Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceived Impact Of Membership In African American Fraternities And Sororities On The Collegiate Experience And Persistence At A Predominantly White Institution: A Phenomenological Study, Darrick A. Claiborne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand if the experiences of African American members of African American fraternities and sororities at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) impacted their collegiate experience and persistence to graduate. The researcher used Albert Bandura’s social learning theory to guide this study. Methods for African American students' persistence include leadership and modeling. The researcher chose a central question considering the perceived impact of membership in African American fraternities and sororities on its collegiate experience and persistence at a PWI. The participants of this study were a purposive type of sampling. The participants …

Diversity As An Influence On Talent Management And Competitive Advantage: The Absence Of Female African American Executive Leadership In The Insurance Industry, Lateisha Tamarra Rainey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research case study was to examine the extent of which the significance of diversity has on the representation of African American females in top-executive leadership positions. Furthermore, to comprehend why African American females are unfairly represented and disparaged in C-suite level positions. The purpose of this research was to study the influence that diversity may have on the insurance industry’s talent management and competitive advantage. To what degree do biases whether conscious or unconscious affect promotional opportunities, recruitment, selection, and hiring practices of African American females pursuing elevation to higher level positions within the insurance …

A Strategy To Transition A Traditional African American Church To A Multicultural Church Where All People Are Welcome To Worship, Darold A. Ingram Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose for this action research thesis is to develop a strategy to transition the MHBC from a traditional African American church to a multicultural church. Looking at the temperature of our country, civil unrest has reached an all-time high. Our society has been separated by every aspect of life and this is not how God intended for us to live out our lives. While the battle amongst cultures thrives, the only thing that can change this climate is Christ, by way of His church. In the following pages you will be exposed to a strategic plan that will help …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Student Engagement Experiences Of African Americans Formerly Attending Urban Public High Schools, Sohn A. Butts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to interpret the student engagement experiences of African Americans formerly attending urban public high schools in a major city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Self-determination theory, established by Ryan and Deci (1985), is the theoretical framework for this study, and was used to understand motivation in terms of basic psychological needs satisfaction and fulfillment, and how those motivations influence human behavior. The central research question was: What were the student engagement experiences of African Americans formerly attending urban public high schools? The three research sub-questions were: (1) what instructional …

The Experiences Of African American Graduate Students Attending Colleges Of Chiropractic: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology, Darren De'un Howland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study is to discover and interpret the campus experiences of African American graduate students attending colleges of chiropractic in the United States. A sense of belonging within a campus environment is essential to all students that encounter a university. The campus environment has an important role in the retention of African American students. The theory guiding this study is the Culturally Engaging Campus Environment Model which examines cultural engagement within the campus environment. The central question leading this research study asks, “What are the lived experiences of African American graduate students attending colleges of …

The African American Nuclear Family: Investigating The Healthy Habits Of Successful Long-Term Marriages In The African American Community, Derrick L. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study sought to understand what contributed to the success of long-term marriages in the African American community. Long-term marriage was defined as those lasting 20 years or more. The family systems theory developed by Dr. Murray Bowen guided this study. The study employed a phenomenological approach to qualitative inquiry. Due to the national health crisis, all interviews were conducted through a Zoom conferencing platform. Nine married couples who have been married for at least 20 years or more participated in the study. The following criteria had to be met to participate in the study: race, length of the …

From Perpetual Struggle To Liberation And Freedom: An Analysis Of Two Predominately African American Churches, Stanley Bernard Baldwin Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American Church Music has a unique and robust history dating back to the era of the African Slave Trade. This project will focus on African American Church Music and its effect on the African American worship experience in the 21st century. The creation of spirituals and gospel music helped shape the doctrine and identity in the African American Church. However, its message of suffering and “longing to go home” has limited the worship experience of the African American demographic. Musical style, historical significance, and racial issues have played a significant role in shaping the African American worship experience. These …

The Impact Of Stress, Depression, And Anxiety On African American Student Success During Their First Undergraduate Semester: A Qualitative Case Study, Anthony Jerome Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the impact of stress, depression, and anxiety on African American students’ success during their first undergraduate semester at House A&M University. The terms stress, depression, and anxiety were defined respectively as the feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Schlossberg’s transition theory, which defines transitions as events or experiences that result in changed interactions, habits, expectations, and responsibilities, framed this study. The study's central research question was designed to elicit participant descriptions of the ways stress, depression, and anxiety impact the …

The Messiah, The Mandate, And The Mission To Implement Multicultural Evangelism Through Intentional Racial Reconciliation Among African Americans And Caucasian Christians, Panisha Levern Stigger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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A Multicase Study On African American Male Students: The Least Identified And Represented In The Gifted And Talented Education Program At The Upper Elementary Level, Nicole Angella Clarke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multicase study was to develop an understanding of educators’ perspectives of African American male students being the least identified and represented in the gifted and talented program at two elementary schools. The theories that guided this study were the expectancy-value theory and the social cognitive theory. Given the purpose of this study, the following central research question framed this study: What are educators’ perspectives on African American male students being the least identified and represented in the gifted and talented program at the elementary level? The participants who took part in this study were 10 teachers …

