A Strengths-Based Approach to Exploring the Psychosocial Factors That Contribute to the Representation of Black Charter-High-School Students in Advanced Placement STEM Courses

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Autor/in	Ellis, Tierra Therese
Titel	A Strengths-Based Approach to Exploring the Psychosocial Factors That Contribute to the Representation of Black Charter-High-School Students in Advanced Placement STEM Courses
Quelle	(2018), (110 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, Howard University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-0-4385-3861-0
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; African American Students; Charter Schools; High School Students; Advanced Courses; STEM Education; Science Interests; Science Careers; Student Experience; Institutional Characteristics; Social Influences; Disproportionate Representation; Student Interests; Student Attitudes; Science Instruction; Secondary School Science; District of Columbia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; African Americans; Student; Students; Afroamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Charter school; Charter-Schule; High school; High schools; Oberschule; Fortgeschrittenenunterricht; STEM; Studienerfahrung; Sozialer Einfluss; Studieninteresse; Schülerverhalten; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht
Abstract	The declining student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) remains a national concern. More problematic, Black high school students disproportionately lack access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are essential stepping-stones in the path to STEM careers. This dissertation explores the psychosocial factors that contribute to the representation of Black high school students in AP STEM courses. Its purpose is to learn more about the experiences of Black students enrolled in AP STEM courses, with an ultimate goal of developing interventions and programming to address the underrepresentation of Black students in such courses. Twenty-nine Black high school students from three predominantly Black charter schools in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area participated in focus groups to inform this primary research. The study used a strengths-based approach and a three-step, code-to-theme model for qualitative inquiry, which identified pertinent segments of the focus group transcripts that could serve as two- to three-word codes. These codes were recorded as segmented data and categorized using labels that reflected the participants' voices. Member checking, triangulation, and colleague validity were the three validity strategies used during data collection. This study revealed that eight psychological and social themes---or psychosocial factors---influence the rates of Black charter-high-school students' enrollment in AP STEM courses. These themes include students' interest in STEM before and during high school, external influences on students' interest in STEM, students' perceptions about an unfair education system, and their perceptions of teacher competence. However, another of the eight themes, forced enrollment, was the only theme found to contribute to students' representation in AP STEM classes. Contrary to previous studies, participants in this study reported that the following three themes facilitated successful performance: individual perseverance, sufficient support to aid in the participants' AP studies, and the use of compensatory strategies (i.e., cheating when other supports failed). Findings suggest that K-12 educators may increase Black high school students' representation in AP STEM courses by introducing students to STEM careers, providing sufficient support to students, improving the quality of courses, and restructuring the STEM identity for Black students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01