Black males continue to struggle when faced with the challenge of seeking a college education (Cuyjet, 1997, 2006; Mincy, et al 2006; Schott, 2006). Currently, they lag behind in college and university participation as compared to other gendered groups as well as their White and Asian counterparts (Cuyjet, 2006; Bush & Bush, 2010). As with every promising Black male community college student, there are barriers to enrollment and completion, e.g., first-generation and first-time-in-college, previous high school academic and disciplinary experiences, peer pressure, family dynamics, financial considerations and social environments serving as barriers to enrollment and completion. Despite these barriers, many Black males students make it to college. However, they often have difficulty remaining in the educational system long enough to complete their certificates and/or degrees. Although, there are many quality community college and university programs designed to increase the overall success of students “prior to” and “during” enrollment, regrettably, many colleges that facilitate outreach and retention efforts do little by way of accountability. Statistical monitoring for evaluation purpose is mixed. Adequate records of how Black males are performing in and apart from college are important for educational institutions as they consider developing specialized programs for minority sub-group participation, engagement, and success. Furthermore, unengaged Black males, and those attempting to aid them, have varying viewpoints as to the type and priority of programs designed to include Black male participation in postsecondary education. This study will examine Black males’ perspectives versus institutional engagement strategies relative to participation, engagement, and successes that influence Black males Men on the Move program at St. Philip’s College. Moreover, the study will furthermore investigate outreach and retention efforts for Black males that were developed by the St. Philip’s College. / text

Master of Arts / Department of English / Phillip Marzluf / Much recent scholarship about boys and literacy focuses on the “crisis” of male underachievement in schools, and a number of authors address why boys’ literacy rates are low (e.g., Newkirk, Wilhelm and Smith). In this paper, I use current scholarship and primary research to examine the literacy ideology of a specific group of adolescents who are underrepresented in the literature: those living in rural areas. Using interviews from eight high school boys as case studies, I examine how literacy manifests itself in male adolescents from the rural Midwest. This study follows a qualitative empirical methodology. I find that the boys’ ideology is shaped by societal and familial influences and is essentially a “serviceable” literacy ideology. A serviceable literacy is rooted in a male identity or “habitus,” which refers to the way individuals perceive, assess, and act in the world (Bourdieu, “Habitus”). The findings in this study suggest that rural young men have a habitus characterized by independence, expediency, competition, and individuality. Complicating this habitus of young rural men is a stigma that some of the boys are very aware of. This stigma asserts that rural inhabitants value literacy less than middle- and upper-class urban inhabitants. My findings clearly demonstrate that people who live in rural areas are certainly literate and value literacy, but school-sponsored literacy is very different than serviceable literacy, and classrooms are the arena for a struggle as educators attempt to expose students to unfamiliar forms of reading. Therefore, the results of this study present pedagogical challenges for rural English teachers who are responsible for literacy instruction. Lastly, I will present some solutions found in the literacy scholarship.

This study expands literature on colorism and the monolithic emphasis on the experiences of women by investigating black men’s experience with skin tone discrimination. The investigator seeks to interrogate how black males experience colorism by exploring how familial, peer associations, and media shape black males’ understanding of their skin-tone; by asking; what messages, if any, enforcing colorism ideals they receive; as well as the frequency of and adherence to such messages. The investigator utilized focus groups to gather data. Sample was limited to 10 self-identifying African-American black men age 18 and older. Focus group data is analyzed through an intersectional perspective, and thematic coding is utilized for analysis. Findings suggest light skinned and dark skinned men experience colorism differently. Light skinned men noted blatant colorism and often felt they had to authenticate their blackness. Darker skinned men reported more indirect colorism and negative stereotypes as prominent challenges with colorism.

This thesis examined how four Male Mexican American post-undergraduate college students constructed their views on what it means “to be a man”. The method of oral histories not only for it’s power but also for its ability to offer a different perspective than that given by theory. Oral histories offer a rich perspective that has the power to challenge dominant narratives. The thesis was set up to reflect the way that the past informs the future. Through beginning with the history of U.S.-Mexico border relations via NAFTA, the Bracero Program, and the Border Patrol, one grasps the contentious relationship between the two countries and is introduced to the idea of pluarlities. Due to the relationship of labor to masculinity, theories on masculinity, machismo, and macho were discussed. The last two chapters centered on the oral histories of each man. “Origins,” the third chapter examined the “history” behind each orator. Finally chapter four, examined what masculinity, machismo, macho, and “being a man” is to each man. It is through this foregrounding in theory that one is able to better understand lived experiences. Through the combining of both theory and lived experiences, one is able to see the both the disconnect and overlap between the two. Although the responses ranged on what it “means to be a man” if you could essentialize it, there were are few themes that reappeared. “To be a Man” is about taking responsibility for your actions, being there for one’s family, and having honor. The range of responses only goes to highlight the complexities of even one term and each term could certainly warrant its own dissertation. Based on my brief research, there is still much work to be done on each area of focus.

