dc.contributor.author	Seldon, Darrell Ondrey	en_US
dc.coverage.spatial	Columbus, Georgia, United States	en_US
dc.coverage.temporal	2007-2009 CE	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2010-09-23T14:10:36Z	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2011-03-02T17:29:03Z
dc.date.available	2010-09-23T14:10:36Z	en_US
dc.date.available	2011-03-02T17:29:03Z
dc.date.issued	2009-08	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10428/454	en_US
dc.description.abstract	This study investigated the educational and social experiences of African American males reared in poverty. The focus of this study was on a particular low- income neighborhood in Columbus, Georgia. I was interested in this neighborhood because I, an African American male, lived there for 7 years. I researched and recorded the lives of eight African American males, including myself, who were raised in this low- income neighborhood. The study investigated our life experiences, with emphasis on those issues related to education and race. With the neighborhood context as the frame, emphasis was placed on understanding why some of my African American male peers succeeded in school and life, while others did not. The study involved conducting life history interviews, and the data collected were used to construct first-person narratives of each participant. The narratives were analyzed to determine themes within and across the life histories. The four principle themes were: personal success, fatherly support/relationship, fair treatment, and better lifestyle. I found that all of the African American male participants had aspirations and dreams. They yearned for quality relationships with their fathers. The participants spoke out vehemently against racism, desiring to be treated fairly. All of the participants wanted something better in life than what they experienced as children and teenagers in the projects, and they worked towards the fulfillment of that dream. Resilience was also a common characteristic and was discussed in detail.	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	ii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 The Problem ............................................................................................................ 1 The Research Project .............................................................................................. 5 Research Goals........................................................................................................ 6 Research Questions ................................................................................................. 7 Significance of Study .............................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE........................................................... 10 Structuralist Perspective........................................................................................ 10 Culturalist Perspective .......................................................................................... 12 Teacher Issues ....................................................................................................... 13 Racism................................................................................................................... 14 School Structure .................................................................................................... 16 Resilience .............................................................................................................. 20 Local Context ........................................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 43 Participants ............................................................................................................ 54 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 56 Validity and the Construction of Themes ............................................................. 58 Within Case/Cross Case Analysis ........................................................................ 61 Subjectivity ........................................................................................................... 63 Limitations of this Study ....................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER IV THE NARRATIVES ............................................................................... 77 iii Johnny the Optimist .............................................................................................. 77 Jeremy The Promising Athlete.............................................................................. 96 Orlando the Ball Player ....................................................................................... 110 Patrick the Talented Singer ................................................................................. 134 Randy the Penny Pincher .................................................................................... 151 Victor the Comedian ........................................................................................... 169 Jonathon the Hustler ........................................................................................... 184 Darrell the Underdog .......................................................................................... 216 CHAPTER V CASE ANALYSIS ................................................................................. 235 Individual Traits (Within Case Analysis) ........................................................... 235 Analysis of Johnny .................................................................................. 235 Analysis of Jeremy .................................................................................. 241 Analysis of Orlando ................................................................................ 248 Analysis of Patrick .................................................................................. 254 Analysis of Randy ................................................................................... 262 Analysis of Victor ................................................................................... 267 Analysis of Jonathon ............................................................................... 272 Analysis of Darrell .................................................................................. 281 Collective Traits (Cross Case Analysis) ............................................................. 289 Emergent Themes ................................................................................... 289 Longing for Personal Success (I Wanna Be Somebody!) ........... 290 Longing for Fatherly Support/Relationship (I Need My Dad!) .. 304 Longing for Fair Treatment (Dont Treat Me Like That!) .......... 314 Longing for Better Life (I Want Something Better Than This!) 322 Other Thematic Discussions ................................................................... 328 Resilience .................................................................................... 328 Playing the Dozens ..................................................................... 340 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION. .................................................................................... 343 Summary of Findings .......................................................................................... 343 Application of Findings ...................................................................................... 347 Literature Applications ....................................................................................... 351 Future Research .................................................................................................. 367 Final Thoughts .................................................................................................... 370 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 373 APPENDIX A: CONCEPTUALIZATION MEMOS .................................................... 387 APPENDIX B: CONCEPTUALIZATION EMAILS .................................................... 395 APPENDIX C: IRB APPROVAL .................................................................................. 415 APPENDIX D: INFORMED CONSENT FORM .......................................................... 417 APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW GUIDE............................................................................ 419 APPENDIX F: CATEGORY OCCURRENCE CHART ............................................... 422	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	Valdosta State University	en_US
dc.rights	Copyright protected. Unauthorized reproduction or use beyond the exceptions granted by the Fair Use clause of U.S. Copyright law may violate federal law.	en_US
dc.subject	Poverty and Education	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	African Americans--Education	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Educational sociology	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Academic achievement--United States--Case studies	en_US
dc.title	African American Males and Education: A Study of Successes and Failures	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology of the Dewar College of Education	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Schmertzing, Richard W.	en_US
dc.description.committee	Richard, Matthew	en_US
dc.description.committee	Myers-Jennings, Corine	en_US
dc.description.committee	Schmertzing, Lorraine C.	en_US
dc.description.degree	Ed.D.	en_US
dc.description.major	Education	en_US