College of Education
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..
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Item Therapist Cultural Humility, Black LGB Identity Centrality, and Therapeutic Outcomes in Black LGB Adults.(2023) Teran Hernandez, Manuel; Shin, Richard Q.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Black lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults experience discrimination at individual and institutional levels (Page et al., 2020) in part due to simultaneous experiences of anti-Black racism and heterosexism. Despite this, Black LGB adults continue to underutilize therapeutic services and also report high rates of premature termination from therapy (Garrett-Walker & Longmire-Avital, 2018). The current study advances the literature by investigating the association between therapist cultural humility, Black LGB centrality, and therapeutic outcomes among Black LGB adults. A sample of Black LGB adults (N = 157) participated in an online survey to respond to measures on demographic information, therapist cultural humility, centrality with their race x sexual orientation (Black LGB centrality), and therapeutic outcomes. Results showed that therapist cultural humility was a significant predictor of therapist satisfaction but not future utilization of counseling services while controlling for age and socioeconomic status among Black LGB adults. The analyses found that Black LGB centrality was not a significant moderator in the association between therapist cultural humility and therapist satisfaction, and only significant in the relation between future utilization of counseling services for participants who reported high levels of Black LGB centrality. Recommendations for future clinical practice and research efforts are provided.Item Cognitive Mechanisms of Trauma from Police Encounters among Black Individuals(2022) Yee, Stephanie Elza; Shin, Richard Q; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Black Americans historically have had a contentious relationship with police due to the violence they have endured at the hands of law enforcement (Nadal et al., 2017). Previous research has demonstrated the vast psychological consequences of intrusive police encounters (DeVylder et al., 2017). However, trauma is a largely understudied psychological outcome of police encounters for Black citizens (Bryant-Davis et al., 2017). Research on discrimination attributions for events has implicated cognitive attributions as an important predictor of the relationship between potentially racist incidents and mental health outcomes (Major & Dover, 2016). Additionally, cognitive appraisal has been identified as a very important mechanism of trauma (Sherrer, 2011). The current study seeks to fill the gaps in the literature by examining the relationships between intrusiveness of police encounters, cognitive appraisal, discrimination attributions, and trauma symptoms. Additionally, attitudes towards police are examined as a moderator on the relationship between intrusiveness of police encounters and discrimination attributions. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed.Item Investigating the Stories of Success of Students who are African American and Male in AP English(2019) McArdle, Erin E; Turner, Jennifer D; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Students who are African American and male living in the United States have been marginalized from gifted and talented and Advanced Placement (AP) classes in public education. Students who have enrolled in specifically AP English and have taken an AP English exam have been shown to outperform other types of students in college (Barnard-Brak, McGaha-Garnett, & Burely, 2011; Cech, 2008; Chajewski, Mattern, & Shaw, 2011; Hargrove, Godin, & Dodd, 2008; Keng & Dodd, 2008; Mattern, Marini, & Shaw, 2013; Mustafa & Compton, 2017; Patterson & Ewing, 2013). Attending college and earning a collegiate degree offers a multitude of benefits; however, “college entrance and matriculation for African America students remains critically low,” especially for males (Curry & Shillingford, 2015, p. 14). This research study examined how students who are African American and male came to enroll in an AP English course, how they maintained their success in an AP English course, what and who influenced them along the way, and what later impact AP English had on their lives, especially as collegiate scholars. The researcher was the participants’ high school AP English teacher and relied on her personal experiences in teaching AP English to frame her research. The participants attended a high school where the ethnicity demographics of students closely mirrored the ethnicity percentages of the U.S. population. The school is well-funded, well-staffed and serves a middle class socio-economic population. Despite this, African American male students who attend this school continue to be underrepresented in AP English courses and in completing and passing AP English exams. Using a cross-comparison of eight distinct case studies following qualitative research protocol, the researcher was able to interview and create narratives of the participants’ experiences in AP English. This dissertation analyzes and synthesizes findings from the interviews to establish how the participants enrolled in AP English and maintained success. Additionally, the study focused on the influences on their success and the later impact on their lives. The findings from this study suggest that for the participants, college acceptance and completion as a “nonnegotiable” significantly influenced their conviction for taking AP English. The participants determined that AP English would influence college acceptance, which is part of the “educational game” students are aware of when attempting to market themselves for college enrollment. Teachers, family members, and peers in G.T. and AP classes were described as influential on enrollment and success. This study led to the discussion of how to include more students who are African American males in AP English class. It also contributes to educational policy that continues to weigh the pros and cons of offering AP English courses.Item Trauma, Depression, Early Attachment, and Neonatal Health Outcomes among African American Mothers and their Infants(2016) Morrison, Colleen Isabel; Jones Harden, Brenda; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Young children whose mothers are depressed are vulnerable to a range of negative developmental outcomes beginning during the prenatal period and persisting throughout childhood. There is a large and growing need for evidence-informed pre-and postnatal services for pregnant women, especially in