Having Our Say - High Achieving African American Male College Graduates Speak About Parental Involvement and Parenting Style

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

Study examines how academically successful African American male college graduates perceive parental involvement and parenting styles across their kindergarten through 12th-grade experience. Using an online self-reported student perception survey, the research collects data on relationships between perceived parental involvement, parenting style, parental educational level, family structure, and the graduates’ higher education grade point average. Follow-up phone interviews with a subset of participants provide deeper insight into parental impact, identifying themes such as accountability, work values, rule following, curiosity, enriched learning environments, and academic excellence. The work frames parental involvement as a potential factor in college completion outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Having Our Say: High Achieving African American Male College Graduates Speak About Parental Involvement and Parenting Style This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of school administration and K-12 education. Lynn Lanier Odom University of Southern Mississippi Rose M. McNeese University of Alabama at Birmingham The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of parental involvement and parenting styles of the parents of academically successful African American males who graduated from historically Black colleges or universities (Odom, 2013). More specifically, the study investigated relationships among students’ perceptions of their parents’ involvement, parenting styles, educational level, and family structure with the student’s higher education grade point average. An online self-reported student perception survey instrument was developed and administered to 36 African American male participants. Survey data focused on how the graduates perceived their parents’ child rearing practices or parenting style during their educational experiences from kindergarten through 12th grades. Additionally, three students agreed to participate in individual follow-up phone interviews designed to provide in-depth information regarding their perceptions of their parents’ impact on their academic success. Common themes discovered in the data revealed that parents were involved every step of the way of their educational journey by holding their son(s) accountable, instilling the value of hard work, mandating rule following, encouraging curiosity, fostering a rich learning environment, and requiring academic excellence. NCPEA Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, Vol. 1, No. 1 – March 2014 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2014 National Council of Professors of Educational Administration This manuscript may not be used commercially or edited. When quoting portions of this text, attribution to the author/s is required. Introduction Historical depictions of the African American male have centered on him being lazy, unmotivated, dangerous, and without morality or intellect. Some current attitudes have suggested that African American males are generally more suited for the cotton field, football field, or basketball court but may not be suited for the classroom or boardroom (Schott Foundation, 2010) . Nearly 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the disparity in academic achievement between African American males and other ethnic groups is often misunderstood and supported by theories of lack of parental involvement, little or no discipline at home, and fathers absent from the child rearing process (Mandara, 2006) . Although educational research has substantiated and reported the problem of underachievement among African American males at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, there is much debate regarding the causes for this cultural dilemma. Statement of the Problem One of the greatest challenges facing colleges in America today is the disproportionate number of African American males who fail to earn a higher education degree when compared to African American women or any other ethnic group (Schott, 2010) . Education researchers have explored the causes of this social problem and found a multitude of complex possible reasons for the low rate of African American male college completers. Jaschik (2005) described the dimensions and complexity of recruitment and retention of African American males in higher education as far reaching and entangles a group of issues that begin in early childhood and continue throughout K-12 schooling. Some of the compelling factors found to contribute to non-completers were parenting styles, school expectations and practices, and students’attitudes and beliefs about school (Jaschik, 2005) . Cuyjet (2

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To examine patterns of parental involvement and parenting styles among the parents of academically successful African American males who graduated from historically Black colleges or universities.

How was data collected for the study?

An online self-reported student perception survey was administered to 36 participants, and follow-up phone interviews were conducted with three students to obtain in-depth perspectives.

What themes did the study identify about parental involvement?

Parents were involved at multiple steps by holding their sons accountable, instilling hard work values, enforcing rule following, encouraging curiosity, fostering rich learning environments, and requiring academic excellence.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag