Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1937. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [94]-[96]). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

The majority of urban minority students, particularly Black students, continue to perform below proficiency on standardized state and national testing in all areas that seriously impact economically advanced career options, especially in areas involving science. If education is viewed as a way out of poverty, there is a need to identify pedagogical methodologies that assist Black students in achieving higher levels of success in science, and in school in general. The purpose of this study was to explore White teachers' and Black students' perceptions about the teaching strategies used in their low socioeconomic status (LSES) urban science classrooms, that led to academic success for Black students. Participants included three urban middle school White teachers thought to be the best science teachers in the school, and five randomly selected Black students from each of their classrooms. Methods of inquiry involving tenets of grounded theory were used to examine strategies teachers used to inspire Black students into academic success. Data collection included teacher and student interviews, field notes from classroom observations, group discussions, and questionaires. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The teachers' perceptions indicated that their prior belief systems, effective academic and personal communication, caring and nurturing strategies, using relevant and meaningful hands-on activities in small learner-centered groups, enhanced the learning capabilities of all students in their classrooms, especially the Black students. Black students' perceptions indicated that their academic success was attributable to what teachers personally thought about them, demonstrated that they cared, communicated with them on a personal and academic level, gave affirmative feedback, simplified, and explained content matter. Black students labeled teachers who had these attributes as "nice" teachers. The nurturing and caring behaviors of "nice" teachers caused Black students to feel a sense of community and a sense of belonging in their classrooms. Black students demonstrated that they respected and always "had the back" of these "nice" teachers. Results from this study could play a significant role in teacher retention and in informing best practices for preservice and other teachers who are struggling to meet the needs of LSES urban students.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Neil Jumonville, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 25, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 93 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-245).

Researchers in the field of Counseling Psychology have devoted extensive efforts in developing theories and models which investigate the cognitive correlates of Black identity development. Affective correlates of identity development, however, have received little attention. Anger, the emotional response to injustice, is a specific emotion which is of particular relevance to the oppression experienced by Black Americans, and which has been identified as central in the process of identity development. This dissertation outlines a three stage theoretical model of the development of anger in Black identity, and validates that model. The Black Anger Scale (BAS), which assesses anger experience and expression as a function of Black identity development, was developed to reflect that model. An item analysis of the three subscales of the BAS was completed using Cronbach's alpha procedure to test the reliability of this instrument. To provide validation of the BAS, correlational analyses were computed for the BAS and its' subscales with each of the following three instruments and their respective subscales: The Black Racial Identity Attitudes Scale (BRIAS), which assesses stage of Black identity development; the anger expression subscale of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), which identifies the respondents style of anger expression; and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), which identifies psychological symptomatic distress. Subjects were 150 Black adults, ages 18 to 79. Subjects were administered the BAS, BRIAS, STAXI and BSI. In addition, to obtain qualitative data, two subjects identified at each of the three stages of Black anger development were administered a short structured interview in which they were asked to recall their cognitive and affective responses to a recent instance of racial injustice. Each BAS subscale was found to had acceptable reliability. While the BRIAS, STAXI and BSI provided construct validity for the Pre-encounter and Immersion scales of the BAS, the Internalization stage appears to be somewhat more complex than originally hypothesized.

The persistence literature demonstrates that African American and Latino/a students are less likely to graduate from predominantly white institutions than Asian and white students. Academic preparation is an important factor in explaining this phenomenon. However, the ALANA (African, Latino/a, Asian and Native American) persistence literature suggests that racial/ethnic dynamics in college also influence persistence. Both studies in this literature and Tinto's model of institutional departure indicate that student interactions in college play an important role in persistence. This study examined the influence of racial/ethnic dynamics on the process of social and academic integration. Students of diverse racial/ethnic and academic backgrounds were interviewed three times during their first-year and at the beginning of their sophomore year about their pre-college and in-college experiences. Results yielded a qualitative description of the process of integration and indicated that peer culture and institutional environment have a strong impact on how students become integrated into campus life. Differences in the process of integration by race/ethnicity revealed that society's racial/ethnic hierarchy was reinforced through racial/ethnic accountability, the pervasiveness of white culture, and the pursuit of a color-blind society. These dynamics in addition to differences in learning opportunities that affected academic preparation functioned to challenge the integration of ALANA students, particularly African American and Latino/a students, into campus life.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership, and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-75).

Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2007. / Title from title screen viewed (6/23/2008). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-152).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1998. / Includes vita. Includes annotated bibliographical references (leaves 181-204).