Understanding Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at a Historically Black College/University

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe how a mixed methods approach was employed to acquire a better understanding of Black male student athletes’ experiences at a historically Black college/university in the southeastern United States. A concurrent triangulation design was incorporated to allow different data sources to be collected and analyzed simultaneously to identify areas of convergence. Quantitative findings served as complementary data to corroborate the emergent qualitative themes. Legitimation strategies were applied in identifying meta-inferences from the analysis of findings, which enabled a more comprehensive understanding of key institutional characteristics that contributed to Black male student athletes’ academic achievement and positive college experiences at a historically Black college/university.