African American High School Students Research Articles

Transition Engagement of African American Youth With Disabilities: A Serial Mediation Model

The purpose of this study was to draw from self-determination and self-efficacy theories to evaluate psychological constructs (autonomous motivation, competency, and outcome expectancy) as mediators of the relationship between working alliance and engagement in transition–vocational rehabilitation (VR) services among African American students with disabilities. A serial multiple mediation analysis was computed to evaluate the mediators of transition-VR service engagement in a sample of 88 African American high school students with disabilities. We found that working alliance was positively associated with active engagement in transition-VR services (total effect), whereas the direct effect of working alliance on engagement was not significant after controlling for the effects of autonomous motivation, competency, and outcome expectancy, supporting significant mediation effects. Findings suggest that a strong working alliance between students and rehabilitation counselors and transition specialists can foster autonomous motivation, competency, and outcome expectancy, resulting in higher levels of engagement in transition-VR services.

By Pen, Sword, and Struggle

This article is an examination of African American high school student activism during the black freedom struggle by youth from Lawnside, New Jersey; one of ten self-governing African American communities in the United States. A critical factor in Lawnside’s historical narrative is that its young people both historically and today attend segregated elementary school and then integrated high school in the historically all white community of Haddon Heights. From 1965-1971, many African American young people from Lawnside were inspired to address decades of inequality and African American educational and cultural concerns by engaging in acts of collective violence and non-violent direct action. These protest efforts included a boycott, two sit-ins, a protest march, and a formal list of demands. African American high school students from Lawnside expressed similar grievances to African American youth in other locations, they demonstrated considerable activist autonomy from parents and outside organizations, and female students often held positions of influence and leadership.

Does the association of school experiences and marijuana use differ based on age of African American high school students?

ABSTRACTAfrican American adolescents are disproportionately involved in marijuana use. This study investigated whether the association of school experiences and recent marijuana use (past 30 days) differed based on age of African American adolescents. A secondary analysis of the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was conducted. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed for 14–15-year olds and 16–17-year olds. Results revealed that students at highest risk for recent marijuana use were those who earned poor grades and felt that all or most of the students in their grade used marijuana. Of those who felt that all or most of the students in their grade used marijuana, 16–17-year olds were 3 times and 14–15-year olds were 6 times more likely to have recently used marijuana. Public health educators and prevention specialists can use these findings to assist them in further developing and implementing substance abuse programs which are culturally competent in nature. Future research is needed to further explore the association between perceived peer marijuana use and individual marijuana use among African American students.

Investigating Issues in Computing Education: Usability Factors for the Use of an Operating System Among African American and Hispanic American High School Students

Abstract African Americans and Hispanic Americans historically have been underrepresented in U.S. jobs in the fields of STEM in large part because of the usability of technology. In this research, the goal was to discover the usability factors relative to operating systems that may limit African Americans and Hispanic Americans from pursuit of computer science higher education. For the purpose of this study, “usability” refers to the “appropriateness of purpose.” Categorized by three factors, appropriateness of purpose can be defined as (i) the effectiveness of the users’ ability to complete tasks while using technology and the quality or output of those tasks, (ii) the efficiency and the level of resources used in performing tasks, and (iii) the satisfaction or users’ reaction to the use of technology (Brooke, 2014). This research examined quantitative analysis based on students’ routine computer task knowledge using a survey questionnaire and the SUS. The population included high school students responding to questions on common tasks and usability. A web survey was conducted to assess the measurement and understanding pattern demonstrated by the participants. The quantitative analysis of the computer usability included ANOVA, independent t-tests and orthogonal contrasts. The analysis of the SUS measured usability and learnability. The results of the data analysis showed that the combined African American and Hispanic group has a mean computer usability score that is significantly lower when compared with the other ethnicities and the SUS findings included the highest gap among this most underrepresented group in the STEM field.

Taking it to the stage: Performing arts education and African American male academic identity development

Author(s): Walton, Calvin Wesley | Abstract: This case study examines the relationship between school-based performing arts participation and academic identity development for African American male high school students. Participants addressed how their engagement in a school-based performing arts program influenced their academic achievement and school experiences. The researcher used African American Male Academic Identity Development theory, a proposed framework, to address the following questions: What are the experiences of African American males who participate in school-based performing arts programs? How do performing arts education experiences influence the academic identity development of African American male high school students? Based upon the data derived from this study the author argues that school-based performing arts participation may improve academic performance, engender positive school experiences and encourage affirmative racial identity development for African American male high school students. Findings from this study contribute to the body of literature on the relationship between arts education and academic achievement among African American males.

