African American students' perspectives on the significance of sociocultural capital in matriculating through teacher education at a historically black university

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Sonya E. Ricks (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Ceola Ross Baber

Abstract: This instrumental case study examined the perceptions of African-American current and former secondary teacher education majors about the impact of sociocultural capital on their matriculation through the secondary teacher education program at an historically Black University (HBCU). There were two cohorts of participants: (a) four current majors in various content area secondary teacher education programs and (b) three former majors. Pierre Bourdieu's (1974) and Edmund Gordon's (1999) theories of social/cultural reproduction and human resource capital guided the theoretical framework of the study. Data were collected via reflective essays, individual semi-structured interviews, and cohort focused group interviews. Four themes related to human resource capital emerged from the data: (a) social/cultural capital, (b) institutional capital, (c) polity capital, and (d) personal capital. Findings showed similarities and differences among the two cohorts regarding how the participants acquired and utilized the social/cultural capital they brought with them to the university and how they were able to acquire and use institutional capital, polity capital, and personal capital once they arrived at the university. The study furthermore revealed how these various forms of human resource capital affected participants' perceptions of why they were or were not successful in matriculating through the secondary teacher education program at this particular HBCU.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2009
Keywords
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HBCU, African American Students, Sociocultural capital, teacher education
Subjects
African American college students $x Attitudes.
Teachers $x Training of.
Social capital (Sociology)
African American universities and colleges.
Academic achievement.
Prediction of scholastic success.

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