African American Development in Context: The Role of Congruence Across Socialization Agents and Settings

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

Home-school dissonance refers to cultural mismatch in which students feel stress due to perceived differences between existing norms, values and socialization activities in their home and school environments. Home-school dissonance often leads students to feel obligated to dampen culturally-laden behaviors that are salient in their out-of-school environment. As a result, their sense of adequacy, authenticity, and belonging become threatened and they become less likely to succeed in school (Kumar, 2006).

Schools face important challenges in addressing home-school dissonance. Evidence reveals the policies (e.g., disciplinary action) and practices (e.g., teaching) of educational environments often reflect the dominant culture (Tyler et al., 2008). Additionally, researchers to date have largely relied on a single scale to examine home-school dissonance, “Dissonance Between Home and School” (DBHS; Midgley et al., 2000), which is a five-question measure based on the Multiple Worlds Hypothesis (Phelan et al., 1991). Yet it is unclear if this measure fully encompasses the construct of home-school dissonance as experienced in students’ lives. The current study reflects findings from the SRCD Small Grants project of the same name and aims to address two knowledge gaps. First, taking into consideration the heavy reliance on the DBHS scale, we examine the reliability, validity and comprehensiveness of the measure. Second, recognizing how little is known about the social processes that contribute to the experience of dissonance among African Americans students, we draw on a purposefully selected subsample to further explore the potential rifts in the home and school environments.

Employing a concurrent triangulation design, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. In the quantitative strand of the study, 172 fifth and sixth graders in nine schools across the Northeastern, Midwestern, and Mid-Atlantic United States completed the DBHS scale. On average, students were age 11 and the majority identified as White (32%) or African American (27%). In the concurrent qualitative strand of the study, the research team conducted interviews and focus groups with a purposive subsample of 22 African American students to identify which interpersonal and situational factors do they describe in relation to home-school dissonance.

Early findings from qualitative thematic coding (using a combination of open and structured multi-level coding, Yin, 2011) indicate that variations in communication patterns were the most frequent source of perceived home-school dissonance among African American students, particularly for those that do not conform readily to the norms and expectations required in mainstream educational settings. Figure 1 depicts additional sources of home-school dissonance as identified by students. Next steps will include quantitative analyses of the DBHS survey data to assess reliability and validity of the measure, as well as the use of descriptive and inferential statistics to test mean differences of home-school dissonance by school characteristics (e.g., size, demographic composition).

The work draws attention to diversity and social justice in schools, with emphasis on identifying culture-based experiences that African American students have outside school, determining the role of such experiences in formal learning contexts, and taking steps towards ensuring the cultural and contextual sensitivity of measurement tools.

Authors

• Shereen El Mallah, University of Virginia - Charlottesville
  Presenting Author

• Kelsey Newcomb, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel Siefring, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author