Overcoming the Odds: The Success Story of an African American Gifted Male Student

The purpose of this research was to identify how and why some African American students included in gifted programs maintain academic and social success. Data from semi-structured interview responses, behavioral checklists, and personality traits rating scales were coded and themed as a means to tell Elijah's story. Currently a 20 year old African American college student, Elijah was initially overlooked by his elementary school teachers for a potential gifted placement and subsequently referred himself. Participants of this study include Elijah and eleven of his former teachers, administrators, coaches, and mentors. Emerging themes from the research as sources of qualities to use in identifying African American students for gifted referrals included social skills, self concept/internal motivation, work ethics, and academic proficiencies. Elijah's strongest area of observed behaviors that may be indicative of potential success in gifted classes was social skills followed by self concept/internal motivation. Academic proficiency was the area least noted as having a strong correlation to Elijah's success in gifted programs. The need for a prevailing support system was also acknowledged through the findings from this research. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Social Cognitive Theory were used as the theoretical framework for this research. This research positions Elijah's story within a larger, structural context that acknowledges the interaction of internal and external factors that propel behaviors and actions. The complexity deepens as the research also addresses the systematic institutional policies, procedures and practices that covertly impede the recruitment and retention of African American students and gifted classrooms. The results of the study provide insight into a multi-faceted approach to identifying African American students for potential referrals to gifted programming and creating communities of accelerated opportunities.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Year dc:date.available

2011

Author dc:creator

• Barnes, Jhondra Anderson

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dorothy Battle
• Lorraine Gilpin
• Dawn Tysinger

• ETD
• African American gifted male students
• Identification of African America gifted students
• Retention of African American gifted students
• Critical race theory
• Social cognitive theory
• Behavior traits of African American gifted students

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/554

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1554