scholarly journals Racial Identity-Rooted Academic Motivation of First-Year African American Students Majoring in STEM at an HBCU

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley Edelin Freeman ◽  
Cynthia Eileen Winston-Proctor ◽  
Felicia Gangloff-Bailey ◽  
Jason M. Jones
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Racial Identity ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Black College ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
American Students

The purpose the present study is to explore African American undergraduate students' perceptions of their experiences and academic motivation within a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) learning environment. As part of a larger study, we collected 212 open-ended survey responses from first year students in STEM majors about how the HBCU context shapes their academic motivation. We used semantic thematic data analysis and found three major themes and corresponding sub themes that were salient in the development of students' academic motivation: place (institutional climate, HBCU mission and tradition, and absence of marginalization); pedagogy (culturally relevant pedagogy, positive faculty-student relationships, African American curriculum and instruction, racial socialization); and people (people “like me”; student, faculty and alumni models of high achieving African Americans). We discovered that HBCU institutional factors engendered academic motivation that is rooted in students' racial identity and suggest the construct of racial identity-rooted academic motivation. Given the important and unique realities of African American students that impact their educational experiences, engagement, identity development, and achievement in various types of school contexts, self and sociocultural variables must be included in research and theory on the motivational psychology of African American students. Implications for higher education practice and future research are discussed.

scholarly journals An Examination of Academic Self-Esteem in Historically Black College/University (HBCU) Students: Considering Academic Performance and Task Difficulty

10.28945/4130 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 097-116
Author(s):  
Novell E. Tani ◽  
Akeem T Ray
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
African American ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Cognitive Demand ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Black College ◽  
Future Research ◽  
American Students

Aim/Purpose: Using a sample of historically Black college/university (HBCU) students, the study examined (1) differences in academic self-esteem (ASE) levels when considering students’ performance on an academic task that was either easy (low in cognitive demand) or difficult (high in cognitive demand), (2) gender differences in ASE levels, and (3) variations in academic self-concepts, given baseline general self-esteem levels, GPA, academic performance (AP), and perceptions of task difficulty. Background: This study is the first to date which examines African American students' ASE differences as a result of academic performance and perceptions of task rigor. The optimal arousal theory serves as a framework for the study design; the study utilized a manipulation of the cognitive demand task condition as a means of investigating ASE. Given the mixed and limited literature on gender differences in African American/HBCU subjects, gender differences were explored. Methodology: Quantitative analyses of systematically-built surveys and assessments allowed for the examination of participants (n = 410 HBCU student; 303 females). Correlations, analyses of variance, and regression analyses were completed to address research aims. Contribution: A novel approach to examining ASE variants within African American students matriculating through an HBCU context is provided. Findings: Students in the Low Cognitive Demand task condition displayed significantly higher levels of academic self-esteem (ASE) than High Cognitive Demand task participants; males yielded marginally higher academic self-esteem levels than females (M = 54.21, M = 51.58; p = .04); and while academic performance marginally predicted ASE levels, most of the variance was attributed to baseline self-esteem levels and subjects’ perceptions of task rigor. Recommendations for Practitioners: Educational stakeholders, namely, teachers and administrators, are advised to contemplate the importance of students’ perceptions of task difficulty and feasibility and the possible impacts on academic self-concepts. Additionally, educators may consider students’ initial self-concepts when deciding how and when to provide feedback on academic performance. Recommendation for Researchers: Self-esteem levels are likely to vary as a result of other self-concepts (e.g., motivational, personal, and contextual factors) that were not examined. As such, the study findings provide clarity on varying ASE levels within the specific sample and should be taken with care. Impact on Society: Increasing our understanding of what negatively or positively impacts academic self-esteem levels in students will further aid our ability to foster stronger scholastic self-concepts in the generations to come. Future Research: Future research should examine ASE levels and the extent that perceptions of task rigor impact varying self-esteem levels in African American students enrolled at more racially-heterogenous higher educational contexts (e.g., primarily White institutions, Hispanic serving institutions).

Building a Racial Identity

2021 ◽  
pp. 58-77
Author(s):  
Eunjung Chang
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Racial Identity ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Personal Meanings ◽  
Works Of Art ◽  
American Students ◽  
Museum Exhibitions

This chapter examines African American college students' learning experiences at the Florence County Museum. Looking at several works of art, how do African American students construct their learning experiences in a course-required tour? What personal meanings do they take away from the experience? African American students are voluntarily engaged or only occupied in the works that are related to or connected to their racial roots. They also interpret the works of art from their racial points of view. Therefore, their racial identity as an African American is a key part of understanding their learning experience from the museum. It is important for African Americans not only to see themselves in museum exhibitions but also be able to develop their racial identity and imagine their future through art. It creates equal opportunities for all students from different social, racial, and cultural groups to function effectively in a diverse demographic society.

What Do We Know about the Motivation of African American Students? Challenging the "Anti-Intellectual" Myth

2003 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 524-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEVIN COKLEY
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Predominantly White ◽  
Historically Black ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Black Colleges ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
African American College Students ◽  
Predominantly White University ◽  
American Students

In this article, Kevin Cokley challenges conventional wisdom about African American college students and the factors underlying their academic underachievement. In this quantitative study of students attending three historically Black colleges and universities and one predominantly White university, Cokley reviews and integrates existing research on the academic motivation and academic self-concept of African American students. He then introduces self-determination theory as an additional motivational framework to understand African American students' motivation. While Cokley finds that African American students are intrinsically highly motivated, this motivation is not related to how they perform academically or to their academic self-concept.

Identity Development for Black Adolescents in Predominately White Rural Communities

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah L. McGriff
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Black Adolescents ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Predominately White ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
American Students

Research on identity development of African American adolescents in predominantly White rural settings is virtually nonexistent. This article examines current literature on the developmental tasks of adolescents and issues of ethnic congruence for African American students in predominately White rural communities. In addition, it calls for critical conversations on this overlooked population. Recommendations for future research using Critical Race Theory is presented.

A Potential Avenue for Academic Success: Hope Predicts an Achievement-Oriented Psychosocial Profile in African American Adolescents

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 532-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante D. Dixson ◽  
David Stevens
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Psychosocial Variables ◽  
Psychosocial Profile ◽  
American Students

In a sample of 117 African American students, we examined how well hope predicts five psychosocial variables—school belonging, academic self-concept, goal valuation, attitude toward teachers, and academic motivation/self-regulation—that altogether make up an achievement-oriented psychosocial profile. Results indicated that, after controlling for demographics and previous achievement, the subscales of hope accounted for a meaningful portion of all five psychosocial variables, ranging from 17.2% to 29.9%. The agency subscale of hope was a significant predictor of all five psychosocial variables, while pathways was only a significant predictor of goal valuation and academic self-concept. Given that several quick and effective universal hope interventions have been developed, these results suggest that hope may be a promising avenue to improve the achievement-related outcomes of African American students as well as aid in mitigating the achievement gap.

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