ABSTRACT CULTURE, CONTEXT AND CURRICULUM: AN EXPLORATION OF THE ATTITUDES OF BLACK MIDDLE SCHOOL MALES TOWARDS ART EDUCATION by Rita Baker The level of participation and interest in visual arts education demonstrated by Black male students falls consistently lower than that of their White counterparts which manifests itself in under performance and disruptive behaviors. Previous research has explored how views within the Black community towards art education and art related careers have impacted high school and college students. However, those explanations may not be pertinent to middle school, and the scarcity of literature dedicated to how the valuation of art within this racial group influences middle school males suggests the need for inquiry in this area. Based on a constructivist and constructionist epistemological framework grounded in social learning theories, this case study was conducted at a predominantly Black middle school outside of a major southern city. The participants in the study were six eighth grade Black male students between the ages of 13-16 enrolled in a nine-week art class. Initial data collection procedures involved observations in the neighborhood, school, and classroom, a focus group session, individual interviews, member checking, art analyses and a follow up discussion with the teacher. The data analysis was conducted utilizing content analysis, open coding, and axial coding. The findings revealed that opinions were equally divided between students who enjoyed art class throughout the term, and those who expressed boredom. The findings suggest that students’ opinions were shaped by a myriad of factors within the culture, learning context and curriculum. Further, the data implies that goal setting and student interest were connected to students’ participation in art class, while interest in art making diminished between the elementary and middle school years. Perceptions of art class, parental preferences, and the curricular focus of the class proved to be factors which influenced student attitudes towards art instruction. The data advances areas for future scholarship, and recommendations for art educators.

ABSTRACT CULTURE, CONTEXT AND CURRICULUM: AN EXPLORATION OF THE ATTITUDES OF BLACK MIDDLE SCHOOL MALES TOWARDS ART EDUCATION by Rita Baker The level of participation and interest in visual arts education demonstrated by Black male students falls consistently lower than that of their White counterparts which manifests itself in under performance and disruptive behaviors. Previous research has explored how views within the Black community towards art education and art related careers have impacted high school and college students. However, those explanations may not be pertinent to middle school, and the scarcity of literature dedicated to how the valuation of art within this racial group influences middle school males suggests the need for inquiry in this area. Based on a constructivist and constructionist epistemological framework grounded in social learning theories, this case study was conducted at a predominantly Black middle school outside of a major southern city. The participants in the study were six eighth grade Black male students between the ages of 13-16 enrolled in a nine-week art class. Initial data collection procedures involved observations in the neighborhood, school, and classroom, a focus group session, individual interviews, member checking, art analyses and a follow up discussion with the teacher. The data analysis was conducted utilizing content analysis, open coding, and axial coding. The findings revealed that opinions were equally divided between students who enjoyed art class throughout the term, and those who expressed boredom. The findings suggest that students’ opinions were shaped by a myriad of factors within the culture, learning context and curriculum. Further, the data implies that goal setting and student interest were connected to students’ participation in art class, while interest in art making diminished between the elementary and middle school years. Perceptions of art class, parental preferences, and the curricular focus of the class proved to be factors which influenced student attitudes towards art instruction. The data advances areas for future scholarship, and recommendations for art educators.

