Black High School Research Articles

The relationship between body weight concerns and adolescent smoking.

Although a number of factors have been found to predict smoking status among adolescents, few researchers have examined how belief in smoking as a weight-control strategy may be related to smoking in this high-risk population. With the goal of discovering whether belief in smoking as a weight-control strategy predicted smoking status, the present investigation surveyed 659 Black and White high school students. Analyses showed that among regular smokers, 39% of White female and 12% of White male smokers reported using smoking to control their appetite and weight. In contrast, not a single Black male or female reported using smoking to control appetite and weight. Although belief in smoking as a weight-control strategy did not predict regular smokers versus never smokers, the weight-belief item reliably separated experimental smokers from regular smokers. The survey also revealed that White female restrained eaters were the most likely to actually use smoking as a weight-control strategy.

Education in Prince Edward County, Virginia, 1953-1993

Prince Edward County, Virginia, was one of the five school systems involved in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared racially segregated schools unconstitutional. The Prince Edward County schools' involvement in the school desegregation cases began a 1951 student strike at the Black Moton High School in Farmville, the county seat. That year, the students demanded that a new high school for Blacks be built to replace the inadequate facilities at Moton. They also communicated National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) lawyers in Richmond, who filed the lawsuit that became one of the five cases decided in Brown. Although the Prince Edward County school division responded by building a new Black high school building, the desegregation cases went on to the Supreme Court. In 1954, the U.S.' Supreme Court ruled separate public educational facilities inherently unequal. Shortly after the second Supreme Court decision (Brown II, 1955) ordering desegregation with all deliberate speed, the county's board

Teenage Pregnancy: Dating and Sexual Attitudes

We studied dating practices, sexual beliefs, emotions, and experiences in 295 black high school girls who volunteered to answer an anonymous 61 item questionnaire. Some of the main differences between 33 girls who admitted to having been pregnant (Pregyes) compared to their remaining, never pregnant (Unpreg) peers were as follows: The Pregyes group far more often judged soap operas and romance novels to epitomize real life, typical dating patterns, and their own dating relationships. The Pregyes group was more concerned with the danger of sexually transmitted diseases, but less with moral principles, as restraints on action. The Pregyes group dated more often and admitted more arousal to sexy films, but was less concerned with the impact of current involvements on their own or a husband's future feelings. The 9th-graders were generally the most sexually precocious or were similar in experience to the 12th-graders. In contrast, the 10th- and 11th-grade groups appeared the least sexually active.

Self-reported anger in black high school adolescents

The purpose of this study was to explore the recognition and expression of anger in black high school adolescents. A total of 56 teens, aged 14–19 years, responded to questions about their recognition of anger, how and to whom they express anger, and to whom they refrain from expressing anger. They also stated their opinions about acceptable and unacceptable expressions of anger and its relationship to depression or suicide. Data were analyzed using frequency tabulations for all questions on the survey instrument. Specific variables of age, grade in school, gender, and family composition were analyzed by one-sample χ 2 tests (α set at 0.05). The study demonstrated 1) all the teens surveyed could recognize when they were angry; 2) most teens expressed anger to their friends, to their siblings, and to their mothers; 3) younger teens (ages 14–15 years) when compared to older teens (ages 18–19 years), identified mother as the one who made them angry; 4) females were more likely to feel like crying when angry; 5) females were more likely to feel like being silent when angry; 6) students from one- and two-parent homes did not differ in their expression of anger. Implications of this study include the recognition that anger is a natural, human emotion. Adolescents need to observe adults who can effectively manage behavior associated with anger. Problem solving skills, stress management techniques, and roleplay situations can be utilized as effective tools in the recognition and expression of anger in acceptable ways and in attempts at the prevention of dysfunctional anger.

Academic Achievement of College-Bound Minority Students and the Foreign Language Imperative: A Strategy for Change

