care was seen by the women as necessary and essential but there was distrust of noncaring professionals, and barriers to such care; and 4) folk health beliefs, practices, and indigenous health care providers were widely used by women in the African American community.

Low Graduation Rates among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Student Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Alvin D.

2017-01-01

A review of literature reveals that there is a dearth of research examining the low graduation rates among student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU's). By comparison, there has been numerous studies that have examined the African American student-athlete attending predominately White institutions (PWI's). The…

Collecting and Utilizing Evaluation Research for Public Good and on Behalf of African American Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Veronica G.; McKie, Brooke K.

2006-01-01

A study indicates that researchers entrusted with evaluating the educational outcomes of African American children must engage their practice for the public good and on behalf of these students. The Howard University Evaluation Training Institute is used as a guide to describe the steps for conducting quality evaluations, and to highlight the…

Shadows of Transformation: Inclusion and Exclusion of Academic Staff at a University of Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemson, C.; Singh, P.

2010-01-01

A study of academic staff at a South African university of technology used questionnaires and interviews to understand perceptions and experiences related to inclusion and exclusion. Taking critical race theory as the theoretical framework, the study revealed high levels of anger amongst staff of different racial identities. Expressions of…

Double product and end-organ damage in African and Caucasian men: the SABPA study.

PubMed

Schultz, A J; Schutte, A E; Schutte, R

2013-08-10

Increasing urbanisation in sub-Saharan African countries is causing a rapid increase in cardiovascular disease. Evidence suggests that Africans have higher blood pressures and a higher prevalence of hypertension-related cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, compared to Caucasians. We investigated double product (systolic blood pressure × heart rate), a substantial measure of cardiac workload, as a possible cardiovascular risk factor in African and Caucasian men. The study consisted of 101 urbanised African and 101 Caucasian male school teachers. We measured 24h ambulatory blood pressure and the carotid cross-sectional wall area, and determined left ventricular hypertrophy electrocardiographically by means of the Cornell product. Urinary albumin and creatinine were analysed to obtain the albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Africans had higher 24h, daytime and nighttime systolic- and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and resultant double product compared to the Caucasians. In addition, markers of end-organ damage, albumin-to-creatinine ratio and left ventricular hypertrophy were higher in the Africans while cross-sectional wall area did not differ. In Africans after single partial and multiple regression analysis, 24h systolic blood pressure, but not double product or heart rate, correlated positively with markers of end-organ damage (cross-sectional wall area: β=0.398, P=0.005; left ventricular hypertrophy: β=0.455, P<0.001; albumin-to-creatinine ratio: β=0.280, P=0.012). No associations were evident in Caucasian men. Double product may not be a good marker of increased cardiovascular risk when compared to systolic blood pressure in African and Caucasian men. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stranger to friend enabler: creating a community of caring in African American research using ethnonursing methods.

PubMed

Plowden, K O; Wenger, A F

2001-01-01

African Americans are facing a serious health crisis. They are disproportionately affected by most chronic illnesses. The disparity among ethic groups as it relates to health and illness is related to psychosocial and biological factors within the African American culture. Many African Americans are sometimes reluctant to participate in studies. This article discusses the process of creating a caring community when conducting research within an African American community based on the experience of the authors with two faith communities in a southern metropolitan area in the United States. The process is identified as unknowing, reflection, presence, and knowing. The process is based on Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality and her stranger to friend enabler. When the theory and method are used, the investigator moves from a stranger within the community to a trusted friend and begins to collect rich and valuable data for analysis from the informants' point of view.

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

Genome-wide association analysis of blood-pressure traits in African-ancestry individuals reveals common associated genes in African and non-African populations.

