Education Commons^™

Childless African American Women Over 50 In The Usa: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Robbie Roshyl Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

In modern society, some African American women are choosing a career before accepting the traditional role of birthing a child or children at an early age and marriage is not always part of the equation. Women’s freedoms (i.e., equality, personal choice, sexuality) have increased since their early struggles for their rights as citizens and as women. Some are viewed as agents against the norm by some conservative-minded people by not having a child or children well into their adulthood, especially if they are over the age of 50. Research suggests that women without children are perceived negatively by others and …

Examining The Relationship Between School Policing Behaviors And The Depressive Symptoms Experienced By Black Students, Collin Perryman

Theses and Dissertations

The school policing literature has two major themes: (a) the negative safety outcomes of school safety (Gottfredson et al., 2020) and (b) the central role that school police play in placing Black students into the school-to-prison-nexus (Morris, 2016; Turner & Beneke, 2020). The study of school police roles, how school police interact with educators, and the safety effects of school police presence is important. Just as important is knowing the mental health effects of physical and nonphysical school policing behaviors on Black students. This dissertation sought to fill this gap in part by studying the relationship between school police behaviors …

A Case Study Of Rural Southern Desegregation: How Black Students In A South Carolina Community Experienced Segregated Schooling And The Integration Process, Margo Mcdowell Gore

Theses and Dissertations

My purpose for this study is to shed light on how the African-American community in a small Southern rural community experienced segregated schools and the long school desegregation process. Conflicts over school integration in urban centers like Little Rock drew the media's attention, but how small communities beyond the glare of the media fared is less well understood and documented. Archival data and contemporary media coverage provide a timeline and context for the experiences of this Black community, and oral history interviews were collected and analyzed to document the range of desegregation experiences.

Although the Brown v. Board of Education …

#Blackfemaleteachersmatter: The Experiences Of Three African American Female Teachers Who Left The Classroom During Their Induction Years, Ashlye Victoria Wilkerson

Theses and Dissertations

This study captured the lived experiences of three African American, female classroom teachers who left the profession within three years of beginning their careers. The main goal that led this research was to center the perspectives of African American women in the conversation about teacher retention, turnover, and attrition percentages that plague the field of education. The primary questions that guided this study were: (1) “What can be learned from the life stories of former African American female teachers who left the teaching profession from South Carolina public classrooms during their induction years?”, (2) “What do their life stories reveal …

The Effects Of The Superwoman Schema On African American Women Receiving Their Graduate Degree At Rowan University While Also Holding An Assistantship, Corrine Smith

Theses and Dissertations

As an African American or Black woman, there is an expectation to be strong at all times. They are often glorified for their resiliency. Unfortunately, that strength and the expectation of it, can prove to be detrimental to African American or Black women's health. The Superwoman Schema, originally studied in 2010 by Woods-Giscomb, is the double edge sword that is handed to African American or Black women at a young age. The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand Wood-Giscomb's research by examining the perceptions of the impact of the Superwoman Schema on African American or Black graduate students …

An Examination Of African Americans’ Fear Of Police Among Generation Z, James Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of fear Generation Z-African Americans have of police. The population for this research consisted of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 and resided in the United States of America. From this population, a sample size of 105 participants were constructed for the study. The research compared the level of fear Blacks have of police when grouped by age, gender, education level, region of the country, and community of residence. Random sampling was used for participant selection, and a series of non-parametric ANOVAs (i.e., Kruskal-Wallis tests) were conducted …

A Qualitative Study Of African American Middle School Students’ Perception Of Low Student-Teacher Racial Match On Their Educational Experience, Tai Lynn Swift

Theses and Dissertations

The problem that will be explored within this research is that many African American students lack the opportunity to be taught by African American teachers. Research shows that students taught by teachers with whom they identify as having similar or the same experiences may result in meaningful learning for the student. Given, African American teachers represent only 18% of all teachers, there is not an abundance of African American teachers within the school system to serve as role models for African American students.

The literature review explored included critical race theory and highlighted how race in education does not yield …

African American Teachers’ Perspectives On Principals’ Leadership Styles And The Influence On Teacher Morale, Ernestine Young

Theses and Dissertations

Morale is a concept that denotes how workers feel about their work and the environment in which they work (Robbins, 2003). Low teacher morale is not a new problem; however, with increasing frequency of low morale, teachers are affected all over the nation because of the financial and academic toll it has on education. Low morale typically impedes the achievement of the organization’s desired outcome and corresponds with unresolved grievances, attrition, and high absenteeism. Low morale is associated with billions of dollars spent per year. Low morale is due to effects such as stress, teacher burnout, absenteeism, attrition, and small …

African American Teachers’ Perspectives On Principals’ Leadership Styles And The Influence On Teacher Morale, Ernestine Young

