scholarly journals Framing Possibilities: Representations of Black Student Athletes in Toronto Media

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Saul ◽  
Carl James

This article draws upon a weekly feature in the Toronto Star newspaper, the “High School Report,” to explore the representations of black male student athletes over the school year 2003/2004. These media representations contribute to an understanding of the wider social reality of student athletes. Our investigation points to the fact that the media present black male students compared to their white counterparts as giving priority to athletics over academics. By ignoring the structural inequities they face in schools and society, the media contribute to a popular discourse which frames the social and educational possibilities of black male students in limiting ways. Cet article tire ses renseignements de l'article hebdomadaire du journal Toronto Star: le Rapport sur les écoles secondaires “High School Report,” , pour examiner la représentation des athlètes-étudiants noirs pendant l'année scolaire 2003-2004. Ces représentations dans la presse contribuent à la compréhension d'une réalité plus large dans la société pour les athlètes-étudiants. Notre examen pointe au fait que la presse représente les athlètes-étudiants noirs comme plus inclinés aux sports qu'aux études scolaires que les athlètes-étudiants blancs. En ignorant les iniquités structurelles auxquelles les athlètes-étudiants doivent faire face à l'école comme dans la société, la presse se donne au discours populaire qui encadre les possibilités sociales et éducationnelles des étudiants noirs d'une façon limitée.

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-52
Author(s):  
Adeoye O. Adeyemo ◽  
Jerome E. Morris

Background/Context The corpus of scholarship on Black male students who play sports focuses on students at the collegiate level, thus ignoring the regional, neighborhood, and K–12 educational backgrounds and experiences of these young people before some matriculate into a college or university. This omission suggests the need for more robust investigations that (a) focus on Black males during K–12 schooling, (b) place Black male students’ experiences within the larger geographic (e.g., regions, neighborhoods and schools) and social and historical contexts in which they live and go to school, and thereby, (c) seek to understand how these contexts shape students’ experiences and beliefs about race and the role of academics and athletics in their lives and future. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study We investigated two research questions: (1) For Black male students who play high school sports, how do the social contexts shape their experiences and their beliefs about race and the role of academics and athletics in their lives and future? (2) And, what are the consequences of Black male students’ experiences and beliefs for their academic and athletic outcomes? This investigation across geographically and economically contrasting cities, neighborhoods, and schools in the U.S. South (metro Atlanta, Georgia) and Midwest (Chicago, Illinois) offers empirical, theoretical, and practice-related evidence about young Black males’ experiences and beliefs about race, academics, and athletics, while providing a window into the complex social and cultural worlds in which they live, go to school, and play sports. Research Design This article emanates from research studies that employed ethnographic research methods such as interviews and observations, while embedding the researchers within the communities where Black people resided. The research design used a cross-case analysis to investigate participants’ experiences and beliefs. The constant comparative method allowed for the synthesizing of data collected from two different research sites. Description of Main Findings Key findings revealed the importance for researchers to consider place and its implication in the experiences of Black male students who play sports, particularly their perceptions of the role of academics, athletics, and race in their lives. Conclusions/Recommendations This article moves the scholarly understanding of the study of Black male “students who play sports” forward by illuminating the centrality of places, whether a particular country, region, city, neighborhood, or school—in shaping participants’ experiences and beliefs. We offer insights for research, theory, and practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul C. Harris ◽  
Erik M. Hines ◽  
Renae D. Mayes ◽  
Antoinette Thomas ◽  
Bethany Bagley

Author(s):  
Frank S. Glenn

The purposes of this study were to ascertain which Texas public community colleges have been able to graduate the highest percentages of black males and to analyze the factors contributing to that achievement. An institutional questionnaire was developed, designed to elicit information regarding policies and/or practices directly related to the retention of black male students and mailed to each college in the top and bottom quartiles. On-site case studies were conducted at one institution each from the top and bottom quartiles. The focus of the case studies was to examine the setting, policies, procedures, programs, and culture of each campus for clues concerning their black male retention rate. Data collection was from interviews, observations, and collection of institutional artifacts. This study identified several retention strategies that differentiate institutions in the top quartile of black, male student graduation rate from institutions in the bottom quartile.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-82
Author(s):  
Dorcas Iyanuoluwa Fakile