PubMed

Franceschini, Nora; Fox, Ervin; Zhang, Zhaogong; Edwards, Todd L; Nalls, Michael A; Sung, Yun Ju; Tayo, Bamidele O; Sun, Yan V; Gottesman, Omri; Adeyemo, Adebawole; Johnson, Andrew D; Young, J Hunter; Rice, Ken; Duan, Qing; Chen, Fang; Li, Yun; Tang, Hua; Fornage, Myriam; Keene, Keith L; Andrews, Jeanette S; Smith, Jennifer A; Faul, Jessica D; Guangfa, Zhang; Guo, Wei; Liu, Yu; Murray, Sarah S; Musani, Solomon K; Srinivasan, Sathanur; Velez Edwards, Digna R; Wang, Heming; Becker, Lewis C; Bovet, Pascal; Bochud, Murielle; Broeckel, Ulrich; Burnier, Michel; Carty, Cara; Chasman, Daniel I; Ehret, Georg; Chen, Wei-Min; Chen, Guanjie; Chen, Wei; Ding, Jingzhong; Dreisbach, Albert W; Evans, Michele K; Guo, Xiuqing; Garcia, Melissa E; Jensen, Rich; Keller, Margaux F; Lettre, Guillaume; Lotay, Vaneet; Martin, Lisa W; Moore, Jason H; Morrison, Alanna C; Mosley, Thomas H; Ogunniyi, Adesola; Palmas, Walter; Papanicolaou, George; Penman, Alan; Polak, Joseph F; Ridker, Paul M; Salako, Babatunde; Singleton, Andrew B; Shriner, Daniel; Taylor, Kent D; Vasan, Ramachandran; Wiggins, Kerri; Williams, Scott M; Yanek, Lisa R; Zhao, Wei; Zonderman, Alan B; Becker, Diane M; Berenson, Gerald; Boerwinkle, Eric; Bottinger, Erwin; Cushman, Mary; Eaton, Charles; Nyberg, Fredrik; Heiss, Gerardo; Hirschhron, Joel N; Howard, Virginia J; Karczewsk, Konrad J; Lanktree, Matthew B; Liu, Kiang; Liu, Yongmei; Loos, Ruth; Margolis, Karen; Snyder, Michael; Psaty, Bruce M; Schork, Nicholas J; Weir, David R; Rotimi, Charles N; Sale, Michele M; Harris, Tamara; Kardia, Sharon L R; Hunt, Steven C; Arnett, Donna; Redline, Susan; Cooper, Richard S; Risch, Neil J; Rao, D C; Rotter, Jerome I; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Reiner, Alex P; Levy, Daniel; Keating, Brendan J; Zhu, Xiaofeng

2013-09-05

High blood pressure (BP) is more prevalent and contributes to more severe manifestations of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in African Americans than in any other United States ethnic group. Several small African-ancestry (AA) BP genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been published, but their findings have failed to replicate to date. We report on a large AA BP GWAS meta-analysis that includes 29,378 individuals from 19 discovery cohorts and subsequent replication in additional samples of AA (n = 10,386), European ancestry (EA) (n = 69,395), and East Asian ancestry (n = 19,601). Five loci (EVX1-HOXA, ULK4, RSPO3, PLEKHG1, and SOX6) reached genome-wide significance (p < 1.0 × 10(-8)) for either systolic or diastolic BP in a transethnic meta-analysis after correction for multiple testing. Three of these BP loci (EVX1-HOXA, RSPO3, and PLEKHG1) lack previous associations with BP. We also identified one independent signal in a known BP locus (SOX6) and provide evidence for fine mapping in four additional validated BP loci. We also demonstrate that validated EA BP GWAS loci, considered jointly, show significant effects in AA samples. Consequently, these findings suggest that BP loci might have universal effects across studied populations, demonstrating that multiethnic samples are an essential component in identifying, fine mapping, and understanding their trait variability. Copyright © 2013 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Having Our Say": High Achieving African American Male College Graduates Speak about Parental Involvement and Parenting Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, Lynn Cheryl Lanier

2013-01-01

This study examined the patterns of parental involvement and parenting styles of a particular sample of academically successful African American males who attended and graduated from historically Black colleges or universities. More specifically, investigated was the presence of any relationships between parental involvement, parenting styles,…

