Advisory Committee Chair
Tondra Loder-Jackson
Advisory Committee Members
Mieke Thomeer McBride
Dereef Jamison
Ashley Floyd Kuntz
Lonnie Hannon
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2021
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
Research regarding Black males in higher education has become an important endeavor for colleges and universities seeking to increase their graduation rates. Much of the previous research and practices have used a deficit-based approach explaining Black males’ low levels of academic achievement as primarily the result of them being underprepared. This ignores the contributions of Black males who do excel academically while minimizing the role their racialized gender plays in their outcomes. This dissertation focuses on an anti-deficit approach by exploring how high-achieving Black college males’ perceptions of manhood and masculinity have contributed to their overall academic success. Even though this study was influenced by existing theories used to understand the intersections of race and gender and their connections to academic success, the study’s methodological approach of abductive analysis allowed the researcher to focus on building theory from unsuspecting revelations within the analyzed data. This dissertation explored the experiences of 20 high-achieving Black college men attending an urban university located in the Southeastern United States. Results for this study revealed Black male students who display progressive perspectives on masculinities can integrate pursuits for academic success into their ideas about Black manhood. Implications for this study are discussed in this dissertation.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Christopher E., "Man Enough: Exploring the Gendered Experiences of High-Achieving Black Men in Higher Education" (2021). All ETDs from UAB. 815.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/815