Abstract
In today's global digital knowledge economy, we need learners to achieve academically toward the expectations of the future of work. Therefore, academic achievement is critical. Yet, academic achievement disparities exist globally. In the United States of America, the Black-White academic achievement gap has persisted since the beginnings of the achievement movement in 1970. The widening gaps of interest for this study focused on the U.S. Black-White achievement differences in the Southern U.S. states. The study analysis was quantitative and used t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression as the statistical analysis techniques, analyzing the parent, family, community, and regional relationships with Grade 8 reading achievement. The study applies sociological imagination and social class worldview as theoretical lenses. The research questions asked were: (1) What is the relationship between the capital access of families and communities and parents’ performance and the Black-White academic achievement gaps among school-aged youth in the Southern U.S.?; (2) What is the relationship between family household income and academic achievement among Black-White school-age youths?; (3) What is the relationship between the socioeconomic composition of neighborhoods and academic achievement among Black-White school-aged youths?; (4) What is the relationship between family structure and academic achievement among Black-White school-age youths?; (5) What is the relationship between access to in-home internet connection and technological devices and academic achievement among Black-White school-age youths?; (6) What is the relationship between parental expectations, varied by education levels, and academic achievement among Black-White school-age youths?; and (7) What is the relationship between parent's involvement in school-level activities and academic achievement among Black-White school-age youths? The study findings demonstrated a large effect (Cohen’s d ≥ 0.8) statistical significance for U.S. Black-White race/ethnicity on achievement, where Black families experienced the inequality; significance by U.S. regions for neighborhood composition (p < .009) and family structure (p < .001); no significance for U.S. Black-White race/ethnicity by U.S. regions, posing a national concern; and parental factors contributed the most variance (R2 = .194) on Grade 8 reading achievement scores. The conclusion provides a discussion and rationale of the U.S. regional insignificance, education practice recommendations, and future implications that suggest place-based perspectives on academic achievement gap reduction.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Academic achievement—Southern States; Academic achievement—Students, Black—Southern States
Date of Award
2024
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Education
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Kevin Wong
Recommended Citation
Fort, Chanel L., "The Black experiences of education in the southern United States of America: retracing the geographical impacts of family, history, and society on academic achievement" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1542.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1542