Type of Document Dissertation Author Boddie, Jacquelyn Lynnette Author's Email Address jb5050@erols.com URN etd-756142039701091 Title Finding a Crystal Stair: Exploring the Turn-Around Phenomenon Experienced by African American Urban Male Adolescents in High School Degree PhD Department Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Thomas Gatewood Committee Chair Bert Wiswell Committee Member Joan Curcio Committee Member Marvin G. Cline Committee Member Russell Adams Committee Member Keywords
- high school students
- African American Urban males
- male adolescents
Date of Defense 1997-11-03 Availability unrestricted Abstract The educational disenfranchisement of many urban,
African American male adolescents aggravates the
complex social and economic issues which America
must reconcile. Two significant behaviors resulting
from young Black men's disaffection are school failure
and violence against the community. The sense of
futility in these youth can nullify the possibility of their
positive contributions to society. Many of the social
structures that were once in place to provide support
for the African American community were weakened
during the sixties; and the need for structure and
support is as critical today among young Black men as
it has ever been.
This study sought to understand the perspectives of
these young African Americans when they modified
their at-risk behaviors to become academically
successful in high school. It was based on one
school's example of supportive systems and behaviors
designed to intervene and encourage their
transformation. A qualitative case study research
design was selected because it allowed the researcher
to examine and holistically interpret the complexities of
achievement-related issues at school, at home and in
the community, during the process of their
transformation. Based on the recommendations of
administrators and teachers, a sample pool of 10
young men was developed; each was interviewed.
Two young men were selected for in-depth interview,
observation, and document analysis.
The study found that the young men became
successful by (a) responding to the school's
specialized organic and institutional care systems; (b)
responding to the reconfiguration of the anti-academic
fictive kinship culture; (c) bonding with culturally
synchronous sensitive role models; (d) benefiting from
the school's staff development initiative; (e)
responding to their parents' school involvement; and
(f) experiencing these accentuated dynamics in a
smaller annex building.
Data analysis was based on the tenets of grounded
theory developed by Glaser and Strauss. This
research fills part of the gap in the literature which
explores the dynamics of transformation in
anti-academic, African American male adolescents, as
they become academically successful. Insights
evolving from this study will also help to fill the
vacuum that exists in developing high school programs
that effectively change their attitudes towards learning
and promote their success.
Files
Filename Size Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)
28.8 Modem 56K Modem ISDN (64 Kb) ISDN (128 Kb) Higher-speed Access Intro-Chapter_3.pdf 92.61 Kb 00:00:25 00:00:13 00:00:11 00:00:05 < 00:00:01 J_Boddies_Chapter_4.pdf 230.50 Kb 00:01:04 00:00:32 00:00:28 00:00:14 00:00:01 J_Boddies_Chapter_5-end.pdf 153.49 Kb 00:00:42 00:00:21 00:00:19 00:00:09 < 00:00:01
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