During the sixties and seventies, educators committed to augmenting equity and equality of opportunity in education for college-bound minority students stressed heavily the importance of enhancing pre-college preparation as a means of substantially improving the students' chances for success. A nationwide response evolved in the establishment of major financial aid programs and in the development of numerous academic enrichment programs designed to ease the transition from high school to college and thereby remedy low enrollment and acute attrition among Black college students. The task put before such programs, however, has proven to be more perplexing than originally surmised, for despite those efforts, the number of minority students entering college and completing undergraduate and graduate degrees continues to decline, and the representation of Black professionals across diverse fields remains deplorably small (Hacker 11o).1 Several studies show that gains in educational attainment made by Black students the sixties and early seventies diminished significantly over the subsequent ten years (Cargile and Woods; Irvine; White and Parham). Although increases in population and in graduation rates created a larger pool of Black high school graduates eligible for college, comparable increases were not realized at the college level. Rather, as pointed out by White and Parham, during the late seventies, slightly over 50 percent of African-American high school graduates entered college. By the early eighties, the proportion of African-Americans entering college had dropped to 36 percent(88). These disheartening data not only point up the obligation to reevaluate high school preparation, especially of Black, inner-city youth, in order to meet the demands of increasingly competitive college entrance curriculum requirements; they also suggest the need to refine goals, devise strategies, and conduct research within transition programs as one way of improving the academic achievement of minority students on a broader scale. Virtually all transition programs have appropriately focused on strengthening English competencies, specifically reading comprehension and writing skills, as the areas having the most impact on student performance on a curriculumwide basis. Several other programs have either included or concentrated exclusively on intensive training in mathematics and science with the expectation of nurturing potential talent among Black youth who might otherwise not pursue highly specialized technical and scientific fields. Rarely, however, has foreign language study been included as an integral part of a transition program, despite the fact that poor preparation in this area has more than once been cited as one of the

CAI and At-Risk Minority Urban High School Students

AbstractThis article describes the development, implementation, and formative evaluation of the project Microcomputer Adaptive Testing High - Risk - Urban Students (MATH-R-US). The project made computerized assessment an integral part of remedial high school mathematics instruction. The results suggest that the black high school girls in this study exhibited greater self-confidence toward using computers than the self-confidence exhibited by students in other studies that examined gender. In addition, student-created competition proved to be a crucial factor in generating high levels of motivation

Post-High School Plans and Aspirations of Black and White High School Seniors: 1976-86

The chances of college entry declined among Black Americans from 1977 through the mid-1980s, absolutely and relative to those of Whites. During the decline, the post-high school plans of Black and White seniors followed similar trends. Annual measurements from the Monitoring the Future surveys show no trends among Blacks' or Whites' plans to attend technical or vocational school or plans or aspirations to complete a two-year college program. Plans and aspirations to enter the armed forces increased among Blacks and Whites, and the increase in plans was larger among Blacks than among Whites. Plans and aspirations to complete a four-year college program grew among Blacks and Whites, and the increase in plans was smaller among Blacks than among Whites. The upward trends among Blacks, but not among Whites, were driven by favorable changes in social background. Changes in aspirations among Black high school seniors cannot account for the decline in their chances of entering college.

The field trial of a new computer-assisted career guidance system in South Africa

This paper describes the field test of a newly developed computerized career counselling system in South Africa. A randomly selected sample of black high school students (n=80) evaluated the system after completing the program at the University of the Western Cape. Evaluation data were collected through interviews and the Program Evaluation Questionnaire. This questionnaire consisted of a number of subscales measuring 1) user satisfaction with the experience, 2) the extent to which the system helped them acquire self and occupational knowledge and identified potential career alternatives, 3) whether they found interaction with the computer rewarding, and 4) the ease with which the system can be used. The Program Evaluation Questionnaire was found to be a reliable instrument (coefficients ranging from 0.54 to 0.84) and indicated that subjects evaluated the system positively in terms of these subscales. The interviews also indicated that subjects would recommend use of the program to others, that they would prefer the computer rather than the counsellor and that they felt that the program had an impact on their career plans.

Teacher Unions and Black Students' Scores on College Entrance Exams

Using data from the National Assessment of Economic Education survey, this paper examines the influence of teachers' unions and students' race on college entrance examination scores. An “education production function” is estimated for a sample of white and black high school seniors. The model accounts for variations in school distrits and student inputs and controls for the self‐selection nature of taking an entrance exam. The results indicate that students in unionized schools score higher on the SAT than like students in nonunion schools, ceteris paribus. Black students who attend unionized schools are estimated to score 13.11 percent above the black SAT mean. These findings suggest a positive productivity effect of collective bargaining for teachers which significantly benefits minority students.

The Validity of Career Maturity Attitude Measures Among Black and White High School Students

To investigate the validity of five career maturity attitude measures among Black and White high school students, the Counseling Form of the Career Maturity Inventory Attitude Scale and a measure of appropriateness of career choices were administered to 83 Black and 239 White high school students. White students scored significantly higher than Black students on Involvement, Independence, and Compromise in Career Decision Making, and on Appropriateness of Career Choices. Reliability coefficients are mostly in the .50s and .60s. None of the five Attitude Scale subscales are related to appropriateness of career choices of Black students, and only one subscale, Compromise, is significantly correlated with appropriateness of career choices of White students. The data do not support the theoretical expectation that career maturity attitudes are related to appropriateness of career choices, and raise questions regarding the validity of inferences made about the career maturity of both Black and White students. Some practical and theoretical implications of the study are identified.

