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Dissertation
Academic Achievement of Black Males in a Rural Middle School
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2021
Abstract
Educational statistics have consistently recorded low academic performance for Black male students, particularly those in high-poverty settings. Research studies have documented that very few Black male students can perform at the level of their counterparts from other racial categories. Circumstances such as poverty, deprivation, and lack of mentorship affect Black males' academic achievement and underachievement. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive study was to explore the lived experiences of select Black male students who have been academically successful at a high-poverty rural middle school in the Southern United States. I used, per Bandura's (1977) social cognitive theory (SCT), the framework of the study, human learning and development occur through personal experiences and examination of the actions of others. I explored how behavioral, personal, and environmental factors interact to affect the selfefficacy of 12 Black male students in the school setting. Findings revealed participants perceived positive family support, positive friend or peer network, positive teacher influence, and positive self-image as supportive factors that contributed to their academic success. This study shifts the focus from Black male deficiencies to emphasizing their achievements and how internal factors such as self-perception, attitude, and self-confidence outweigh external factors such as low socioeconomic factors and lack of mentors that could reduce opportunities for success. Study participants' desires for academic achievement created a transformative bridge between their self-efficacious beliefs and their drive for education. Future research should continue to focus on understanding the contributing factors to young Black males' school success and giving them positive voices.
Details
- Title
- Academic Achievement of Black Males in a Rural Middle School
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- Kwame Ntiri Owusu Daaku (Committee Member) - University of West Florida, Hal Marcus College of Science and EngineeringWisdom Y Mensah (Committee Member) - University of West Florida, School of EducationMark Malisa (Committee Chair) - University of West Florida, School of Education
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries; [Pensacola, Florida] :
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 326
- Copyright
- Unpublished work © Tonya Dukes Bozeman
- Identifiers
- 99380090853106600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida