Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

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Personality prototypes have gained more attention as a unit of personality analysis in the past decade. However, relatively few studies have looked at the personality structure of ethnic minorities in general and Black/African Americans specifically using this method of analysis. The current study utilized a large sample (n = 951) of Black/African American undergraduates. The scale scores and relevant work behaviors of the Workplace Personality Inventory (WPI) were analyzed via k-means to develop a prototypic outline of the three personality prototypes (i.e., resilient, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled.) Further, research relating to high achieving Black/African American undergraduates is also sparse. Thus, this study analyzed the cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) of the participants by gender and cluster type. The results show the replicability of the sample into the three personality prototypes as well as the statistical significance of gender and CGPA. The practical implications and limitations of the current study are discussed.

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to describe the relationship between gender and grade level to mathematics achievement for high achieving military-connected students in Grades 3 through 9 who attended American public schools between 2012 and 2016. The theoretical framework was based on Sax's research on gender differences in learning. The research questions were: if there was a statistically significant difference between the percentage of military-connected students scoring in the top 2 quartiles (at or above the national average) for normal curve equivalent (NCE) mathematics scores on the Terra Nova Third Edition (TNTE) using gender as a predictor; and if there was a statistically significant difference between the percentage of military-connected students scoring in the top two quartiles for NCE mathematics scores on the TNTE by gender and grade band. The sample size consisted of archival scores from 135,571 students, aggregated into 136 representative grades and provided by the participating school district's Research Center. A two-tailed t test was conducted to answer Research Question 1. The results were alpha = .05, t(-.696), df = 134, and p = .000. An ANOVA and logistical regression were conducted to answer Research Question 2, alpha = .05, F(.168),and p =.984. There were no statistical differences between the mean numbers of females and males by grade level or grade band. There was gender equity within the population studied. Therefore, the null hypotheses were accepted for both research questions. This study contributes to positive social change by adding to the limited body of knowledge about mathematics achievement for high achieving military-connected students relative to gender.

The aim is to empower all students to achieve academic success by overcoming the educational barriers that exist within the school system. This thesis examines what sociological factors are at play that encourages the academic success of Black students. The emphasis will be to identify how other Black students can replicate the success of their high achieving peers. Another theme in this thesis focuses around the idea of success and who it belongs to versus which groups of learners are ignored. Other related themes look at the power of educators to transform the lives of students where schooling is viewed as a family approach offering hope for all stakeholders. Furthermore, the resiliency of Black learners and their ability to rise above racial pressures and adversity is an important theme that addresses the need for policy to change and the implementation of anti-racist strategies.

The aim is to empower all students to achieve academic success by overcoming the educational barriers that exist within the school system. This thesis examines what sociological factors are at play that encourages the academic success of Black students. The emphasis will be to identify how other Black students can replicate the success of their high achieving peers. Another theme in this thesis focuses around the idea of success and who it belongs to versus which groups of learners are ignored. Other related themes look at the power of educators to transform the lives of students where schooling is viewed as a family approach offering hope for all stakeholders. Furthermore, the resiliency of Black learners and their ability to rise above racial pressures and adversity is an important theme that addresses the need for policy to change and the implementation of anti-racist strategies.

Schools have defined parental involvement as parent reported participation at least once during the school year. Participation can consist of attending a school meeting, parent/teacher conference, school event or volunteering in the school. Researchers have spent countless hours researching parental involvement and its impact on academic success for students. Researchers have conducted studies using two-parent households, single-parent households and studies comparing single-parent households to two-parent households. A majority of the studies had favorable outcomes for two-parent households and not so favorable outcomes for single-parent households. Especially, if those households were headed by a single African American female. During the second half of the 20th century, the number of children living in single-parent families. Census data, from 1960, reported 9 percent of children lived in single-parent homes compared to 28 percent in 2000. Single-parent homes headed by African American mothers, are often the scapegoat for a variety of the academic problems African American youth encounter.

There is a long-standing debate on whether high-achieving students experience a better or worse psychological well-being than their peers. This retrospective cohort study adds to the current literature by examining the differences in rates of psychological disorders, social anxiety, and perfectionism between high-achieving and typical undergraduate students. A convenience sample of 357 students was gathered from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Participants were asked to fill out a brief survey which included questions about demographics, grade point average (GPA), social anxiety, perfectionism, enrollment in The Burnett Honors College, inclusion in any childhood gifted programs, and diagnosis of psychological disorders. Two groups (a High-Achieving group and a Comparison group) were formed based on GPA scores and enrollment in The Burnett Honors College at UCF. Relative risk and chi-squared analyses were conducted to see if there was a significant relationship between group classification and the incidence of psychological disorders, self-injury, and social anxiety. T-tests were used to compare group means of social anxiety and perfectionism. A statistically significant relationship was found between group classification and the incidence of psychological disorders, self-injury, and social anxiety (p = .033, p = .028, and p < .001). The High-Achieving group scored significantly higher on the SPAI-23 SP Subscale (p = .032), the SPAI-23 Difference Score (p < .001), and the APS-R Standards Subscale (p < 0.001). Altogether, the findings of this study indicate that High-Achieving undergraduate students experience a worse psychological well-being than their typical undergraduate student peers.

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What does it mean to be “smart?” Being identified as intelligent, gifted, or high achieving affords students stimulating experiences, motivating social environments, and advanced educational and career opportunities. However, research has also identified potential negative psychological and social costs to being labeled smart. These are particularly apparent during transitions. Many “smart” students begin college while expecting to continue to achieve highly. But, the first-year of college is a time of intense change, with new peers, different requirements, and unfamiliar standards for success that can raise questions about how smart one really is. Students respond differently to such challenging experiences and questions; some are intimidated, some prevail, others even thrive. Why? The current study investigated the meaning of being labeled smart as part of the identity and experiences of honors students in the first year of college. Twenty-four first year Honors students at a large, urban university were interviewed about the meaning of being smart and their experiences in the first year in college. Data analysis was framed deductively by an emerging identity model—the Dynamic Systems Method of Role Identity (DSMRI)—and inductively by an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The dissertation presents six cases that were purposively selected to display variability in students’ meaning-making about being smart, identity, and experiences. The results demonstrate how each student’s meaning of smartness has been incorporated into her or his identity system within the particular educational context, and how it framed their experiences, decisions, and coping with challenging situations. The findings further demonstrate the differences in the ways individual students made meaning of the smart label, the multiple values of being smart particularly in regards to peer relations, complex negative psychosocial implications, and the important role of educational contexts in these meaning-making and identity formation processes. The findings can inform educators and researchers who aim to investigate and address students’ maladaptive beliefs and behaviors and to support their healthy identity development. / Educational Psychology