What does it mean to be smart: Black male perspectives on school and academic achievement

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Travis J. Albritton (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Silvia Bettez

Abstract: This dissertation uses both critical race theory and Afrocentricity to examine Black male students’ understanding of what it means to be “smart.” Through the use of individual interviews, focus groups and class observations, the researcher interviewed and observed a total of 14 10th-grade Black males over the course of 4 months. Five research questions guided this work: (1) How do Black males understand what it means to be smart? (2) How do Black males’ views and assessment of their own intelligence affect their engagement in the classroom? (3) How do Black males understand what it means to “act white or “act Black”? (4) What impact, if any, do their understandings of “acting white” and “acting Black” have on their academic performance? (5) How do Black males understand the stereotypes associated with Black males? The students’ discussion of what it means to be smart suggests that the need exists for ongoing conversations about how whiteness and negative stereotypes about Black males impact Black male students’ understanding of “smartness” and academic identity.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
Academic Achievement, Afrocentricity, Black Males, Critical Race Theory, Smartness, Stereotypes
Subjects
African American high school students $z United States $x Attitudes
African American young men $x Education (Secondary) $z United States
African American high school students $z United States $x Social conditions
Academic achievement $x Social aspects $z United States
Stereotypes (Social psychology) $z United States
Afrocentrism $z United States
Critical pedagogy $z United States

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