high-risk populations. More research is needed to inform practices relative to identifying pregnant women at risk for depression, providing treatment of depression and its concomitants during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and promoting positive developmental outcomes in infants who have been exposed to perinatal depression. The goal of this study was to enhance our knowledge of perinatal depression (i.e., depression that occurs during pregnancy or within the first 12 months following delivery) as well as its impact on maternal functioning in low-income, African American women and the health and developmental outcomes of their young infants. Participants were low-income African American women (N = 70), recruited during their third trimester of pregnancy, and their newborns. Data collection took place over two time periods: during the third trimester of pregnancy and at one month postpartum. Prenatal data collected include information on a range of risk and protective factors, including prenatal depression, health behaviors, and maternal-fetal attachment (i.e., mother’s feelings of attachment to her unborn child). Postnatal data collected include information on depression, neonatal outcomes (e.g., birth weight), and maternal feelings of attachment to her infant. Multiple regression, logistic regression, and measured variable path analysis were used to test the relationships between risk factors, maternal functioning, and neonatal outcomes. Although his study relied on a small convenience sample of pregnant women, and is not generalizable to a broader population, there are still several findings of note. Marital status and trauma exposure significantly contributed to prenatal depressive symptoms. Also, maternal-fetal attachment mediated the relationship between prenatal depressive symptoms and health practices, but only for participants who were not married or cohabitating. Finally, maternal-fetal attachment significantly predicted maternal-infant attachment. Implications for policy and practice are presented.Item Mentor to Muse: The Lived Experiences of African American Female Mentors(2014) Gamble, Wyletta Sheree; Hultgren, Francine H; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this phenomenological study, I explore the lived experiences of six African American female mentors working with African American female youth. The mentors in this study range in age from twenties through fifties and are employed in various fields including education, healthcare and youth development. Having become mentors through formal and informal avenues, the mentors are referred to as muses because of their desire to build meaningful relationships with their mentees and serve as sources of inspiration who are willing to listen and learn from their mentees. The works of philosophers Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Edward Casey are intertwined with the writings of Black feminist scholars such as Patricia Hill Collins and Audre Lorde, while Max van Manen guides the phenomenological process with pedagogical insights and reminders. Through individual conversations with each muse, the power in care and the importance of listening in mentoring relationships is uncovered as essential components. Weaving through the simple, yet profound narrative around sustaining relationships with African American female youth are topics that need continued exploration, particularly in educational settings. Through the muses sharing their own experiences with mentoring, race and working with African American female youth, themes connected to gender, race, struggle and triumph emerge. The significance of place, the complexities of Black femininity, and the benefits of genuine dialogue are all explored in ways that bring new understanding to African American female experiences and how they connect to today's educational climate. This study concludes with phenomenological recommendations for educational stakeholders to pursue partnerships with school, family and community. Including the voices of community pedagogues, such as mentors, and other adults who work with our youth outside of the school setting, can help to strengthen the academic experience for both educators and these students. With a primary focus of educational change centered on the ideas of adults, it is also recommended that educational decisions become more inclusive with the insights of students, parents and community members. Continuing the dialogue with community pedagogues can help uncover more of the missing pedagogical insights beneficial to African American female students and their future achievement and success.Item Factors Related to College Going Self-efficacy among Urban African American High School Students(2012) McKechnie, Jessica Diaz; Lee, Courtland C; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the relationship between college-going self-efficacy and high school students' perceived levels of achievement goal orientations (mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), vocational identity, need for occupational information, and barriers to occupational goals for a sample of African American urban high school students (N = 200). Furthermore, this study examined the extent to which those factors helped predict scores on the College-Going Self-Efficacy Scale. Findings revealed positive relationships between mastery-approach, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goal orientation, as well as vocational identity across all subscales of the College-Going Self-Efficacy Scale. Results showed little to no relationship between occupational information, the barriers scale and college-going self-efficacy scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to explore the predictability of the achievement goal orientation and career related factors on college-going self-efficacy. Results indicated that goal orientation would be consistently statistically significant across all phases of the college going process reflected in their self-efficacy scores and vocational identity was a significant predictor during the first phase and the final phase of the college going process.Item Teacher Competence Support for Reading in Middle School(2012) McRae, Angela; Guthrie, John T.; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between student perceptions of teacher competence support, self-efficacy for reading, and reading achievement for African American and European American students. Previous studies of teacher support have emphasized emotional support and have found considerable evidence for positive effects on motivation and achievement (Wentzel, 2009). Over time, support for competence has increasingly emerged as a distinct dimension