Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „African American high school students – Attitudes“

Background Scholars are bringing much-needed attention to the persistent problem of academic underachievement among African American children in the United States, who continue to lag behind White school children in all socioeconomic groups. This is especially true of impoverished African Americans. Although some link these outcomes to poor student attitudes, recent scholarship casts doubt on the prevalence and significance of the role of adversarial attitudes on school outcomes. In addition, most of the extant research of student attitudes among African American students reflects research with middle school and high school students. We know little about the attitudes of elementary-age African American children living in low-income neighborhoods. Focus of Study This qualitative study aims to address this gap in our knowledge by examining whether oppositional attitudes toward learning prevail among African American children attending two low-income urban elementary schools in California. We also examine how what African American children say they want in teachers relates to what we document as good teaching. Research Design This study used a qualitative design that included face-to-face interviews with children, participant observation in the school and after-school labs, and videotape of classroom interactions in after-school sites. We helped establish the after-school sites as pedagogical laboratories designed to examine how less skilled teachers learn to improve their practice and how children learn with an exemplary teacher. Data Analysis We content-analyzed interview data to examine how children defined and described effective and ineffective teaching. We also used content analysis of participant observations to assess school climate and institutional culture. We developed a code manual to content-analyze videotaped lab data to identify characteristics of the after-school lab that supported positive and productive classroom behaviors in the students. Conclusions We conclude that low-come urban children do want to learn, regardless of their actual demonstrated ability levels, and they appear to be resilient in this respect. We found that elementary school-age low-income African American children are aware of strengths and deficiencies in their teachers and can name each explicitly. Even within controlling or negative school environments that reflect a pervasive culture of low expectations, they overwhelmingly expressed a desire for teachers who treated them well, helped them learn, and who were fair and caring toward them. Moreover, given the opportunity to work with a teacher who worked with them in ways consistent with what they looked for in good teachers, the children in our study responded with productive classroom behaviors.

Abstract This study examined Ogbu’s widely accepted thesis that African American students reject high academic achievement because they perceive its limited utility in a world where their upward mobility is constrained by racial discrimination. Boykin’s psychosocial integrity model contends that Black students value high achievement but that discrepancies between their formative cultural experiences and those imposed in school lead them to reject the modes of achievement available in classrooms. Ninety Black children completed a measure of attitudes toward students who achieve via mainstream or African American cultural values. Participants rejected the mainstream achievers and embraced the African American cultural achievers. Moreover, they expected their teachers to embrace the mainstream achievers and reject those who achieved through high-verve behavior. Results suggest that Boykin’s thesis is a needed refinement to Ogbu’s ideas. They indicate that Black children may reject not high achievement but some of the mainstream cultural values and behaviors on which success in mainstream classrooms is made contingent.

This study applied self-efficacy theory to assess empowerment to advocate on behalf of tobacco control policies. The Youth Tobacco Survey with added policy advocacy self-efficacy, attitudes, and outcome expectations scales was given to 9,177 high school students in Texas. Asians showed the lowest prevalence of experimentation and current smoking, followed by African Americans. Anglo-Europeans had higher rates of current smoking. Latino male students had the highest experimentation and current smoking rates. Policy advocacy self-efficacy was higher among African Americans. Latinos scored lowest. Asians had the highest level of approval for tobacco control policies. African Americans had the highest scores in policy advocacy outcome expectations, followed by Asians and Latinos. Anglo-Europeans scored lowest. Students who had never tried smoking had the highest scores in all three scales, with a decreasing trend as the frequency of smoking increased. Associations with smoking status remained significant when controlling by gender and ethnicity

The objectives of this study were to examine an interdisciplinary and experiential approach to environmental education by use of a youth gardening program for third through fifth grade students. In addition, this study evaluated the gardening program's effectiveness on promoting positive environmental attitudes and a high environmental locus of control with children. A questionnaire was developed from three existing instruments and was used to collect information concerning environmental attitudes, locus of control as it related to environmental actions, and demographic information of respondents. No statistically significant differences were found on either variable in comparisons of experimental and control group responses. However, students from both groups exhibited positive environmental attitudes. Demographic comparisons indicated that children with previous gardening experience scored significantly higher on the environmental attitude and environmental locus of control statements when compared with children without gardening experience. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on environmental attitude and environmental locus of control scores. Caucasians scored significantly higher when compared with African-Americans and Hispanics on environmental attitude scores, and Caucasians scored significantly higher when compared with African-Americans on environmental locus of control scores.