The African Lupus Genetics Network (ALUGEN) registry: standardized, prospective follow-up studies in African patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

PubMed

Hodkinson, B; Mapiye, D; Jayne, D; Kalla, A; Tiffin, N; Okpechi, I

2016-03-01

The prevalence and severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) differs between ethnic groups and geographical regions. Although initially reported as rare, there is growing evidence that SLE is prevalent and runs a severe course in Africa. There is a paucity of prospective studies on African SLE patients. The African Lupus Genetics Network (ALUGEN) is a multicentred framework seeking to prospectively assess outcomes in SLE patients in Africa. Outcomes measured will be death, hospital admission, disease activity flares, and SLE-related damage. We will explore predictors for these outcomes including clinical, serological, socio-demographic, therapeutic and genetic factors. Further, we will investigate comorbidities and health-related quality of life amongst these patients. Data of patients recently (≤ 5 yrs) diagnosed with SLE will be collected at baseline and annual follow-up visits, and captured electronically. The ALUGEN project will facilitate standardized data capture for SLE cases in Africa, allowing participating centres to develop their own SLE registries, and enabling collaboration to enrich our understanding of inter-ethnic and regional variations in disease expression. Comprehensive, high-quality multi-ethnic data on African SLE patients will expand knowledge of the disease and inform clinical practice, in addition to augmenting research capacity and networking links and providing a platform for future biomarker and interventional studies. © The Author(s) 2015.

Physical Activity and Incident Hypertension in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

PubMed

Diaz, Keith M; Booth, John N; Seals, Samantha R; Abdalla, Marwah; Dubbert, Patricia M; Sims, Mario; Ladapo, Joseph A; Redmond, Nicole; Muntner, Paul; Shimbo, Daichi

2017-03-01

There is limited empirical evidence to support the protective effects of physical activity in the prevention of hypertension among African Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of physical activity with incident hypertension among African Americans. We studied 1311 participants without hypertension at baseline enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study, a community-based study of African Americans residing in Jackson, Mississippi. Overall physical activity, moderate-vigorous physical activity, and domain-specific physical activity (work, active living, household, and sport/exercise) were assessed by self-report during the baseline examination (2000-2004). Incident hypertension, assessed at examination 2 (2005-2008) and examination 3 (2009-2013), was defined as the first visit with systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or self-reported antihypertensive medication use. Over a median follow-up of 8.0 years, there were 650 (49.6%) incident hypertension cases. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for incident hypertension comparing participants with intermediate and ideal versus poor levels of moderate-vigorous physical activity were 0.84 (0.67-1.05) and 0.76 (0.58-0.99), respectively ( P trend=0.038). A graded, dose-response association was also present for sport/exercise-related physical activity (Quartiles 2, 3, and 4 versus Quartile 1: 0.92 [0.68-1.25], 0.87 [0.67-1.13], 0.75 [0.58-0.97], respectively; P trend=0.032). There were no statistically significant associations observed for overall physical activity, or work, active living, and household-related physical activities. In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that regular moderate-vigorous physical activity or sport/exercise-related physical activity may reduce the risk of developing hypertension in African Americans. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND INCIDENT HYPERTENSION IN AFRICAN AMERICANS: THE JACKSON HEART STUDY

PubMed Central

Diaz, Keith M.; Booth, John N.; Seals, Samantha R.; Abdalla, Marwah; Dubbert, Patricia M.; Sims, Mario; Ladapo, Joseph A.; Redmond, Nicole; Muntner, Paul; Shimbo, Daichi

