The Effect of Personal Philosophy on Orientation Toward School: African American Students' Views of Integrationist Versus Nationalist Philosophies

Abstract

A total of 130 African American students in Grades 4 through 8 were interviewed about the merits and educational consequences of adopting the philosophies of integrationism and nationalism. Simplified presentations of the perspectives of Shelby Steele and Malcolm X were used to represent these philosophies. The students generally responded positively to the communal aspect of Malcolm X's position and Steele 's suggestion that no grudges should be heldforpast injustices by Whites. Students believed that adopting a particular philosophy would influence an individual's orientation toward learning and motivation for school. Overall, students believed that persons who adopted the philosophy of Malcolm X would be more motivated to do schoolwork and more willing to collaborate with classmates in learning. Students, however, tended to expect more positive consequences from the philosophy they preferred. Older students, more than younger ones, rejected the notion that teachers should promote one particular philosophy over the other

Epistemology and Adolescents' Conceptions of Procedural Justice in School.

“…Two forms of evidence that adolescents considered epistemology were used to verify previous findings concerning their understanding of what types of knowledge were being acquired in science class. Most important, adolescents' ability to introduce language about facts, evidence, and opinions in ways that were responsive to controversial and noncontroversial topics was consistent with structured interviews exploring young people's ability to differentiate epistemological concerns (Nelson et al, 1996;Nicholls & Nelson, 1992;Nicholls et al, 1995). Second, comparisons of the same instructional practices for two types of science topics revealed an ability to use knowledge of epistemology when theorizing about classroom life.…”

“…This research involved a deductive approach to exploring students' educational standards. Children and adolescents have introduced motivational themes when justifying fairness decisions, fairness themes when justifying motivational decisions, and questions of epistemology when they have not been explicitly introduced (Nelson, Nicholls, & Gleaves, 1996; Thorkildsen & Nicholls, 1998; Thorkildsen et al, 1994; Thorkildsen & White-McNulty, 2002). Students also differentiate questions of procedural justice—how particular situations ought to be organized—from other forms of justice when making fairness decisions (Thorkildsen, 2000a).…”

“…Children as young as age 6 also offered sound pedagogical advice on how to teach such information. By the time most students leave eighth grade, they also consistently differentiate controversial and noncontroversial forms of knowledge (Nicholls & Nelson, 1992; Nicholls, Nelson, & Gleaves, 1995) and can offer pedagogical advice about the teaching of both types of knowledge (Nelson et al, 1996).…”

“…With controversial topics, evidence is used to refute some forms of conjecture and accept others, but certainty is likely to remain elusive, and truth may remain in the eye of the beholder. Adolescents have found the study of noncontroversial topics challenging if they weighed evidence and factual information to draw theoretical inferences rather than memorized existing theories (Nelson et al, 1996; Nicholls & Nelson, 1992; Nicholls et al, 1995). The same adolescents added matters of opinion to the problem-solving task when considering controversial topics.…”

Fifth graders' achievement orientations and beliefs: Individual and classroom differences.

“…In early studies, children's conceptions of knowledge and how those conceptions were related to their definitions of the task at hand were explored (e.g., Nicholls & Nelson, 1992; Nicholls, Nelson, & Gleaves, 1995; Nicholls & Thorkildsen, 1988, 1989; Silva & Nicholls, 1993). Later, Nicholls, Thorkildsen, and their colleagues began to explore children's perceptions of their rights to have theories of their own (Johnston & Nicholls, 1995; Nelson, Nicholls, & Gleaves, 1996; Nicholls, 1992b; Nicholls & Hazzard, 1993; Nicholls, McKenzie, & Shufro, 1994; Nicholls & Thorkildsen, 1995, 1997; Nolen & Nicholls, 1993; Thorkildsen & Nicholls, 1991; Thorkildsen et al, 1994). Collectively, Nicholls and his colleagues organized their research around the general purpose of illuminating students' experiences.…”