Rethinking the Notion of “Hostility” in African American Parenting Styles

African American parenting strategies are important in the development of prosocial behavior and are linked to empathy, self-efficacy, and racial identity. This study examined how adolescent-perceived parenting strategies (i.e., warmth, “hostility,” cultural socialization) combined to form parenting styles and how these related to positive outcomes. Participants were 358 low-income, urban southern African American high school students. Cluster analyses revealed four distinct parenting styles. Findings provide evidence that Eurocentric norms are inadequate for understanding socialization in African American families. Results indicate that a rethinking of what constitutes “parental hostility” is required. Implications, future research directions, and clinical application are discussed.

Convergent identifications, divergent meanings: the racial and ethnic identities of second-generation West African youth

ABSTRACTPrior research on Black immigrants in the US has almost exclusively focused on those from the Caribbean. Yet African immigrants are poised to become the largest Black immigrant group in the US. This article addresses this issue by exploring the ethnoracial identity-work central to the processes by which the children of African immigrants integrate into American. I draw upon interviews of 36 West African and Black American high school students in the Bronx, New York. The findings reveal an identificational convergence where African and Black American youth identify similarly (i.e. as ‘Black’ and ‘African-American’) yet make different meanings of behind these terms. I examined three prominent domains (e.g. physical appearances, parenting and cultural stereotypes) that shape these varied articulations and intraracial boundaries.

Implementation and evaluation of a biotechnology research experience for African-American high school students

Exposure to science content and development of excitement for scientific inquiry throughout the high school years are imperative in attracting students into the sciences. The purpose of this article is to report lessons learned and share best practices from the implementation and evaluation of a high school STEM program that aims to provide an authentic research experience for African-American students and expose them to the possibility and benefits of attaining advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields. Participants reported that enriching science experiences improved their college readiness and exposed them to STEM degree and career options. Formative evaluation results lead to the following lessons learned for best practice: 1) Relationships with high schools will facilitate buy-in; 2) Setting clear expectations and assigning responsibilities is essential; 3) Diversity and cultural sensitivity training is necessary; and 4) Programs of this nature need strong evaluation.

Implementation of a Biomedical Engineering Research Experience for African-American High School Students at a Tier One Research University.

Enriching science experiences and competencies for underrepresented students during high school years is crucial to increasing their entry into the science pipeline and to improving their preparedness for success in college and STEM careers. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of project ENGAGES, a high school STEM year-long research program for African–American students, mentored by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at Georgia Tech. It aims to provide an authentic research experience and expose student to the possibility and benefits of attaining an advanced degree and careers in STEM fields. Initial program outcomes include student reported satisfaction with research experience, improved technical skill development, and increased curiosity and interest in STEM careers. Additionally, students indicated increases in college readiness, research skill development, and exposure to STEM careers as a result of interactions with faculty advisors and graduate student mentors, along with laboratory assignments. Lessons learned and potential pitfalls and barriers to acceptance are also discussed.

Tracking Myself: African American High School Students Talk About the Effects of Curricular Differentiation

Research on the merit of school tracking policies has long been at the center of heated educational debate. Unfortunately, while the trend in studies looking at tracking in schools has continued, the student perspective has been underutilized in much of this previous research. Recently, however, there has been a surge in research that focuses on the benefits of student-centered research This research recognizes the legitimacy of student perspectives in reform efforts. This paper focuses on the student perspectives in a qualitative project with seven black students to understand the insights and contributions they have for school leaders. Findings revealed that students can contribute nuanced perspectives on complex educational reform issues, such as tracking, and provide powerful insights that should be considered in school reform conversations.

Perceived responsibility for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention among young African American men: An exploratory focus group study

Poor reproductive health outcomes, including unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, continue to disproportionately affect African American teenaged populations. Interventions largely focus on young women, yet young men may play an important role in mitigating these reproductive health outcomes. This study aims to understand African American male teenagers’ views on pregnancy prevention responsibility by qualitatively exploring their attitudes around contraception and condom responsibility. We conducted exploratory qualitative focus groups on perceived contraceptive and condom responsibility with 24 African American male high school students, ages 14–19, enrolled in charter schools in the South Side of Chicago. Research domains included relationship type, communication with female partners, perceived responsibility for pregnancy prevention, condom and contraceptive behaviors, and contraceptive knowledge. Data were coded using content analysis revealing several themes: Young men view condom use as important, but actual use of condoms is modified by relationship factors and perception of risk of STIs; Responsibility to prevent pregnancy is a shared- or female-responsibility; and male teenagers had greatest awareness of male-controlled contraceptive methods and limited knowledge or comfort with other non-condom forms of contraception. These adolescents weigh many factors when determining whether to use condoms and/or contraception. Building upon widespread endorsement for condom use and STI prevention offer the most hope for further gains.

