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Perceptions And Construction Of Meaning Of Urban High School Experiences Among African American University Students

A Focus Group Approach

Northwest Missouri State University

Dana E. Christman

New Mexico State University

The perceptions of African American university students and how they construct meaning from high school experiences were examined. Five African American students from two large cities, attending a moderately selective university in the Midwest, served as a focus group for the study. An open-ended, semistructured questionnaire was used to guide the discussion for this qualitative study. Findings suggest that these students have transcended, to some extent, the attitudinal disconnect from serious schoolwork and separatism that often plagues African American students. The ability to develop interpersonal relationships with mentors and peers outside their own racial group (weak ties) provided more access to information and resources. The findings further suggest the desirability of a deconstruction of attitudinal disconnect from schoolwork among African American high school students.

Key Words: urban education • academic achievement • minority students • urban high school • qualitative study

Education and Urban Society, Vol. 35, No. 2, 181-201 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0013124502239391


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