Whereas researchers regard high school math and science coursework as the best indicator of college readiness for students in the United States, computer science coursework and its relationship to college attendance, particularly for minoritized students, have not received due attention despite its root in the mathematical and scientific reasoning ability. We examined students’ high school course completion patterns across subjects and grade levels with a special focus on elective computer science courses and whether the coursework pattern transitions worked differently for minoritized students in Texas, USA. Latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis revealed multiple patterns of coursework, including Regular, Trailing, and Computer Science-Intensive. However, high school students seemed to attempt computer science courses with an experimental attitude. High school girls, low-income, and Latinx and African American students were less likely to complete computer science courses, despite demonstrating a similar coursework pattern in the previous year. Similarly, students with limited English proficiency, those eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch programs, and Native American students systematically have a lower chance to attend college, despite sufficient academic preparation in high school. Findings highlight the challenges minoritized students face and how students approach elective computer science courses in high school.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: To create prevention strategies targeting ARA and CDA, it is critical to educate and mold adolescent recognition, behavioral intentions, and attitudes regarding healthy dating relationships. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine if high school students’ recognition of ARA, the students’ behavioral intentional to intervene during ARA episode of someone they know, and the students’ attitudes about the importance of healthy relationship serve as a protective factors against experiencing ARA. Aim 1: Do baseline (T1) recognition, behavioral intentions, and attitudes serve as protective factors against experiencing ARA in high school students at 3-month follow-up (T2)? Aim 2: Do baseline (T1) recognition, behavioral intentions, and attitudes serve as protective factors against CDA in high school students at 3-month follow- up (T2)? METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: To examine the relationships between recognition, behavioral intentions, and attitudes of ARA and CDA, a secondary analysis using a descriptive correlational design was used to analyze electronic survey data from a large randomized controlled parent study. The parent study consisted of 1,011 high school students ages 14 to 19 years who sought health service through one of eight school-based health clinics in California. This secondary analysis consisted of 819 students, with 640 (78.1%) female, 178 (21.7%) males, and 1 (0.2%) transgender participant. There were 42 (5.1%) Caucasians, 141 (17.2%) Asians, 218 (26.7%) African Americans, 313 (38.2%) Hispanics, 42 (5.1%) American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and 63 (7.7%) students who responded multi-racial. To measure recognition of ARA, a 10-item, 5-point Likert scale was used with responses ranging from 1=“not abusive” to 5=“extremely abusive” (Cronbach’s a = 0.85). To assess behavioral intentions to intervene, a 5-item, 5-point Likert scale was used to ask participants how likely they would be to stop the ARA behavior if they witness a peer perpetrating ARA with responses ranging from 1=“very unlikely” to 5=“very likely” (Cronbach’s a = 0.89). A 6-item, 3-point Likert healthy relationship tool measured participants’ attitudes regarding healthy relationship with responses ranging from 1=“not important” to 3=“very important”. Both ARA and CDA were assessed using a “yes/no” response choice for the lastthree months. To account for the hierarchical nature of the data analysis, a binary logistic regression was used in SPSS 24. To take into account the clustering coefficients of the eight different school clinics and as well as the parent study’s intervention and control groups, these clusters were examined as co-variates. Sex, race, and age were included as covariates, also. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The relationship status of high school students consisted of 262 (32.0%) who were single, 97 (11.8%) who were going out, dating, or hooking up with more than one person, 423 (51.7%) who were seriously dating one person, and 37 (4.5%) who were not sure. At 3-month follow-up assessment, 111 (13.6%) of high school students experienced ARA, and 476 (58.1%) experienced CDA. The mean recognition of ARA score was 3.90 + 0.67, mean behavioral intentions score was 4.00 + 0.83, and mean attitudes score was 2.54 + 0.37. When examining the full ARA model including all three predicators controlling for the demographics and group assignment, none of the predictor variables were significant (p>0.05) in predicting ARA in high school students. Also, all three predictors were not significant in predicting ARA in the main effects model. When examining the full CDA model, with no interaction, all three predictors were significant. Recognition had 0.784 decrease odds (95% CI = 0633-0.971, p = 0.026) of predicting CDA. However the odds of CDA increase non-linearly up to the mean (2.537709) for the attitudes variable after which the odds then decreases non-linearly. The odds of CDA is increasing non-linearly up to 3.073913 for the behavioral intention variable after which the odds then decrease non-linearly. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Adolescence is typically a time of exploration, transition, and social development. Researchers should investigate the efficacy of ARA and CDA prevention programs that focus on recognition, behavioral intentions, and attitudes to educate adolescents on healthy relationships. Results showed that behavioral intention to intervene and attitudes about healthy relationship can serve as protective factors against CDA. From our data, more students experienced CDA compared to ARA. Thus, it may by useful to recognize the use of technology as a social force within the adolescent culture in defining adolescents’ experiences of healthy relationships and potential experience of CDA.