Caucasian Teachers' And African American Students' Perceptions Of Factors That Motivate Low-Socioeconomic African American Students To Read, Brittany Keys Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to explore Caucasian teachers’ and African American students’ perceptions of factors that motivate low-socioeconomic African American students to read within the southern region of West Virginia. The theories guiding this study were the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1980) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991). This study details the literature on the achievement gap in reading between African American students and students of other races, as well as teachers’ and students’ perceptions of instructional and motivational practices that influence reading development. African American students from lower economic backgrounds are being left …

A Class Of Their Own: A Correlational Study On Household Composition, Chronic Absenteeism, And Graduation Among African American Males, Melissa E. Garrett-Moultrie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between household compositions of African American male students, chronic absenteeism, and graduation. Chronic absenteeism is missing 10% or more of the academic school year. Using Bowen family systems theory as the theoretical framework helped examine if household composition is related to chronic absenteeism and graduation in African American males. In addition, this study explored the factors that best differentiated single-mother households from two-parent households. This study was conducted in order to develop paternal involvement programs, mentoring programs, attendance programs, and academic programs to increase graduation rates and decrease chronic absenteeism …

The Impact Of Sunday School Participation On Spiritual Formation In African American Baptist Churches In North Carolina, Christopher Eugene Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to determine a relationship between Sunday School participation and spiritual formation upon participating congregations of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (GBSCNC). The process of spiritual formation comes through the spiritual disciplines being practiced. The spiritual disciplines were measured through the study sample of GBSCNC churches in this study using four spiritual development modes from the Christian Spiritual Participation Profile: growing through a relationship with God, growing through the Word, growing through critical reflection, and growing through relationships with others (Thayer, 1996). The research findings were based on a sample …

What Is Required For Conservative Christians In The African American Community To Experience Mental Health As A Potential Resource For Emotional Healing? A Phenomenological Approach, Tawana Denise Helmich

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine what is required for conservative Christians in the African American community to experience mental health counseling as a potential resource for emotional healing. The theories guiding this study are person-centered and experiential with emphasis on the Gestalt approach. Person-Centered theory was created by Carl Rogers over 40 years ago to encourage clinicians to honor their clients’ lead in their treatment process while discovering their own solutions. Experiential therapy is a humanistic approach to therapy, which will also be implemented in this research. An experiential approach to counseling prioritizes the need for …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study That Examines African American Male Students' Perception Of Factors That Contribute To Academic Success At A Four-Year College, Brian Kelley Nix

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine African American males’ perceptions of factors contributing to academic success. The central research question that guided this study is as follows: What factors do African American male students perceive as contributing to their academic success in attaining a four-year college degree? The information in this study could provide knowledge to other African American males, their families, and teachers regarding how these men could experience the same academic success as the participants. The participants consisted of 14 African American males from East Tennessee who graduated from a four-year college. The …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of African American Women Superintendents In North Carolina, Latoia Aster Valentine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of African American women superintendents in North Carolina. The theory guiding this study was Collins’ black feminist thought, as it clarifies and calls attention to the analysis of ideas and experiences specific to African American women, which relates to African American women superintendents in North Carolina. The central question of the study is “How do African American women describe their lived experiences in superintendent positions in the state of North Carolina?” This qualitative phenomenological study included six current and/or past African American women North Carolina superintendents. Data were …

Perceptions Of The Achievement Gap As Experienced Among Academically Proficient To High-Achieving African American Adolescents In The Rural Southeastern United States: A Phenomenological Study, Tony Antonio Dominic Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe how the achievement gap is perceived as a lived experience by African American adolescents in a southeastern United States school district. The perception of the achievement gap as a lived experience among African American adolescents is generally defined as the meaning this group ascribes to their lived experience in the academic achievement gap. The theory guiding this study was Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Vygotsky theorized that sociocultural learning precedes cognitive development; therefore, African American adolescents’ sociocultural awareness of the gap, or the meaning or lack of definition in perceptions of …

The Impact Of Teacher Motivation In Promoting Academic Achievement Among African American Male Students, Erroll Royal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the impact of teacher motivation in promoting academic achievement among African American male students in an urban middle school in northeast North Carolina. In this quantitative study, the sample population was comprised of fifty 7th grade students and fifty 8th grade students. Eight teachers, (four science teachers, and four math teachers) both male and female were given the Teacher Efficacy Scale (see Appendix G). The results revealed that there was no relationship between teacher motivation and academic achievement among African American male students. Further research should include similar studies that would examine the impact of teacher motivation …