High school students often face foreign language requirements, either to graduate from their high school or to be accepted at a college or university of their choice (www.ncssfl.org). These requirements serve as external motivators and may decrease a student's intrinsic motivation to learn a language. Indeed, researchers have determined that extrinsic motivation greatly undermines self-motivation (Deci, et al., 2011). Without intrinsic motivation, students struggle to learn in meaningful ways and fail to implement strategies that lead to meaningful foreign language learning and proficiency. Educators must critically analyze their materials, instructional style, lesson plans and assessments and then remove from the curriculum any practice or task that does not foster learner autonomy that ultimately leads to intrinsic motivation. Further, to foster intrinsic motivation, language teaching and learning must focus on the relational aspect of language, as the use of any language is purposed to communicate needs and ideas with others This report explores how learner autonomy and interrelatedness aid the development of intrinsic motivation and provides pedagogical implications for the classroom. / text

Background: This grounded theory study explored the views of adolescent boys aged 12 and 13 on the factors that influence their help-seeking decisions for less severe forms of psychological distress. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 12 participants from a local secondary school and a community setting were analysed according to grounded theory methods. The data analysis abstracted categories of data to construct a substantive theory of helpseeking. Results: Participants’ views revealed an interaction of ‘pressures and promoters’ that affected adolescent boys’ help-seeking decisions. These related to relationships with others, mental health support and education, being a boy, and individual factors. Conclusion: Mental health education and awareness should be promoted amongst adolescent boys and the adults and professionals that they encounter so that they may be encouraged to seek help for psychological distress.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether different types of home protection/guardianship behavior have any influence on worry about burglary, using the Seattle, Washington data collected by Terrance Miethe in 1990. This study also examines whether gender and previous victimization have any moderating effect on the relationship between home guardianship and worry about burglary. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationships. The findings in the main model showed that four of the seven types of home guardianship significantly predicted higher likelihoods of worry of about burglary. When gender was treated as a moderator, only one type of home protection significantly predicted higher chances of worry for females whereas four types of home protection significantly predicted higher odds of worry for males. When previous victimization was treated as a moderator, findings in the non-victims’ model were the same as findings in the main model. Findings in the previous victims’ model showed that one type of home guardianship predicted higher chances of worry about burglary. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

ABSTRACT Job satisfaction and life satisfaction have been two of the most researched social constructs for many decades. This study looks into the relationship that exists between job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and work–family conflict among salaried and self-employed male and female employees. It adds to existing literature by using Social Role Theory as a basis for explaining the variation in these relationships among males and females, and also makes the argument that gender is a propelling force in explaining the perceived conflict and its effect on life and job satisfaction. It also adds to existing literature by evaluating the above phenomenon among employed and self-employed males and females thereby bridging a significant gap in the literature on work-family conflict. The study makes use of data from the International Social Survey Program. Analyzing this data has led to a better understanding of the role of gender as a significant factor related to variations in work–family conflict. Also this paper reveals to us that the effect of work-family conflict is considerably lesser for self-employed individuals when compared to their salaried counterparts for both men and women. Other Key findings include the changing role of women in the society and the effect of children in a working household on work-family conflict, job and life satisfaction. INDEX WORDS: Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction, Work–Family Conflict, Employed and Self-Employed Males and Females

The purpose of this study is to examine domestic violence as it occurs in same-sex male relationships. Data were collected by in-depth interviews with twenty-five gay males, who were between the ages of 23 and 43, and who had previous experience being in a homosexual relationship where domestic violence was present. The major findings of this study include the respondents': 1) definitions of domestic violence and abuse; 2) the type of domestic violence or abuse personally experienced; and 3) reasons they believe domestic violence or abuse occurs in these types of relationships. This study illustrates the need for further research in this area of domestic violence and for programs or services targeted for this specific population.

The sexual identity development process in gay men was the focus of this study. It was theorized that, as a result of negative experiences with the dominant heterosexual culture, gay men might feel mistrustful of heterosexuals in various settings. A new theoretical construct, that of heterosexual mistrust, was identified and explored. A new scale, the Heterosexual Mistrust Inventory (HMI), was created to measure this construct. Gay male subjects' stage of homosexual identity formation (HIF) was also determined. Results indicated that heterosexual mistrust existed to a significantly stronger degree among gay men than among heterosexual men. Heterosexual mistrust was strongly related to stage of HIF. The various settings in which heterosexual mistrust was found to occur were discussed. Implications for current knowledge about HIF and about cultural belief systems unique to gay men were identified and explored.