I Have Risen: A Multiple-Case Study of 50 Successful African-American Students from Areas throughout the United States

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I Have Risen A Multiple-Case Study of 50
Successful African-American Students from Areas
throughout the United States

• Dr. Gilda Martinez
• Towson University
• Towson, MD

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Rationale

• Children growing up in poverty can succeed in
  school, despite disadvantages of not living in
  higher-level economic areas.
• Many are able to succeed in school and beyond,
  going to college, pursuing higher degrees, etc.
  (Averett Rodriguez, 2003).
• The question many people ask is,
• How did they do it?
• Joyce Epstein and her colleagues have been
  working on this question for many years and have
  found three main categories that seem to help
  students succeed home, school, and community
  partnerships (Epstein Sanders, 2002).
• This study aims to extend this research by
  investigating these three areas, along with
  additional areas that may have contributed to
  student success, in order to help future
  generations of students succeed regardless of
  their economic backgrounds.

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Research Questions

• How do students from low-socioeconomic areas
  succeed in school?
• Who and/or what helps them succeed academically?
• What has the biggest impact toward their success
  in school and in later life?

4
Methods

• To organize this study, a case study protocol was
  developed and followed closely.
• Yin recommends the development of a case study
  protocol, which is a carefully constructed
  outline of the steps involved in a case study.
• This studys protocol contained the rationale,
  research questions, target audience,
  conceptual/theoretical background, procedure,
  analysis plan, consent form, survey, and
  interview questions.
• It was created and closely followed by the
  researcher in order to provide structure and to
  enable other researchers to repeat the same
  procedures and yield similar results (Yin, 1994).
  

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Methods

• The youth involved in this study are
  African-American students from
• low-socioeconomic areas throughout the United
  States. The students received a full college
  scholarship through the Ron Brown Scholar
  Program, and attended universities such as
  Cornell, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Yale.
• In order to receive this scholarship, students
  submit essays, grades, information about school
  related activities, and their financial status.

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Selecting Participants

• Fifty of the essays were carefully selected as
  models by the Executive Director of the program,
  Michael A. Mallory, for publication in the book I
  Have Risen. The essays discuss the students
  environment growing up and/or why they wanted to
  pursue a college degree.
• The students in this multiple-case study are the
  50 students whose essays were selected.

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Participants

• Age College Graduates (25 years old)
• Gender 25 males / 25 females
• Race African-Americans
• Current location In several states across the
  U.S.

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Multiple-Case Study

• A multiple-case study is an instrumental case
  study extended to several cases. It allows the
  researcher to examine a number of
  representative cases, which supplies the
  researcher with data to demonstrate similarities
  or differences that may exist between cases, and
  as a result, to gain deeper understanding of a
  given phenomenon (Stake, 2000).

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Data Collected

• Essays
• Surveys
• SAT scores
• Interviews
• The process of relying on numerous sources of
  data, data triangulation, helps the researcher
  generate more valid and robust descriptions and
  explanations (Stake, 2000).

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Data Analysis - Essays

• The essays were coded to study similarities and
  differences noted among these students, and
  compared to identify overriding themes to reveal
  merits/shortcomings among and between individual
  cases (Flick, 2002).
• Key words included home, school, community, role
  models, extracurricular activities, hope

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Creating the Survey

• The survey was created by the researcher and
  focused on home, school, and community
  connections
• A focus group (administrators from the Ron Brown
  Scholar Program) reviewed the survey questions to
  ensure they would help in answering this studys
  research questions

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Survey

• The survey asked How important were the
  following in making who you are today?
• The survey responses were on a Likert scale,
  where 1 was very significant and 5 was not
  significant
• An area for comments was provided and stated
• Others? Please explain what had the biggest
  impact on your lifes success.

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Survey Components

• The survey asked
• How important were the following in making who
  you are today?
• Parents/caregivers
• Communication from home to school
• Communication from school to home
• Having your parents/caregivers volunteer at your
  school
• Learning at home
• Having parents/caregivers participate in your
  school activities
• Having parents/caregivers participate in your
  community activities
• Community centers
• Public libraries
• School libraries
• Internet
• Media
• Others? Please explain what had the biggest
  impact on your lifes success.

