The Social Success of Black Youth

Shade, Barbara J.

doi:10.1177/002193478301400202

Cited by 15 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Most of the literature on resilience agrees that the presence of one or more sigruficant adults in the life of a child can make a significant difference. Shade (1983), for example, reports that African American mothers tend to be the primary source of affection, aspirations, and assistance with regard to their children's educational plans and pursuits. Wang and Gordon (1994) note that most resilient children have at least one strong relationship with an adult, not always a parent, which diminishes the risks associated with family discord.…”

Section: Resilience and Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving Despite the Odds: A Study of Resilience Among a Group of Africa American High School Seniors

Floyd¹

1996

The Journal of Negro Education

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This article reports on a sludy examining the phenomenon of resilience, or the manifestation of competence despite the presence of stressful life events or circumstances, as a factor leading to the academic success of 20 African American 12th-graders (10 females, 10 ma1es)from impovevished backgrounds. Interviews were conducted with these at-risk but achieving urban Californzz high school seniors, to identify internal and external forces contributing to the development of resilience among them. Interview data suggest that their academic success is largely attributable to three protective mechanisms: a supportive, nurturing family and home environment; the youths' interactions with and the involvement of committed, concerned educators and other adults in their lives; and the development of two key personality traits-perseverance and optimism. A large body of research reports the problems associated with educating poor African American children (Barbarin, 1993; Edwards, 1976; Mackler, 1970). To the further detriment of these youth, rarely does one see the terms "competent," "resourceful," "aspiring," or "motivated" used to describe them or their performance in school (Barbarin, 1993). As a result, many teachers and parehts begin to believe that failure is the norm for these students, and their expectations for the achievement of Black youth subsequently are lowered. Yet, to focus primarily on the problems of any group of people in isolation from data that highlight possible solutions to their problems is to promote distorted and negative stereotypes that perpetuate defeat and pessimism. As Garmezy (1991) contends, the study of success is just as important as the study of failure, and focusing solely on problems frequently yields inaccurate and often unnecessary data. In contrast to the research emphasizing the negative, other studies have shown that poor Black children can achieve academically and that more such children, given their natural abilities and intelligence levels, should be having academic success but are not (Edmonds, 1979). Indeed, as Barbarin (1993), Freiberg (1993), Rutter (1987), and Werner (1989) maintain, many Black children learn and succeed in school despite circumstances that include low socioeconomic status, minimal teacher expectations, and inadequate representation of their successes. This finding, that some African American students from impoverished backgrounds successfully emerge from high-risk environments, has led many researchers to attempt to identify causes or elements that serve to assist them in coping with and overcoming dire circumstances (Rhodes &Brown, 1991). These studies suggest that the difference between success and failure for these young people, both inside and outside of school, often boils down to the presence or absence of factors associated with a specific character trait: resilience (Freiberg, 1993; Wang & Gordon, 1994).

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Section: Resilience and Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving Despite the Odds: A Study of Resilience Among a Group of Africa American High School Seniors

Floyd¹

1996

The Journal of Negro Education

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“…In her research, she investigated how tests for measuring cognitive skills were biased against Black students due to cultural style differences. As described by Shade, orientations and differences in perception are connected to the socialization of Afro-Americans, which is rooted in multigenerational kinship networks that emphasize the need to learn how to attend to cues and develop behavior compatible with learning to survive, collective responsibility, responding to authority of the dominant family member, and preparing for independence (Shade, 1982(Shade, , 1983. As such, she argued scholars need to be more careful to disaggregate between cognitive style and perceptual style, that while spatial-perceptual functioning influences cognitive performance, one has to be attentive to not conflate preferential differences in visual-spatial orientation with differences in cognition (Shade, 1981(Shade, , 1982(Shade, , 1986.…”

Section: Barbara J Robinson Shadementioning

confidence: 99%

Righting the historical record: Highlighting the significant contributions of Black psychologists in American schools.

Tettegah¹,

Cerezo²,

Wooten³

et al. 2023

American Psychologist

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The field of educational psychology, while closely aligned with several adjacent branches of psychology, focuses on teaching and learning processes in support of the development of students within K-16 environments and beyond. Similar to other fields, educational psychology has been historically dominated by theories and empirical studies developed and carried out by White scholars who presented racially and culturally biased ideologies that lacked Black perspectives. Couched within an Afrocentric and Critical Race Theory framework, the present article sets out to right the historical record by uplifting the voices of four prominent Black psychologists who played an important role in American schools and who have been largely ignored in the field of educational psychology. We review the works of Inez B. Prosser (1897-1934), A. Wade Boykin (1947-present), Barbara J. Robinson Shade (1933-present), and Asa Hilliard III-Baffour Amankwatia II (1933II ( -2007. Each scholar has made significant impacts on American schools, ranging from pursuing innovative research topics and methodologies, providing expert testimony in landmark civil rights legislation, and leading college and university initiatives with generation-wide impacts on Black learners and communities. Based on the impact of the scholars highlighted in this article, we offer recommendations for the next steps in advancing the field toward a position of eradicating anti-Black racism and toward uplifting and centering the voices of Black learners.

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Negative Adult Influences and the Protective Effects of Role Models: A Study with Urban Adolescents

Hurd

Zimmerman

Xue

2008

J Youth Adolescence

117

102

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We investigated whether role models (individuals adolescents look up to) contributed to the resilience of adolescents who were exposed to negative nonparental adult influences. Our sample included 659 African American, ninth-grade adolescents. We found that adolescents' exposure to negative adult behavior was associated with increased externalizing, internalizing, and substance using behaviors, as well as more negative school attitudes and behavior. We found that role models had protective effects on externalizing and internalizing behaviors and compensatory effects on school outcomes. Collectively, our findings indicate that role models can contribute to the resilience of African American adolescents who are exposed to negative nonparental adult behavior.

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The Social Success of Black Youth

Cited by 15 publications

References 38 publications

Achieving Despite the Odds: A Study of Resilience Among a Group of Africa American High School Seniors

Achieving Despite the Odds: A Study of Resilience Among a Group of Africa American High School Seniors

Righting the historical record: Highlighting the significant contributions of Black psychologists in American schools.

Negative Adult Influences and the Protective Effects of Role Models: A Study with Urban Adolescents

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