African American Pursuit Of Higher Education - Research Proposal Example

Are Poor Academic Performance, Juvenile Delinquency And The Lack Of Positive Role Models Negatively Related To African American High School GraduatesPursuit Of Higher Education In America? Name: Institution Date: Abstract The proposed study will be carried out with the aim of ascertaining whether poor academic performances, juvenile delinquencies and the lack of positive role models among the African American community negatively impacts their high school graduate pursuit of higher education. The study will be carried out on 280 students from Dr. Michael Krop Senior high school through the use of questionnaires issued to them. Stratified random sampling techniques will then be utilized for the purposes of analyzing the data collected so as to draw the most appropriate solutions for the matter at hand. These methods will be the most appropriate since they will enable the effective study of the various categories of students in the sample under scrutiny. The study concludes by suggesting that the students’ poor performances, juvenile delinquents and their lack of positive role models negatively impact the pursuit of higher education by high school graduates from the African American community. Introduction and Literature Review The study aims at establishing whether poor academic performances, juvenile delinquencies and the lack of positive role models within the African American society negatively impacts the pursuit of higher education among high school graduates from the community. The enrollment by African American students who have graduated from high school to institutions of higher learning has highly greatly lagged behind when they are compared to other races (Wagner et al, 2006). Only about 18% of the African American students leaving high school as opposed to 65% and 32% of the students from the white and Hispanic communities respectively who enroll for higher education (American Psychological Association, 2008). The study is therefore important since it will help in giving more insights into the problems that the black population encounter and which hinders their enrolment for higher education after graduating from high school (Stegelin, 2004). It also helps in specifically providing insights into the issues of poor performances, juvenile delinquencies and the lack of poor role models among the African American community (American Psychological Association, 2008). In addition to these issues, the study will also be vital in suggesting recommendations that will help in easing the issue along with further areas that require additional research on the topic (Balfanz, 2007). Previously conducted literatures on African American youth, especially the males, have been branded as violent, drug addicts, uneducable, deficient, hostile and unethical among other names (Greenberg et al, 2003). The males within the African American community were said to drop out at a rate lower than their female counterparts (Jensen, 2008). Their dropping out rate stands at 19.9% whereas the women’s rate stands at 11.1%. High poverty levels have been the strongest reason for drop outs among the African American population within the United States of America (Stegelin, 2004). In the year 2007, the NCES statistical estimates showed that the dropout rates among black students living in the lower quartiles of the black society were seven times greater than those from upper quartiles (Bogenschneider, 2005). Their figure as per the NCES stands at 16.4% compared to the richer students whose values stand at 2.2% (American Psychological Association, 2008). Previous literature also indicates that the high dropout rates are very dependent on the students surrounding that witnesses high poverty levels (Wagner et al, 2006). For example, in America 80% of the high schools that have their senior classes containing less than 60% of the students who joined their respective courses due to dropping out are found in the south, north and western parts of the nation (Stegelin, 2004). The schools form just about 12% of the high schools within the country but are in total thought to contribute over a half of the black students who drop out from the institutions (Greenberg et al, 2003). The poverty stricken locations are in turn areas where high unemployment rates, crime, poor health and drug abuse are rampant (Balfanz, 2007). Most of the adults who have grown up in these areas have also not reportedly advanced their education since they have been encountering similar problems in their past (Jensen, 2008). Almost a half of the African American population in America are believed to have attended high schools that are situated in low income locations that have all the above vices being carried out in them (American Psychological Association, 2008). According to previous literature, the correlation between dropout rates among black students and high levels of poverty, lack of school attendance, poor academic performances, grade retentions along with a student’s disengagement from class activities is very high (Stegelin, 2004). Earlier research also indicates that a child’s foundation and future success are laid during his childhood years since the major development in his or her brain takes place before they get to age 5 (Balfanz, 2007). This is however the period in which black children in America living within the low income areas are most vulnerable to experience traumatizing experiences, hatred, poverty, malnutrition along with symptoms of depression (American Psychological Association, 2008). Reports indicate that as these children grow up they tend to indulge in many vices some for the purpose of making money while others indulge in them due to the loss of hope (Greenberg et al, 2003). Despite the rise in the school dropout being witnessed within the African American society, research indicates that there are efforts being made to assist the schools and students overcome the above stated problems (Stegelin, 2004). Peer associations have been said to have