2016-01-01

There is limited empirical evidence to support the protective effects of physical activity in the prevention of hypertension among African Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of physical activity with incident hypertension among African Americans. We studied 1,311 participants without hypertension at baseline enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study, a community-based study of African Americans residing in Jackson, MS. Overall physical activity, moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and domain-specific physical activity (work, active living, household, and sport/exercise) were assessed by self-report during the baseline exam (2000–2004). Incident hypertension, assessed at exam 2 (2005–2008) and exam 3 (2009–2013), was defined as the first visit with systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90mmHg or self-reported antihypertensive medication use. Over a median follow-up of 8.0 years, there were 650 (49.6%) incident hypertension cases. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) for incident hypertension comparing participants with intermediate and ideal versus poor levels of MVPA were 0.84 (0.67–1.05) and 0.76 (0.58–0.99), respectively (P-trend=0.038). A graded, dose-response association was also present for sport/exercise-related physical activity (Quartiles 2, 3, and 4 vs. Quartile 1: 0.92 [0.68–1.25], 0.87 [0.67–1.13], 0.75 [0.58–0.97], respectively; P-trend=0.032). There were no statistically significant associations observed for overall physical activity, or work, active living, and household-related physical activities. In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that regular MVPA or sport/exercise-related physical activity may reduce the risk of developing hypertension in African Americans. PMID:28137988

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…

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…

When Mathematics Works in Black: A Case Study of Effective Mathematics Instruction for African American Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakim, Khalel

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the 5th grade mathematics teaching practice of an African American female teacher in a predominantly African American classroom that consistently meets and/or exceeds Michigan's mathematics proficiency standards. Using multiple emancipatory lenses, and a single case study method that employed…

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…

Perceived Neighborhood Quality and HIV-related Stigma among African Diasporic Youth; Results from the African, Caribbean, and Black Youth (ACBY) Study.

PubMed

Kerr, Jelani; Northington, Toya; Sockdjou, Tamara; Maticka-Tyndale, Eleanor

2018-01-01

Socio-environmental factors such as neighborhood quality are increasingly recognized drivers of HIV disparities. Additionally, HIV- related stigma heightens HIV vulnerability among youth in the African Diaspora. However, little research examines the intersection of neighborhood quality and HIV- related stigma. This study uses survey data (N=495) from African, Caribbean, and Black youth in a midsized city in Ontario, Canada to address this research deficit. Analysis of variance and multivariate ordinary least squares regressions were conducted to determine differences in HIV- related stigma by neighborhood quality, experiences of discrimination, HIV- knowledge, and demographic factors. Residents in more socially disordered neighborhoods (p<.05), males (p<.0001), African- Muslim youth (p<.01), and individuals with lower HIV- knowledge (p<.0001) endorsed stigmatizing beliefs more often. Addressing neighborhood disadvantage may have implications for HIV- related stigma. More research should be conducted to understand the impact of socio- environmental disadvantage and HIV- related stigma.

Drivers of Learning Management System Use in a South African Open and Distance Learning Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venter, Peet; van Rensburg, Mari Jansen; Davis, Annemarie

2012-01-01

The study on which this article reports examined the determinants of usage of an online learning management system (LMS) by fourth level business students at a South African open and distance learning university using an extension of the widely used technology acceptance model (TAM) as a theoretical basis. A survey was conducted among students at…

Evaluation of eLearning Usage in South African Universities: A Critical Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagarukayo, Emily; Kalema, Billy

2015-01-01

Although eLearning is the use of technology for teaching, learning and assessment, there is no common approach to it across South African Higher Education Institutions. There is therefore a concern that the full potential of eLearning approach is not utilised. This paper examines the nature and the extent of eLearning activities in South African…

Aspirations and Equality in Higher Education: Gender in a South African University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Melanie

2018-01-01

This paper considers ways to theorise aspirations in terms of capabilities and agency to function as human beings, as well as our resources to act and participate in this world using a South African case of women students' aspirations. In this analysis higher education should foster women's freedom as critical agents to make genuine choices about…

Elevated hypertension risk for African-origin populations in biracial societies: modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study.

