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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/65445 |
| Date | 19 June 2014 |
| Creators | Gordon-Muir, Lorna |
| Contributors | McCready, Lance |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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