Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item AGAINST ALL ODDS: ACCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ADOLESCENT MALES IN ADVANCED SECONDARY MATHEMATICS(2019) McCarter, Darrian Tyron; Brantlinger, Andrew; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Adopting a critical race theory stance, this study examined the intersectionality of race, class, and gender and their influence on the educational outcomes of six African American males, who against the odds, have demonstrated success in advance secondary mathematics. Consistent with critical race theory, the purpose of the study was to create counter narratives that push back against dominant narratives about the academic abilities of African American males, specifically in mathematics. This study explored the ways in which this historically marginalized student group self-identify and communicate their social, cultural, emotional, and academic experiences and the development of strategies to navigate environments in which they are underrepresented. At the broadest level, the African American male participants individually and consistently addressed the following four themes in their semi structured interviews: (1) inequitable [institutional] practices rationalized by the dominant narrative, (2) caring and influential relationships, (3) early access to enriched and accelerated mathematics curricula, and (4) intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for success. First, the participants collectively spoke of a range of racialized and sometimes gendered barriers (e.g., teachers and peers who doubted the abilities of Black learners) that they faced as African American male learners of mathematics. Second, and in response to these racialized-gendered barriers, they each reported drawing on relationships and positive interactions with their parents, teachers, peers, and African American male role models. Third, all six participants communicated the value added of exposure to high quality schooling experiences to include early identification as strong mathematics students, enrollment in specialized schools and programs, early exposure to rigorous mathematics content, and active participation in extra/co-curricular opportunities. Fourth, and mediated by their relationships and early exposure to advanced mathematics, they all reported developing intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that sustained their success. In terms of the last point, and in their own ways, they were motivated, in part, to push back on dominant, racist narratives regarding the academic abilities of African American males as they navigated implicit racial bias from their teachers, peers, institutional practices, and the larger society.Item SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS OF PRINCIPALS IN ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED HIGH SCHOOLS WITH HIGH AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE GRADUATION RATES(2013) Dillard, Rhonda Cherie; Parham, Carole S; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative case study examined the self-efficacy beliefs of three high school principals in economically disadvantaged high schools with consistently high graduation rates for African American males. With the demand on school systems to perform in a politically driven, assessment-based paradigm, there is a need to describe and analyze the specific strategies that principals utilize to ensure academic success for African American males and explain how the belief about their abilities contribute to African American male graduation. To conduct this examination, the researcher analyzed transcripts from semi-structured interviews. The study's findings affirmed that self-efficacy beliefs were considerably influenced by mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and affective states; each respective of a particular dynamic experience. The findings from this case study added to current knowledge about principal self-efficacy and the need for leadership development programs to include the review of efficacy-developing practices. Studying the self-efficacy beliefs of principals in economically disadvantaged high schools with high African American male graduation rates proved a significant way to learn about how today's schools address the barrier to graduation for African American male students. This study also added to the current knowledge about the influence of leadership on African American male achievement and graduation success. This study has policy and practice implications for districts interested in building the capacity for principal leadership through a strong sense of self-efficacy.