|
A UGA education researcher hopes
a new, four-year study of the experiences of African-American adolescents in
a predominantly black Atlanta suburb will help explain the reasons behind a
persistent achievement gap between African-American and white students.
“Adolescence is a period of time when young people are attempting to
gain an integrated sense of self,” said Jerome Morris, an associate professor
of social foundations of education in the College of Education and a research
fellow at UGA’s Institute for Behavioral Research (IBR). “For African-American
youth, this process can be further complicated by race, gender and class status.”
Morris has received a $505,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation to investigate
issues of identity formation and negotiation in a project beginning in January
2006 called, “African-American Adolescents in a Black Suburb in the U.S.
South: A Social Study of Schooling, Identity, and Achievement.”
Morris will explore the role of class status and context as mitigating factors
to improve the educational experiences of African-American students. Unlike
previous studies that have looked at African Americans in either urban, low-income
areas or predominately white and affluent areas, this one focuses on African-American
adolescents in a predominately black middle class suburb.
“This study attempts to find out what might be different in the more
middle class black suburbs and schools and how that might influence African-American
adolescents’ understanding of school achievement and identity,” explained
Morris.
Morris will use multiple data collection methods in the study – conducting
extensive interviews and observations with 100 adolescents and their families,
seeking diversity in grade-levels, gender, achievement-levels, socioeconomic
status and the extent of involvement in school-related activities.
He will also review U.S. Census and geographical data on the area and gather
sociological data on the adolescents’ parents, school personnel, schools
and district.
“There are lots of ideas out there regarding black achievement gaps.
Some argue it is about structural discrepancies and others say there are discriminatory
practices in place,” said Morris. “The most recent view has asserted
that African-American culture is a major cause for the academic achievement
gap. I believe there has to be a multi-disciplinary approach to looking at
black achievement.”
To incorporate multiple scholarly traditions and disciplines, Morris will focus
on understanding adolescents’ social identities as students and African
Americans as well as members of other social groups.
The UGA researcher believes the information he gathers will help policymakers
develop strategies that will reduce the achievement gap between African-American
and white students in the nation’s public schools.
|
Education
professor Jerome Morris has received a $505,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation
to investigate issues of identity formation and negotiation in African American
adolescents.