Postsecondary Enrollment Patterns After Court-Ordered Desegregation: The Case of South Carolina

South Carolina was among the states that instituted programs under court-ordered desegregation in the 1980s to increase the enrollments of Black students in predominantly White public colleges and universities (PWPCUs) (South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 1982).1 South Carolina's desegregation plans were aimed specifically at enhancing college choice options for Black students through nondiscriminatory admissions practices, financial assistance, academic preparedness, and publicity outreach as well as active recruitment. Although the admissions practices of South Carolina's PWPCUs have become less discriminatory during the past 10 years, enrollment data indicate low enrollment of Black students in them, which suggests a failure of the state's desegregation programs. However, it is questionable whether enrollment per se is a good indicator of desegregation effects. As reported by other researchers (Mudie, 1978; Ready & Nickens, 1991; Yans, Benenson, & Stimmel, 1990), total enrollment levels and the size of the applicant pool are directly related. Black enrollments at PWPCUs vary in accordance with the size of the pool of college-bound Black high school students, and the distribution of this Black student pool among these institutions is only partially influenced by the individual PWPCUs. Basing conclusions about the progress of desegregation efforts solely upon enrollment data fails to take into account the evolutionary nature of the expected response to such efforts. This response is confounded by habit persistence, which is

Pregnancy resolution and family formation. Understanding gender differences in adolescents' preferences and beliefs.

This article examines gender differences in adolescents' personal views about pregnancy resolution and family formation as they relate to a vignette describing their involvement in an unplanned pregnancy within the context of an ongoing, stable relationship. We use a sample of 577 White and Black high school students from a metropolitan, midwestern city to contrast males' and females' preferences and beliefs about pregnancy resolution and family formation. Although similar percentages of males and females preferred abortion and adoption as strategies for handling their own pregnancy, females were more likely than males to select arrangements that involved living with their children, and they were more likely than males to choose single custodial parenting as their first preference. For those young people choosing some form of parental rearing, observed gender differences in the preference for forming a two-parent household were explained by adolescents' beliefs about their parents' and friends' expectations and their personal concerns about having their educational career adversely affected.

Remarriage Patterns of Black and White Women: Reassessing the Role of Educational Attainment

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, this article illustrates the role of educational attainment in the remarriage patterns of black and white women. For whites, remarriage propensities do not differ significantly by schooling level. For blacks, on the other hand, remarriage and education are positively associated, net of the effects of other variables such as age at separation and the number of children. Very few black high school dropouts in the sample had remarried 10 years after separation. The results suggest that for blacks, those with the worst socioeconomic prospects are least likely to remarry.

The Election of John Daniels as Mayor of New Haven

On November 7, 1989, John Daniels' election as mayor of New Haven was so widely regarded as a foregone conclusion that few political analysts commented on his remarkable achievement. He became New Haven's first black mayor by winning 68% of the vote in a city that is only one-third black.' When Daniels, a 53-year-old state senator, declared his candidacy in February 1989, he broke with much of the conventional wisdom of city by mounting an insurgent campaign against Ben DiLieto, a powerful and popular incumbent. Although he was the most senior and most respected black politician in New Haven, no black elected officials or black ministers appeared on the podium at his announcement. His support came primarily from a handful of black party activists, businessmen, students, community organizers, board of education employees, and Yale University professors and students-in a town that is not known for successful challenges to machine or its love for Yale.2 Daniels' announcement, however, set the tone for a campaign that was very different from politics as usual in New Haven. In order to stress the seriousness of its effort, the Daniels campaign orchestrated the announcement ceremony with all the professionalism and efficiency of a Reagan media event. Careful attention was paid to creating the right impression, especially for television: red, white, and blue balloons, upbeat music, and a hall packed with hundreds of black and white supporters. Endorsements came from speakers who ranged from a black high school student to a Hispanic secretary to a Nobel prize winner. The coalition behind Daniels began to expand once it was clear that he presented a viable challenge to DiLieto. City employees who had nursed grievances for years finally had a reason to go public; newspaper stories began to appear about favors they had been required to do on city time for Democratic party officials, the mayor's friends and relatives. A poll by the Democratic town committee (controlled by DiLieto allies) showed DiLieto with only a ten-point edge over Daniels. At the end of March, DiLieto announced that he would not run for reelection, insisting that he simply wanted to spend more time with his family; but many observers noted that there had been little talk of retirement before Daniels declared his candidacy. Additionally, the mayor had not confronted a difficult race since his first election in 1979 and, with the city facing a severe fiscal crisis, he would have a difficult time maintaining his governing coalition. Two new candidates, John DeStefano and James Perillo, entered the Democratic primary, the only race that matters in a city with an 8 to 1 Democratic margin among registered voters. DeStefano, who had been Chief Executive Officer and Director of Development in the DiLieto administration, received the mayor's endorsement. Perillo, head of the New Haven Coliseum, received support from many Democratic party regulars who were

