Rhodena Townsell - PhD Dissertation Defense - Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair for Donald Ray Brown, Jr., Dissertation Proposal...
-
Upload
william-kritsonis -
Category
News & Politics
-
view
148 -
download
2
description
Transcript of Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair for Donald Ray Brown, Jr., Dissertation Proposal...
EXPLORATORY QUAILITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF REDUCING RECIDIVISM RATES FOR AFRICAN
AMERICAN MALES ENROLLED INMIDDLE SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY ALTERNATIVE
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
A Dissertation Proposalby
DONALD RAY BROWN, JR.
Dissertation ChairWilliam Allan Kritsonis, PhD
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
DAEP Structure
The structure of the DAEP’s both physically (by location separation) and operationally is intended to be a deterrent.
The average length of stay is between 16-45 days(IDRA,1999).
Most DAEP’s Operate on a Point System that serves as an indicator of when the child might be ready to exit the program (TEA,2007)
Student Cultural Dynamics
When looking at structure on a variety of cultural levels, there may be an underlying indication to the African American student that this setting is more culturally conducive to his learning experience.
For the African American male, this environment may be an educational environment where they receive individualized education assistance in a smaller group setting.
The ridged structure of a DAEP can be difficult to transition out of when students return to their home campus/school of origin.
Student Cultural Dynamics
Multiple researchers have indicated that there is an overrepresentation of African American males in DAEP settings and in our prison systems (Tobin & Sprague, 2000; TEA, 2007; Abramson, 2008)
There is a correlation between these disciplinary experiences for African American males (Parham & McDavis, 1987; Blake& Darling 1994; Texas Appleseed, 2007).
Institutionalization
These issues specifically influence the African American male, because of the culture of institutionalization in the black community.
Institutionalization conveys the messages of external loci of control, hopelessness and cyclical degradation of the individual experiencing it.
the structure and practices an African American male experiences in the DAEP can in some instances, be the expected cultural norm
Statement of the Problem
There are DAEP structural factors such as programming, operational styles and intervention components that could contribute to the over representation of recidivism for African American Males in DAEP’s.
The recidivism rate of 6th-8th grade African American males returning to alternative school settings is a growing problem in education (IDRA, 1999).
Students who experience multiple transitions between DAEP’s and Regular Education Settings (RES’s) tend to have difficulty adjusting in Americas Public Education System and life’s challenges (Perkins, 1991).
Statement of the Problem
Disciplinary Alternative Education Program Literature related to overrepresentation of African American male 6th-8th grade Middle School students does not adequately reflect structural factors that could reduce recidivism rates.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that reduce or eliminate high rates of recidivism for African American male students enrolled in alternative education programs.
Ultimately identifying best practices that produce low to no recidivism rates for African American male students enrolled in alternative education programs.
Research Questions
RQ1 How does each program structure model affect African American male student recidivism rates in an alternative setting?
RQ2 Is their a relationship between Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy score and African American male student recidivism rates in disciplinary alternative education settings?
RQ3 What aspect of parental involvement influences African American male student recidivism rates?
RQ4 To what degree of influence does the social skills curriculum have on African American male student recidivism rates?
Theories Guiding the Study
Reciprocal Determinism Symbolization
Logic Abstract Thought Problem Solving
Social & Cultural
Influence
Bandura Piaget
RQ1 How does each program structure model affect African American male student recidivism rates in an alternative setting?RQ2 Is their a relationship between Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy score and African American male student recidivism rates in disciplinary alternative education settings?RQ3 What aspect of parental involvement influences African American male student recidivism rates?RQ4 To what degree of influence does the social skills curriculum have on African American male student recidivism rates?
RQ1 How does each program structure model affect African American male student recidivism rates in an alternative setting?RQ4 To what degree of influence does the social skills curriculum have on African American male student recidivism rates?
Theories Guiding the Study
Bandura’s Reciprocal Determinism Theory Behavior influences and is influenced by
personal factors and social environment Most external influences affect behavior
through cognitive processing Behavior is conditioned through the use of
consequences
Theories Guiding the Study
Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory: Formal Operational Stage
Begins at age 12 and lasts through adulthood
Thinking hypothetically, conceptualization, outcomes and consequences
Organized approach to problem solving
Significance of the Study
Data gathered in this study will highlight structural procedures and interventions that help to reduce or eliminate the percentage of African American males who return to the alternative education program after a successful completion.