Objectives Black youth are disproportionately affected by the US obesity epidemic. Early-age obesity often continues into adulthood and is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Few studies have incorporated community-based participatory research (CBPR) facilitated by youth to provide frank discussions among teens living in inner cities about challenges and facilitators in maintaining a healthy weight and to design teen-identified interventions. Design Black youth (n=10) were recruited from a Baltimore City high school during the 2019 to 2020 academic year and were trained by seasoned investigators and mentored by graduate and undergraduate students on qualitative methods using CBPR. These youth then implemented focus groups with their peers aged 15 to 18 years (10 focus groups of 10 teens each). Topics included healthy lifestyle knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and suggested interventions. Content analyses were conducted using dual-rater techniques. Results Focus group themes yielded strengths and challenges of weight maintenance for Black youth at various levels, including in their personal lives, families, school, and community. Themes also suggested several technology-based possibilities using social media to reach Black youth about healthy living practices. Conclusions Engagement of Black youth in CBPR projects can yield valuable data to design more culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate interventions. Youth are competent collectors of information to identify needed changes in their schools/communities and about the use of technology/social media to facilitate improved health practices among their peers and should be involved early in the process of developing targeted obesity prevention interventions and/or programs.

A series of interactive videodisc programs designed to reduce HIV/STD risk behaviors was developed and evaluated. Separate programs were developed for each of three race/ethnicities (African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian) at each of two age levels (middle school and high school) using extensive formative procedures. Each program uses scenarios with extensive branching story lines to teach decision-making skills and socially appropriate responses to potentially risky sexual situations. In a randomized experiment with 827 students, significant changes were observed at posttest for the four constructs assessed: (1) belief that sex occurs as a result of decisions (vs. "it just happens"), (2) belief that even a single incident of unprotected sex can result in an STD or pregnancy, (3) intentions and attitudes toward use of condoms, and (4) self-efficacy in remaining abstinent (i.e., avoiding sex). At 30-day follow-up, three of the four measures remained significant.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether African-American adolescent high school students who have (or have had) at least one parent incarcerated differed on several variables as compared to African-American adolescent high school students who lived with both parents and those who did not have an incarcerated parent but who lived with only one parent.;John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia was the institution studied for this project. John Marshall was chosen for several reasons: the student researcher had access to this population and it was believed that a majority of the students at this institution came from homes where at least one parent was (or had been) incarcerated.;Each student was administered the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Multidimensional Self Concept Scale (MSCS), and the Family Environment Scale (FES). In addition, data from students' cumulative folders were analyzed: grade point averages, attendance data, standardized test scores, and disciplinary referrals (if any). Students also answered questions on a 14-item researcher-generated questionnaire. The questions, Likert in nature, assessed students' feelings and perceptions about their family and school environments, as well as their parent relationships.;It was hypothesized that (1) there would be a difference between academic performance, daily absenteeism rate to school, classroom behavior, and attitudes towards school of African-American high school students who have (or have had) at least one incarcerated parent as measured by students' transcripts, standardized test data, school attendance records, and teacher-generated disciplinary referrals and (2) there would be a difference on the variables of depression, self concept, and family environment among African-American adolescent high school students who have (or have had) at least one incarcerated parent and (a) African-American adolescent high school students who lived with both parents and (b) African-American adolescent high school students who did not have an incarcerated parent but who lived with one parent as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory, the Multidimensional Self Concept Scale, and the Family Environment Scale.;The results of the study indicate that there were no differences in students who lived with both parents, in students who did not have an incarcerated parent but who lived with only one parent, and those who have (or have had) at least one parent incarcerated on the measures of depression, self concept, and family environment.;Further study is needed to determine the effects of parent incarceration on African-American school children.

