ERIC Number: ED655676
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 228
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5699-1185-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Gentlemen's Code: A Student-Adult Collaboration on Culturally Responsive Behavioral Norms
Jacob Adam Giessman
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The Johns Hopkins University
At North Middle School--a Northeastern public school with a large African immigrant population--Black males were overrepresented in disciplinary referral by a factor of three in 2017-2018. A literature review framed by network theory (Neal, J. W. & Neal, 2013) and the concept of the serial stream of discipline (Irvin, Tobin, Sprague, Sugai, & Vincent, 2004) produced a conceptual framework of potential causes and factors related to this disparity. In semi-structured interviews, key informants hypothesized that bias and cultural difference might lead adults to overselect Black males for disciplinary referral. They also expressed interest in engaging the Gentlemen--a support and affinity group for North boys of color--and their families in an intervention. A student-adult collaboration took place across the fall trimester of 2019-2020, resulting in a Gentlemen's Code--a statement of behavioral norms that the Gentlemen believed appropriate to their group. It was hypothesized that this Code might mitigate the roles of bias and cultural difference on disciplinary selection by improving perceptions and self-perceptions about the Gentlemen and by advancing a more culturally responsive version of behavioral expectations. The Code was publicized via multiple pathways throughout the winter trimester in an attempt to encourage its integration into the daily affairs of the school. A mixed methods evaluation drew on data from preintervention and postintervention perceptual surveys, stakeholder interviews and focus groups, North's discipline database, and participant observer field notes. The intervention did not unfold exactly as envisioned. Family involvement was limited, and the Gentlemen's Code arguably did not become a pervasive reference point for Gentlemen or teachers. The Gentlemen expressed pride in and ownership of the Code, however, and the ways in which the Code was used outside of implementation and evaluation activities appeared positive and helpful. Disciplinary referrals for Gentlemen decreased from comparison trimesters but not at a significant level. However, there were other signs of shift, including increasingly nuanced faculty and staff understandings of the group. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Middle School Students, Males, Blacks, Immigrants, Interpersonal Relationship, Foreign Countries, Student Behavior, Discipline, Cultural Differences, Disproportionate Representation, Social Support Groups, Minority Group Students, Family Involvement, Social Behavior, Program Effectiveness
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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