Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1996

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Curriculum and Instruction

Major Professor

Kathleen B. deMarrais

Committee Members

Ted Hipple. Kermit Blank, Cynthia Fleming

Abstract

In 1972 the United States passed into law Title IX as part of the Educational Amendment Act. Implicit in that action was he acknowledgment that gender inequities did indeed exist in public education as well as other institutions in American society. Schools are influential institutions in American society. They reflect the values and traditions of our society. They also reflect injustices inherent in a social system stratified by class, ethnicity, and gender. Despite the enactment of Title IX over twenty years ago, there is still evidence of gender inequity in the educational system. Although progress has been made in some areas, the 1992 AAUW Report How Girls are Shortchanged in Education affirms the fact that [t]here is clear evidence that the educational system is not meeting girls' needs." Gender differences in the areas of academics, occupational choices, standardized tests, and teen pregnancy illustrate deficiencies and inconsistencies in treatments and outcomes.

Research on adolescent females has dealt with issues of difference in secondary education. Why adolescent females do not perform as well as adolescent males has been explored from the perspectives of socialization, cognition, and self-concept. There is a gap, however, when we examine the participants in the research, the perspectives from which data is collected, and the method of data collection. For example, the impact of social class and/or ethnicity on the learning styles of females is not sufficiently considered. There is little in the literature that explores the overall experience of females in high schools from their perspectives. Additionally, the method of data collection for the majority of literature has been survey research and other techniques allowing for little flexibility in responses.

This study examined the experiences of Black females from their perspectives in majority White high schools. Qualitative research methods were used in the form of in-depth-interviews with twelve high school students. Three major themes emerged from the data: (1) marginalization, (2) harassment, and (3) determination. Marginalization, social and academic, limited Black females' full participation in the school community. The extent and types of harassment experienced was related to the social class of the participant. Finally, the determination demonstrated by participants as they sought to succeed demonstrated the value they placed on education.

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