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Data Analysis Surveys

• The survey responses were scored and the totals
  were averaged
• The averages are reported for each response based
  all students, then segregated by males and
  females
• The responses were studied to unveil further
  questions, which would be asked during the
  interviews

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Data Analysis SAT Scores

• SAT scores were reviewed and averaged for the
  group of 50 participants
• Similarities and differences between students
  were noted
• Possible correlations between their SAT scores
  and their essays were analyzed

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Data Analysis Interviews

• Semi-structured interviews took place after the
  survey results and SAT scores were examined, in
  order to aid in creating an even thicker
  description of how these students succeeded in
  life.
• The interview questions were also reviewed by the
  same focus group of administrators, who reviewed
  the survey questions.

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Interview Questions

• The interview questions delved deeper into
  specific questions the researcher had based on
  the survey results and SAT scores.
• Examples of questions include
• How did the Internet/media/libraries help you
  succeed?
• How did you prepare for the SAT exam?
• What would you recommend to help students
  succeed?
• How has the quality of your life changed as a
  result of your education?
• Are you happy as a result of your education?

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Results

• The top six reasons these students succeeded are
  listed by order of importance based on the survey
  data collected
• Parents/caregivers
• Learning at home
• Public libraries
• School libraries
• Internet
• Media
• The essays and interviews also supported these
  findings.

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Additional Results

• Based on the comment section of the survey, and
  also supported through the essays and interviews,
  other important factors that aided in their
  success
• role models
• mentors
• extracurricular activities
• religion

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Results Parents/Caregivers

• The results indicated that parents/caregivers
  were the most important element in these
  students lives.
• Having a parent or caregiver that believed in
  them, expected success, supported them, and
  encouraged them to continue with their academic
  careers was rated number one, as the most
  important factor that contributed to the academic
  success in their lives.

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Results Quote from a Grandma

• Baby, I want you to go onand do us all proud
  like I know you can do. Now, I know you love
  your old grandma, but I dont want you to worry
  about me, cause whatever happens to me rests in
  the capable hands of the Lord. Ever since the
  day you were born, I have worked hard to see this
  dayto see you go on to a better life and become
  a young man by taking hold of your future and
  getting a good education. And son, the only way
  you can disappoint me is not by leaving me, but
  by letting my hard work go up in smoke (Fix,
  2006, p. 20).
• Her grandson is studying government at
• Harvard University.

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Results Parents/Caregivers

• Conversely, some parents did not find it
  necessary for their children to go to college
  because they were
• afraid of the unknown, or
• they did not value education
• This was noted in student essays and through
• survey comments.

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Results Home/School

• Students did not believe home-school
  communications were important because they simply
  were not occurring, therefore had no impact on
  their success.
• Having parents/caregivers volunteer in school or
  participate in school activities also did not
  occur thus was perceived as unimportant.
• This contradicts previous research about the
  importance of these particular areas. However,
  this does not discount previous research because
  it is known that the more home-school
  communication that occurs, the more chances for
  academic success (Epstein, 2001 Henderson
  Mapp, 2002).

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Results Public/School Libraries

• Libraries follow parents and caregivers in the
  ranking. Students said that having had early
  exposure to books, having people (teachers and
  librarians) motivate them about reading, and
  having access to print allowed them the
  capability of becoming avid readers, which
  correlated, in their opinion, with their ability
  to comprehend texts and information presented in
  school.

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Quote from a Survey

• When explaining What had the biggest impact on
  your lifes success?, one student said,
• Im sure that an early introduction to, and
  fascination with books had a great deal to do
  with it lifes success.

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Results Public/School Library

• Having read many books also helped enhance their
  vocabulary.
• Their choice of exquisite words, such as
• transmogrified, assiduous,
• depravity, insular, and vestige,
• in the essays submitted for the Ron Brown
  Scholarship and their verbal SAT scores, which
  averaged 700 out of a possible 800, also
  indicated that they were exposed to, learned, and
  used rich vocabulary.

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Results Public/School Library

• Some students also included inspirational quotes
  from books they had read, into their essays. For
  example,
• The truth is the light and the light is the
  truth was one such quote included from
• Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man (Fix, 2006, p.
  48).
• This student is studying political science
  and broadcast journalism at Florida AM
  University.

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Results Internet

• The Internet played an important role as well
  because it provided them with a database of
  endless resources and materials to read, learn,
  and become knowledgeable about regardless of
  their current situations.
• Many claimed to have used the Internet at the
  public library.

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Results Media

• The sixth element, media, was indeed important
  because having role models, in particular
  African-American role models (i.e. teachers,
  physicians, attorneys, business professionals),
  helped them want to attend college and create
  those scenarios for themselves.

