Publication Date

1994

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

LCSH

African Americans--Employment; African Americans--Psychology; Academic achievement--United States

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate impediments to the academic and occupational advancement of Americans of African descent (AADs). It begins by describing the usefulness of interchanging psychological and economical terms and concepts. This is followed by an explication of relevant concepts in Thomas Sowell's explanation of the status of AADs. John Ogbu's oppositional cultural frame of reference is then described as a by-product/consequence of one of the concepts Sowell uses to explain the status of AADs. Next the researcher investigates the fear of acting white, a characteristic Fordham and Ogbu describe as an. element of the oppositional cultural frame of reference of AADs. Eighty-nine high school students from two schools in a major Midwestern city participated in the study. While evidence supporting the presence of a cognitive component of the fear of acting white was found, no relationship was found between this component and overall academic achievement or occupational aspiration.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages [110]-111).

Extent

iv, 126 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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