Date of Award
Spring 5-2020
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Program
Educational Leadership
Department
Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Foundations
Major Professor
Dr. Brian Beabout
Second Advisor
Dr. Angela Alexander
Third Advisor
Dr. Barbara Johnson
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Zarus Watson
Abstract
This research study was designed with the intent to explore the decision of African American undergraduate men attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) to join a predominantly White social Greek fraternity. Satisfaction with college life significantly impacts the retention of all students, including African American male students, in institutions of higher learning (McGee, 2015). The findings will assist in determining whether participation in a predominantly White social fraternity helped African American men achieve success on a predominantly White campus.
African American undergraduate men who actively participated in student organizations experience positive development from their campus experiences (McGee, 2015). Several studies linked African American men’s student involvement in college activities and increases in their personal, social, and academic life (Griffin & McIntosh, 2015; Hurtado, Alvarez, Guillermo-Wann, Cuellar, & Arellano, 2012; Payne & Suddler, 2014). Tinto (1993) defined persistence, in the context of higher education, as how an individual participates in social and academic experiences to maintain college enrollment in pursuit of a college degree. Cross (1971) asserted the attitudes of African American college students’ racial identity influenced their participation in cultural and noncultural campus organizations. Although policymakers have focused significantly more on the achievement gaps that exist nationwide between African American students and their White counterparts in postsecondary institutions, less attention has been directed towards the lower enrollment of African American men into predominantly White social Greek fraternity (Dugger et al., 2013; Torres, 2012). The research question guiding this study is, What are the important components of African American men’s’ decisions to join a predominantly White social Greek fraternity in college? Undergraduate African American men who are members of a traditional White fraternity were sampled via a snowball selection and interviewed for this study. Understanding the experiences of African American men about the factors that influenced their decision to join a predominantly White social Greek fraternity could assist colleges and universities to increase the enrollment of African American men into predominantly White social Greek fraternities.
Recommended Citation
Austin, Anthony R., "African American Undergraduate Males’ Perceptions of the Factors that Influence Their Decision to Join a Predominantly White Social Greek Fraternity" (2020). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2721.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2721
Rights
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