Graduation Term

2016

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Mohamed Nur-Awaleh

Committee Member

Pamela Hoff

Abstract

America is currently at a crossroads regarding race relations. Social and racial inequities have led to disparities in the educational outcomes among Blacks and other groups in this country. These educational disparities, incorrectly defined as an achievement gap, are part of a larger deficit based construct, which continues to deflect attention away from a system of hegemony that has been used to maintain a hierarchy of power and dominance over African Americans. Central to the continuance of this structure is the use of deficit based rhetoric, ideology, and research that continues to perpetuate stereotypes of African American intellectual inferiority.

The present study draws on Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine the racial stereotype threat research to determine its contribution to the achievement gap construct and to examine its place among deficit theories. Counter narratives are provided to illustrate the need for additional research that focuses on the structural, rather than the proposed, psychological causes found within the stereotype theory.

Findings of this study show that the current racial stereotype threat research has several limitations, including lack of generalizability, less emphasis on racial stereotype threat between Whites and other racial groups, as well as a blaming-the-victim ideology, and less emphasis on the role that racism and deficit ideology have contributed to the disparity in academic outcomes between Blacks and other racial groups in this country.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2016.McCloud.D

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