African American students' severe underachievement in mathematics in comparison to their peers has been framed as an achievement gap that continues to widen despite the efforts of many education scholars and leaders. Throughout history in the United States, mathematics education has been designed, developed, and delivered within a Eurocentric philosophy. Consequently, African American students have been at a systemic disadvantage in terms of perceiving the cultural relevance of mathematics; which has served as a detriment to their academic success. By merging ethnomathematics and culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) into a theoretical framework, this study investigates these issues and proposes a shift in mathematics education toward a more culturally aware approach. In this study, it is argued that implementing a multicultural education approach such as ethnomathematics into the mathematics curriculum coupled with employing culturally relevant pedagogical practices will increase relevance in the mathematics education for African American students. The purpose of this study was to gain African American high school students’ perception of mathematics, as well as their cultural awareness and its relation to mathematics education. To gain students’ perceptions about mathematics education from a cultural respect, 375 students in grades 9-12 completed three online surveys which were (1) a four-item demographic questionnaire (age, gender, grade, ethnicity), (2) the 40-item Attitude Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI), and (3) the 12-item Students Perception about Cultural Awareness (SPCA) survey. This study incorporated a quantitative, correlational research design. To address research questions one and two, Pearson correlations were conducted to examine the associations between the variables of interest which were (1) Value, (2) Enjoyment, (3) Sense of Security, (4) Motivation, and (5) Cultural Awareness. Variables (1), (2), (3), (4) were derived from the ATMI survey through factor analysis while variable (5) was constructed from the SPCA survey. To address research question three, a MANOVA was conducted to assess for differences in attitudes toward mathematics and perceptions of cultural awareness by ethnicity. For research questions one and two, it was found that there was a statistically significant correlation between the variables of interest. For research question three, it was found that there was not a statistically significant difference in the variables of interest by ethnicity. In further analysis of the data, it was found that many African American students have a substandard attitude of value, enjoyment, sense of security, and motivation toward mathematics. Nonetheless, these students had a high sense of cultural awareness and cultural pride. Generally, the students felt that the incorporation of culture into mathematics would assist in raising their achievement to some degree. This study highlights recommendations to educational leaders to learn about the culture of their students, allow that data to inform policy decisions, and lead a shift to the approach of mathematics education toward the theories of ethnomathematics and CRP.

This study examined factors related to the teaching effectiveness of adjunct faculty in higher education. Specifically, it explored the relationship between personality, as defined by the Five-Factor Model, occupation, and student ratings of teaching effectiveness. Results indicate that personality is correlated to an instructor's classroom behavior and education goals, which in turn are related to teaching effectiveness. In addition, instructors with occupations in social services and education had significantly higher mean teaching effectiveness scores than those from other occupations. Finally, there was an inverse relationship between age and teaching effectiveness in this study, and a positive relationship between teaching experience and teaching effectiveness. Although instructors may not be able to change their personality, they can modify their behavior and teaching practices to increase their effectiveness as educators.

This was an exploratory/descriptive study to explore the relationship of knowledge, attitudes and sexual behaviors among African American high school students regarding AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Thirty students from Port Gibson High School, located in Port Gibson, MS were surveyed to determine levels of knowledge of AIDS, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviors. Attitude and knowledge are necessary to identify specific consequences following the behavior. A descriptive and exploratory design was used in this study. A self administered questionnaire was administered to African American male and female high school students. The study was an attempt to provide a clear understanding of the knowledge of AIDS, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviors of the African American male and female high school students. The results indicated no significant differences between the groups in the areas explored.

