Why Didn't Tyrone Graduate: Perceptions of African American Males About Transitioning From Middle to High School

• In Event: 31.091 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session Five
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-2 - Supporting Young Adolescents' Needs and Success in School

Abstract

Using qualitative methods and a case study design, the perceptions of African-American males about their transition from middle to high school were explored through the lenses of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977), the middle school concept (NMSA, 2010), and culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995). Data were derived from semi-structured interviews, a researcher journal, and archival data. The study concluded that specific elements of self-efficacy and the middle school concept should be considered in the transition of African-American males from middle to high school, and without engagement in culturally relevant dispositions, African-American males will continue to disengage from academia, thereby, continue or increase the dropout rate amongst this demographic.

Author

• Kimberly Stormer, Langston University