"The Talk," Physician Version: Special Considerations for African American, Male Adolescents.

Police exist to ensure community safety. Unfortunately, whether because of an increased police presence in selected neighborhoods, implicit or explicit bias, or other factors, minority youth disproportionately experience negative encounters with police.1 Adolescent accounts of such encounters are distressing. Youth with whom we consulted recalled many, including 1 in which 2 adolescents were setting up a community event, and only the darker-skinned adolescent was stopped and questioned about his activity. Negative police interactions pose a threat to adolescents’ psychological and physical health. Physicians can address these patients’ experiences, educate them about their rights, and help them stay safe. Minority youth receive disproportionate police attention. In Chicago, ∼60% of surveyed African American and Latino high school students reported having been stopped by police, half of whom characterized the experience as negative and disrespectful.2 Of the young, African American boys surveyed, >70% reported a stop in 2002, which is >3 times the city average.3 Behavioral disparities do not explain such extreme trends. In New York City, African American people were far more likely to be stopped and frisked, although <3% of frisks revealed weapons or contraband, and white people were more likely to be found with such items.4 Such disparities may underlie negative attitudes about police among minority … Address correspondence to Barry Zuckerman, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord St, Room 324L, Boston, MA 02118. E-mail: barry.zuckerman{at}bmc.org

The Indirect Effect of Ethnic Identity on Marijuana Use Through School Engagement: An African American High School Sample

ABSTRACTBackground: African American marijuana use is associated with many negative social, emotional, and health-related consequences. Of significance, over recent years this population has shown an increase in use. In the literature, ethnic identity and school engagement are prominent protective factors against substance use. Objective: This study will examine how these protective factors are related, specifically whether ethnic identity mitigates risk through school engagement to reduce marijuana use. Method: A path analysis was conducted with 437 African American high school students (41% male) from Midwestern schools to examine the role of school engagement in the relationship between ethnic identity and marijuana use. Results: The results revealed that students high in ethnic identity have higher school engagement, which lessens their frequency of marijuana use. Therefore, ethnic identity reduces marijuana use by increasing student's school engagement. Conclusions/Importance: The results offer a clearer picture of how ethnic identity and school engagement protect against marijuana use. The results also present insight into how to protect students who are low in ethnic identity.

Namaste to Wellbeing? The Effect of Yoga on the Health of African American High School Students

This study examined the potential psychological and physiological benefits of yoga for African American high school students who attended a rigorous college preparatory program. We hypothesized that yoga exercises would improve perceived stress levels, lower resting heart rate and blood pressure, and increase blood oxygen saturation. Our sample consisted of twenty-two students who participated in yoga or track (the control), with eleven in each group. The yoga group was a pre-existing afterschool program, while the track control group was matched as closely as possible to the yoga group by gender, age and blood pressure levels. We measured the perceived stress, resting heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation levels prior to the first class and after the last class. We found that the perceived stress levels of yoga participants decreased 13% compared to the control group, which only decreased 1%; however, this was not a statistically significant difference. There were no significant differences between or within the groups’ resting heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Our results suggest that yoga does not have a significant effect on healthy high school students, possibly due to a lack of motivation among participants, although the generalizability of our findings are limited by the small sample size.

Writing in solidarity: the lived experience of African American adolescent girls writing poetry

ABSTRACTThis article offers an expansion of the poetry writing and research featured in “Culturally Responsive Poetry” published in the Journal of Poetry Therapy in 2011. In this article, a follow up to the coeducational poetry pilot is provided through the experiences of African American adolescent girl poets. “Writing in Solidarity: The Lived Experience of African American Adolescent Girls Writing Poetry” is the outcome of an in-depth phenomenological research study exploring the lived experience of eight African American female high school students participating in an after school poetry group. The process of writing in solidarity is one of call and response that evokes a sense of understanding and concern for one’s self, poetry group members and community. Through this writing process, a sense of sisterhood is forged for the adolescent girls and the power of individual and collective naming (to call forth one’s own identity or identities) uncovered.