The focus of the study was to explore to what degree culturally sensitive HIV/AIDS curriculum and materials were perceived as important by African-American students. Students selected for the research (N=121) were from a high school in San Bernardino, California, an area that represents a multiethnic population. Frequency descriptions and bivariate corrrelations were conducted to analyze the data. Trends found in this study indicated African-Americans did not perceive cultural sensitivity as an important aspect of HIV/AIDS education, and correlations between the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) score of African-Americans and their perceptions of the need for culturally sensitive HIV/AIDS education materials were non-significant. Outcomes of this study suggest a more defined meaning of "cultural sensitivity" and "culturally sensitive" materials as it pertains to HIV/AIDS education.

The focus of this study was individual and community assets and barriers that African American students living in disadvantaged low income communities encounter in their efforts to complete high school. The research questions were focused on understanding the high school experiences of students who graduated and of students who dropped out. The study was a comparison of the data collected from interviews of former students to the 15 interventions identified as most effective by the National Dropout Prevention Network (http://dropoutprevention.org/effective-strategies/). Findings suggested that 6 of the 15 developmental assets were effective for enabling African American students to graduate from high school. These developmental assets were school-community collaboration, mentoring, family engagement, alternative schooling, after school opportunities, and active learning. The findings of this study may improve teaching and learning in K-12 schools and communities to increase graduation rates for minority students.

Public school systems in America continue to show unequal learning outcomes for African American students. This investigation seeks to understand salient factors that are critical and essential to the process of increasing the probability of academic resilience (success) among African American students. Academic resilience is defined as "the process of an individual who has been academically successful, despite the presence of risk factors (i.e., single parent family, low future aspirations, and low teacher expectation) that normally lead to low academic performance" (Morales & Trotman, 2011, p.1). Using the baseline data from the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002), a multilevel logistic model was developed that aimed to identify individual and collective characteristics of African American students who were academically resilient. The multilevel logistic model revealed five statistically significant student-level variables. When comparing two African American high school students one unit apart in SES, for the student with the lower family SES, one unit increase in their academic expectation would make the student 3.21 times more likely to be academically resilient; whereas for the student with the higher SES, one unit increase in their academic expectation would make the student 2.48 times more likely to be academically resilient. Consider two African American high school students one unit apart in terms of teacher expectation, the one with higher teacher expectation was 1.67 times more likely to be academically resilient than the one with lower teacher expectation. Spending one more hour in homework per week was 1.12 times more likely to make an African American high school student academically resilient. Lastly, when comparing two African American high school students one activity apart in terms of school involvement (e.g., band, chorus, sports, or academic clubs), the student with the higher number of school involvement activities was 1.67 times more likely to be academically resilient than the student with the lower school involvement activities. The multilevel logistic model also revealed two statistically significant school-level factors. Specifically, when comparing two high schools one unit apart in school academic climate, African American students in the high school with higher academic climate were 7.44 times more likely to be academically resilient than African American students in the high school with lower academic climate. When comparing two high schools one unit apart in school remedial efforts, African American students in the high school with lower school remediation efforts were 4.54 times more likely to be academically resilient than African American students in the high school with higher school remediation efforts.

AbstractDegradation of natural resources exacerbates a country’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change. IPCC projections suggest that countries within the horn of Africa, which include Kenya, will suffer most from extreme climate change events, particularly more frequent and prolonged droughts. Women and children suffer disproportionately from the consequences of environmental degradation. Public participation is one of the strategies governments pursue to combat environmental degradation; however, there has been limited research to better understand students’ environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior to better inform student-led participatory designs. Students comprise a significant proportion of the population in Kenya. This research conducted in 2018 at Nginda Ward, Embu County, comprised a survey of 121 students: 58 high school and 63 primary school students. The research investigated students’ environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes, and pro-environmental behavior. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Multivariate statistics (MANOVA) were used to examine the relationship between the dependent variables and the participant’s gender and level of schooling. From the results obtained, the top five most frequently mentioned local environmental problems by the students sampled included water pollution, deforestation, air pollution, scarcity of safe sources for water for domestic use, and soil erosion. Inferential statistical results revealed that there is a significant relationship between students’ level of schooling and environmental attitudes, F = 11.79, (1, 120), p < 0.01. In addition, there is a significant relationship between students’ level of schooling and environmental knowledge, that is, perceived severity of environmental problems, F = 5.33, (1, 120), p < 0.05. Research findings further revealed a significant relationship between gender and environmental knowledge, F = 9.62, (1, 120), p < 0.01. However, gender differences in pro-environmental behavior were not statistically significant. Also, differences between primary and high school students’ pro-environmental behavior were insignificant.