a great impact on the academic results students get during the learning process (Bogenschneider, 2005). The associations can establish values along with norms that improve or diminish their academic achievements (Jensen, 2008). The students from African American communities have been suspended or harshly disciplined for crimes ranging from racial stereotyping to other violent crimes than students from other ethnic groups according to previous reports (Stegelin, 2004). Previous reports by the American Psychological Association (2008) additionally indicate that every one in three African American student who drops out from high school gets imprisoned at least once in his or her lifetime. In order to help in preventing the increases in the drop out cases of students from the African American communities a lot of attention has to be focused on solving their social along with emotional problems (Balfanz, 2007). This will also help in enhancing the achievement of their academic goals. The majority of the juvenile delinquents within the United States come from the African American community and most juvenile convicts are aged 15 years and above (Stegelin, 2004). However, most of them reportedly quit from their criminal acts though others remain in them once they enter into adulthood. According to the Coalition for Juvenile Justice and several brain researches carried out on the juvenile delinquents, the policies along with programs introduced for preventing them from indulging in crime must be instigated early for them to be effective (Balfanz, 2007). There are also various benefits that come from the proceedings instigated against the delinquent which may greatly help the nonviolent youths aged below 24 years (2009). Most African American teens that drop out of school and are found to be in conflict with the law do so due to their engagement in violent behaviors (Stegelin, 2004). The act has reportedly been taking quite a heavy toll among the African American population with the homicide rates among black males aged twelve and twenty four years being over ten times that of their Caucasian counterparts (Jensen, 2008). Previous literature indicates that the number juvenile delinquents among the African American population is always on the increase due to the values the people living in low income locations have towards violence (American Psychological Association, 2008). The crime rates among the African American youth have been reportedly brought by the social statuses along with the family structures in most African American homes. This is caused and aggravated by the fact that most African American homes are usually led by parents who are single (Greenberg et al, 2003). African Americans greatly value the performance of criminal activities as is evidenced by their lifestyles, processes of socialization, their interpersonal relationships along with their living conditions (Wagner et al, 2006). Using these claims it can be established that since the African Americans underwent similar circumstances, they were indulging more in criminal activities than their Caucasian counterparts. The violence and criminal activities that the African American youths engage in result from their psychologies as defense mechanisms when they do not have accessibility to opportunities which are legitimate (Stegelin, 2004). However, in his research on the crime rates among African American youth Balfanz (2007), suggested that the violence that is rampant among their youths happens due to the structural disadvantages that they encounter in their everyday lives. Due to the disruptions that have consistently affected African American society over the past, the current youths have additionally had no role models to look up to. This is because more of their former students have dropped out and are unavailable for giving advice and motivation to their young ones who are still encountering similar problems (Greenberg et al, 2003). According to Stegelin (2004), the violence and involvement of African American youth in criminal activities occurs due to the disruptions that occur in their family structures. They claim that the youths within the community in turn utilize formal associations in spreading values within them. Jensen claims that when the associations between members of a community are positive, then they are less likely to indulge in negative behaviors (Jensen, 2008). Stegelin (2004) additionally claims that in case single parents are everywhere, the controls for the society are normally weaker which eventually help in increasing the rates of crime among their youth. This happens because their single parents are always busy working to find additional income for their duties of feeding their children and paying other bills that they do not mingle adequately with them (Greenberg et al, 2003). Many youths who live in low income locations get their influences from rappers and drug dealers who have become successful and not people who have succeeded in other fields (Stegelin, 2004). Methodology Research Question The study aims at answering the question, does poor academic performances, juvenile delinquency and the deficiencies in positive role models negatively impact the pursuit of higher education by African American graduates? Many students graduate from high school with the intention of making lives better for themselves by pursuing the American dream like others have previously done. It is here that the goals and aspirations of the African American males are vastly unrecognized. This paper therefore tries to establish what changes take place in the student’s lives that eventually deter them from pursuing higher education. The proposal attempts to find out whether poor academic performance, low expectations set forth by the communities along with the lack of positive role models in the lives of the African American men negatively impacts their pursuit of higher education. Population The participants for the research will be African American males aged from 16 to 18 years old. All the participants will begin the