A Phenomenological Study of African American Elementary Teachers
type: CreativeWork
description: Problem: In 2011-12, 82.7% of K-12 teachers were White, yet 44% of all elementary and secondary students were minority (Ingersoll, Merrill, & Stuckey, 2014). Teachers raised and educated in predominantly White communities typically have limited knowledge of communities of color and culture (Tatum, 2007). The minority teacher shortage, in turn, is widely viewed as a key reason for the minority achievement gap and unequal occupational and life outcomes for minority students (Torres, Santos, Peck, & Cortes, 2004). There have been extensive efforts to recruit minorities into the education profession, yet turnover rates among minority teachers have been significantly higher than among White teachers. The underrepresentation of minority teachers in the U. S. school system leads to minority students lacking minority adult role models and creates less access to teachers who understand their racial and cultural background (LadsonBillings, 1995). Research has focused primarily on white educators and their ability to work effectively with diverse populations (Irvine, 2002). Limited studies have focused on the untold stories of African American teachers in our nation’s classrooms. Procedures: This phenomenological study (Moustakas, 1994) explored the lived experiences of six elementary African American elementary teachers in one Midwest state. A single overarching question will guide this study: How do African American teachers make meaning of their teaching experiences? Using purposeful convenience sampling and snowball sampling (Creswell, 2014; Bogdan & Biklen, 2007), data was collected from participants through interviews, detailed field notes, written reflections, and reflexive journaling. Data analysis involved initial coding, recoding, and thematic analysis to derive the core of the lived experiences. Data was verified through triangulation, thick description, field notes and observations, reflexive journaling, and member checking. Written findings reflected the phenomeno…
abstract: Problem: In 2011-12, 82.7% of K-12 teachers were White, yet 44% of all elementary and secondary students were minority (Ingersoll, Merrill, & Stuckey, 2014). Teachers raised and educated in predominantly White communities typically have limited knowledge of communities of color and culture (Tatum, 2007). The minority teacher shortage, in turn, is widely viewed as a key reason for the minority achievement gap and unequal occupational and life outcomes for minority students (Torres, Santos, Peck, & Cortes, 2004). There have been extensive efforts to recruit minorities into the education profession, yet turnover rates among minority teachers have been significantly higher than among White teachers. The underrepresentation of minority teachers in the U. S. school system leads to minority students lacking minority adult role models and creates less access to teachers who understand their racial and cultural background (LadsonBillings, 1995). Research has focused primarily on white educators and their ability to work effectively with diverse populations (Irvine, 2002). Limited studies have focused on the untold stories of African American teachers in our nation’s classrooms. Procedures: This phenomenological study (Moustakas, 1994) explored the lived experiences of six elementary African American elementary teachers in one Midwest state. A single overarching question will guide this study: How do African American teachers make meaning of their teaching experiences? Using purposeful convenience sampling and snowball sampling (Creswell, 2014; Bogdan & Biklen, 2007), data was collected from participants through interviews, detailed field notes, written reflections, and reflexive journaling. Data analysis involved initial coding, recoding, and thematic analysis to derive the core of the lived experiences. Data was verified through triangulation, thick description, field notes and observations, reflexive journaling, and member checking. Written findings reflected the phenomeno…
author: Jones, Graham A.
language: en_US
date published: 2017
date modified: 2026-07-27T19:18:21Z
provider: Drake University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Drake University