Sexual minority people face a heterosexist society in which they are legally and socially marginalized. Additionally, Black people face a society where racist attitudes and laws persist, one in which they are dehumanized as "other" in relation to Whites. Furthermore, being a Black male means confronting a system where, beginning in elementary school, one is frequently deemed deficient or deviant and penalized by racist practices and policies. Very few studies have examined how Black gay males come to understand their intersecting racial and sexual identities or how they navigate and negotiate life in a White heterosexist society. This dissertation outlines the current state of sexual minority youth with a focus on Black gay males and suggests that more must be done to understand the lived experiences of this community within and beyond the schoolhouse, especially in a city such as Atlanta, which is known as a Black gay mecca and where the Black sexual minority community is visible. It is important to examine how a range of institutional forces, working in tandem with and sometimes against racism and heterosexism, challenge as well as assist Black gay males in forming their identities. The purpose of the study was to gather the life histories of five young Black sexual minority males aged 19-24 in metro-Atlanta. I utilized critical race theory and quare theory, which critique endemic racism and heteronormativity, as a lens to understand their life histories within a larger societal context. By probing how numerous social institutions have influenced young Black male identity formation, including schools, peers, family, church, community-based LGBTQ organizations, and social media, this study presents life histories in a way that provides a more holistic picture of this community. Due to the paucity of research focused on how young Black gay males are productively navigating through life, this study offers a distinct contribution by placing their histories front and center in an attempt to provide a counterstory to deficit-based perspectives. From the participants’ life histories, five factors were found to shape identity formation while navigating the above institutions: racial shelving (bracketing race in majority-Black environments to contend with sexual identity issues); thick skin (increasing ability to face and conquer challenges based on negotiation of past challenges); self-determination (taking the initiative to seek information and relationships to learn about sexual identity, including use of social media); defying/transcending stereotypes (refusing to conform to dominant narratives about Black gay males); and experiential evolution (understanding that experience translates into growth and self-affirmation). All of these factors address the ways in which the participants have come to understand, negotiate, accept, and even embrace their intersecting identities. Additionally, findings are useful because the participants’ life histories have set a foundation for how educators and sexual majority youth can better understand a population facing a racist and heterosexist society and enable new policy interventions to be imagined. Four proposals, which emanate from participants' life experiences, are presented for schools to undertake: incorporating Black gay activists and community members into school culture, providing professional development for teachers on race and heterosexism, developing a comprehensive sex-education curriculum that includes gay students, and implementing a “Who Cares” campaign to mediate peer pressure to conform.

This study sought to understand the perspectives of young Black males toward post-secondary education. A qualitative case study research design was selected because it allowed the researcher to examine in a holistic fashion the complexities of how the issues of school, home, community, and peers function in the life of a young Black male in St. Thomas, USVI; and how these issues in his life yield a perspective on and a decision about participating in higher education. A case study using taped interviews and observations of one high school Black male and his mother was conducted. Data were analyzed using Ethnograph and a coding matrix based on the tenets of grounded theory. The findings showed that the young man was ambivalent about the educational process and about his plans concerning his preparation for the future. In high school he saw three options: enlisting in the military, engaging in full-time employment, or pursuing a college education at the University of the Virgin Islands as long as he could achieve success. He viewed all three paths as equal. His family's influence had a profound impact on his decision to participate in advanced education despite his lack of commitment and his underachieving high school career. The educational issues in the territory signal the need for territorial policy makers to initiate educational improvements in the public schools and to mandate, at the university level, an information and recruitment program for young males to improve the demographics of post-secondary education in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Recommendations for further research are offered. / Ph. D.

The exclusionary nature of colorism and how it affects personal awareness of self- identity behooves us to explore the socio-psychological interplay of life choices and racial socialization. This exploratory research is positioned within the context of black males’ relationship preferences and sought comprehension of how and why their perceptions inform their choices and inclination for lighter skin tones. The manifestations of colorism in these men’s experiences influence their interactions with women and how they perceive themselves. Findings of this phenomenological study informed the researcher of various dynamics that shape interactions of race, gender and colorism and utilized Black Feminist Thought as an epistemological framework. Purposeful sampling was used for recruitment and narrative interview methods highlighted perspectives and experiences of twenty, Atlanta black males, aged 21 and older for an overall essence of their phenomenon. Hopefully, this work will prompt analytical conversations to extend research of colorism within similar group dynamics.

The overall objective of this study was to identify the common characteristics that are present in the development of self—esteem among black males and to better understand the factors associated with their self-esteem. To attend to this objective the following variables were considered: self-esteem, family structure, peer group association, and personal areas of their lives. Consequently the following hypotheses were tested: 1.There is no statistical significant difference between children who live in public housing and children in non-public housing with reference to their self-esteem. 2. There is no statistical significant difference between children in non-public housing with reference to their peer group relationship. 3. There is no statistical significant difference between children who live in public housing and children in non-public housing with reference to their family support. The results of the t-Test analysis indicated that there is no statistical significant difference between the children living in public housing and the children living in non-public housing for all the three hypotheses tested. Contrary to the previous findings which indicated low self-esteem among Black males in public housing, the result of this study indicated higher levels of self-esteem among Black males living in public housing. The reason for this may be attributed to the interventive program sponsored by Clark Atlanta School of Social Work which provides innovative exercises, workshops, group discussions, games, and fields trips to the Black males that participates in this study.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of Black males being raised in a mother-only household and their career aspirations. The absence of the father in a home stands at the forefront as the cause of family dysfunction, which subsequently leads to the destruction of many hopes and dreams of the Black male.Is a mother-only household a preconceived environment for failure for the Black male?