study as freshmen and should advance to the status of being senior students without encountering any breaks in their high school careers. Participants will come from different economic backgrounds in order to control their differences in the attainment of the required resources. The participating students must also maintain an average grade point of at least 2.5 so that they can remain a part of the study. Sampling Method The research proposal will utilize the stratified sampling methods as its sole sampling method. This will help in ensuring that the appropriate number of African American males can be generalized to the population. By stratifying the population of males according to their age groups (from being freshmen to being seniors in their respective schools), the place where the disconnect starts for this students can be determined. Its determination will be used in preventing students from the community from undergoing similar circumstances that deter them from attaining their academic goals in future (Stegelin, 2004). Sampling Size The Dr. Michael Krop Senior high school has a total population of 1137 African American students. There are a total of about 560 African American males of whom 280 of them will be taking place in the study. Questionnaires will be issued to the students at the end of every academic year with the expected responses from the students ranging from 80 to 85 percent. Out of this number, the estimated response rate from the students who receive the questionnaires will be from about 462 students. Data Collection and Instruments Paper-pencil questionnaires will be administered to the students based on their different age groups at the end of every school year. Their responses will then be compared to the responses of other groups of students who have been involved in the study. Data Analysis The data that pertains to the enrolment and the problems the African American students are experiencing will be analyzed for the purposes of determining their trends and establishing how effectively they can be handled (Balfanz, 2007). The information on new students will be collected from the freshmen who will be issued with the questionnaires whereas the information from the elder students will be collected from the senior students who will receive the questionnaires (Stegelin, 2004). Conclusions will in turn be drawn from the data collected from the two groups that have been questioned and after comparisons in the collected data have been made. The method used for sampling will be the stratified sampling method since not all students will be included in the survey (Jensen, 2008). In addition to this fact, the method will be the most appropriate because the students will be classified according to their different age groups and academic levels they are in (Wagner et al, 2006). The study will include no assumption as it intends to get to the specific problems that the students encounter in their everyday lives (Balfanz, 2007). Most the data to be used in the study will be collected from the students via the use of questionnaires while additional information concerning previous students will be collected from various school and workplace archives (Stegelin, 2004). The information to be collected from the school and workplace archives will be very vital in establishing the whereabouts of previous students from the community and what they are currently doing (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Levine & Garza, 2006). The data will be additionally important in helping the study come up with the most appropriate measures and conclusions for improving the enrolment among African American students to institutions offering higher education (Balfanz, 2007). No data will be traceable to any specific student within the institution since the questionnaires will be randomly issued. The study will intend to use the pursuit of higher education as its dependent variable for the students who have joined the learning institution and those who are completing and are in their final years. The pursuit of higher education by the African American students will be measured through the use of records from various institutions concerning their enrolments over the past few years (Wagner et al, 2006). The records will be checked for purposes of determining how many students graduate from high school within the African American community and how many join other institutions of higher learning later on (Balfanz, 2007). The students records utilized in the study will be collected from the freshmen and the senior students at the Dr. Michael Krop Senior high school. Dichotomous variables indicating enrolment for higher learning will be coded as 1 whereas for not enrolling will be coded as 0. In addition, any student who joins an institution of higher learning after graduating from high school but does not proceed beyond the second year will be coded as 0 (Jensen, 2008). On the other hand, the independent variables to be used in the study will include the independent variables of poor academic performances, the number of juvenile delinquents within the community and the lack of appropriate role models for the youths within the community (Bogenschneider, 2005). The other conditions that will be examined to support the study will include the neighborhoods from which the students come from and the effects they have on them and their family structures (Balfanz, 2007). They will be helpful in determining whether they positively or adversely affect the students graduating from high school in terms of pursuing higher education in pursuit of their academic goals (Greenberg et al, 2003). Discussion and Conclusions The costs that the American community and economy incur due to dropouts among students from various ethnic groupings are quite big (American Psychological Association, 2008). Approximately over twelve million students are estimated to drop out of the American education system in the next decade which will cost the country’s economy over three trillion American dollars (Jensen, 2008). The