Preparing the way: a qualitative study of high-achieving African American males and the role of the family.
Employed qualitative methods to examine the role of the family in the academic success of very high-achieving African American males. Findings revealed a complex tapestry of family processes and contexts involved in each youth's journey to outstanding academic achievement. Specifically, the combined importance of parental-determined academic engagement, strict discipline, nurturance, and community connectedness appeared to counteract potentially negative contextual influences of neighborhood, peers, schools, and society. The qualitative findings tell a multifaceted, rich, and compelling story of the pathways to academic success for Black males, and highlight the need for culture-specific and ecologically based conceptualization, research, and intervention approaches.
Maton
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KI
Psychology Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County 21250, USA. Maton@umbc2.umbc.edu
Hrabowski
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FA
Greif
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GL
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D015142:Baltimore; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*