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Results Media

• Through their essays, many students expressed a
  high interest in turning their negative
  situations around, not wanting to continue in the
  negative environment that surrounded them on a
  daily basis. One student said,
• The man does not have a stable job. He has
  missed his sons awards and experiences. The
  last time he saw any of his children was about
  four years ago. The man is my fatherIronically,
  he is also my source of inspiration (Fix, 2006,
  p. 56).
• Through media, however, this student was able to
  witness how others came out of negative
  situations and had been able to succeed or, had
  observed African-Americans as leaders.
• This student is at Georgia Tech University
  studying engineering.

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Results Media (another opinion)

• On the other hand, some students thought what
  they saw on television did not happen in reality.
  It was too good to be true. For example, one
  student explained how he began making friends
  with white middle class students from his
  school, and was invited to a friends house,
• The first time I walked into the house of one
  of my new friends I saw a clean carpet, pristine
  white walls, parquet floors, plump furniture, and
  his smiling mother in the spotless kitchen,
  preparing an after-school snack. Before walking
  into that house I thought such lives existed only
  on the television (Fix, 2006, p. 36).

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Results Media (another opinion
continued)

• He continued the discussion comparing his new
  friends home environment to his own in a hotel,
• While I enjoyed my new friends, I knew that
  there were people back at the Will Rogers
  Hotel, my other companions, struggling to pay
  their rent. There were so many people who led
  disconnected lives lives without love, warmth,
  or dignity. I even felt a sense of guilt
  because, through choice, tenacity, and perhaps a
  bit of luck, I was on a trajectory that would
  enable me to leave behind the world of Will
  Rogers (Fix, 2006, p. 36).
• This student goes to Harvard University and has
  a major in
• history and science.

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Results Based on Essays alone

• A topic discussed in various essays, that was not
  part of the other data collected, was racism
• Students explained how racism affected them and
  expressed the need for change ( in the United
  States)
• Two of the students had visited other countries
  (Germany and Cuba) and said they were welcomed in
  those countries, and individuals there were not
  concerned about color or race

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Quote on Racism

• They have said to me that the only reason I am
  getting into a good college is because I am
  black. They do not see the long hours I have
  spent poring over my books, they do not see my
  fight to keep up my grades, nor do they see my
  struggle to be the best that I can be. They only
  see that I am black (Fix, 2006, p. 38).

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Results - SATs

• An average SAT score is 5oo, per section
• http//www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/sc
  ores/understanding/average.html
• These students verbal and math SAT scores ranged
  from
• 800 (perfect) to 540 (above average)
• The average of their scores was
• Verbal 700
• Math 670

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Results Segregated Data

• Males vs. Females

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Results Males vs. Females

• After reviewing the surveys, essays, and
  interview data, males and females were similar in
  their views of how they succeeded in school and
  beyond
• Parents and caregivers, learning at home, role
  models, mentors, extracurricular activities,
  libraries, religion, media, and the Internet had
  positive impacts on their successes
• Parents volunteering in school/community center
  activities, home/school communications, and
  community centers did not assist with their
  success

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COMMON THREAD Remaining positive despite the
negative

• Negative being
• Poverty
• Homelessness
• Drug addicted family members
• Abuse
• Racism
• Family (when family did not want them to attend
  college)

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COMMON THREAD Remaining positive, having hope

• Remaining positive through
• Parents/caregivers
• Role models
• Extracurricular activities (volunteering, debate
  team, student council, homework, writing,
  leadership positions, sports)
• Religion
• Libraries

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Recommendations Parents/Caregivers

• Providing training programs for new parents, to
  teach them about the value of providing
• nutrition along with a
• safe,
• loving, and
• nurturing environment

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http//chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslo
w.html
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Recommendations Parents/Caregivers

• Since parents and caregivers play such an
  important part in student lives and academic
  success, they need to be informed about the
  importance of sharing literacy experiences, such
  as having conversations, reading together, going
  to the library, and modeling writing with
  children in the home.
• These activities have proven to be more helpful
  in preparing children for school than even
  socio-economic status. These types of
  activities, in other words, can compensate for
  socio-economic differences (Epstein Sanders,
  2002).

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Recommendations Parents/Caregivers

• Programs that promote literacy learning for the
  entire family are especially necessary, since
  parents are their childrens first teachers
  (Handel, 1999 McConnell, 2001) and, more
  funding for mentor type programs is necessary, to
  fill the gap for children who do not have a
  significant person or role model in their lives.
• Teach parents about value of education, including
  college education.