culprits will most likely miss out in employment along with other opportunities that will eventually assist them in raising their living standards and those of their societies (Butts, 2004). As at the year 2008, the school drop outs were earning much less when compared to other students who had successfully attained their academic goals (Stegelin, 2004). The drop outs have also been adversely affected by the impacts on the economy’s recession that as recently witnessed (Wagner et al, 2006). The risks that the African American males encounter in terms of being imprisoned and being confined in juveniles become greater for the students who have dropped out of school (Balfanz, 2007). This is because they become more exposed to the evils within their localities and the poverty they dwell in. During the year 2007, drop outs among the African American population who were aged between 16 to 24 years were more likely to face incarcerations 6.3 times more than the students who had graduated from high school (Jensen, 2008). Alternatively, when they were compared to students who had attained their bachelor’s degrees, their risk of being imprisoned skyrocketed to over 63 times the chances they had of being incarcerated (Greenberg et al, 2003). The act of dropping out of school usually damages the future for many students within the African American community. The act has been associated with the deepening poverty and increase in criminal activities within the African American society (Bogenschneider, 2005). By receiving quality and good education, the young African Americans who pursue higher education will be able to lift themselves from the poverty they have previously experienced (Jensen, 2008). In order to face the issue of the rise in school dropouts among the African American youth, a lot of finances and commitments will have to be made. This will be done for the purpose of ensuring that the youth do not indulge in vices which could deter them from achieving their academic goals (American Psychological Association, 2008). Attention has to be paid to the students emotional along with social learning activities while continuously monitoring the students’ progress along with their class attendances (Stegelin, 2004). The education boards in various learning institutions will advised by the study to come up with better alternative measures for pushing students who are undisciplined from their systems (Wagner et al, 2006). They will also be required to foster a positive climate for the students in school, engage their guardians and parents, their communities along with their families to ensure that the students stay on course in the achievement of their academic goals (Jensen, 2008). All the above measures will be beneficial for the country because the economy of the nation greatly depends on the high quality education that is delivered to every student within the nation (Butts, 2004). This is irrespective of the social or economic status, ethnicities, gender or any disabilities that they may be having (Greenberg et al, 2003). Social workers within the country along with their governing bodies have been urged to provide guidance services as well as counseling services for the African American students (American Psychological Association, 2008). The neediest of them are those who perform poorly in school, have been to juvenile institutions or lack positive role models in their lives (Bogenschneider, 2005). Incentives for funding less advantaged but brilliant students within the African American society should be formulated in the future to help in alleviating the issue of insufficient funds that hampers the attainment of their educational goals (Butts, 2004). During the study, the limitations encountered will include insufficient time to adequately explore all the issues affecting the students being studied (Balfanz, 2007). The study will also be hampered by the insufficiency of funds for enabling the movement from place to place in search of research material and information concerning the subjects being studied (Bogenschneider, 2005). Another major limitation to the study is the issue of security. This is because the areas to be visited during the data collection processes are crime infested due to the high poverty levels being experienced (Jensen, 2008). In conclusion, the students’ poor performances, juvenile delinquents and the lack of positive role models can thus be said to negatively impact the pursuit of higher education by African American students. Therefore, the above recommendations should be carried out so that any future rises in the dropout rates among the African American community can be dealt away with. References American Psychological Association (2008). Resilience in African American Children And Adolescents: A Vision For Optimal Development. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved on April 23, 2012 from: http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/task‐force/resilience‐af‐am.aspx Balfanz, R. (2007). What Your Community Can Do To End Its Drop‐Out Crisis: Learning From From Wave 2 of The National Longitudinal Transition Study‐2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International, Bogenschneider, K. (2005). Promising Approaches for Addressing Juvenile Crime. (2nd Edition). Madison: University of Wisconsin. Butts, J.A. (2004). Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Offenders In Juvenile Court. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O’Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., & Elias, M. J. (2003). Enhancing School‐Based Prevention And Youth Development Through Coordinated Social, Emotional, And Academic Learning. New York: SAGE. Jensen, E. (2008). Teaching With The Brain In Mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Stegelin, D. (2004). Early Childhood Education. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., Levine, P., & Garza, N. (2006). An Overview Of Findings Research And Practice. Paper presented at the National Summit on America’s Silent Epidemic, Washington, DC. Read More