This project was a synthesis of studies of the academic achievement of African-American males in undergraduate, four-year institutions in the United States. The purpose of this synthesis was twofold. The first purpose was to collect studies on the academic achievement of African-American males. The second purpose was to identify variables associated with achievement of African-American males. In this review of 13 studies, 48 variables associated with academic achievement of undergraduate, African-American males were identified. These variables were placed into three categories: personal variables, demographic variables, and institutional variables. Personal variables were sub-divided into non-cognitive and cognitive variables. Findings specific to each category of variables are included below: <u>Personal, non-cognitive variables.</u> African-American males with high scores on measures of educational aspirations, values (courage, exciting life, cleanliness, imagination, and helpfulness), emotional intelligence, acceptability of mixed dating, self-confidence, satisfaction with academic advising and tutoring, being in control of academic outcomes, preference for long-term goals, academic self-concept, self-esteem, self-concept of ability, specific personality traits (achievement aspirations, affiliation, dominance, endurance, exhibition, harm avoidance, nurturance, order, play, and understanding), favorable opinions of their study habits and relationships with others, and low scores on alienation and reliance on family and institutions to solve social and academic problems had higher grade-point averages than those with contrasting scores on these variables. Encouragement from family and other role models appears to be associated with academic achievement of African-American male undergraduates as well. <u>Personal, cognitive variables.</u> African-American males with high grades in high school, high class ranks in high school, and high scores on college entrance examinations had higher college grade-point averages than those with lower high school grades, high school ranks, and entrance examination scores. <u>Demographic variables.</u> Non-transfer, younger students in nondevelopmental and humanities and arts programs were more likely to persist in college than transfer and older students in developmental and math and science programs. Participants in a math workshop achieved higher grade-point averages in a freshman calculus course than students who did not participate in the workshop. <u>Institutional variables.</u> African-American males who attended predominantly black colleges and universities earned higher grade-point averages than those who attended predominantly white colleges and universities. African-American males who attended four-year institutions earned higher grade-point averages than those who attended community colleges. Those on both black and white campuses who scored higher on a college environment opinion survey covering academic integration, satisfaction with the campus environment, and institutional support achieved higher grade-point averages than those who scored lower on the survey. For those on white campuses who came from high schools with very different racial compositions from those of the colleges they were attending achieved higher grade-point averages than students who came from high schools with very similar racial compositions to those of the colleges they were attending. In conclusion, academic achievement of undergraduate African-American males is associated with a combination of personal variables, demographic variables and institutional variables. The majority of these variables are personal, non-cognitive variables. / Ph. D.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The research for this dissertation is a study of one case example of programs and classes put into place for African American males at community colleges around the United States with a focus on how these programs were successful or not in assisting in the persistence, retention, and graduation of these students. The purpose of using Cross’ (1991) Black Identity Development Theory as a framework for exploring the students’ experiences in racial ‘awakening’ was to track the patterns in how these experiences aligned with Cross’ concepts.

Black males’ quality of life indicators are at a crisis level. This has been the perception of Black males for many years. The purpose of this study is to understand how exposure to positive prototypes of Black maleness impacts other Black males’ initial perception of their own collegiate academic experiences. This study addresses the following overarching research question: How does the exposure to positive images of prototypes of Black maleness influence fellow Black males’ initial perceptions of their own collegiate academic experiences? This study employs the conceptual framework that is a hybrid of Africana Critical Theory (ACT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT). I used the methods of historicizing of knowledge and the CRT tenets of permanence of racism and counter-narrative accounts. The symbiotic use of the conceptual framework, methods, and research design assists the inquiry into how exposure to positive prototypes of Black maleness may impact academic experiences. The research around Black males has conveyed pejorative findings for over 30 years. The study findings were interesting. The three participants were positively impacted by exposure to positive prototypes of Black maleness. They all conveyed that associations with positive prototypes of Black maleness are necessary; however, the academic impact that these prototypes have is still very much undetermined. A longer span of research might determine how impactful the positive prototypes of Black maleness are to other Black males. One finding was very apparent among the three participants- Black males do like to learn affirmative history about other Black males.