Keywords

Black, male, emotional disorder, technology, mentoring, role model, social, emotional, student perspectives

Abstract

The voices of Black male students labeled ED are seldom heard regarding their perspectives on education and their lives in general. By excluding their opinions, educators are missing an important aspect that could improve educational services for Black males with ED. Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the implications of Web-based mentoring as a platform for Black male students with ED to articulate their thoughts on the factors that impact their behaviors and achievement. Mentoring as an intervention granted Black males with ED a platform to share their thoughts. Technology was used as an educational resource to academically engage students with ED. Mentoring and technology were combined in a Web-based mentoring model designed to simulate traditional mentoring. Individual mentoring was simulated using live video conferencing. Role modeling was simulated by featuring video clips of the mentor in authentic capacities and group mentoring discussions were simulated by featuring a participant blog on the web site. To determine the implication and emergent themes of Web-based mentoring, two Black males with ED in high school participated in the study. Results of the study revealed that the participant's behavior and achievement were impacted by negative school and home environments. For Student One, negative school environments, specifically poor peer relations, resulted in aggressive behaviors that interfered with his academic progress. He stated, "I thought it would be different in high school, but it is the same as middle school. Student Two expressed disappointment with his home environment stating, "With all I got going on, it is hard to focus on school." Implications of the model on attendance, achievement, and behavior did not demonstrate an appreciable impact. However, both student participants expressed satisfaction with the model and the opportunity to share their thoughts openly.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2008

Advisor

Dieker, Lisa

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Child, Family, and Community Sciences

Degree Program

Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002316

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002316

Language

English

Release Date

May 2009

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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