Voices of Bloomsdale: a student-centered and asset-based approach to understanding the experiences of academically successful African American middle school students from an economically vulnerable rural community

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Ashley D. Goodlett (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Katherine Mansfield

Abstract: This dissertation study explores the experiences of rural African American students from economically vulnerable communities. Building on Terah Venzant Chambers’ work on high-achieving students of color, this study aims to understand how successful rural African American students perceive their experiences in school. Specifically, Chambers’ Racial Opportunity Cost (ROC) theory is used to view variables that challenge students as well as those that help them reach their goals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, methods were limited to conducting focus groups via an online platform. Each focus group interview consisted of 14 questions. The questions were asked in order to determine the students’ perspectives on factors contributing to their academic success, academic advice to others, and some challenges they encountered for being an African American student in a rural setting. Contributions include taking an asset-based approach to showcase the successes and challenges of students most often minoritized and viewed with a deficit perspective in schools: African American boys and girls, students from economic vulnerable communities, and folks who grow up in rural settings. This is especially important when considering the continuing gap in educational access for Black children, the ongoing killings of unarmed African Americans, and the subsequent riots throughout this country in support of Black Lives Matter. Findings from this dissertation study may also potentially assist in the development and/or improvement of teacher education programs, school-based interventions and community programs for African American rural students. Study findings may also help address some of the gaps in the literature regarding academic success among rural African American students.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2021
Keywords
African American Rural Students, High-Achieving Black Students, Racial Opportunity Costs
Subjects
African American middle school students
Low-income students
Academic achievement
Education, Rural

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