of teacher support (Beghetto, 2007; Wentzel et al., 2010) and there is a need for the extension of this empirical research on the association between teacher competence support, motivation, and achievement. This study seeks to narrow this focus to student perceptions of teacher competence support, student self-efficacy, and reading achievement in middle school. The study sample consisted of 366 seventh- grade students in an ethnically and economically diverse school district. Students completed measures of their perceptions of teacher competence support, which included encouragement and instrumental help in reading. Students also completed a reading self-efficacy questionnaire and an assessment of information text comprehension. While controlling for socioeconomic status, hierarchical multiple regressions and MANOVA were conducted. African American students perceived statistically significantly higher levels of teacher competence support for reading compared to their European American peers. European American students performed at a higher level on the reading achievement measure, and there was no significant difference between groups in self-efficacy. Teacher competence support was significantly associated with self-efficacy regardless of ethnicity, and was also significantly associated with reading achievement, but only for African American students. Self-efficacy was significantly correlated with reading achievement for both ethnic groups; however, this correlation was statistically significantly higher for European American students. Post hoc analyses revealed that the correlation between self-efficacy and reading achievement was significant for European American students regardless of perceived level of teacher competence support, and the self-efficacy and reading achievement relationship was significant for African American students only if they perceived high levels of teacher competence support.Item Lifting the Voices of High-Achieving, Middle-Class, African American Students(2012) Brown, Stacey Marvetta Price; Quaye, Stephen J.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The state of African American education is complex. Beginning in the 17th century, African Americans fought for an education that allowed them to read and write. During the 21st century, African Americans value on education extends beyond only reading and writing to using these skills and other skills to maintain strong academic and leadership backgrounds for a higher education. The purpose of this study was to understand the college preparation process of high-achieving, middle-class, African American students at a large research institution in the mid-Atlantic United States. This study was important because despite high-achieving, middle-class, African American students' success, there still exists an achievement gap between African American students and their White and Asian peers. Three theoretical frameworks and models were used as a guide for this study, critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001), Perna and Titus' (2005) integrated conceptual model on college enrollment, and the predisposition stage of the college choice research (Hossler & Gallagher, 1987; Hossler, Braxton, & Coppersmith, 1989). Utilizing a constructivist case study methodology, data was collected using personal interviews, a focus group, and personal documents (college admissions statement and/or resumes). Through a within-case and cross-case analysis, school, family, and community contexts that influence the college preparation process were explored.Item A STUDY DETERMINING SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN TERRANOVA READING AND MATH SCORES BETWEEN EIGHTH GRADE AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN AMERICAN STUDENTS(2011) Smith, Barriett Jackson; McLaughlin, Margaret J.; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The participating school system's minority population, notably African Americans, ranked in the top five school systems in academic performance in reading and math when compared to other states and other African American populations across the United States. These measurements were taken from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether there was a significant achievement gap between races across system-wide assessments on a yearly basis. Results of the multivariate analyses of reading and mathematics scores indicated there were significant differences in both areas at the p <.05 level on the TerraNova, Third Edition. These significant differences lend support to the results of the NAEP testing in 2007 and again in 2009 that demonstrated the gap. Discussion of the implications of this gap for the school system was presented.Item The Contributions of Expectancy-Value Theory and Special Education Status to Reading Achievement of African American Adolescents(2011) Andrusik, Katryna Natalya; Speece, Deborah L; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In light of concerns about decreased academic motivation among adolescents and the subsequent lack of achievement, particularly among African American students and those with learning disabilities, this study examined adolescent motivation for academic achievement and future course enrollment intentions. Expectancy-value motivation has been extensively explored with European American adolescents without learning disabilities; the associated constructs of this theory are positively correlated with GPA, classroom-based assessments, and future course enrollment and employment. Limitations of the extant literature included homogeneous samples, limited reliability and validity of academic achievement measures, and a lack of control of extraneous variables. Using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, I found that the expectancies for success/perceived ability, importance value, and intrinsic value latent factor models of expectancy-value motivation for a sample of urban African American adolescents do not differ from those for their European American peers; however, the constructs themselves have different relationships with the two dependent variables, reading achievement on a standardized assessment and future enrollment intentions. Motivation latent factors did not predict reading achievement when SES, prior achievement, and gender were in the analysis. However, all motivation constructs were significant predictors when enrollment intentions constituted the dependent variable. Additionally, the IEP reading goal variable (learner status) was not a significant predictor of either dependent variable. These results are discussed in light of the limitations of the study. Finally, areas for further research are suggested.