Theses and Dissertations - Department of Educational Leadership, Policy & Technology Studies

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations - Department of Educational Leadership, Policy & Technology Studies by Subject "African American studies"

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    Academic performance differences among male and female African American students: an urban high school study
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) Simmons, Livia Ann; Newton, Rose Mary; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The purpose of this study was to examine differences between male and female African American high school students in an urban setting. The participants were from a senior academy located in a Southern state. Of the 270 participants in the study, 76 were seniors, 89 were juniors, 95 were sophomores, and 10 were freshmen. The gender composition consisted of 167 females and 103 males. The system database was used to identify the cumulative grade point average for each student. Also, the students completed the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R), which measures academic self-perception, attitudes toward teaches, attitudes toward school, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation. A series of independent samples t tests were performed to assess differences in male and female academic achievement levels, academic self-perception, attitudes toward teachers, attitudes, toward school, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation. A multiple regression analysis was performed using gender and the five variables measured by the SAAS-R as independent variables and academic achievement as the dependent variable. The major findings were as follows. Moderate positive correlations existed between (a) attitudes toward school and attitudes toward teachers, (b) academic self-perception and motivation/self-regulation, and (c) goal valuation and motivation/self-regulation. The means scores for academic self-perception and goal valuation were significantly more positive for African American females than African American males. Regression analysis revealed that academic self-perception, attitudes toward teachers, attitudes toward school, goal valuation, motivation/self-regulation were not significant predictors of academic achievement. The findings have practical implications for educators and identify areas warranting additional research.
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    Career mobility of Black and White upper level administrators in a predominantly White institution of higher education: a case study
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2010) McHargh, Carlton R.; Erevelles, Nirmala; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Today, more than half a century after Brown v. Board of Education, many institutions of higher education, particularly predominantly white institutions (PWIs) are still grappling with issues related to increasing diversity. And while many Institutions of higher education (IHE) now boast large numbers of students from diverse backgrounds, the same cannot be said of the diversity of upper level administrators particularly within PWIs. However, what research has shown is that most IHEs desire and value diversity. However, the means of achieving diversity are many, varied and contested. This study attempted to add to the body of existing literature on diversity within PWIs by drawing upon narratives of Black and White upper level administrators on issues of hiring and career mobility. By contrasting the careers of Black and White upper level administrators within one PWI in the southern United States, this study explored through their narratives what those narratives tell us about the impact of race on the processes of recruiting, hiring, promoting, and retaining upper level administrators within the PWI. NVIVO 7 was used to code and organize the interviews. The interpretation of the findings was framed and viewed through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Specifically, CRT was used to understand ways in which the political category of race impacts the hiring and career mobility of Black upper level administrators compared to their White counterparts within the PWI. The ideas of CRT were used not only in interpreting the findings of this study, but in framing it as well. More specifically, this study examined the effects of race and explored how race is deployed and experienced at the individual, institutional and to some extent, societal levels as evidenced in the narratives of the participants in this study.
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    Institutional factors that affect the mathematical achievement of African American females
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) Chatman, Audrey Eileen; Adams, Natalie G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    This dissertation explored how institutional factors impact the mathematical achievement of African American middle school females. The purpose of the research was to provide insight into African American females' perception of their mathematics experiences and demonstrate how both internal and external factors contribute to their achievement. Data collection occurred at a middle school in Southeastern Alabama and included classroom observations, individual interviews, participant journals, and analysis of state standardized assessments, report card grades, discipline information, and system-wide benchmarks. The achievement gap and resiliency research served as the framework for analyzing the effect of motivational factors on the achievement of African American females in mathematics. The findings in this study established that internal resiliency factors, such as persistence and confidence in self are essential to continuous improvement in mathematics. Further the data demonostrated that school related factors such as teacher, peer interaction, and engaging strategies assist in shaping students' attitude towards mathematics. The implications for this research are for educators to reassess hidden biases and begin to view African American females as a rising minority model for resiliency and mathematical excellence.
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    More than just a game: the impact of sports on racial segregation in one southern town
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Robinson, Robert L.; Adams, Natalie G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The research examines the impact of sports in the Civil Rights Movement, particularly addressing school desegregation during 1965–1971 in Valdosta, Georgia, based on interviews with nine Black football athletes who played for Valdosta High School during that period. The Valdosta High School football team had a tradition of excellence that was recognized throughout the state of Georgia. Valdosta and most of Lowndes County had a clear history of racial violence and bigotry. However, when the community was faced with mandated desegregation of the high school, instead of resorting to violence, the citizens focused on football. The outstanding success of African American football players and the entire time under the leadership of their head coach built a bridge between the White and Black communities. What could have been a period of intense brutality and community upheaval became a time of championships and glory.
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    The succcesses and challenges of African American student affairs administrators in predominantly white institutions in the southeastern United States
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Sutton, Allen; Erevelles, Nirmala; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    This study explored the experiences, successes, and challenges of African American student affairs administrators at six institutions within the southeastern United States. Using a purposeful sample of eight full time African American student affairs administrators from various institutions with completely different makeups concerning their student population and the number of African American student affairs administrators at each institution. The study revealed important themes that emerged from analysis of interview transcripts to explain the experiences, successes, and challenges in a predominantly White institution in the southeastern United States. Specifically, the study addresses the strategies used by the African American male student affairs administrators to survive or thrive within a space that is not created with them in mind. By exploring the day-to-day experiences of African American male student affairs administrators, this study also sought to give predominantly White institutions an opportunity to gain information on how to retain and recruit this population. The conceptual frameworks that guided this study, Critical Race Theory and Cultural Community Wealth Theory focused on the many different variables that influence, negatively and positively, the African American male student affairs administrators within predominantly White institutions in the southeastern United States. Further, the study explored the experiences, successes, and challenges of African American administrators working at a predominantly White institution as suggested from a review of literature. There are very few resources regarding this population, thus, making this study a necessity in ensuring that they are successful within their positions.