Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Bruce Carl Brydges
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
African American, adolescents, ages 11-15, at-risk behavior, behavior problems, behavioral adjustments, Black identity, Black pride, cultural affirmation, cultural awareness, cultural awareness curriculum, cultural identity, culturally relevant teaching, curriculum, decreased behavioral problems, disobedience, disruption, ethnic identity, male mentoring program, physical aggression, positive self-view, racial identity, self-consciousness, self-esteem, social development, verbal aggression
Abstract
The problem addressed in this applied dissertation was that at-risk African-American males (ages 11-15) in a male mentoring program were exhibiting a high degree of behavioral problems. The problematic behaviors demonstrated by the adolescents in the mentoring program included disobedience, open defiance, verbal aggression, physical aggression, and disruptiveness.
The primary solution strategy employed by the writer included exposure to a cultural awareness curriculum. Cultural awareness is the all-encompassing term used to describe any exposure to culturally specific information. Terms such as Black identity, Black pride, ethnic identity, cultural identity, racial identity, or African self-consciousness and related terms reflect exposure to and/or an understanding and appreciation of African and African American cultural origins, habits, and history. All fall within the overarching term cultural awareness.
The techniques used by the writer in the solution strategy included the utilization of cultural awareness as a key component to self-esteem development, utilization of lessons designed to promote personal and cultural affirmation in African American children, utilization of lessons and concepts designed to instill cultural pride in African American children, utilization of lessons that were practical and directly related to students’ social and personal reality, utilization of culturally relevant teaching (teaching African and African American history from a cultural perspective), and utilizing lessons designed to promote personal pride and functional personality development among African American males.
An analysis of the data indicated that five of the six outcomes were achieved, thereby indicating that at-risk African-American males (ages 11-15) in a male mentoring program are exhibiting good behavior (decreased behavioral problems). The data also demonstrated that cultural awareness curricula could have a significant impact on African American adolescent males’ at-risk behavior. Exposure to the cultural awareness curriculum increased adolescents’ positive view of themselves and increased their knowledge of behavioral adjustments necessary to be successful.