Dissertation (Ph. D.)--University of Akron, Dept. of Curricular and Instructional Studies, 2008. / "December, 2008." Title from electronic dissertation title page (viewed 12/28/2008) Advisor, Susan Olson; Committee members, Sharon Kruse, Virginia Gunn, Richard Glotzer, Renee Mudrey-Camino; Department Chair, Bridgie A. Ford; Dean of the College, Cynthia Flynn Capers; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

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This dissertation examines some structural and cultural problems that can contribute to the problem of underachievement facing Black, male students in the educational system. A phenomenological approach was used to gain the perspectives of six Black, male educators on this problem. Underachievement problems for these students have garnered much interest in the research literature and in pedagogical debates. It is a problem with a long history from the Royal Commission on Learning (1993) to TDSB Urban Diversity Strategy (2008) the problem continues to baffle educators. Data also presents a dismal picture, with 40% from this group underachieving. Black, male teachers‟ perspectives are significant because presently their voices are limited in the literature. Their perspectives are also influenced by race, ethnicity and gender, and these are issues that impact on the problem being investigated. The main questions of the study are: - What are some Black male educators' perspectives of the role of structural and cultural factors that contribute to the problem of underachievement and school failure for Black, male students? Were these the same barriers they faced and how did they overcome these barriers as students? - How might the narratives of these Black male educators both challenge and support multicultural approach to curriculum that purports to particularly address the problems facing Black, male students? The result of the research indicates that there are structural and cultural factors that can cause underachievement problems for Black, male students. It suggests that an iii integrated approach which acknowledges the influence of both structure and culture could be used as a means for improving learning outcomes for this group of earners.

This dissertation examines some structural and cultural problems that can contribute to the problem of underachievement facing Black, male students in the educational system. A phenomenological approach was used to gain the perspectives of six Black, male educators on this problem. Underachievement problems for these students have garnered much interest in the research literature and in pedagogical debates. It is a problem with a long history from the Royal Commission on Learning (1993) to TDSB Urban Diversity Strategy (2008) the problem continues to baffle educators. Data also presents a dismal picture, with 40% from this group underachieving. Black, male teachers‟ perspectives are significant because presently their voices are limited in the literature. Their perspectives are also influenced by race, ethnicity and gender, and these are issues that impact on the problem being investigated. The main questions of the study are: - What are some Black male educators' perspectives of the role of structural and cultural factors that contribute to the problem of underachievement and school failure for Black, male students? Were these the same barriers they faced and how did they overcome these barriers as students? - How might the narratives of these Black male educators both challenge and support multicultural approach to curriculum that purports to particularly address the problems facing Black, male students? The result of the research indicates that there are structural and cultural factors that can cause underachievement problems for Black, male students. It suggests that an iii integrated approach which acknowledges the influence of both structure and culture could be used as a means for improving learning outcomes for this group of earners.

