“Its Not Supposed to Be Like This”: Examining Black Adolescent Males’ Experiences at Single-Gender School (Poster 46)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Adolescence and Youth Development SIG Poster Session

Abstract

Black adolescent males must often grapple with humiliation, dehumanization, and discrimination within school contexts (Love, 2016). Recruiting Black males into teaching as been viewed as a potential solution to the aforementioned issues, yet there has been limited research on how students feel about having teachers who match their race and gender. Using the stage environment fit framework, this qualitative study examined how Black adolescent males felt about attending a school primarily staffed by Black males and designed to meet their developmental needs (autonomy, belonging, competence) . Results demonstrated participants resisted the school design and teacher’s race and gender was not salient for them. Importantly, respect emerged as a key need for participants. Implications for research and educators is discussed.

Authors

• Johari Harris, Kennesaw State University

• Miles Anthony Irving, Georgia State University