ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: PERCEPTIONS OF UPWARD BOUND’S INFLUENCE ON THE ACADEMIC OUTCOMES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR IDENTITY STATUS Ro’Shaun A. Bailey, Higher Education, May 2019 Dissertation chaired by: Omari Jackson, Ph.D., Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African American male Upward Bound participants to determine their identity status and to document their perceptions of Upward Bound’s influence on their academic outcomes. This study examined the experiences of eight African American male Upward Bound participants at Southeastern State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in a southeastern state. The participants were asked to respond to semi- structured interview questions during three separate interviews. Their interviews were analyzed and coded for common themes using Marica’s Theory of Identity Status and Bush and Bushes African American Male Theory as the lenses. The themes that were developed from the code frequency chart were “Motivation to Work Harder,” “Emotional Support,” “Positive Influence,” “Role Models,” “Aspirations to Succeed,” and “Participation in Extracurricular Activities.” The experiences of each participant varied slightly, and their perceptions of Upward Bound’s influence on their academic outcomes were relatively consistent. PERCEPTIONS OF UPWARD BOUND’S IMPACT ON IDENTITY STATUS AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS by Ro’Shaun A. Bailey A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Morgan State University May 2019 ii PERCEPTIONS OF UPWARD BOUND’S IMPACT ON IDENTITY STATUS AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS by Ro’Shaun A. Bailey has been approved November 2018 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE APPROVAL __________________________, Chair Omari Jackson, Ph.D. __________________________ Michael Parsons, Ed.D. __________________________ Ramon Goings, Ed.D. iii DEDICATION Be still, and know that I am GOD. Psalm 46:10 I dedicate my dissertation to… My children: Anslei, Austin, and Aubrei My parents: Floyd and Carlee iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my dissertation chair Dr. Jackson for his unwavering support, determination, dedication, and guidance. Thanks to my committee member Dr. Parsons for your consistency, encouragement, and overall interest in my research. Thank you to my second committee member Dr. Goings for your patience, attention to detail, and knowledge. There are no words that can honestly express my gratitude to each of you. I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Welsh for suggesting that I had a voice in my writings and insisting that I include my voice in my work. Dr. McKay, thank you for your time and the conversations about navigating higher education. Dr. Spaid, I genuinely appreciate you. Dr. Prime, you are awesome! Your willingness to help and the assistance you afforded me during my matriculation in the program was invaluable. A leader, you indeed are. To my wife Shanell, I am grateful to you for your patience, understanding, support, and for just sharing this experience with me. Brother Mike, a true friend you are; I am forever indebted. Coach, thanks for taking a complete stranger under your wings. Carnell, you are the best! To my grandparents and godparents who have transitioned into the next life, I am because of you. Dr. Golden, thank you! Last but not least, to the eight young men who participated in this study, thank you for allowing me to share your stories with the world. HE may not come when you want him, but HE will be there right on time! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 African American Males and Education in the 21st Century ........................... 1 Background of the Study ................................................................................. 4 African Americans and the American Education System................................ 5 African Americans Males and the American Education System ..................... 5 African American Males and Academic Success ............................................ 7 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................... 10 African American Culture and Identity ........................................................... 10 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................. 17 Research Question ........................................................................................... 19 Significance of Study ....................................................................................... 19 Limitations and Delimitations.......................................................................... 20 Definition of Terms.......................................................................................... 21 Summary .......................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................. 25 Cultural and Identity Influences on African American Academics ................. 26 Environment ..................................................................................................... 28 Language .......................................................................................................... 29 Familial Influences........................................................................................... 31 Student Self Concept/Identity .......................................................................... 34 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Academic Success of African American Males............................................... 37 Teacher Expectations ....................................................................................... 39 Student Expectations of African American Males........................................... 40 Student Engagement ........................................................................................ 42 Institutional Characteristics ............................................................................. 47 Summary .......................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 52 Research Questions .......................................................................................... 52 Research Design............................................................................................... 52 Participants ....................................................................................................... 54 Data Collection ................................................................................................ 57 Data Analysis and Presentation ....................................................................... 60 Data Validity and Trustworthiness .................................................................. 61 Summary .......................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS ......................................................................................... 63 Experiences of African American Male Upward Bound Participants ............. 63 Identity Status of Upward Bound Participants................................................. 65 Influence of Upward Bound on Academic Outcomes ..................................... 71 Focus Group ..................................................................................................... 77 Connection of Codes to Research Questions ................................................... 88 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Connection of Coded Clusters, Themes and Research Questions ................... 89 Emerging Themes ............................................................................................ 95 Participant Narratives....................................................................................... 99 Summary .......................................................................................................... 105 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS ............................ 108 Summary of Study ........................................................................................... 109 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 110 Implications...................................................................................................... 121 Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 130 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 131 APPENDICES Appendix A: Instrument .................................................................................. 180 viii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: African American Males, Upward Bound, Identity Status, and Perceptions of Academic Success Relationship Diagram ............................................... 117 ix LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Identity Themes Table 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