“Eagles Don’t Fly with Sparrows”: Self-Determination Theory, African American Male Scholar-Athletes and Peer Group Influences on Motivation

Abstract

The belief that African American students do not value high academic achievement (e.g., Fordham & Ogbu, 1986) is a common misperception being challenged by scholars (Cokley, 2003; Harper, 2006). To properly address this idea, researchers must attempt to understand the psychological nature of motivation among African American students and its subsequent effects on their academic performance (Cokley, 2003). While research examining the academic motivations of African American students is scarce, research specifically peering into the academic motivations of high-achieving African American male college athletes is almost non-existent. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the academic motivation of high-achieving African American male college athletes, as well as to explore their academic experiences and the role of peers on their academic achievement. In doing so, a unique light is shed on the academic motivations of African American male college athletes, while also highlighting their achievements in an arena other than the playing field or court (Hodge et al., 2008).Literature ReviewMotivation and African American StudentsAccording to oppositional culture, African American students are not motivated to pursue academic excellence owing in part to the perception that doing so is to act (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Harris, 2006). Although this view is held by some, an emerging line of research is challenging the hypothesis by examining the motivation of academically driven African American students. In one of the few studies of its kind, Cokley (2003) challenged the anti-intellectual myth of African American students by examining their motivation toward academic achievement. Although Cokley (2003) found that African American students were indeed academically motivated, results indicated that African American males were less self-determined and experienced higher levels of amotivation than their female counterparts. In a similar study, Martin and colleagues (2010) explored the academic achievements of high-achieving African American male college athletes from four academically rigorous American universities on the West Coast. Among other themes, the researchers found that high-achieving African American male college athletes were driven to succeed academically by both internal (e.g., high self-standards) and external (e.g., negative social stereotypes about African American males) factors (Martin et al., 2010). Martin and associates (2010) defined high-achievement in their study by acknowledging those researchers and scholars who establish a 3.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) as a criterion for high academic achievement for African American students (Griffin, 2006; Guiffrida, 2004; Harper, 2008) and NCAA student-athlete recognition standards which establishes 3.0 as the baseline of high achievement. In the current study, the authors affirm that in the competitive sports of football and men's basketball a B- or higher is above average for all student-athletes from any ethnic background in these sports (see methods section for a more in-depth explanation of defining criteria for high-achieving African American male student-athletes at predominantly White institutions [PWIs] of higher learning).While useful in moving the conversation about the motivation of African American males, and specifically male student-athletes in the case of Martin and others' (2010) study, forward, the aforementioned research is limited in that these studies failed to examine the influence of peers on academic experiences. Including peer groups into an examination of African American academic experiences is critical as researchers have argued that African Americans, particularly African American males, devalue academic achievement owing, in part, to a fear of being socially ostracized and ridiculed by their peer group (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986). When investigating the academic motivations of African American students and student-athletes, it is imperative to highlight the influence of their peer groups. …