This study has looked at the temporal and multidimensional self in high-ability African American males attending a specialized school for high-ability youth. Interviews were conducted with 9 students. Results provided details about the hoped-for and feared selves the young men envisioned as well as the strategies these youth utilized to realize and avoid these possibilities for their future. The interviews also demonstrated the impact of family, the specialized school’s culture, their neighborhoods, and racism on the possibilities the young men envisioned for themselves. Interrelationships between the attempt to attain possible selves, academic self-concept, socioeconomic status, race, and year in school were assessed via a path model with data from 253 high-ability male students attending the specialized school. The nature of the relationships amongst the variables revealed that older students better able to attain or avoid possible selves had higher academic self-concepts. Higher academic self-concepts resulted in higher grades and SAT scores. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (Ed. D.)--East Tennessee State University, 2002. / Originally issued in electronic format. UMI number: 3083443. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-91). Also available via the World Wide Web.

x, 138 p. : ill. (some col.) / Considerable literature supports that teachers are important to student achievement, but few studies have assessed the student voice to determine what specific teacher behaviors and interactions affect achievement. This study is a secondary analysis of existing data from a local implementation of a national survey of student appraisals of teacher-student relationships, school experiences and their impacts on achievement. Data were analyzed to explore differences in perceptions for White and Black students, for higher- and lower-performing Black students and for Black males and females who attend suburban, high SES, high-performing, predominantly White high schools. Findings indicate an achievement gap between Black and White students, Black higher- and lower-performing and Black male and female students in predominantly White high schools. Students' perceptions of specific teacher interactions, school experiences and achievement differed and were impacted by race and gender effects, but more positive appraisals of student-teacher interactions and school experiences were positively related to improved achievement for all students. / Committee in charge: Dr. Charles Martinez, Co-Chair; Dr. Gerald Tindal, Co-Chair; Dr. Scott Pratt, Member; Dr. Gerald L. Rosiek, Member

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, page: 0315. Adviser: Susan Tortolero. Includes bibliographical references.