An Investigation of Racial Identity, Self-esteem and Academic Achievement Among African American High School Students

An Investigation of Racial Identity, Self-esteem and Academic Achievement Among African American High School Students PDF Author: Karen D. McCurtis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : African American students
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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An Investigation of Racial Identity, Self-esteem and Academic Achievement Among African American High School Students

An Investigation of Racial Identity, Self-esteem and Academic Achievement Among African American High School Students PDF Author: Karen D. McCurtis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : African American students
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description


Racial Identity Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement Among African American Adolescents

Racial Identity Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement Among African American Adolescents PDF Author: Jocelyn Freeman Bonvillain
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 23

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Book Description
The purpose of the present study was to explore the extent to which racial identity attitudes and self-esteem could predict academic performance for African American middle school students. A total of 175 African American adolescents in 7th grade attending one of two urban schools participated in the study. The Multi-Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) were used to measure children's feelings toward themselves and their group. Cumulative grade point average (gpa) was used to measure academic achievement. The findings partially supported the hypothesis that racial identity and self-esteem are predictors of academic performance. Self-esteem and racial affiliation were significant predictors of academic achievement, but not the racial identity search component of the MEIM. The results revealed self-esteem to be less predictive of academic achievement than racial affiliation. The second part of the study was to examine the effects of racial identity and self-esteem on African American adolescents' academic performance. The hypothesis was supported. Students who exhibited high levels of self-esteem and racial identity performed better academically than students who showed low levels of self-esteem and racial identity. (Contains 7 tables.).

The Myth of Black Anti-Intellectualism

The Myth of Black Anti-Intellectualism PDF Author: Kevin O. Cokley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440831572
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Why do students who belong to racial minority groups—particularly black students—fall short in school performance? This book provides a comprehensive and critical examination of black identity and its implications for black academic achievement and intellectualism. No other group of students has been more studied, more misunderstood, and more maligned than African American students. The racial gap between White and African American students does exist: a difference of roughly 20 percent in college graduation rates has persisted for more than the past two decades; and since 1988, the racial gap on the reading and mathematics sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) has increased from 189 points to 201 points. What are the true sources of these differences? In this book, psychology professor and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Black Psychology Kevin Cokley, PhD, delves into and challenges the dominant narrative regarding black student achievement by examining the themes of black identity, the role of self-esteem, the hurdles that result in academic difficulties, and the root sources of academic motivation. He proposes a bold alternate narrative that uses black identity as the theoretical framework to examine factors in academic achievement and challenge the widely accepted notion of black anti-intellectualism. This book will be valuable to all educators, especially those at the high school through undergraduate college/university level, as well as counselors associated with academic and community institutions, social service providers, policy makers, clergy and lay staff within the faith-based community, and parents.

Racialized Identities

Racialized Identities PDF Author: Na'ilah Nasir
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804760195
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
This book explores how various constructions of identity can influence educational achievement for African American students, both within and outside of school.

Afrocentric Identity and High School Students' Perception of Academic Achievement

Afrocentric Identity and High School Students' Perception of Academic Achievement PDF Author: Denise W. Coley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
African American students have historically been labeled as underachievers in the arena of education (Battin-Pearson, Newcomb, Abbot, Hill, Catalano & Hawkins, 2000; Entwisle, 1990; Mickelson, 1990; Kazdin, 1993). Numerous explanations such as education being seen primarily as a White domain, that African Americans who strive to achieve an education are often seen as not being Black enough or that Blacks will be rejected by their peers and community for wanting to be "White" (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986), have been suggested to explain the underachievement of African American students. Others have questioned if the poor performance demonstrated by African American students might be attributed to problems with students' lack of connection with their Afrocentric/racial identity (Datnow & Cooper, 1997; O'Connor, 1997; Sellers, Chavous & Cooke, 1998; Taylor, Casten, Flickinger, Robert & Fulmore, 1994). This study examined three research questions: (1) Is there a relationship between Black students' Afrocentric identity and academic achievement? (2) Is there a relationship between Black students' academic self-concept as related to their racial identity? (3) Is there a relationship between Afrocentric identity and students' desire to attend college? Participants included 84 Black high school senior adolescents from local high schools. Participants were asked to complete four measures to examine racial identity, academic self-concept and academic achievement. The results indicated that there was a significant correlation between racial identity (internalization stage) and academic self-concept. While there was a significant correlation between racial identity and academic self-concept, GPA scores appeared to be a better predictor of academic achievement. Results also indicated that awareness of one's identity, affirmation of Black life, and the development of Black people had a negative impact on one's overall academic performance (GPA). These findings raised issues about racial identity and the desire to achieve academically among African American high school seniors.

