Children's voices: Influences on the formation of educational aspirations in economically disadvantaged, urban Black children.

The complex phenomena of Black children's academic underachievement has been researched extensively, but the problem persists. Researchers have identified an aspiration/achievement paradox, i.e., high aspirations concurrent with low academic achievement, especially evident in lower socioeconomic status children. Most research and programatic effort in the area of Black children and academic performance have centered on the achievement dimension of this theoretical paradox. Aspirations have received comparatively little attention, i.e., how and why Black children decide to direct energy toward school, academic performance and future goal attainment. This study utilized children's values, perceptions and experiences as the source of knowledge and understanding of the aspiration process. In-depth interviews were conducted with forty-one children living/attending school in a racially/economically homogeneous, urban community. Participants were first, third, fifth and seventh graders representing high, medium and low achievement levels. Questions generated information on the critical variables identified in the literature on Black children and academic achievement (self-concept; parents and family; rewards, expectations and role models; school culture; teachers; poverty and racism). Results suggest that community demographic factors significantly influence the aspiration/achievement process; an alternative theoretical paradigm is proposed. Within a homogeneous and insulated community, issues related to the limitations of racism and poverty are mediated by collectively held community norms. Community norms and values dominate the messages received by children from parents, family, teachers and the school culture; expectations and rewards are based on these norms and values. Mediation of messages from the dominant culture constructs an alternative reality which becomes the context for children's identity formation. This identity is characterized by bimodal constructs for self-esteem/self-efficacy, formed in response to overt/covert dimensions of message mediation. Preserving self-esteem as a community priority validates alternative measures for self-efficacy; aspirations become undifferentiated from achievement. Vulnerability to crime/violence is mediated by emphasizing appropriate behavior as the significant component of achievement/success; ability becomes undifferentiated from good behavior. Aspirations/appropriate conduct are expected, rewarded and granted achievement status by the community (self-efficacy), resulting in personal gratification (self-esteem). Existence of aspiration/achievement "paradox" questioned.PhDEducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/103707/1/9409630.pdfDescription of 9409630.pdf : Restricted to UM users only