Date of Award
1991
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Taft, Thomas B.
Second Advisor
Kipfmueller, Mark K.
Third Advisor
Ivanoff, John
Abstract
This study considers metropolitan desegregation efforts within the immediate formal educational environment of minority students enrolled in three suburban high schools. Almost universally these students are challenged not only by changes in their racial environment but also by exposure to relatively higher academic standards. Recent research trends have identified the need to consider non-intellective, contextual and process variables as they relate to particular desegregated settings. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of five non-ability factors (self concept of ability, self esteem, locus of control, school climate and time) as predictors of success for minority students enrolled in suburban Milwaukee high schools. The selected sites have been active in the Chapter 220 voluntary desegregation program, have demonstrated their commitment to the desegregation process and have attained a level of approximately ten percent minority enrollment. A sample of one hundred seventy-one students who volunteered and obtained parental consent to participate were asked to complete four brief, self-report inventories. The surveys were administered by this examiner at each site during a regularly scheduled study hall or free period. Responses were coded by school to insure confidentiality and allow for site comparisons. Data analysis considers each factor individually and in combination to determine their influence on academic adjustment. The factors self-concept of ability and reaction to teachers, a subscale of the school climate inventory, emerged as the best predictors of academic productivity for minority students enrolled in the selected, desegregated high school settings. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.