View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by SHAREOK repository UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE THE BLACK SELF-DETERMINATION EXPERIENCE A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By CHAUNCEY DEMOND GOFF Norman, Oklahoma 2010 THE BLACK SELF-DETERMINATION EXPERIENCE A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY BY ___________________________ Dr. James E. Martin, Chair ___________________________ Dr. James E. Gardner ___________________________ Dr. George Henderson ___________________________ Dr. Dorscine Spigner-Littles ___________________________ Dr. Raymond B. Miller © Copyright by CHAUNCEY DEMOND GOFF 2010 All Rights Reserved. DEDICATION In memory of you, I lovingly dedicate this to me. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledging all those who assisted in this process would be virtually impossible, for there were individuals who offered kind words as I sat in a library, pumped gas, visited the writing center, etc. Thus, I ask that anyone who feels omitted understands that you have each been a part of the process and are now classics. I give all honor to God for without him none of this would be possible. I give honor to Robert and Lillie Goff, for without them, I would not be possible. I give honor to Aaron and Cameron Goff for all the inspiration they provided, as I sought to be your father. I give honor to Bigstuff for suggesting that I attend graduate school and informing me about its potential benefits. I give honor to my brother Cameron for helping me find me. I give honor to Wanda Taylor for giving me a place to sleep as I matured through college (Gaines says thanks for the cookies). I give honor to Wesley Long for the business card, books, and the key to my doctoral studies. I give honor to Dr. James and Mrs. Audrey Martin and daughters, Sarah and Rebekah for helping me find my own self-determination. I give honor to Dr. Dorscine Spigner-Littles for always believing in me. I give honor to Dr. George Henderson for always reminding me to tell my story. I give honor to Dr. James Gardner for helping me understand my voice and Dr. Raymond Miller for elevating my experience and research. I give honor to Dr. Martin Agran, a fellow English major, who reminded me that I would not lose me, or my voice in this process. I give honor to Dr. Michael Wehmeyer, a fellow Oklahoman, for showing me that it was okay to be me. To Karen, thanks for always being there. I give honor to Donna Willis, Marsha Dempsey, Nidal el-Kazimi, and Lee Woods for all your support, encouragement, and listening. iv Lastly and certainly not least, I give honor to Linda Gill for all the food and support and for constantly reminding me about the bridge I had to cross. I extend a special thanks to Quest, Wisdom, Perspective, Evolving, and Hatshepsut. The world may never know your true identities, but after our shared Black Self-Determination Experience, I sincerely hope you do. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................... x ABSTRACT................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ...................................................................... 1 Statement of Problem..................................................................................... 4 Specific Concern ........................................................................................... 7 Purpose .......................................................................................................... 7 Justification ................................................................................................... 8 General Areas of Inquiry .............................................................................. 8 Research Questions........................................................................................ 8 CHAPTER TWO: A Review of the Literature.............................................. 10 Defining Overrepresentation.......................................................................... 11 Transition Outcomes ..................................................................................... 23 Transition Outcomes of Students with MR ....................................... 31 Transition Outcomes of Students with EBDs .................................... 34 Transition Summary........................................................................... 37 Overrepresentation Perpetuators.................................................................... 38 Overrepresentation Perpetuators Summary ....................................... 65 Proposed Solutions ............................................................................ 67 Summary of The Black Students’ Special Education Overrepresentation .... 70 The Black Student’s Entrance into American History....................... 73 A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Cycle ...................................................... 76 An Educational Self-Fulfilling Prophecy........................................... 87 The Burden of Acting White.......................................................................... 91 Self-hatred and the Burden of Acting White ..................................... 128 Goff, Martin, and Thomas (2007)...................................................... 128 My Burden of Acting White .............................................................. 140 Self-Determination......................................................................................... 149 Why Self-Determination? .................................................................. 203 Black Self-Determination .................................................................. 211 CHAPTER THREE: Methodology................................................................ 217 Recruitment.................................................................................................... 217 Participants..................................................................................................... 221 Setting ............................................................................................................ 227 Research Design............................................................................................. 228 Dependent Variables...................................................................................... 230 The Black Self-Determination Experience: Intervention and Procedures..... 242 The Black Self-Determination Experience: A Detailed Description............. 247 Instructional Fidelity...................................................................................... 264 vi Interobserver Agreement ............................................................................... 264 Social Validity .............................................................................................. 265 Data Analysis................................................................................................. 266 CHAPTER FOUR: Results ........................................................................... 269 Research Question 1: What Influences might the Black Self-Determination Experience have student content knowledge scores, as measured by Black Self-Determination Experience Content Knowledge pre and post Assessments? ............................................................................. 270 Research Question 2: What Influences might the Black Self-Determination Experience have on student self-determination Scores, as measured by the AIR Self-Determination Scale Student Form ......................... 273 Research Question 3: What Influences might the Black Self-Determination Experience have on student self-determination Scores, as measured by the AIR Self-Determination Scale Parent Form ........................... 280 Research Question 4: What Influence might the Black Self-Determination Experience have on student academic identities?.............................. 284 Research Question 5: How do students believe their Black Self- Determination Experience influenced their content knowledge scores? ................................................................................................ 286 Research Question 6: How do students believe their Black Self- Determination Experience influenced their self-determination scores? ................................................................................................ 294 Research Question 7: How do students believe their Black Self- Determination Experience influenced their academic identities?...... 298 Research Question 8: Why or why not do students believe other Black students should have the Black Self-Determination Experience? ..... 307 CHAPTER FIVE: Discussion........................................................................ 310 The Black Self-Determination Experience Contributions to Special Education ........................................................................................... 316 Conclusion ....................................................................................................