This study investigates the Alpha-Omega Young Men's Association, a high school fraternity at H. D. Woodson Senior High School in the District of Columbia Public Schools. The goal of this fraternity is to provide a "father-figure" for urban Black males public school students who do not have positive role models in their homes. The study hypothesizes that a fraternal organization like Alpha-Omega can offer young males needed mentors or role models, and in so doing, raise their self-esteem as measured by the Self-Esteem Index (SEI). The study will further describe Alpha-Omega as an organization--how it operates, what happens on a day-to-day basis, and profile some of its members--both adolescents and adults. Administering an 80 item instrument to measure students' (1) perception of their personal traits and characteristics; (2) perception of familial acceptance; (3) perception of academic competence; (4) perception of peer popularity; and (5) perception of personal security of sixty-four samples was an attempt to assess any significant differences that imbued the attitude of the experimental group, as opposed to the control group over a two semester interim. While the SEI failed to yield a significant difference between the two groups, observed changes regarding academics, leadership skills, maturity, and self-esteem significantly differentiated the two groups. These findings hopefully will add to the continuous study of self-esteem measures of those urban Black males without fathers in the home, and those plagued by the social variables--poor parenting skills, negative single parenting, violence and crime, alienation, poverty, leaving school early, poor health and home provisions, and poor self concept--that are characteristic of their lifestyles. The findings further suggest that student organizations play an important role in fortifying the self-esteem of active participants. Some participants of the control group in this study scored equally or higher than members of the experimental group. Statisticians from the Howard University Computer Center, who treated the SEI data, concluded that treatment to some control group participants from sponsors and coaches paralleled that of the experimental group and influenced the outcome of the SEI results. Substantiation of the writer's premise--that male organizations can and do assist the self-esteem of male youth without fathers--was favorable in this study. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-8751 |
| Date | 01 January 1993 |
| Creators | Davis, Cleo |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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