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Re-Entry African American Male High School Dropouts Through the Lens of Critical Race Theory with Content Analysis of the Case Studies

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Re-Entry African American Male High School Dropouts Through the Lens of Critical Race Theory with Content Analysis of the Case Studies UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-2010 Re-entry African American male high school dropouts through the lens of critical race theory with content analysis of the case studies Robert Paul Walker University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Educational Psychology Commons Repository Citation Walker, Robert Paul, "Re-entry African American male high school dropouts through the lens of critical race theory with content analysis of the case studies" (2010). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 367. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/1606686 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RE-ENTRY AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY WITH CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDIES by Bob Walker Bachelor of Business Administration University of Cincinnati 1969 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Educational Psychology Department of Educational Psychology College of Education Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2010 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Robert Paul Walker entitled Re-Entry African American Male High School Dropouts through the Lens of Critical Race Theory with Content Analysis of the Case Studies be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Educational Psychology Paul Jones, Committee Co-chair Christine Clark, Committee Co-chair Jean Cline, Committee Member William E. Cross Jr., Committee Member Cliff McClain, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College May 2010 ii ABSTRACT Re-Entry African American Male High School Dropouts Through The Lens of Critical Race Theory with Content Analysis of the Cases by Robert Walker Dr. Christine Clark & Dr. Paul Jones, Examination Committee Co-Chairs Professors of Education University of Nevada, Las Vegas This is a multi-case study, utilizing in-depth interviews, of three African American male high school dropouts who are reentering an alternative high school program in Southern Nevada. The participants tell of their life experiences, broadly considered, in relationship to school, family, peers, and discrimination. Hearing their story in their own voices gives a forceful dimension to the statistics of the group many call the “endangered species.” The in-depth interviews reveal the challenging experiences that many young African American men must rise above in order to survive, including the daily incidents of racism—both institutional and individual—that all African Americans endure. The research questions asked of each young man were: 1. What were the general lived experiences, family life influences, peer relationships, and/or other factors that led you to leave school early? 2. Was racial discrimination a factor in your dropping out? 3. What motivated you to return to school to get a diploma or GED? The findings of this study reveal data consistent with that in the current literature on African American male high school dropouts. In particular, these findings show that the participants felt that racism and discrimination were key factors in their leaving school iii early, and that their decision to reenter high school was their attempt to fight back against these negative influences and take control of their lives. iv DEDICATION This paper is dedicated to my mother, Dear, and my brother Roy. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank GOD for my health, my family, and my friends. I want to thank Sharon Burgess-Walker, my wife, for her inspiration and support. I would like to thank Dr. Cliff McClain, Dr. William Cross, and co-chairs Dr. Paul Jones, and Dr. Christine Clark for their contributions. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE .......................................... 1 Opening ................................................................................................................... 1 Overview ................................................................................................................. 1 Personal Connection to the Study ........................................................................... 3 Closing .................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................7 Opening ....................................................................................................................7 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................7 Review of the Relevant Literature ...........................................................................8 Summary and Critique ...........................................................................................19 Purpose of the Study Linked to the Literature Review ..........................................21 Research Questions ................................................................................................23 Closing ...................................................................................................................23 CHAPTER 3 METHOD ..................................................................................................24 Opening ..................................................................................................................24 Case Study Approach .............................................................................................24 Site and Participant Selection ................................................................................25 Participants .............................................................................................................28 Participant Counselor .............................................................................................28 Procedure ................................................................................................................... First Interview ........................................................................................................31 Second Interview ...................................................................................................32 Third Interview ......................................................................................................33 Analysis..................................................................................................................34 Closing ...................................................................................................................35 CHAPTER 4 THE FINDINGS ........................................................................................36 Opening ................................................................................................................. 36 Reiteration of the Research Questions .................................................................. 36 Brief Review of the Study Site: Clark County School District ............................ 37 Brief Review of the Specific Study Site: City Adult School ................................ 37 vii Results ................................................................................................................... 38 Data Analysis Process ........................................................................................... 40 Research Question #1 ........................................................................................... 41 Research Question #2 ........................................................................................... 58 Research Question #3 ........................................................................................... 61 Triangulation ......................................................................................................... 62 Analysis................................................................................................................. 66 Closing .................................................................................................................
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