Racial and ethnic differences in patterns of adolescent tobacco users: A latent class analysis

BackgroundLittle is known about how tobacco use varies among youth of different racial and ethnic groups and how these patterns are related to levels of nicotine dependence. ObjectivesThis study investigated the tobacco use patterns of White, African American, and Hispanic high school students. We further explored whether tobacco use patterns were associated with levels of nicotine dependence and gender. MethodsData were analyzed from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) of high school students who endorsed at least one form of tobacco use in their lifetime (n=4691). Three separate latent class analysis (LCA) models were estimated using seven different types of tobacco products as indicators. Also, the level of nicotine dependence was compared with one class to another class in three racial/ethnicity groups. ResultsFour classes of White youth were identified: (1) “Non-user” (67%), (2) “Polytobacco” (6%), (3) “Chewing Tobacco” (8%), and (4) “(E-)Cigarettes” (19%) classes. The “Polytobacco” class had the highest nicotine dependence followed by “Chewing Tobacco,” “(E-)cigarettes,” and “Non-user.” Among African American youth, two tobacco patterns were identified: “Non-user” (91%) and “Cigarette/Cigar” (9%). The “Cigarette/Cigar” class had greater nicotine dependence than the “Non-user” class. Among Hispanic youth, three subgroups were identified: “Non-user” (78%), “(E-)Cigarette/Cigar” (14%), and “Hookah” (18%). “(E)Cigarette/cigar” had the highest nicotine dependence in Hispanic youth followed by the “Hookah” and “Non-users” classes. ConclusionWe found distinct classes of youth tobacco use by race/ethnicity. Although poly-tobacco use was common, White, African American, and Latino youth used different tobacco types, suggesting that racially and ethnically targeted prevention strategies may be indicated.

Examining a Dual-Process Model of Desensitization and Hypersensitization to Community Violence in African American Male Adolescents.

The purpose of the current study was to examine a dual-process model of reactivity to community violence exposure in African American male adolescents from urban communities. The model focused on desensitization and hypersensitization effects as well as desensitization and hypersensitization as predictors of aggressive behavior. Participants were 133 African American male high school students, mean age = 15.17 years, SD = 0.96. Participants completed measures of exposure to community violence, depressive symptoms, hyperarousal symptoms, aggressive beliefs, and aggressive behaviors at two time points. Community violence exposure predicted changes in aggression, β = .25, p = .004, and physiological arousal, β = .22, p = .010, over time, but not aggressive beliefs. The curvilinear association between community violence exposure and changes in depression over time was not significant, β = .42, p = .083, but there was a significant linear association between the exposure to community violence (ECV) and changes in levels of depression over time, β = .21, p = .014. Results indicated a significant mediation effect for hyperarousal on the association between community violence exposure and aggressive behavior, B = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.04, 0.54]. Results showed support for physiological hypersensitization, with hypersensitization increasing the risk for aggressive behavior.

Contextual Factors Related to African American Adolescent Career Development

African American adolescents’ career development has gained increased attention in light of various barriers affecting their educational and career development goals. The author examined relationships among career decision self‐efficacy, ethnic identity, and academic self‐concept of 104 African American high school students enrolled in Upward Bound programs. Participants responded to measures of career decision self‐efficacy, ethnic identity, and academic self‐concept. Results indicated that career decision self‐efficacy was significantly and positively correlated with ethnic identity and academic self‐concept. In addition, academic self‐concept was found to be a stronger predictor of career decision self‐efficacy than was ethnic identity. The results of this study may assist counselors, teachers, administrators, and parents to understand career decision self‐efficacy as it relates to ethnic identity, academic self‐concept, and demographic variables. This research supports the need for continued career‐related interventions within the schools designed to focus on factors related to ethnic minorities to help foster their career development.

Authoring Student Voices on College Preparedness: A Case Study

ABSTRACTAfrican American students continue to attend college at much lower rates than their white, Asian, and Latino counterparts. Although researchers have examined this issue from a multitude of vantage points, the voices of students—particularly students of color—have been limited in this research. Using a counter-storytelling narrative approach, this study examines what urban African American high school students identify as the critical factors affecting their educational trajectory and college-going prospects. Findings from the current study reveal that students identified inadequate resources, tracking, lack of AP courses, and poor teachers as factors that influenced their high school to college transition. This study provides much needed insight into the discourse on school reform from the most important constituent in schools—the students.

Psychosocial Keys to African American Achievement? Examining the Relationship Between Achievement and Psychosocial Variables in High Achieving African Americans

Grit, growth mindset, ethnic identity, and other group orientation are four psychosocial variables that have been associated with academic achievement in adolescent populations. In a sample of 105 high achieving African American high school students (cumulative grade point average [GPA] &gt; 3.0), we examined whether these four psychosocial variables contributed to the achievement of high achieving African Americans beyond the contribution of socioeconomic status (SES) and other demographic variables. Results indicated that the psychosocial variables were not significant predictors of academic achievement for the high achieving African American students in this sample. However, SES was a significant predictor of the academic achievement with a medium effect size. These findings suggest that interventions focused on grit, growth mindset, ethnic identity, and other group orientation may not be as effective as hypothesized.