Theses and Dissertations

Morale is a concept that denotes how workers feel about their work and the environment in which they work (Robbins, 2003). Low teacher morale is not a new problem; however, with increasing frequency of low morale, teachers are affected all over the nation because of the financial and academic toll it has on education. Low morale typically impedes the achievement of the organization’s desired outcome and corresponds with unresolved grievances, attrition, and high absenteeism. Low morale is associated with billions of dollars spent per year. Low morale is due to effects such as stress, teacher burnout, absenteeism, attrition, and small …

Exploring The Impact Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy On African American Students’ Attitudes Toward Reading In A Pre-Kindergarten Classroom: An Action Research Study, Janet Brantley

Theses and Dissertations

In U.S. schools, the academic needs of many African American students are not being adequately met. This alarming trend has prompted many educators to recognize the need to make changes in their knowledge base and instructional practices in order to better serve African American students. Culturally relevant pedagogy--a multifaceted approach to teaching that utilizes students’ cultural experiences to facilitate cultural competence, social justice, and student learning-has been identified as a method that may create more positive learning outcomes among African American students and diverse learners.

This study investigated the impact of culturally relevant pedagogy on African American students’ attitudes towards …

Lifting The Veil: A Critical Post-Intentional Phenomenological Action Research Study Of How African American Students Experience Science, Gina Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Research asserts the assimilationist nature of traditional science classroom practices undermines African American students’ intersectional race and science identity. Driven by a problem of practice embedded in the racialized system of science education, this study integrated action research with an innovative critical paradigm to explore how phenomenological data can transform practice. This post-intentional approach relies on experiential, phenomenological data of how African American students experience science to provide a critical analysis of instruction that leads to a change in science pedagogy. Qualitative interviews documented African American students’ experiences with science and an observation journal documented the resulting intervention. A post-reflexive …

Black Male College Students' Perspectives On The Contribution Of Black Student Organizations To Their Development Of Soft Skills, Shanice Angela Glover

Theses and Dissertations

The following study is an exploration of the views Black male college students have of the soft skills they have developed through participation in a predominately Black student organization. I used a focus group moderator guide with questions, adapted from Stansberry and Burnett (2014) and modified from Evans (2016) and Saraceno (2019) to serve as the instrument for this qualitative study. I gathered data from a focus groups consisting of Black male college students who are enrolled at Rowan University and participate in Black student organizations on campus. The focus group discussion pertained to the participants' experiences with predominantly Black …

The Underrepresentation Of African American Doctoral Students In College Of Education Disciplines At Hispanic Serving Institutions And Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions In The Southwest United States (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada And Colorado), Matthew Lloyd Atterberry

Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are underrepresented in higher education, especially in the graduate and doctoral level. Furthermore, research has identified numerous factors influencing African Americans to pursue doctoral studies in College of Education disciplines at postsecondary institutions of higher learning. However, there is a gap in the literature pertaining to factors influencing African Americans to pursue graduate and/or doctoral studies in College of Education disciplines at Hispanic Serving Institutions and Emerging Hispanic Institutions of higher learning in the Southwest United States. The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap pertaining to demographic factors in relationship to motivation and self-efficacy (Confidence) …

The Cultural Relevance Of Music Education As It Relates To African American Students In South Carolina, Felicia Denise Denise Myers Bulgozdy

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, Critical Race Theory is used to examine the current curriculum that preservice music teachers are taught, and are consequently teaching K-12 students, in an effort to illustrate the need for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Documents such as the S.C. All-State Choral rubric, as well as a list of required courses for future music educators at a local university, are studied to show the overwhelming European influence on the curriculum that is being taught in music classes daily across the state, and demonstrate the lack of cultural relevance to the African American students in those classes. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy …

An Integrated Exploration Of The Contextual, Relational, And Individual Factors That Impact High School Completion Among African Americans, Lesley B. Winchester

Theses and Dissertations

African American students are consistently reported as having among the lowest high school graduation rates when compared to other races (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). While many studies have sought to explore the potential risks of high school dropout, the intention of this study is to examine the factors that support the exemplary resilience of those students who do complete high school. The present study adopts the framework of García Coll et al.’s, (1996) integrative model of developmental competencies in minority children, as it seeks to identity whether and how contextual (spiritual, educational, cultural); relational (caregiver psychological and physical …

Homicidal Loss And Disenfranchised Grief, Mothers Of Murdered Descendants: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Michael Wayne Eagle

Theses and Dissertations

Violent acts of homicide committed against youth or children can lead to prolonged, devastating, and painful effects on their surviving mothers. Sudden unexpected deaths of descendants can lead to anger, guilt, sorrow, and isolation affecting survivors both emotionally and physically. Descendants’ deaths before the mothers’ deaths are unnatural and can lead to a decline in a survivor’s social actions, a rise in hospitalization rates, higher cases of mortality, complicated grief, and symptoms of PTSD. Cases of disenfranchised grief can surface after a survivor’s loss is ignored or no longer culturally allowed. Instances of empathic failure can result when empathy from …

The Impact Of Self-Regulated Learning Tutoring And Mentoring Program On Black Males In Eighth-Grade Science, Julie Liddle Lott

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of practice described in this paper was identified by the state testing gaps between White and Black male students at a middle school in central South Carolina. This identified problem of practice led to the development of the research question: What is the impact of a tutoring and mentoring program using self-regulated learning strategies on my Black male students and their academic achievement in eighth grade science? The purpose of this study is to determine if a tutoring and mentoring program will affect the academic achievement of my Black male students in science.