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Recommendations Mentor Programs

• For the students in this study, having a
  significant person in their lives (which included
  parents, teachers, librarians, counselors,
  neighbors, mentors, coaches, religious leaders,
  role models, and friends) made the greatest
  impact on their success.
• Some students stated that their parents were drug
  addicts or abused alcohol, yet a significant
  person (such as a person from the Big Brothers
  Big Sisters program) had believed in them,
  helped them grow up believing they would succeed,
  and were there for them to assist with school
  projects or with other important life lessons.
• Mentors are needed for students who do not have a
  significant person who believes in them.

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Recommendations Professional Development for
Home/School

• Training administrators and teachers about
  conducting effective partnership practices is
  essential to the success of home-school
  connections (Chavkin, 2000).
• This study emphasizes the importance of this type
  of training, since these types of connections
  were not occurring in these students lives.

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Recommendations Develop Reading Motivation

• Students commented that becoming motivated to
  read was also very important in their academic
  success. Thus, teachers and caregivers should
  provide students with books of interest include
  a social component to reading (such as re-telling
  stories in a group) set goals for reading
  provide good reading models and give students
  time and space to read comfortably (Cole, 2003).
  
• This leads to how reading motivation may impact
  school grades, and fine grades may help in
  maintaining reading motivation. This can also
  lead students in becoming lifelong readers and
  lifelong learners regardless of backgrounds
  (Colker, 2000).

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Recommendations Funding for Libaries

• Funding for libraries, to keep them open, with
  up-to-date books, resources, computers, and the
  Internet is of essence when providing access to
  print.
• Encouraging library programs that bring books to
  childcare centers (or other community
  organizations) can also be very motivating and
  start children reading early on (Bagley, 2000),
  as some students stated was how they became
  life-long readers.

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Recommendations Media

• Last, promoting more programs on television and
  in other media sources that show successful
  African-Americans in our society will help to
  continue to provide the positive role models that
  students need.

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Conclusion INTELLIGENCE, EFFORT, SUPPORT, and
HOPE

• Highly motivated by the possibility of
  becoming the first four-year college student in
  my immediate family, and the only one within my
  group of friends to pursue higher education,
  learning became a passion. I devoted my energy
  to becoming a scholar, staying late at school to
  study in the library, participating in
  activities, and avoiding the neighborhoods
  negativity (Fix, 2006, p. 40).
• This student is studying political science and
• broadcast journalism at Florida A M University.

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References

• Averett, A., Rodriguez, V. (2003, Spring). New
  research on families, communities,
• and student achievement. The Link, 1-2.
• Chavkin, N. F. (2000). Family and community
  involvement Teachers can lead the way. Clearing
  House, 73(5), 287-290.
• CollegeBoard. (2008). SAT. Retrieved June 11,
  2008 from http//www.collegeboard.com/student/test
  ing/sat/scores/understanding/average.html
•  Epstein, J. L. (2001). School, family, and
  community involvement. Washington, DC Lilly
  Endowment, Inc.
• Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G. (2002). Handbook
  of parenting. In M. H. Bornstein
• (Ed.), Family, school, and community
  partnerships (pp. 407-437). Mahwah, NJ
• Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
• Fix, S. (2006). I have risen Essays by
  African-American youth. Charlottesville, VA CAP
  Charitable Foundation.

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References continued

• Flick, U. (2002). An introduction to qualitative
  research. Thousand Oaks, CA Sage
• Publications Ltd.
• Handel, R. D. (1999). Building family literacy in
  an urban community. New York, NY  
• Teachers College Press.
•  
• Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new
  wave of evidence The impact of school,
• family, and community connections on student
  achievement. Austin, TX
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
• Huitt, W. (2004). Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
  Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA
  Valdosta State University. Retrieved June 11,
  2008 from, http//chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/r
  egsys/maslow.html.
•  McConnell, S. (2001). Parent involvement and
  family support Where do we want to go,
• and how will we know we are headed there?
  Journal of Early Intervention, 24(1), 15-18.
•  
• Stake, R. E. (2000). Case studies. In N. K.
  Denzin Y. S. Lincoln (Ed.), Handbook of
• qualitative research, 2nd Edition (pp. 435-454).
  Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications Ltd.

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Last BUT not Least

• Why a case study?
• What made it possible?
• What were the benefits?
• What were the challenges -time, access, etc.?
• How did you organize the data?
• Challenges in data analysis and write up?
• Final products presentations, articles?
• Post-dissertation reflections, etc.?