Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Fort, Edward B.

Abstract

Existing scholarship on self-concept and its relevance to personal agency in the classroom does not incorporate the lived experiences of African American middle school boys. Today, in the United States, only 10% of 8th grade African American boys can read proficiently (Holzman, 2011). This research study investigates the perceptions of seventeen middle school African American males' classroom experiences to determine factors that contribute to their classroom engagement and personal agency. The study also illustrates that there is a significant need for greater self-identity and self-concept within the learning environment, which allows African American male students to self–actualize their sense of personal agency and thus, become agents in their own learning process.

This dissertation extensively reviews the literature on Albert Bandura’s Cognitive Development Theory and the application it has on agency. The bi-directionality of the Triadic Reciprocal Determinism Model is explored and variables within the model were tested using the Innovative Trichotomous Squared Investigative Instrument. The Trichotomous Categorical Variables mirror the elements in Bandura’s TRD model: Behavioral, Personal and Environmental. The Trichotomous Squared Instrument extrapolated variables from the triad converting qualitative observational data into quantitative numerical application data. The findings revealed there were extremely significant differences in the contributing factors observed by the researcher in the environment that contributed to African American males adolescents’ perception of their personal agency. Findings also underscored the significance and relevance of a strong self-concept and strong self-identity in informing the personal agency of African American middle school boys.

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