This chapter discusses Lincoln's growth and development as the state's only boarding high school for African American students. In 1938 the state legislature passed a bill requiring counties that lacked accommodations for black students to pay their tuition and send them to accredited high schools elsewhere. The bill solved a problem for local school districts that had neither the funds nor the inclination to educate black children. Lincoln Institute was a logical destination for such students, and it became a state-funded institution. Young still had to maneuver through prevailing racist attitudes, such as the state's objection to his plan to add an electrical engineering program. Only after he renamed the program “janitorial engineering” did he gain approval. Young's efforts strongly influenced his own children, Arnita, Eleanor, and Whitney Jr., into lives of service. This chapter also introduces John Norman Cunningham, a Lincoln student whose experiences are woven through the narrative.

This book relates the stories of some amazing women who are currently working as chemists or are recently retired. These women, as I have said before, are hiding in plain sight. Perhaps the first or the only woman of color to work in a particular lab or university, they all managed to succeed in spite of any obstacles they faced. This chapter presents some ideas as to what you can do in order to succeed if you, your child, grandchild, or students might be interested in a STEM career, especially in chemistry. I highly recommend reading Dr. Sandra L. Hanson’s book, Swimming against the Tide: African American Girls and Science Education. Dr. Hanson studied young African American girls in high school and their attitudes toward science, which has traditionally been a male profession. One of her conclusions is that these young girls need to see or read about role model, an African American woman chemist. Swimming against the Tide was written before the explosion of the World Wide Web and web-based materials, so this conclusion may no longer hold. For example, information about most of the women in this book is available on the web; some of them have given talks that are also on the web. Many of the women whose stories are told here work to mentor young minority students. These web based materials can be accessed by the students and teachers. The primary organization that focuses on careers in chemistry is the ACS. What is chemistry? It is a branch of science that provides opportunities for a variety of careers, not just working in a research laboratory making new chemicals. According to the ACS, “In simplest terms, chemistry is the science of matter, for example anything that can be touched, tasted, smelled, seen or felt is made of chemicals.” The ACS website has information on chemistry careers, including videos of the different jobs that chemists do, and information on various technical disciplines, as well as profiles of many chemists, including one whose life story is in this book.

Reatha Clark King is a woman who began life in rural Georgia and rose to become a chemist, a college president, and vice president of a major corporate foundation. Reatha Belle Clark was born in Pavo, Georgia, on April 11, 1938, the second of three daughters born to Willie and Ola Watts Clark Campbell. Her mother Ola had a third grade education and her father Willie was illiterate. Her families were sharecroppers in Pavo. Her mother and grandmother raised her in Moultrie, Georgia, after her parents separated when she was young. She and her sisters worked long hours in the cotton and tobacco field during the summer to raise money. She could pick 200 pounds of cotton a day and earn $6.00, which was more than her mother’s salary as a maid. 1 In the 1940s in the rural segregated South, the only career aspirations for young black girls were to become a hairdresser, a teacher, or a nurse. Reatha started school at the age of four in the one-room schoolhouse at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Still more than a decade before Brown v. Board of Education , Reatha’s schools were segregated. The teacher, Miss Florence Frazier, became Reatha’s first role model. Reatha said, “I never wondered if I could succeed in a subject. It was only a question of whether I wanted to study the subject.” She later attended the segregated Moutrie High School for Negro Youth. Despite missing much school to attend to fieldwork, Reatha maintained her studies. She graduated in 1954 as the valedictorian of her class. Reatha received a scholarship to enter Clark College in September 1954, originally planning to major in home economics and teach in her local high school. These plans changed after her first chemistry course with Alfred Spriggs, the chemistry professor. He encouraged her to major in chemistry and go to graduate school. She found that chemistry was the perfect major for her. She says, “Both the subject matter and methodology were interesting and challenging; the laboratory and lecture sessions were exciting; and my fellow students in chemistry were both serious students and fun to work with.”