African American Boys

African American Boys PDF Author: Faye Z. Belgrave
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 149391717X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
This book discusses current research on identity formation, family and peer influences, risk and resilience factors, and concepts of masculinity and sexuality in African American boys. Sorting out genuine findings from popular misconceptions and misleading headlines, this concise and wide-ranging reference covers the crucial adolescent years, ages 11-16, acknowledging diversity of background and experience in the group, and differences and similarities with African American girls as well as with other boys. In addition, the authors review strengths-based school and community programs that harness evidence and insights to promote pro-social behavior. Featured areas of coverage include: The protective role of ethnic identity and racial socialization. Family management, cohesion, communication, and well-being. Development and importance of peer relationships. Health and well-being. Theoretical perspectives on educational achievement. Factors that contribute to delinquency and victimization. What works: effective programs and practices. African American Boys is an essential resource for a wide range of clinicians and practitioners – as well as researchers and graduate students – in school and clinical child psychology, prevention and public health, social work, mental health therapy and counseling, family therapy, and criminal justice.

Standing Outside on the Inside

Standing Outside on the Inside PDF Author: Olga M. Welch
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438423802
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
At a time when increased emphasis is placed on pre-college preparation of disadvantaged students, the number of African American students entering colleges and universities continues to decline and the achievement gaps between these students and their White peers persist. While many enrichment programs report impressive gains, little research on these programs contains the perspective of the Black students. This book presents the results of a longitudinal study of academic achievement and pre-college enrichment of disadvantaged African American adolescents in two inner-city high schools. Through its presentation and analysis of the students' perceptions of pre-college enrichment seen in relation to their definitions of scholarship and the discussion of findings related to parent and teacher involvement, this book provides fresh perspectives on the school experiences of Black adolescents and offers important insights for those involved in both the development and evaluation of enrichment programs.

Blacked Out

Blacked Out PDF Author: Signithia Fordham
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022622998X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
This innovative portrait of student life in an urban high school focuses on the academic success of African-American students, exploring the symbolic role of academic achievement within the Black community and investigating the price students pay for attaining it. Signithia Fordham's richly detailed ethnography reveals a deeply rooted cultural system that favors egalitarianism and group cohesion over the individualistic, competitive demands of academic success and sheds new light on the sources of academic performance. She also details the ways in which the achievements of sucessful African-Americans are "blacked out" of the public imagination and negative images are reflected onto black adolescents. A self-proclaimed "native" anthropologist, she chronicles the struggle of African-American students to construct an identity suitable to themselves, their peers, and their families within an arena of colliding ideals. This long-overdue contribution is of crucial importance to educators, policymakers, and ethnographers.

