African-American Leaders in the Field of Science: a Template
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AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE: A TEMPLATE FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES by Waweise J. Schmidt A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The College of Education In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL December, 2017 Copyright by Waweise J. Schmidt 2017 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express sincere gratitude for her committee members, Dr. Sandra Norman and Dr. Eliah Watlington, for all of their guidance and support, and special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Valerie Bryan, for her persistence, patience, and encouragement during the writing of this manuscript. The author is grateful to the Florida Atlantic University Spring 2015 Pilot Program: Graduate Research & Inquiry Program for providing the funding to conduct the study. I want to thank my interview participants. When asked to assist with the research, all of them responded with an enthusiastic “yes.” Their recollections and participation made this study possible. I want to thank Pat Castro, Lisa Hogan, Kathy Lydiard, Dr. Nancy D. McDonald, and Dr. Ray Pacovsky, for their friendship, support, wisdom, and aid during the final stages of the research. I want to thank Gisela Diaz and Sean Smith whose dedication to lifelong learning inspired them to pursue the idea of a Palm Beach State College doctoral cohort and encouraged me and others in our group to walk with them down the path. A special thank you is extended to Fran Kamin who from the first meeting encouraged all members of the PBSC cohort to reach for the dream and Nancy Levin who helped me to find my drive – thank you is not enough to express my gratitude for having known these two wonderful women. iv ABSTRACT Author: Waweise J. Schmidt Title: African-American Leaders in the Field of Science: A Template for Overcoming Obstacles Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Valerie Bryan Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2017 The purpose of this phenomenological multi-case study and three-person interview, was to discover what select prominent African-American scientists perceived were obstacles to overcome to be successful leaders in their professional lives, and the opportunities that aided in their professional growth. Through the addition of the three- person interview, the researcher discovered commonalities between the perceived obstacles and opportunities of current science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals and the perceptions of selected historically prominent scientists. This study examined documents of the period and relics of prominent African- Americans who were in STEM fields and lived from 1860 to 1968. A description of the setting that influenced how the scientists perceived the phenomenon was written with the approach being anchored in the social constructivist tradition. Commonalities emerged through coding experiences of the individuals, which yielded patterns to help explain the phenomenon. By investigating their perceptions, insight was gained into understanding v the attributes, tools and skills, and tailored experiences that encouraged Thomas Burton, Kelly Miller, George Carver, Daniel Williams, Matthew Henson, Ernest Just, Charles Drew, Percy Julian, William Cobb, and Benjamin Peery to achieve success in STEM fields between 1860 and 1968. The significance of the study is multifaceted: understanding the obstacles that African-American scientists had to overcome in their professional lives can result in the development of science educators who are better informed regarding the appropriate types of assistance that can be provided to aid their students in overcoming obstacles. This can hopefully increase their opportunities to succeed within the science field. This study can result in the development of science educators who are more sensitive in addressing the needs of the developing minority student, and can encourage, educate, and enlist more individuals to enter into the dialogue regarding the disparity of minority representation in STEM fields. vi DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to my mother and father who always told me that I could – whatever the task – and to my loving husband for his unflagging support throughout this journey. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE: A TEMPLATE FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xvii FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xviii I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................ 2 Purpose of Study ........................................................................................................... 5 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 5 Role of Researcher ........................................................................................................ 6 Significance of Study .................................................................................................. 13 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 14 Definition of Terms..................................................................................................... 15 Limitations and Delimitations ..................................................................................... 18 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 18 Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 19 Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................... 20 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 21 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 21 Background Information ............................................................................................. 21 African American Education from 1862 through 1890 .............................................. 29 African American Education from 1900 to the 1940s ................................................ 33 viii African American Education from 1950 to 1968 ....................................................... 36 Scientific Education and the African American Today .............................................. 40 Definition of Race from 1860 to 1968 ........................................................................ 42 1860 to 1877 Civil War through Reconstruction ........................................................ 49 1877 to 1900 Industrial Revolution ............................................................................ 55 1900 to 1920 Turn of the Century to World War I ..................................................... 60 1920 to 1945 Depression era to World War II ............................................................ 66 1945 to 1968 World War II, Cold War, and the Peoples Movement .......................... 74 Applicable Leadership Theories ................................................................................. 83 Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................... 90 III. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 91 Research Design.......................................................................................................... 91 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 94 Participants .................................................................................................................. 94 Document Collection .................................................................................................. 95 Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS FOR EXEMPLAR SCIENTISTS ........................................ 99 Early History ............................................................................................................. 101 1860 to 1877: Civil War through Reconstruction Summary .................................... 102 Thomas William Burton ........................................................................................... 103 Kelly Miller ............................................................................................................... 107 Findings for 1860 to 1877, Thomas W. Burton and Kelly Miller ............................ 109 Educational Acquisition and Environmental Influences ..................................... 110 ix Control ................................................................................................................ 112 The First Code............................................................................................... 112 The Second Code .........................................................................................