This study will provide information that can help improve alternative education for all students.
Assumptions
Piaget and Bandura paradigms support the assumption that institutionalization impacts:
1. Interpersonal communication 2. Worldviews 3. Social and cultural interactions
Assumptions
DAEP’s maintain institutional structure and programming by utilizing discipline measures that stagnate development processes related to logic, abstract thought and problem solving skills that occur during adolescence.
As such, identifying and improving upon structure, program components and Teachers’ Sense of Teacher Efficacy can only lead to improvements in DAEP visit outcomes.
Limitations of the Study
This study will be limited to investigating African American male middle schoolers enrolled in DAEP’s located in South East Texas
demographics such as social economic status, parent marital status and the extent to which the home schools are recognized by TEA and were not taken into account for this study
Statement of Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that their will be no significant difference in the structure of the DAEP’s, the interventions used in the DAEP’s and the Teachers’ Sense of Teacher Efficacy of the teachers working in the DAEP’s and their impact on reducing the rate of recidivism for African American males in grades 6-8 enrolled in alternative education programs.
Sampling Methods
Homogeneous cases: only Alternative Education Programs will be selected for this study
With in the study Criterion case sampling will be used in each alternative setting to identify this studies population to be researched.
Themes from Literature
How DAEP’s were formed (Zweig 2003;TEA 2007)
DAEP Structure and Program (Aron, 2003) Best Practice Guidelines (McCreight, 1999;
TEA, 2007) Overrepresentation of students in DAEP
setting (IDRA,1999; Skiba, Michael & Abra 2000; Zweig, 2003)
Research Design
This will be a exploratory qualitative study- allows the researcher to first collect qualitative data and use the findings to give direction to quantitative data collection (Frankel & Wallen, 2006).
Interviews will be coded for the emerging and contrasting themes
Surveys will be scored using a likert scale
Population and Sample
The target population for this study will be African American male 6th-8th grade DAEP Middle Schoolers
Active Participants include Principals, Counselors and Teachers
Participants for the study were selected through purposive sampling-subjects are selected because of some characteristic (Patton 1990)
Instrumentation and Pilot Study
Permission was obtained from Dr. Anita Hoy Woolfolk Hoy to use the Teachers’ Sense of Teacher Efficacy Scale
A nine question pilot study will be performed to identify program structure characteristics, program practices – such as the level of parental involvement and the utilization of social skill curriculums and their relationship to a successful one time visit to an alternative education program for the African American male 6th-8th grade DAEP middle schoolers
Data Collection
Surveys Pilot Interview Questions To ensure confidentiality, each DAEP
campus was coded with alpha and number Existing TEA Data
Data Analysis
Quantitative data will collected on Teachers’ Sense of Teacher Efficacy retracted from their responses to the instrument, Teachers’ Sense of Teacher Efficacy Scale
Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale is designed to measure efficacy in student engagement, instructional practices and classroom management
Each item is measured on a 9-point scale anchored with the notations: “nothing, very little, some influence, quite a bit, a great deal”
Data Analysis
Data will be collected on DAEP program structure, teachers’ sense of efficacy scale, parental involvement and social skills curriculum for each school.
A Pearson r correlation coefficient will calculated to determine if a relationship existed between the variables and African American male recidivism rates.
Sirkin (2006) describes Pearson’s r as a “coefficient that is used when both variables are an interval or a ratio level of measurement” (p. 446)
Data Analysis
RQ1 How does each program structure model affect African American male student recidivism rates in an alternative setting? Administrator interview questions, TEA DAEP Data
RQ2 Is their a relationship between Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy score and African American male student recidivism rates in disciplinary alternative education settings? Teacher Self Efficacy Scale, TEA DAEP Data
RQ3 What aspect of parental involvement influences African American male student recidivism rates? Administrator interview questions, TEA DAEP Data
RQ4 To what degree of influence does the Social Skills Curriculum have on African American male student recidivism rates? TEA DAEP Data, Type of social skills curriculum
Summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that reduce or eliminate high rates of recidivism for African American male students enrolled in alternative education programs. Ultimately identifying best practices that produce low to no recidivism rates for African American male students enrolled in alternative education programs.
Data gathered in this study will highlight structural procedures and interventions that help to reduce or eliminate the percentage of African American males who return to the alternative education program after a successful completion. This study will produce the groundwork needed to help reform alternative education.