Asynchronous online credit recovery programs have been implemented in public schools across the United States for a variety of reasons. In this case, African American female students who are deficient in course credits towards high school graduation have taken advantage of this relatively new e-programming mechanism as a means to capture course credits that were lost during the course of a student's high school career. Female enrollees in the asynchronous credit recovery program are lacking in course credits due to course failure for reasons such as truancy, excessive absences, maternity, incarceration, employment, health associated and domestic related demands outside of school. Beyond the aforementioned, the school climate in terms of organization, discipline, safety, and supportive relationships plays a significant role towards student success or failure. Because African American females are positioned at the bottom of the ethno-gender stratum, concentration on African American females is vital to ensuring academic success in addition to their well being. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate and ultimately understand the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of a group of African American female graduates while enrolled in an asynchronous credit recovery program. The study was guided by the following research questions: How does enrollment in an asynchronous credit recovery program affect non-traditional African American female's perceptions of education? How does enrollment in an asynchronous credit recovery program affect the lives of non-traditional African American female student participants? What are the factors that contribute to the success of the non-traditional African American female student participants? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, intense site immersion and observation, and thorough review of school district and student records. At the culmination of the data collection process, data analysis was conducted using the constant comparison method. Results from the data analysis revealed a reinvigorated perception of education as well as a reversal of lowered expectations, behaviors, standards, and attitudes while enrolled in the asynchronous credit recovery program. Enrollment in the asynchronous credit recovery program assuredly fostered academic success and strengthened the independent nature and identity formation of the African American female participants. Several of the implications for practice are: strengthening adult/student relationships; culturally relevant professional development exercises; consideration of a female centered curriculum; address the at-risk student population as early as elementary school; and continuing research on the effectiveness of asynchronous credit recovery programs. / Educational Administration
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/3794 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Waters, Eric Leftwich |
| Contributors | Ikpa, Vivian W., Davis, James Earl, 1960-, Gross, Steven Jay, Sanford-DeShields, Jayminn, DuCette, Joseph P. |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 161 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/3776, Theses and Dissertations |
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