Abstract This paper explores the long-standing attainment gap between Black male students relative to other student populations, within Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom. This paper attempts to develop a contextual understanding of the parallel relationship between the social and academic culture at universities in the UK, as well as identifies the barriers which affect Black male students’ academic engagement. The purpose of this study is to answer the questions, “What is the Black male student experience at one university in the UK?” and “Which attitudes and practices at this university promote diversity and inclusivity and which hinder this?” The research was conducted via interview to gain a better understanding and acknowledgement of the multiple truths grounding this subject matter (Jones, 2015). The main participants were four Black male undergraduate home students, and four White academic staff members, at a University in the United Kingdom. This paper concludes by recognising that the meanings and attitudes attached to the attainment gap vary significantly. The key recommendations identified were the importance of raising Black representation within the staff, as well as developing a racially conscious atmosphere, in order to develop a sense of inclusion and belonging within the Black male student population.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014616722110440
Author(s):  
Gerald D. Higginbotham ◽  
Jessica Shropshire ◽  
Kerri L. Johnson

Black male students on college campuses report being frequently misperceived as student-athletes. Across three studies, we tested the role of perceivers’ racial and gendered biases in categorization of Black and White students and student-athletes and the subsequent evaluative consequences. Participants viewed faces of actual Black and White male and female undergraduates who were either non-athlete students or student- athletes and made binary judgments about whether the undergraduate was a student or an athlete. We found an overall bias to judge Black male undergraduates to be student-athletes, driven by Black male students being more likely to be misperceived as student-athletes than White male students. Furthermore, male targets perceived to be student-athletes were rated lower on academic ability (Studies 2 and 3). In contrast, we found an overall bias to judge female undergraduates as students. Implications for how perceiver bias plays a dual role in negatively affecting academic climates for underrepresented groups are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na'Ilah Suad Nasir ◽  
Kihana Miraya Ross ◽  
Maxine Mckinney de Royston ◽  
Jarvis Givens ◽  
Jalessa Bryant

In this empirical study, the authors draw on classroom observations and interviews with twenty-three Black male ninth graders in an urban district to focus on the nature of disciplinary practices in an all-Black, all-male manhood development class. While scholars have identified the “discipline gap” as a salient aspect of the experience of Black male students in schools, few studies offer insight into the nature of disciplinary practices in spaces that Black male students view as supportive and positive. Existing studies also rarely capture African American male student perceptions of classroom and school discipline at the high school level. Utilizing Althusser (1971) and Leonardo (2005) to theorize about the racialized nature of discipline in schools, the authors find that a reframing of discipline within this alternative setting provides a counternarrative to how Black male students are typically perceived to respond to school discipline. The authors argue that, led by a “hero teacher,” the manhood development class functions as an example of “transformative resistance” (Giroux, 2001), changing how Black male students perceive themselves.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1_part_4) ◽  
pp. 2156759X2110400
Author(s):  
Paul C. Harris ◽  
Miray D. Seward ◽  
Renae D. Mayes ◽  
Liana Elopre ◽  
Ellie Wengert

This qualitative study explores the perspectives and experiences of Black male student-athletes with particular focus on their interactions with school counselors. It draws on nine participants selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The Black male participants were current or former student-athletes at the high school and Division I levels. We developed and analyzed the semistructured interview questions through the lens of critical race theory. Using deductive data analysis techniques, we identified key factors that appear to shape interactions between Black male student-athletes and school counselors, including the perception of the school counselor role, a village of support, and prior experiences with school counselors. The results of this study have implications for school counselor practice, policy, and research.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document