Electronic Theses and Dissertations
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/10211.5_2
2024-03-29T01:43:54ZBridging the gap: pursuing institutional onus on the path toward equity in higher education
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/218099
Bridging the gap: pursuing institutional onus on the path toward equity in higher education
Johnson, Denise Adele
Across the United States, the graduation and retention rates of Black males are significantly lower when compared to the total population of students in the country. Systemically perpetuated through years of oppression, the equity gap persists into higher education as a result of current institutional policies and practices. The Black-White equity gap for college graduation rates contributes to adverse outcomes in social mobility within the Black community.
An exploration of literature topics provided background information around the factors that affect Black men’s college education: access to equitable education, the impact of structural racism on academic achievement, implicit biases, stress and microaggressions, and the benefits of relational supports for Black male students. Although the literature addresses the benefits of supportive relationships in higher education, research suggests that these relational support opportunities are not as readily available for Black men. Also, the reviewed literature did not directly address the barriers that Black men face in forging these beneficial connections nor did it offer guidance for how universities can help students when essential relational support systems are lacking on campus.
The mixed methods study was implemented with a social justice lens toward institutional onus for the purpose of understanding the cause of the low graduation rates for the Black male population within a California university campus, Cal State East Bay. The study centered on institutional practices which address the equity gap, specifically within two support programs on the university campus: The Educational Opportunity Program and the Sankofa Scholars Program. The research used the voice of Black male students through qualitative interviews to explain the results of the quantitative survey which was administered to program membership as a means of obtaining background information. Analysis of both the qualitative and quantitative data sets provided a more holistic understanding of the issue.
Three themes emerged from the findings: institutional support, sense of belonging, and life strategy. Although students benefitted from institutional support and sense of belonging, life strategy was unaddressed through campus practices and the data suggested that grades were not positively impacted by the existing efforts. Suggestions to mitigate the effects of the oversights were offered through the student voice.
2020-05-27T00:00:00ZLet us breathe: white supremacist education and the experiences of Black males in community college
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/217439
Let us breathe: white supremacist education and the experiences of Black males in community college
Crenshaw-Mayo, Candice Athena; Crenshaw, Candice Athena
In spite of various programs implemented in colleges to help Black males
transition into higher education, research shows that this population of students is still the
most disproportionately impacted in terms of academic progress and success. Solutions
often support a cultural deficit model that blames the student. These circumstances
translate into disadvantages in the housing market and employment field for Black men
and contribute to the school to prison pipeline. To disrupt these patterns, more research
is needed on how to cultivate an academic identity that promotes self-efficacy. Some
emerging studies do show that mentoring programs for Black males may offer promise
for doing so. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study, which draws conceptually
on Critical Pedagogy and the Community Cultural Wealth Model, is twofold: to
investigate the perceptions of Black males in the “Brothers of Excellence Program”
(BOEP) at Los Medanos College (LMC) regarding their academic identity and self-efficacy, as well as identify the factors that may contribute to the development of these
constructs. The question guiding this study is: How do Black male community college
students perceive their academic identity and self-efficacy? Two sub-questions emerging
from this overarching query include: a) What factors contribute to those perceptions?
and b) In what ways does LMC’s “Brothers of Excellence Program” (BOEP) affect
the development of self-efficacy and strong academic identity amongst Black male
students at LMC?
My findings revealed that Black male students experience so much trauma in
white-normed classrooms that it severely impacts their academic identity and causes
issues with mental health. Implementing programs like BOEP that value Black male
students’ cultural wealth while also providing mentorship and life skills cultivates a sense
of community and belonging that promotes academic achievement. My findings also
highlight the urgency to unlearn and dismantle oppressive systems built on whiteness that
murders the spirit of Black males. To transform the education system, educators must
begin confronting the history of racism and white supremacy and work to abolish the
oppressive learning environments that traumatize Black and brown students.
2020-07-07T00:00:00ZSouth Asian immigrant students facing academic challenges and social difficulties in the United States
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/217438
South Asian immigrant students facing academic challenges and social difficulties in the United States
Amer, Aneela
The aim of this qualitative study was to scrutinize and explore the social challenges faced by newly arrived South Asian immigrants in their early transitioning period in the United States. This research study examined the factors that impede or facilitate the social process of newly arrived South Asian immigrant students in schools. Additionally, this research study also examined the academic difficulties of newly arrived South Asian immigrant students as they adjust in the English-speaking environment in schools in the United States. In their early period of transitioning to the United States, South Asian newly arrived immigrant students often face daunting challenges in schools. This research study has revealed that even in this modern era, the ages-long systemic racism and stereotypical viewpoints about South Asian immigrants still exist in U.S. society and schools. This existing racism leads to academic challenges and marginalization in the form of inadequate learning support for South Asian newly arrived immigrant students in the English-only classrooms. To address this overlooked phenomenon, this study used the interview and journal methods to investigate the lived experiences of newly arrived South Asian immigrants and students in particular in the United States. To investigate this phenomenon, under the umbrella of social justice, this research study further used the lenses of social capital and culturally relevant pedagogy to unpack the social process of South Asian immigrants’ adjustment on U.S. soil. In search of this overlooked phenomenon, the findings revealed that newly arrived South Asian immigrants bring social and cultural capitals in the form of religion and caste and the desire to uphold their religious and cultural practices without melting into the White American mainstream culture. The study determined that as a result of this need to hold on to their culture and language, they faced harassment, discrimination, and bullying in schools and American society.
2020-06-05T00:00:00ZTheory, testimonios, y conciencia: experiences of Latinx students enrolled in corequisite mathematics at a wide access four-year university
http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/217437
Theory, testimonios, y conciencia: experiences of Latinx students enrolled in corequisite mathematics at a wide access four-year university
Quezada, Claudia
By 2030, 43% of California’s population will be Latinx. Latinx children in California already make up 52% of children age 17 and younger (Public Policy Institute, 2019). However, Latinx students complete postsecondary degrees at lower rates when compared to their peers (Fry, 2002; Kurlaender, 2006). The problem of degree completion disparities for Latinx students seem exacerbated by students who are overrepresented in developmental, non-degree-bearing math courses. The low mathematics passing rates and decreased retention and graduation rates among Latinx students at wide-access public colleges and universities in the state of California prompted this study.
Latinx students are overrepresented in long sequences of developmental mathematics, which delay time to graduation, result in lower graduation rates, increase student debt, and result in fewer major and career paths. The impact of long sequences of postsecondary mathematics developmental coursework on student success is well documented; however, comprehensive reforms and effective practices are not always implemented.
This study sought to capture both the instruction and support of Latinx students enrolled in a corequisite-supported College Algebra course, as well as the lived experiences of Latinx students as they navigate the degree attainment process.
This qualitative study included semi-structured interviews with four mathematics faculty, one mathematics administrator, semi-structured interviews with eight Latinx students enrolled in a corequisite-supported College Algebra course, data review of institutional data, and observations.
The study sought to answer the following questions:
1) What instruction and support do Latinx students enrolled in a corequisite Mathematics program receive?
2) What forms of community cultural wealth are used by Latinx students enrolled in a corequisite-supported mathematics program?
2019-05-17T00:00:00Z