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A Case Study Mapping Literacy Learning Opportunities And Identity Construction Among African Immigrant Youth In A Canadian Secondary School, Wambui J. Gichuru

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Studies with immigrant and refugee youth highlight challenges, school failure and early push-out rates (Anisef, 2008; James, 2012; Roessingh, 2010). There is limited research about how immigrant students especially from continental Africa negotiate their identity at school for positive outcomes. The goal of this qualitative case study was to explore literacy learning opportunities afforded by the school for African youth who were learning to become literate in English as an additional language in a Canadian secondary school and the implications for the students’ communicative and identity options.

The study utilized ethnographic tools, i.e., interview, classroom observation, mapping literacy activities and …

Factors That Influence Minority Student Enrollment At Various Levels Of Postsecondary Education, Lashauna Mychal's Dean

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Research indicates disparities in the enrollment of minorities in postsecondary education. However, the reasons for the lower enrollment rates of minorities are less clear. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between sex, income, GPA, racial/ethnic identity, academic self-concept, and sense of school belonging for African American and Latino/Latina students with level of enrollment at postsecondary schools (two-year community college or four-year university). Participants included 256 African American and Latino/Latina students at two-year community colleges and four-year universities in Virginia. GPA and academic self-concept were found to be predictors of enrollment. Specifically, students with higher GPAs are …

Beyond Chocolates & Roses: Community, Love And Commitment After The Kimani Gray Shooting, Toby S. Jenkins

Toby S Jenkins

No abstract provided.

Trait Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Discrimination, And Academic Achievement Among African American And Latina/O High School Students: A Study Of Academic Resilience, Nicholas Russell Abel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The goal of academic resilience research is to identify factors and processes which lead to academic success among groups of students generally found to be at-risk, including those of African American and Latina/o descent. The present study investigated a possible risk factor (perceptions of discrimination), a possible protective factor (emotional intelligence), and the role of gender in predicting academic achievement (as measured by high school GPA) in a sample (N = 79) of African American and Latina/o high school students attending one high school in Minnesota. Through the use of multiple regression, neither emotional intelligence nor perceptions of discrimination was …

Perceived Persistence Factors For African American Students At A Predominantly White Institution, Aaron D. White

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine what resources, persistence factors, and motivational factors influenced African American students matriculation at a PWI located in the Midwest. The participants in this study were six African American seniors or recent graduates of a mid-sized, four-year university in the rural Midwest. Motivation, persistence, and resources are each connected to one another and as students identified factors in each area it was evident that together they all influence the overall success, which is completing their undergraduate degree, in significant ways. The results of this study provided a personal look into areas which …

Seventy Years Of The African American Male Experience At Eastern Illinois University, Rovion D. Reed

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology the researcher analyzed the lived experiences of seven African American men who attended Eastern Illinois University over the past seven decades including one who is currently enrolled. Data was collected by conducting archival research as well and semi-structured interviews. Overall participants reported having good experiences at Eastern Illinois University. The participants' experiences were categorized into seven themes including faculty or staff relations, race relations, intra-racial relations, campus involvement, mentoring, campus climate, and Black Greek organizations. In addition, minor themes were also discovered including only-ness, lowered expectations, positive influence of student organizations, and sense of care from mentors.

A Phenomenological Approach To Understanding The S.T.R.O.N.G. Mentoring Program: An African-American Male Retention Program At A Midsize Predominantly White Institution, Glenn L. Herring

Masters Theses

Using phenomenological inquiry, the purpose of this present research was to explore the phenomena of the African-American undergraduate male experience in a retention program at a Midsize Midwestern predominantly White institution. Through data analysis the principle researcher examined the perceptions of the participants to understand the impact of the program. The participants accounted for their shared experiences as being a part of the S.T.R.O.N.G. MENtoring program during the 2011-2012 academic school year. Collectively the participants articulated a greater sense of awareness to their self-perception due their socialization at the site location. The participants also warranted feelings of confirmation biases, an …

Qualitative Exploration Of The Influential Factors That Impact Black Students Access To College, Kortney Jones

Masters Theses

The study examined the educational, psychological, and social factors both favorable and unfavorable that impact Black students access to college. Participants consisted of a combination of undergraduate and graduate students from either a mid-size or large Midwestern institution of higher education. A qualitative approach was taken through focus groups to collect data. The findings reported students have feelings of preparedness and underpreparedness for college regarding educational factors; feelings of discrimination/racism, feelings of White counterparts being better prepared, feelings of competitive motivation to excel, and feelings of unpreparedness for ACT regarding psychological factors; and lastly regarding social factors participants reported feelings …