Gender Perceptions: A Narratological, Social Constructivist, Case Study of the Literacy Experiences of Urban African American Male Elementary Students

The purpose of this critical, narratological, social constructivist case study was to explore the literacy experiences of African American males and their relationships to masculinity in a third grade public school classroom within a Midwestern urban metropolitan area. The blending of critical, narratological, and social constructivist paradigms allowed the development of a thick, rich description of the literacy experiences of six African American males. As a single case study, participants were selected through the use of purposeful, criterion-based sampling. The following central question was posed followed by three subquestions: What are third grade urban African American male students’ literacy experiences like regarding their meanings of masculinity in an elementary classroom? (a) What traits of engagement, motivation, and metacognition are displayed by African American male students during literacy instruction? (b) How do urban African American male students define masculinity? (c) How does the use of critical cultural literacy practices engage these students in literacy instruction? Stories, interviews, classroom observations, and reflective journals were utilized for data collection. Through the use of open coding, themes were identified and used to form a synthesis of findings. Within the context of literacy instruction, the use of a critical culturally responsive pedagogy created classroom experiences for African American males that were engaging and motivational. These young students had perceptions about masculinity that were used to negotiate and make meanings of their literacy experiences. In spite of the lived experiences and racial injustices placed on the six African American participants, they possessed forms of resilience that allowed them to cope with the social and racial injustices placed upon them in the academic setting and larger society

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Bandy, Crystal M.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Smith, Dianne, 1957-

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/43906

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/43906