The Black experience is complex; often portrayed as a double consciousness or a tension between two warring ideas that penetrate the soul. Such duplicity can leave Black people perplexed regarding how to navigate in a White world with one dark body. This study explored the experiences of Black males in an urban teacher preparation program as they negotiated their double consciousness in order to understand how race and gender impact teaching and learning in urban schools. Four case studies were conducted representing self-identified Black male graduates who were part of a cohort of pre-service teachers. Data generated from coursework were used as a heuristic for introspective analysis by each participant and complemented by semi-structured interviews. The study illustrates the complex factors for Black males developing as culturally relevant responsive teachers and provides voice to the challenges Black males face while navigating in a capitalistic system that has historically denied equitable access. The research found that prior experiences with double consciousness perpetuate Black males’ oppression and forces them to see their perceived selves through their White counterparts’ and supervisors’ eyes. Double consciousness has a twoness that causes distrustfulness of those that are perceived to be oppressive while also inspires individuals to ‘be the best’. Cohort communities are a great way to facilitate a community of learners but if not managed carefully can lead to racial and ethnic separation. After graduating from the teacher preparation program, the Black males did not remain consistent with their cultural responsiveness but were charged to use the teaching profession as a means to create positive change for others. Findings from this study hold promise for helping teacher education programs develop experiences for Black males that capture and cultivate the unique embodiment of two clashing identities—American and Black.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation is part of Schooling Practices and Public Policies Research line in the Post-Graduation in Education program at Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. The main goal of this work is to comprehend to which extent gender represantations affect images and receptiveness of male teachers in first years of elementary school. Five teachers who studied Pedagogy at UFSM beteween 1984 and 2012 were interviewed; a history about men insertion in pedagogy course was made aiming to understand the motivations that led the interviewees persuing this course. The knowlodge about the undergraduation course is highly relevant, therefore a research was conducted on this matter. As well as a history of feminist movements and gender studies was conducted. Based on these, masculinity and male identity as social constructions was discussed. Developing the study, with regard to the methodology, a case study a long with the quantitative and qualitative researches and themed oral history was developed. The theoretical and methodological framework include authors: Blonde (1990, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2009), Badinter (1993), Connell (1995), Scott (1990), Tambara (1998), Oliveira (2004 ), Rabelo (2008, 2009, 2010) and Meihy (1995). From this study, we noticed that teachers‟ narratives motivations that led them to join the Pedagogy course, have different causes, mainly it was the achievement of contacting learners during the learning process, and not expressing the will of dropping course or profession. The narratives showed that the position of the family is important in the choice of profession, but does not constitute a determining factor, since even with the questioning and the initial resistance by relatives, these teachers chose to continue the course and follow the profession. Also demonstrated that the choice of being a teacher overcomes the initial resistance established between the school community, in particular other teachers and students‟ parents. Since they reported that there is a certain estrangement from parents and teachers at the beginning, when faced with a man teacher teaching in Early Years. Thus, we were able to verify that there is still resistance traits on the presence of the teacher in the first years. What remains is the object of analysis of this study deserve attention in order to produce more studies on the subject, that the pedagogical practices of male teachers in a school setting under-analyzed, visualized and be questioned, and from these discussions the images of teachers and their acceptability to say that this place can be re-signified. / A presente dissertação insere-se à linha de Pesquisa Práticas Escolares e Políticas Públicas do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Buscamos compreender em que medida as representações de gênero influenciam a imagem e a receptividade do professor homem nos Anos Iniciais do Ensino Fundamental. Foram entrevistados cinco professores formados no curso de Pedagogia da UFSM, no período de 1984 a 2012 e, paralelo às entrevistas, elaboramos um histórico sobre a inserção do homem nesse curso, com o objetivo de compreender as motivações que os levaram a cursá-lo. Destacamos a relevância do conhecimento sobre a história do curso e, em vista disso, pesquisamos o histórico e a implementação até a última reformulação curricular. Somando-se à pesquisa histórica, realizamos uma reflexão sobre as questões de gênero, contextualizando os movimentos feministas e a introdução sobre os estudos de gênero. A partir disso, problematizamos a masculinidade como construção social, buscando compreender o ideal de masculinidade socialmente representado. Para o desenvolvimento do estudo, no que se refere à metodologia, foi desenvolvido um estudo de caso, aliado à metodologia da pesquisa quantitativa e qualitativa e a história oral temática. Sobre o referencial teórico-metodológico destacamos os/as autores/as: Louro (1990, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2009), Badinter (1993), Connell (1995), Scott (1990), Tambara (1998), Oliveira (2004), Rabelo (2008, 2009, 2010) e Meihy (1995). Com a realização deste estudo, percebemos, a partir da análise das narrativas dos professores que lecionam nos Anos Iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, que as motivações que o levaram a ingressar no curso de Pedagogia apresentam diferentes atribuições. Entre elas, a vontade de ser professor, assim como a necessidade de ter a formação num curso de nível superior. Ressaltamos que os cinco professores, em algum momento de suas vidas, seja no decorrer do período do curso ou na prática em sala de aula, sentiram-se satisfeitos por estarem junto aos alunos/as. Nesse contexto, não manifestaram a vontade de desistir do curso ou da profissão. As narrativas sinalizaram que a posição dos familiares é importante na escolha da profissão, mas não se constitui num fator determinante, visto que, mesmo com o questionamento e a resistência inicial por parte dos familiares, estes professores optaram em continuar o curso e seguir a profissão. Também demonstraram que a escolha por ser professor supera a resistência inicial estabelecida entre a comunidade escolar, em especial, entre as colegas professoras e os pais dos alunos/as. Isso se confirmou quando os mesmos relataram que, no início, há certo estranhamento por parte de pais e professoras ao se depararem com um professor homem lecionando nos Anos Iniciais. Dessa forma, foi-nos possível verificar que há ainda traços de resistência sobre a presença do professor nos Anos Iniciais. O que fica é que o objeto da análise desta investigação merece atenção, em vista de produzir mais estudos sobre o tema, para que as práticas pedagógicas de professores homens, num contexto escolar pouco analisado, sejam visibilizadas e problematizadas e, a partir dessas discussões, as imagens dos professores e a forma como estes serão recepcionados sejam ressignificadas.

Only 9% of elementary school teachers are currently male, despite the fact that men make up roughly half of the United States population. This under-representation of male elementary teachers presents many questions and challenges for schools and society. This study hopes to further educators’ understandings of some of the specific challenges that male elementary school teachers confront in their daily lives as well as of their insights and suggestions to address such. This study posits the importance of these educators’ being able to share their thoughts, perceptions, and questions about their work, including how they have tended to position themselves as male elementary school teachers. Using qualitative research methods, eight male elementary teachers (retired, veteran, experienced, and novices) were interviewed in order to examine their perspectives and assumptions regarding “maleness” as well as the factors that primarily have impacted their decisions to remain teaching at the elementary level. Analyses and interpretations of participants’ responses yielded recommendations for attending to these insights in order to inform teaching recruitment, induction, and varied other policy decisions.

The purpose of this dissertation is to improve the racial conditions of USAmerican education and to highlight how racial politics influence the facework practices of Black male teachers, their perceptions of and responses to face threats, and how the classroom, as a context, shapes perceptions and issues of face, facework, and face threat. I utilized identity management theory to examine how Black male teachers construct facework and face threat within the classroom. Additionally, I used semi-structured respondent interviewing and grounded theory as my method and analytical method (respectively) to complete my study. Using key concepts, such as positive face, negative face, face threat, and identity freezing, I concluded that perceptions of racism and racial stereotypes that are sometimes contingent on their gender identity impact how they constructed positive and negative face. Additionally, racism and racial stereotypes shaped which facework strategies the interview participants utilized, what they considered face threatening situations, how they responded to face threatening situations, and what they considered identity freezing situations. Overall, their constructions of facework and face threat were utilized to avoid stereotypes that depicted them as angry and incompetent. Considering the positive potential of this study, I concluded with how this research can help administrators and colleagues to improve the education system for Black male teachers.