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During the late 1960s and early 1970s, many predominantly white colleges began admitting larger numbers of black students. According to a 1974-1975 University of Michigan study, these schools shared similar predisposing factors and went through the same precipitating events on their journeys toward increased black enrollment. In addition, after the new students arrived, all of the schools experienced tension as they encountered similar problems and worked to find solutions. Moorhead State College (MSC), in Moorhead, Minnesota, was a white school that began trying to attract more minority students with a recruitment program called Project E-Quality. The program enrolled over 120 minority students, many of them black, between 1968 and 1974. The influx of black students at MSC had a significant impact on the school population as well as on the surrounding white community. The program helped break down racial barriers and stereotypes, as many whites and some blacks encountered people of a different race for the first time. By voicing grievances, forming their own groups, expressing cultural pride, and fighting for change, MSC black students left a lasting impact on the college.

The problem of this study was to assess the concerns and locus of control of black women enrolled in an urban community college district and to answer the following question. What is the relationship between each of those concerns and locus of control and each of the following demographic data: current hourly enrollment, number of college credits earned, age, marital status, number of dependent children, age of youngest child, estimated total annual income, and time of day of classes (whether the majority of their classes are during the day, at night, on Saturdays, any combination of the three or mostly telecourses)?

The problem for this investigation was the extent to which instruction in the traditionally black colleges and universities was directed toward higher cognitive skills as perceived by teachers of United States history in these institutions. The purposes of the study were to determine whether teachers (1) in state supported as opposed to private black colleges, (2) in urban-based as opposed to non-urban-based black colleges, (3) at non-denominational as opposed to denominational black colleges, (4) of age forty or older as opposed to teachers under age forty at black colleges,(5) categorized according to gender at black colleges, (6) categorized as United States citizens as opposed to non-citizens at black colleges, and (7) taught at black colleges and those who taught at white colleges differed significantly in their reported efforts to promote higher cognitive development. The following conclusions were drawn: Teachers at black colleges, as well as black teachers and white teachers at black colleges appeared to recognize the need to develop the higher mental powers of theirs students. Emphasis upon higher cognitive development is not likely to vary significantly according to academic degrees attained by the teacher, the geographic area in which the teacher was reared, or the gender of the teacher. Graduates of black colleges who taught at black colleges were apparently more attuned to the need for teaching higher cognitive development than were other teachers at black colleges.

Ego identity formation in African American college students was examined within the frameworks of Erikson’s psychosocial theory and Hill’s paradigm of Black family strengths. Ego identity was measured by the Revised Version of the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status, an instrument based on the theoretical constructs of Erikson. Family strengths were measured by the Family Environment Scale and the personality variables self-esteem and ethnic identity were measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, respectively. It was hypothesized that statistically significant relationships would be found between ego identity and the family environmental and personality variables. One hundred sixty-nine African American college students attending a predominantly White university participated in the study. The results supported a relationship between ego identity and family environmental and personality variables. The study further revealed that personality variables contribute more significantly than family environmental variables to identity achievement. Self-esteem was found to be a Significant predictor of ego identity and differentiated among the four ego identity statuses, Ethnic identity also proved to contribute significantly to the ego formation of African Americans. Of the family variables, religious-orientation, cohesion and organization were found to be significant predictors for some but not all of the ego statuses. Both father’s education and family income were Significant predictors of ego identity status, but age and sex were found to be nonsignificant in predicting ego identity. / Ph. D.

The research on the recruitment and retention of African American students into vocational teacher education indicated that there was a need for institutions of higher education to take a more serious look at these efforts. This admonition was due to the continuous decline of African Americans in the teaching force, as well as a decline in minority student enrollments in vocational teacher education (Pratzner, 1987). Statistics also indicated that by the year 2000, the number of minority students in public schools will make up approximately 40% of school enrollments, while the number of minority teachers is expected to decline to less than 5% of the teaching force (Graham, 1987; Holmes, 1989). This lack of representation of minorities in the teaching force will have a negative impact on the success of all children in the nation'S public schools (Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy, 1986). / Ed. D.

The marriage and family therapy profession is comprised mostly of European-American clinicians. Although all academic programs accredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) are required to demonstrate effort in recruiting African-American students, these efforts do not appear to be successful. This study was designed to provide suggestions for recruiting and supporting African-American students in marriage and family therapy programs based on perceptions of faculty and current African-American students. Data for this study are based on survey questionnaires received from 25 of 29 directors of AAMFT accredited academic programs and telephone interviews followed by survey questionnaires completed by 15 of the 20 African-American graduate students enrolled in these programs during the 1989-90 academic year. Results indicated that African-American students and faculty are grossly under represented in these programs. Many current African-American students report feeling isolated, alienated and lonely, as well as disappointed with the lack of African-American peers and faculty in their program. Specific suggestions are offered by students and faculty for improving recruitment and retention of African-American students. Suggestions for improving program sensitivity to cultural and racial issues which may impede the full integration of the African-American student into the academic program and the profession are also offered. / Master of Science

This study examines how African American gender scripts influence condom use for disease and pregnancy prevention. One-hundred African American California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) students were selected to participate in this study. Fifty African American males and fifty African American females were surveyed for this study to be representative of the African American community on campus.

The current study examined the impact that components of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) have on choice behavior and academic performance in African American or Black, undergraduate students. SCCT is a highly valued and researched theory, but few studies examine the impact that SCCT components have on choice behavior and academic performance in Black college students. This study focused on evaluating SCCT components’ relevance to variables that have been shown to predict later objective career success. This is important because African Americans tend to have significantly lower paying and less prestigious jobs, as well as attain lower levels of education than most other racial populations in the United States. However, there is a paucity of current career development and attainment literature specific to the African American undergraduate population. In an effort to promote understanding of within group differences in SCCT variables that can contribute to educational and career success, 247 African American undergraduates were recruited to participate in this study. The participants completed online questionnaires regarding demographic information, self-efficacy, contextual barriers, contextual supports, choice goals, and choice behavior. Participants also gave permission for researchers to access grades. Findings indicate that academic coping self-efficacy, contextual barriers, and contextual supports may be particularly important to academic choice behavior in African American college students. Further, choice behavior appears to be important to grade point average. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research associated with this study’s findings are discussed.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the association between student involvement and self-authorship among African American undergraduate students enrolled at a medium-sized, North Texas STEM-focused university. Self-identified African American undergraduate students at the university completed an online, researcher-developed survey focused on co-curricular involvement activities, degree of involvement in those activities, and perceived self-authorship indicators. From the completed survey pool (N = 49), 10 females and 5 males participated in follow-up focus group sessions. The survey data analysis was limited to descriptive statistics of student involvement and demographic data. Survey results showed that African American undergraduate students at the university were actively involved in co-curricular activities and generally satisfied with their involvement experiences. The focus groups provided a more in-depth picture of the involvement experiences showing that students believed that their commitment to co-curricular activities contributed significantly to their interpersonal and intrapersonal growth—characteristics of self-authorship. The survey and qualitative data combined suggested a positive association between the involvement of African American undergraduate students in co-curricular activities at the university and the development of self-authorship characteristics in those students. Findings from this study support the practice of intentional outreach to African American undergraduate students in order to promote their active involvement in campus activities and events.