African American Male Achievement: Using a Tenet of Critical Theory to Explain the African American Male Achievement Disparity

Abstract

Although African Americans continue to demonstrate a desire for education, Black male enrollment and completion rates in higher education are dismal when compared to other ethnic groups. Researchers and scholars have noted various theories and philosophies responsible for the academic disengagement of African American men in higher education. This article provides a new contextual lens for understanding the academic disengagement of Black men using a tenet of critical theory as a method to explain the African American male achievement disparity. Additionally, this research offers employable strategies and activities that may encourage Black male achievement.

Self-Monitoring Influences Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Own Group Conformity Pressure

“…This deters some students from performing at their highest academic potential. Black male students especially tend to report that they avoid advanced classes in order to prevent backlash for exhibiting counterstereotypical intellectual behavior (Fryer & Torelli, 2010;Palmer & Maramba, 2011;Winsler et al, behavior in response to own-group conformity pressure due to ethnicity-related backlash. Similar observations regarding compliant behavior have been demonstrated for individuals of various ethnic groups (e.g., Caucasian, Asian, etc.)…”

“…In addition, several studies show that school-age children, adolescents, and college students often endure ethnicity-related backlash, while adults tend to suffer from backlash for counter-stereotypical gender behavior (Brescoll, 2012;Contrada et al, 2001;Legewie & DiPrete, 2011;Peguero & Jiang, 2016;Phelan & Rudman, 2010;Winsler, Karkhanis, Kim, & Levitt, 2013). Moreover, some college students avoid maintaining a high GPA, refrain from taking certain classes or programs, and may even force themselves to socially conform to the harassment they experience from own-group conformity pressure due to ethnicityrelated backlash (Fryer & Torelli, 2010;Legewie & DiPrete, 2011;Palmer & Maramba, 2011;Phelan & Rudman, 2010;Winsler et al, 2013).…”

The Responsibility of Counselor and Education in Millennium Era

“…Ketiga, mengevaluasi kemungkinan capaian tujuan tersebut. Sedangkan aspirasi karier menurut (Palmer & Maramba, 2011;Rojewski, Lee, Gregg, & Gemici, 2012) merupakan sejumlah motif, kebutuhan, keinginan, dan niat perilaku terhadap karier atau profesi tertentu.…”

Black Male Collegians: Increasing Access, Retention, and Persistence in Higher Education

“…At the high school level, Black males are generally least likely to take and pass AP courses and Black males score significantly lower than their White, Latino, and Asian counterparts in these courses (National Center for Education Statistics, ). Furthermore, teachers and counselors disproportionately track Black boys into low academic‐ability classrooms, whereas many of their White counterparts are placed in advanced courses that prepare them for college placement in competitive institutions (Palmer & Maramba, ).…”

“…For example, in a qualitative study of 50 Black students (24 of whom were men), Barnett () found that participants’ families played a critical role in their success by decreasing stress and serving as an emotional outlet. Similarly, Palmer, Davis, and Maramba () explained that family served as a critical factor to the success of 11 Black men at an HBCU. Specifically, Palmer et al indicated that although some of the participants’ family members lacked formal education, they provided inspirational and encouraging messages that had a significant impact on the participants’ success.…”