The action research model being …

Examining Perceptions Of High School Science Teachers Regarding The Participation And Outcomes Of African American Girls In Advanced Science Courses, Shanica Cherie Poole

Theses and Dissertations

African American girls were underrepresented in STEM related education and careers. Social and historical factors caused African American girls to be double marginalized based on gender and sex. African American girls had the potential to fill STEM positions with a strong foundation in advanced science courses. The current study focused on the unknown relationship between science teachers, advanced science courses, and African American girls participating in advanced science courses. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Black Feminist Thought (BFT) theoretical frameworks were used in an integrated approach to understand the unique experiences of African American girls enrolled in advanced science courses. …

Respect And The Role It Plays In Explaining The Disproportionate Number Of African-Americans Incarcerated, Tina B. Craddock

Theses and Dissertations

This was a quantitative research study that examined the roles respect and self-esteem play within the African American population. There is no disagreement among social scientists that there is a disproportionate number of African Americans incarcerated. This study attempts to offer one possible explanation. This was a quasi-replication of a study conducted nearly two decades ago using African American adolescent males between the ages of 14 to 18. This research study identified a sample population consisting of African American males and females between the ages of 18 and 50. A cross-sectional analysis was utilized using convenience sampling. The research instruments …

Mattering Versus Marginality: African American Student Perspective At Rowan University, Dante Dandridge

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gauge the perceptions of African American students in the areas of social interaction, classroom climate, faculty interactions and administrative support and determining if these students felt marginalized or if they matter in those areas. The study also intended to find correlations between mattering and academic success as well as active campus participation with a feeling of mattering. The survey used was adapted from Lovely Durham, who condensed the survey Perceptions on Community, and handed out to a portion of the African American students at Rowan University.

Do I Belong? Narratives Of Sense Of Belonging And Fit From Underrepresented African American And Latina Women In Science Undergraduate Majors, Jacqueline Shantell Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the sense of belonging of underrepresented African American and Latina undergraduate women in science majors. More specifically, the study focused on the factors that contributed to the participants being engaged or disengaged in the science campus community. The use of narratives provided a detailed understanding about experiences that described the participants’ sense of belonging at the higher education level. Sense of belonging was used as a framework for understanding the experiences and the motivation of African American and Latina undergraduate women studying in a science major. The research method utilized for …

A Hidden Culture Of Carelessness: A Comparative Qualitative Study Of Gender Inequality And Its Implications For African American And South African Black Women Higher Education Administrators, Dawn S. Singleton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and compare the lived and career experiences of Black women higher education administrators in the United States and South Africa. This comparative study elucidated the women’s experiences while giving voice to Black women, whose experiences and status are often further marginalized under new managerial practices. This research used the theoretical lenses of intersectionality and carelessness, a new managerial practice within higher education, to uncover the challenges, opportunities, and contexts experienced by these women within gendered, racialized organizational structures and practices. A major finding of the research is that Black women shared …

The Experiences Of Young African American Women Principals, Tanya Roane

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was designed to gain an understanding of how young African American women principals experience the principalship. Three research questions were explored in this study: (a.) What are the pathways to the principalship for young African American women? (b.) How do African American women experience the principalship? (c.) What are the barriers that young African American women experience and what are their strategies for success? The researcher examined the day-to-day experiences faced by these women as they related to race, gender, and age challenges within the field of education. Using qualitative research with Black Feminist Standpoint …

Understanding The Development Of Alphabet Knowledge In At-Risk Populations: The Influence Of Pre-Literacy Skills, Ashley Coursin

Theses and Dissertations

In the current research, alphabet knowledge has been confirmed as a critical component of children's developing emergent literacy proficiency. The assessment of pre-literacy skills, such as alphabet knowledge, plays an important role in the management of children at-risk for poor reading outcomes. This study aimed to better understand the influence of phonological awareness skills, print skills, and receptive vocabulary on the development of alphabet knowledge in at-risk preschool-age children. Statistical analyses revealed that a significant unique relationship was present between phonological awareness skills and the development of alphabet knowledge. Furthermore, this study identified three clusters of children based on the …

The Perspectives Of Practicing African American Female Superintendents In The Commonwealth Of Virginia Regarding The Impact Of Spirituality On Their Leadership Practices, Shannon Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach to discover how African American female superintendents in Virginia integrated spirituality into their leadership practices. The struggles and experiences of these women as a population have been uniquely marginalized by both race and gender. These distinct influences have resulted in the development of generations of women who freely proclaim to be grounded in the spiritual. To investigate this topic, data were collected in face-to-face interviews conducted on site in the school division where each superintendent was employed. The data were analyzed using a modified version of Moustakas as proposed by Creswell (2007). Once …