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.