Achievement Gap In United States History End Of Course Assessment Scores In Ga High Schools, Kris Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation study, which employed a quantitative correlational research design, was to determine if the school-level variables of percentage of African American students, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and type of school scheduling significantly influence student performance on the Georgia Milestones U.S. History end-of-course assessments (EOCs) for the school years 2014-15 and 2015-16. The study utilized a sample of 163 high schools located in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Results from simultaneous linear regression analyses showed that school-level percentage of economically disadvantaged students was significantly associated with school-level Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) U.S. History …

The Impact Of Sports Participation On The Academic Achievement Of African American Girls, Sarita Singleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although there are several educational benefits resulting from participation in high school sports, African American students do not always experience the positive outcomes that other populations share. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to investigate the effect of athletic participation on the academic achievement of African American high school female students. The sample consisted of 100 female African American 12th-grade students. Descriptive statistics were collected and analyzed. Analysis involved archival data to determine the grade point averages and graduation rates of student athletes and non-athletes in two urban high schools in Georgia. The study sought to determine if …

A Phenomenological Study: Exploring The Needs, Wants, And Desires From The Voices Of African-American Males Desiring To Graduate From Community College, Yvette Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore factors that could lead to academic success for African-American males enrolled in community college. By conducting a phenomenological study, those factors leading to graduation will be derived from the particular lens of perception of the participants’ lived experiences. The guiding theories are those of Derrick Bell’s Critical Race Theory (CRT, 1977), Vincent Tinto’s (1975) Theory of Departure, and John Bean’s (1979) Theory of Student Attrition. A convenience participant sample totaling 10 African-American males was comprised of students who were currently enrolled in a community college. The data collected for this …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Special Education Referral Process For Black Males Based On Ace: Administration, Culture And Environment, Malik Douglas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal comparative study is to contribute to the understanding of Critical Race Theory by using a parametric test to compare the independent variable of human characteristics to the dependent variables of Administrative, Cultural, and Environmental/ Hereditary (ACE) factors to develop a picture of parents'/guardians' and educators' attitudes about factors that may explain the overrepresentation of Black males in special education programs. A total of 162 participants completed a self-reporting demographic characteristic survey and the Gresham survey to provide information on the attitudes towards the administrative, cultural, and environmental/hereditary factors that may be correlated with the overrepresentation …

Biblical Hermeneutics For The Twenty-First Century African American Church: Introducing Seven Key Solutions Promoting Higher Education, Jacqueline Montague

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the fact that education builds knowledge, higher learning through Seminary is preached from many African American pulpits as having little merit. The author's hope is to channel broader understanding on how the seminary experience can make a difference in accomplishing the assignment commissioned by Jesus to a postmodern society. To achieve this goal, the author divulges the importance and necessity of seminary studies from a semiotic approach. Research includes a study of the hermeneutic circle and its three parts: text, messenger, and listeners; collected data from culture analyses and statistical reports to comprise three pastoral interviews. The objective is …

The Effectiveness Of A Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program That Offer Special Benefits For Pregnant And Parenting Teens: A Qualitative Study, Marsha Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teen pregnancy continues to be a problem for families, educators, health care professionals, and the government. Teenagers are not afforded the opportunity to learn or receive reinforcement on God's laws on abstaining from premarital sex because religious education is not allowed in the public school system. This increase has led to the creation of the Teenage Parenting Center (TAPP), located in southwest Georgia. TAPP is one of 64 schools in a school district that offers special benefits for pregnant and parenting teens. This qualitative case study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experience of eight former attendees of the …

The Relationship Between Facebook™ Activity And Academic Performance Among African American Students, Eric Brubaker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This non-experimental, regression study examined the relationship between Facebook^TM activity and academic performance for an African American sample population. The study was conducted at a large, four-year, private university in the Mid-Atlantic. All undergraduate, African American students enrolled in the College of General Studies, School of Health Sciences, and School of Education comprised the sample population. Volunteer participants completed a Facebook^TM Activity Survey, which is an instrument used to collect semester grade point averages (GPAs), time-use of Facebook^TM, multitasking information, type of Facebook^TM activities, and demographic information. The results of the survey were analyzed using …

"Dragging Themselves Through The Negro Streets At Dawn": The Influence Of African American Culture On The Beats, Christopher Robinson

Masters Theses

Following its victory in the Second World War, America paradoxically faced a period of prosperity and peace coupled with many underlying insecurities and tensions. There was a great deal of anxiety caused by the advent of the atom bomb, the great destruction of Europe during the war, and the growing fear of Soviet aggression. Just as there had been an effort to unite Americans against the earlier threats of German and Japanese hostility, Americans attempted to create a united front in the United States to combat the growing fear of Communism throughout the world. Members of the American middle class …