This chapter will review the repercussion of the exodus of African-American families migrating to suburban areas and the impact it had on African-American male students in urban areas that transition from high school into the collegiate environment. The importance of what impact do dual credit programs have on college preparedness and higher wages for African-American males be a cornerstone of emphasis. There is a concern that African-American males in urban areas have been marginalized and do not have resources that allow for corridors to be built that could promote college success whereas their suburban counterparts may have direct access to specific information and platforms supporting collegiate success. This chapter will include components centered on higher education success readiness in comparison of two school districts within a large metropolitan area and reference to Evans' developmental intervention model.

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly was the first African American woman chemist to receive a PhD in chemistry. In addition, she was part of a research team that was working on the precursors to DNA . Marie was born Marie Maynard Daly on April 16, 1921, to Ivan C. Daly and Helen Page, the first of three children. Her father, who had emigrated from the West Indies, received a scholarship from Cornell University to study chemistry; however, he had to drop out because he could not pay his room and board, and he became a postal worker. Daly’s interest in science came from her father’s encouragement and the desire to live his dream.” He later encouraged his daughter to pursue his dream, even though she was a woman and had brothers who were twins. In the 1920s, as a result of the women’s suffrage movement, some women began to aspire to achievement in areas outside the domestic sphere. Marie’s mother encouraged reading and spent many hours reading to her and her brothers. Marie’s maternal grandfather had an extensive library, including books about scientists, such as The Microbe Hunters by Paul De Kruff; she read that book and many others like it. Growing up in Queens, one of the boroughs of New York City, she attended the local public school, where she excelled. She was able to attend Hunter College High School, an all girls’ school affiliated with Hunter College for women. Since this was a laboratory school for Hunter College, the faculty encouraged the girls to excel in their studies. Since Marie had an aptitude for science, the teachers there encouraged her to study college-level chemistry while still in high school. One of the many advantages of living in New York City during that time was that students who had good grades could enter one of the tuition-free colleges run by the City of New York. As a result, Daly enrolled in Queens College, then one of the newest institutions in the City College system, in Flushing, New York.

Abstract This paper describes methods and theories used to alter the attitudes and motivation of the 83,000 students of the New Orleans Public School system. The project attempts to affect systemic change in the study of science, mathematics, engineering and technology via development of a motivational and informational video series from live presentations at target schools. The city of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public School system are demographically 75% and 85% African-American, respectively, and there is an overwhelming need to expose the students to role models beyond athletes and entertainers. The author has developed a comprehensive program to assist the New Orleans Public School system in developing motivation and fostering positive attitudes toward education, in general, and the study of science, math, engineering and technology, in particular. The program’s goal and vision are to convince students that they can be whatever they choose with math, science, engineering and technology as possible alternatives, presenting career opportunities well into the next century by developing the whole individual into a motivated, critical thinking human being with the ability to make life-sustaining decisions. The videos are based on successful theories and presentations the author has developed and presented. Students at target schools are pre- and post-tested to determine the presentations’ effectiveness. The videos are aired continuously on community and educational access channels across the city, reaching over 300,000 homes. Furthermore, a presently functional web site whereby students receive additional information and resources in the all areas of education including science, math and engineering complements the video series.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.