PubMed

Cooper, Richard S; Forrester, Terrence E; Plange-Rhule, Jacob; Bovet, Pascal; Lambert, Estelle V; Dugas, Lara R; Cargill, Kathryn E; Durazo-Arvizu, Ramon A; Shoham, David A; Tong, Liping; Cao, Guichan; Luke, Amy

2015-03-01

Blood pressures in persons of African descent exceed those of other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Whether this trait is attributable to the genetic factors in African-origin populations, or a result of inadequately measured environmental exposures, such as racial discrimination, is not known. To study this question, we conducted a multisite comparative study of communities in the African diaspora, drawn from metropolitan Chicago, Kingston, Jamaica, rural Ghana, Cape Town, South Africa, and the Seychelles. At each site, 500 participants between the age of 25 and 49 years, with approximately equal sex balance, were enrolled for a longitudinal study of energy expenditure and weight gain. In this study, we describe the patterns of blood pressure and hypertension observed at baseline among the sites. Mean SBP and DBP were very similar in the United States and South Africa in both men and women, although among women, the prevalence of hypertension was higher in the United States (24 vs. 17%, respectively). After adjustment for multiple covariates, relative to participants in the United States, SBP was significantly higher among the South Africans by 9.7 mmHg (P < 0.05) and significantly lower for each of the other sites: for example, Jamaica: -7.9 mmHg (P = 0.06), Ghana: -12.8 mmHg (P < 0.01) and Seychelles: -11.1 mmHg (P = 0.01). These data are consistent with prior findings of a blood pressure gradient in societies of the African diaspora and confirm that African-origin populations with lower social status in multiracial societies, such as the United States and South Africa, experience more hypertension than anticipated based on anthropometric and measurable socioeconomic risk factors.

Embracing an "African Ethos" to facilitate African immigrants participation in medical genetics and genomics research.

PubMed

Buseh, Aaron G; Stevens, Patricia E; Millon-Underwood, Sandra; Kelber, Sheryl T; Townsend, Leolia

Limited published research exists on perceptions and potentials for black African immigrants' participation in medical genetics and genomics research. This study explores the inclination and disinclination of African immigrants to be involved in genetics and genomics research. In-depth qualitative interviews were employed in which a sample of black African immigrants 18 years and older (n = 34) were interviewed. Barriers included contrary beliefs and customs about disease and the human body that differs from Western conceptions, and lack of genuine connection to the health care system. Facilitators included promotion of an "African ethos," wherein Africans unite with one another in a communal extension of self and robust community involvement across the life span of genetic studies. It is important for researchers and genetic counselors to understand the sociocultural underpinnings of African immigrants about genetics and genomics research as an initial step to encouraging their participation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retention and Attrition Among African Americans in the STAR*D Study: What Causes Research Volunteers to Stay or Stray?

PubMed Central

Murphy, Eleanor J; Kassem, Layla; Chemerinski, Anat; Rush, A. John; Laje, Gonzalo; McMahon, Francis J.

2013-01-01

Background High attrition rates among African-Americans (AA) volunteers are a persistent problem that makes clinical trials less representative and complicates estimation of treatment outcomes. Many studies contrast AA with other ethnic/racial groups, but few compare the AA volunteers who remain in treatment with those who leave. Here, in addition to comparing patterns of attrition between African Americans and whites, we identify predictors of overall and early attrition among African Americans. Method Sample comprised non-Hispanic African-American (n=673) and white (n=2,549) participants in the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. Chi-square tests were used to examine racial group differences in reasons for exit. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine predictors of overall attrition, early attrition (by Level 2) and top reasons cited for attrition among African Americans. Results For both African-American and white dropouts, non-compliance reasons for attrition were most commonly cited during the earlier phases of the study while reasons related to efficacy and medication side effects were cited later in the study. Satisfaction with treatment strongly predicted overall attrition among African Americans independent of socioeconomic, clinical, medical or psychosocial factors. Early attrition among African American dropouts was associated with less psychiatric comorbidity, and higher perceived physical functioning but greater severity of clinician-rated depression. Conclusions The decision to drop out is a dynamic process that changes over the course of a clinical trial. Strategies aimed at retaining African Americans in such trials should emphasize engagement with treatment and patient satisfaction immediately following enrollment and after treatment initiation. PMID:23723044