Ethnicity in College

Ethnicity in College PDF Author: Anna M. Ortiz
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000980014
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
This book explores the importance, and construction, of ethnic identity among college students, and how ethnicity interfaces with students’ interactions on campus, and the communities in which they live. Based on qualitative interviews with White, Latina/o, African American and Asian students, it captures both the college context and the individual experiences students have with their ethnicity, through the immediacy of the students’ own voices.The authors observe how students negotiate their ethnic identity within the process of becoming adults. They identify the influences of family, the importance of socio-historical forces that surround students’ educational experiences, and the critical role of peers in students’ ethnic identity development. While research has begun to document the positive outcomes associated with diverse learning environments, this study emphasizes and more closely delineates, just how these outcomes come to be. In addition, the study reveals how the freedom to express and develop ethnic identity, which multicultural environments ideally support, promotes student confidence and achievement in ways which students themselves can articulate. This work is distinctive in eschewing an ethnic minority perspective through which Whites are the primary reference group, and the standard from which all ethnic and racial identity processes evolve; as well as in considering the influences that growing up in a multi-ethnic context may have on ethnic identity processes, particularly where the “other” is not White. This perspective is particularly important at a time when students entering universities are more likely to come from highly segregated high school environments, and will confront ethnic and social differences for the first time in college.This book is intended as a resource for researchers and practitioners in psychology and higher education. It offers insights for student affairs and higher education administrators and leaders about the ways in which their campus policies and practices can positively influence the development of more supportive campus climates that draw on the strengths of each ethnic group to create an overarching pluralistic culture. It can also serve as a cultural diversity text for upper division or graduate courses on pluralism. Moreover, understanding students’ ethnic identity, their personal growth, and adjustment to college, it is central to preparing individuals for life in a pluralistic society.

Racial Identity, Religious Participation and Stereotype Threat

Racial Identity, Religious Participation and Stereotype Threat PDF Author: Francine Stevens
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between middle/high school students' racial identity, religious participation, and perception of stereotype threat and the effect on student educational outcomes (student engagement, student achievement, academic identification, withdrawal, and dropout). The focus of this study was on African American students who participate in church-related religious activity on a regular basis. The Black community church has long provided the vehicle for the open expression of African American social, political, and educational discourse and organization needed to enact critically needed community change efforts. Environment assets such as the community Black church involvement for African American students may prove to hold resources for overcoming the achievement gap. When African Americans as a church community taught students who were denied access to public schools, the curriculum was culturally relevant and the teachers shared the same values, beliefs, traditions, and custom as the students they taught (hooks, 1992). This contributed to students' feeling of belonging and identity and provided critical social capital, which is significant for African American student learning and development as a marginalized ethnic group. The literature reviewed for this study provides a discussion of four themes. The first theme examines the theoretical frames informing this study. These include: racial identity theory, critical race theory, stereotype threat theory, community cultural wealth, and critical social capital. The second theme provides a clear cultural context for the understanding and interpretation of the social and political climate of the study. This theme reviews the concept of race, racial socialization, and institutional racism as a pretense of the sociopolitical institutions and agencies in society, particularly education. The third theme explores the importance of youth development and community-based organizations in building self-esteem, racial identity development, and ethnic efficacy of adolescents. This includes the significance of the Black church community for African Americans politically, socially, and spiritually in racial identity development and ethnic pride. The fourth theme reviews the educational implications and outcomes these social and cultural factors have for African American middle/high school students attending American public schools. The research design was mixed-method, quantitative and qualitative. Data was collected from a 36-question self-reported survey, focus group activity, and adult interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed for patterns and themes. The researcher utilized the linkages among the various data sources through coding, categories, and concepts to identify relevant findings related to the research questions. The researcher then triangulated the various data sources to build an understanding of student subjects' experience of their world and the implication for educational outcomes. The findings indicated there were both statistically significant (p= .05 or less) and statistically suggestive (p=.10 or less) correlations between racial identity, religious participation, and stereotype threat and the impact on education outcomes such as grade point average, academic identity, academic engagement, social acceptance, future aspirations, as well as self-handicapping and academic disengagement. Students who experience stereotype threat without the buffer of resilience-making support, are more likely to participate in self handicapping and disengaging behavior over time. Steele (1994) suggested that these are the very students who eventually withdraw and/or drop out of school. The cost to the nation and states for students failing to complete high school is measured in billions of dollars. In addition, for students who drop out of school, the cost in human potential is priceless. The concluding chapter discusses the implications of the study including implications for transformational leadership, policy implications, and suggests future research studies with the final reflection of the researcher. It is imperative that researchers, educators, and policymakers explore the influencing factors and cultural assets of African Americans in their efforts to close the achievement gap, a persistent phenomenon that continues to undermine the national security and economic stability of the United States. The cost to the nation for students who do not complete high school or are unable to function and contribute as citizens is catastrophic. This study attempts to provide some possibilities for further knowledge and understanding research and reform efforts.