Perceptions of Help‐seeking by First Year/First Generation Black Males at a Southeastern HBCU

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dc.contributor.author Stewart, Marquis J.
dc.coverage.spatial United States en_US
dc.coverage.temporal 2012-2017 en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2017-05-11T18:25:55Z
dc.date.available 2017-05-11T18:25:55Z
dc.date.issued 2017-03
dc.identifier.citation Stewart, Marquis J. "Perceptions of Help‐seeking by First Year/First Generation Black Males," Ph.D. dissertation. Valdosta State University,
dc.identifier.other 6B47A646-98D0-40AD-4538-4E7E823A1EC0 UUID
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10428/2809
dc.description.abstract Black males have lower college completion rates than Black women and all other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The majority do not finish college. Although HBCUs are known for being a supportive environment for Black students, they too struggle with graduating Black males. One of the barriers to Black males’ success at HBCUs is poor help-seeking. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the help-seeking experiences of Black male students in order to construct methods of helping them to build healthy attitudes toward help-seeking. In-depth interviews were used to investigate the help-seeking experiences of first year/first generation Black males at a southeastern HBCU prior to them coming to college. Five students with positive associations with help-seeking and four students with negative associations from various family backgrounds were interviewed. Once the data was transcribed, coded, and analyzed, three key findings were yielded. First, participants were taught to be self-reliant and were taught masculine ideals incongruent with help-seeking (7/9 participants). Second, every participant faced negative evaluation by their peers, which made them reluctant to seek help. Third, participants perceived help-seeking as an experience in conflict with their pride (7/9 participants) and became altruistic, preferring to help others than to seek help themselves (6/9 participants). Implications of this study called for the redirection of Black males’ altruism toward interests and career paths that can increase their engagement and highlighted the importance of intervention programs both in college and before college in order to promote healthy help-seeking behaviors by Black males. This study contributes to a growing body of research on improving the retention and academic progress of Black males at HBCUs. en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents Chapter I: INTRODUCTION1 | Statement of the Problem.3 | Purpose of the Study4 | Research Questions.5 | Definition of Terms.5 | Significance of the Study.7 | Organization of the Study8 | Chapter II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE10 | Conceptual Framework11 | Theoretical Framework11 | Gender Role Conflict Theory.11 | Social Learning Theory as a Sub-Theory12 | Influence of Social Learning on Gender Roles/Norms13 | History of HBCUs.15 | Benefits of HBCUs 18 | The Stress of Black Males in College 20 | Current Stress Trends 27 | Academic and Psychological Factors Impacting Progress at HBCUs 28 | Disengagement 29 | Disengagement and Depression 29 | Avoidance of Help-seeking 30 | Research on Help-seeking Nonexclusive to HBCUs 32 | Male Help-seeking and Stigma 33 | Black College Students and Mental Health Stigma 34 | Family Influence and Cultural Values 35 | Self-concealment 36 | Cultural Mistrust 36 | Spirituality and Religious Involvement.39 | Summary39 | Chapter III: METHODOLOGY42 | Research Design 42 | Research Questions 43 | Setting 44 | Data Collection 45 | Approval to Conduct the Study 45 | Consent to Participate 45 | Sampling Procedure 45 | Participant Selection 47 | Student Interviews 48 | Methods of Analysis 51 | Validity Issues 52 | Researcher/Interviewer 53 | Member Checks 54 | Triangulation 54 | Ethical Issues 56 | Chapter IV: RESULTS57 | Research Questions 58 | Data Analysis and Findings 58 | Brief Profiles of the Participants 59 | Research Question 1 65 | Help-seeking Lessons Learned Prior to Enrollment 66 | Research Question 2 73 | Early Experiences of Help-seeking 73 | Research Question 3 76 | Perceptions of Help-seeking 76 | Summary 81 | Chapter V: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS82 | Purpose of Study 82 | Research Design 83 | Data Analysis 84 | Limitations of Study 85 | Results 86 | Discussion 87 | Research Question 1 87 | Research Question 2 89 | Research Question 3 90 | Social Learning 91 | Altruism 92 | | Conclusion93 | Recommendations.94 | Recommendations for Future Study.99 | REFERENCES.104 | APPENDIX A: Questions and Methods Matrix119 | APPENDIX B: Researcher Identity Memo121 | APPENDIX C: Interview Guide124 | APPENDIX D: Consent Form.127 | APPENDIX E: Questionnaire Form129 | APPENDIX F: Institutional Review Board Protocol Exemption Report.131 | en_US
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.subject African American universities and colleges en_US
dc.subject College students, Black en_US
dc.subject College dropouts--Prevention en_US
dc.subject First-generation college students en_US
dc.subject College freshmen en_US
dc.title Perceptions of Help‐seeking by First Year/First Generation Black Males at a Southeastern HBCU en_US
dc.type Dissertation en_US
dc.contributor.department Department Of Curriculum, Leadership, And Technology Of The Dewar College Of Education And Human Services en_US
dc.description.advisor Archibald, James G.
dc.description.committee Hull, Karla M.
dc.description.committee Tsemunhu, Rudo
dc.description.committee Daesang, Kim
dc.description.degree Ed. D. en_US
dc.description.major Education In Leadership en_US


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