What's "Black" Got to Do With It: An Analysis of Low-Income Black Students and Educational Outcomes
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Well-known social scientist William Wilson notes the Black underclass is particularly at risk of developing behaviors and attitudes that promote educational and social isolation. This situation has become characteristic of America's inner cities (Wilson 1996). Education as the great arbiter of social mobility seems to be less true for America's most vulnerable Black students. Low-income Black students graduate high school at a much lower rate than their middle- to upper-income counterparts. This statistic prompts the examination of low-income (vulnerable) students and their high school educational outcomes. The educational (under)achievement of Black students has been well documented and researched. Far too much scholarship, however, treats these students' experiences monolithically, with little consideration of the unique experiences of economically disadvantaged Black students. By analyzing two waves (cohorts) from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) (1988 and 1992), this study seeks to add to the discourse on educational achievement by examining the impact of individual student characteristics (locus of control), students' educational outlook (educational aspirations), school environment (urbanicity), and students' premature adult life events (pregnant or parenting) on the educational outcomes of vulnerable Black students. The theoretical framework will include sociocultural theory (Rogoff), oppositional theory (Ogbu), and possible selves theory (Oyserman). The findings from this study will help inform efforts to improve the educational outcomes of low-income Black students.
Author: Derrick E. Griffith
Institution: City University of New York
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1959267233