Complexity of learning causes at all stages of development of human society, the search for new methods, new tools, new resources for relevant efficiency in education. Until now developed new theories and methods developed by educators and psychologists were reformed and modernized education systems of the countries have adapted curriculum learning goals were always set new directions in scientific research. Over time, changes in all scientific theories, methods and techniques of investigation of development of human knowledge that influence the overall development of human society. To achieve development and efficiency in life, one must continually adapt to the changes of knowledge. In education, particularly learning and improvement, the emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve pedagogical theories and psychological forces pupils / students, teachers, parents and professionals to adapt to these changes. What do pupils and students? What do teachers and parents? What do experts? What are governments? An Example. INTIME Project (1999-2001). "The mission of INTIME is to help educators improve student learning at all levels (PK thru University work) and in all content areas. We work with PK thru 12th grade teachers and university faculty to accomplish this mission. We use contemporary technology, high quality conceptual models, online streaming videos, case studies and probing questions analysis to help educators learn the skills necessary for improving student learning". Technology as Facilitator of Quality Education Model: A Model (by William P. Callahan and Thomas J. Switzer, College of Education, University of Northern): o COMPUTER: means for forming a new vision of education, research and innovation. o TECHNOLOGY: mediator of quality education. o STUDENTS: active participants in their own learning process. Computer Aided Learning Many educational projects that use computer and software are the result of complex ideas and exploratory actions immediately after 2000. Already there were many changes in education by supporting it with systems, programs and applications, including the development of IDD shape (Open Distance Learning). At that time - the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 technology, the terms "e-Learning" and "Educational Software" appeared more often in various articles, studies, reports, etc.. Today, some experts in e-learning and educational software actually admit that at the time concepts were not clear and do not understand the context of their use in education and training. After 10 years, by following some step-difficult-sometimes even e-Learning products and educational software incorporates not only expertise in informatics and IT professionals, especially teachers and teaching scenarios for learning: IAC (Computer Aided Training). Systemic approach to learning and teaching strategy Computer assisted learning systems approach to training enables a new vision that psycho-pedagogy one theorized in recent years, but which becomes operative when teaching strategy is combined with multimedia technologies. While in training designed as a system can be determined: for the system (training objectives), the processes by which it is achieved for (type of activities, learning situations in which students must participate to achieve the targets) and the results that they want to reach (translated into effective procurement categories of students), educational software design allows even cover the main elements of the system, helping to optimize the learning process. News trends New trends in education highlights the need for a teaching tool that involves both players learning process: teachers and students.Changing the paradigm shift from learning and knowledge acquisition in the development of skills, values and attitudes necessary focus on training activities and voluntary dominant active participation of students to the needs, interests and their learning profiles. Differentiated Instruction and its contextualization is particularly useful support in using computers in the classroom. The Power of Learning "Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding." William Arthur Ward Knowledge and lifelong learning frees you from ignorance and superficiality. Today, technology and software resources help business efficiency and a better job in this regard. "Educational content it should encourage students to create their own knowledge by experiment, not by learning a text by heart." Radu Jugureanu The responsibility for education is nowadays shared: collaborative demarches and adequate commitment from all stakeholders is very much increasing the effects of education as a whole, oriented towards preparing competitive human resources equipped with competences for the 21st Century: cooperation, communication, critical thinking, creativity, innovation. In the United States and also in UNESCO strategies these are referred to as the 21st Century Skills. The European Union in the Lisbon framework outlines eight domains of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. These 21st Century Skills are critically important to support the challenges of the modern workplace and its dynamic and the rapidly changing knowledge society. There is a growing and widely accepted understanding that a different set of skills need to be developed by our students in our school systems. Highly structured and disciplined schooling systems do not necessarily prepare students well for the dynamics and challenges of the 21st century workplace and society. For Dr. Howard Gardner (American Psychologist and Educator), intelligence is (Building the 21st-Century Mind: www.howardgardner.com, Gardner, 2009): o the ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a culture; o a set of skills that make it possible for a person to solve problems in life; o the potential for finding or creating solutions for problems, which involves gathering new knowledge. Skills are critically important to support the challenges of the modern workplace and its dynamic and the rapidly changing knowledge society. There is a growing and widely accepted understanding that a different set of skills need to be developed by our students in our school systems. Highly structured and disciplined schooling systems do not necessarily prepare students well for the dynamics and challenges of the 21st century workplace and society. More self-motivated, individualized, group and collaborative learning processes, supported by ICT will contribute significantly to the preparation of a more agile modern workforce (Hamilton, & O'Duffy 2009).

Although many program planners see schools as a convenient location for HIV-prevention programs, there is controversy about whether school programs can ever be strong enough to go beyond improving knowledge and attitudes to increasing the adoption of safe sexual behaviors. Evaluations of school programs in Mexico, South Africa, and Thailand focus on this question: Can school HIV programs change behavior? In each country, local organizations have worked with educators on teacher training and course design to ensure high-quality school interventions. Researchers surveyed students’ knowledge, attitudes, norms, and reported behavior before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and again several months later to measure retention of program effects. In all three sites comparable control groups are compared to the intervention group. The mean age and age ranges for the three study groups are: 16 years and 13–23 for the Mexican study group; 15 years and 8 months and ages 12–21 for the South African study group; and 20 years and ages 17–31 for the Thai study group. This report is a summary of key baseline findings from these studies.