Cultural ecology, stereotype threat, and institutional agents: high school achievements of Black male and female students

2013-10-31This study applies three theoretical frameworks; Cultural Ecological Theory, Stereotype Threat, and Social Capital Theory. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding about why some Black students achieve while others do not. Eight Black high school seniors were the participants in this qualitative comparative study using ethnographic student interviews in order to examine whether: (1) Average achieving Black high school students develop more of an oppositional identity than Black students who are high achieving (2) If average achieving Black high school students have a greater concern about stereotype threats than Black high school students who are high achieving and (3) Do Black high school students who are high achieving develop stronger social networks and deeper relationships with institutional agents than average achieving Black high school students? Findings from this study indicate that; Black high school students who are average achieving do not develop more of an oppositional identity compared to Black students who are college bound, Black high school students who are average achieving do not have a greater concern about stereotype threat than those Black high school students who are college bound, and Black high school students who are college bound do develop stronger networks and deeper relationships with institutional agents than do Black high school students who are average achieving. This study focused on a small part of the big picture and found that teachers, counselors, and administrators are institutional agents that play a crucial role in the academic achievement of all students