Sources of Information about Drugs and Alcohol for Black and White Suburban High School Students

Abstract An anonymous survey questionnaire was administered in school to over 1,100 White and close to 400 Black middle class, suburban high school students. The questionnaire included questions about the source of information and influence about drugs and alcohol. Results revealed that while both groups rated the mass media as their best source of information, Whites were more likely to report this than Blacks. Blacks reported more frequently than Whites that they would go to their family if they had a question about alcohol or drugs, if they thought they had a problem with and needed help with a drug problem, and would most likely believe their family if they were told that they had a problem with alcohol or drugs. Whites were more likely to use their friends for these sources of information. Results are discussed in terms of the need to empower parents to be more influential at preventing alcohol and drug abuse among adolescents and for the need to research whether middle class Black families employ in...

Adolescents' reference-group choices, self-esteem, and adjustment.

Three hundred thirty Black, Hispanic, Asian, and White high school students reported their reference-group label as mainstream, bicultural, or strongly ethnically identified. Compared with other groups, White students were significantly more likely to be mainstream. Across ethnic groups, students reporting a strong ethnic identification held attitudes that were significantly more separatist, reported more ethnic pride, engaged in less cross-ethnic contact out of school, reported more cross-ethnic conflict, and used English significantly less often than other reference groups. Reference-group label was not associated with significant ethnic differences in self-esteem, social competence, or grade point average. The generational status of minority students is discussed as a potential influence mediating the impact of reference group on adjustment.

Adolescent Males' Pregnancy Resolution Preferences and Family Formation Intentions

This study focuses primarily on adolescent Black males and examines the subcultural interpretation of racial patterns related to pregnancy resolution and family formation issues for young males. Toward this end, this research assesses the extent to which parental education is related to young Black males'preferences, beliefs, and intentions, and attempts to determine whether parental education influences Blacks' views in a similar manner and to the same extent as it does for Whites. Analyses were based on survey data from 298 Black and White male high school students in a metropolitan midwestern city and were in formed by Fishbein and Ajzen's social psychological model. Respondents were asked to provide responses to a vignette in which they were responsible for an unplanned pregnancy within the context of a serious relationship. Results suggest that Blacks have views similar to Whites on average; but, when parental education is controlled, Blacks are relatively homogeneous in their views whereas Whites are not. The findings tentatively suggest, however, that Blacks from family backgrounds represented by low parental education may be more inclined to prefer an arrangement that has them live with their child than would Blacks from better-educated family backgrounds. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Ten-Year Trends in At-Risk Behaviors

This study investigated at-risk behaviors among Black and White adolescents using data from a nationally representative sample of United States high school seniors that permits examination of cohort, gender, and race effects. Designed both to describe trends in at-risk behaviors and to examine the strength and stability of a 10-variable regression model, this study found that (a) Black high school seniors reportedfewer at-risk behaviors than did White seniors, (b) Black girls consistently reported fewer at-risk behaviors than did other race/gender groups, (c) the 10-variable model lost predictive power between 1976 and 1985, and (d) the number of nights per week that seniors went out 'forfun and recreation, "their religiousness, and their college plans had the greatest predictive power for at-risk behaviors.

A Preliminary Analysis of Black Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Retention/Attrition Factors at a Large, Predominantly White, State Research University in the South

Both the number of Black students attending colleges and universities and the retention/attrition rates of those who do attend have become major issues of concern to the higher education community. Black enrollment in higher education in recent years has steadily declined despite the increasing number of Black high school graduates.' If the present trend continues, the Southern Regional Education Board has projected that even fewer Blacks will be enrolled in college by 1990.2 The issue of retention/attrition of Black students has increased not only because of the general decline in the number of Black students attending college but also because of the shift of Black enrollment patterns from predominantly Black campuses to pre-

Learning More about the Vocational “Barriers” of Black Youths

This study examined how young black high school students (26 girls and 39 boys) responded to the Barriers subscale of the My Vocational Situation. If replicated, the findings have implications for counselors.