The Meyerhoff Way: How the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program Helps Black Students Succeed in the Sciences

The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program (MSP) is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach of integrating students into the science community. The supports provided by the program aim to develop students, primarily Blacks, into scientists by offering them academic, social, and professional opportunities to achieve their academic and career goals. The current study allowed for a rich understanding of the perceptions of current Meyerhoff students and Meyerhoff alumni about how the program works. Three groups of MSP students were included in the study: (1) new Meyerhoff students participating in Summer Bridge (n = 45), (2) currently enrolled Meyerhoff students (n = 92), and (3) graduates of the MSP who were currently enrolled in STEM graduate studies or had completed an advanced STEM degree (n = 19). Students described the importance of several key aspects of the MSP: financial support, the Summer Bridge Program, formation of Meyerhoff identity, belonging to the Meyerhoff family, and developing networks—all of which serve to integrate students both academically and socially.     

Differences in educational outcomes of African American students from different socioeconomic backgrounds

This research tested a structural equation model of educational outcomes for three socioeconomic status (SES) groups of African American students enrolled in a community college. The structural model, which was based on a variant of Tinto's (1987) model, contained two exogenous constructs, educational intentions/commitment and external commitments, and three endogenous constructs, academic integration, social integration, and educational outcomes. The study demonstrated that higher levels of academic and social engagement had positive direct effects on educational outcomes for all students regardless of SES background. Other paths that were supported included the positive direct effects of educational intentions/commitment on academic and social integration and the negative impact of external commitments on social integration. Significant structural differences were not present in the measurement of model constructs or the process of educational outcomes among lowest, lower to middle, and middle to upper SES groups.     

The Marygrove College Griot Program: A Grow Your Own Program for African American Male Teachers

Marygrove College’s mission is to foster Christian values, educating students from diverse backgrounds, and serving the people of Detroit and beyond. This commitment consistently guides its actions, including opening its doors for men in a school originally for women by introducing one of the earlier Grow Your Own programs. Known as the “Griot Program,” it is specifically designed for African American males to increase their representation in the profession. This article describes the Griot Program’s efforts to grow and sustain African American Male Teachers by examining the design and implementation of the program. Describing specific issues of recruitment and retention, the article offers a program portrait for those who would like to replicate this home grown program.     

The impact of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program on college and post-college related choices of high ability,low-income minority students

In this paper we analyze the impact of the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program on several outcome variables using a regression discontinuity design. We find that GMS recipients have lower college loan debt and parental contributions toward college expenses and work fewer hours during college than non-recipients. We also find that GMS recipients have higher grade point averages in their junior year of college and are more likely to aspire to a Ph.D. degree than non-recipients.     

China's recruitment of African university students: policy efficacy and unintended outcomes

This article explores how Sino-African relations are affected by the growing number of Africans who pursue higher education in China. China actively recruits African university students in order to increase soft power and generate income from the export of education services. Semi-structured interviews with African university students suggest that China fails to reach these policy objectives because the students are disappointed with the quality of the education they receive. However, the students engage in trade and contribute to the fast-growing export of Chinese products to African markets, thereby reinforcing the ties between China and Africa in unintended ways.     

Gender and homework management reported by African American students

The present study linked gender and grade level to homework management strategies and homework completion behaviours. The participants were 685 African American students in the south‐eastern USA, including 370 eighth graders and 315 eleventh graders. Gender appeared related to the majority of homework measures examined in the present study. Specifically, compared with boys, girls reported more frequently working to manage their workspace, monitor motivation and control negative emotion. In addition, girls reported that they were more likely to complete their assigned homework and were less likely to come to class without their homework. On the other hand, grade level (eighth graders vs. 11th graders) did not relate to homework management strategies and homework completion behaviours.     

Wellness and College Type in African American Male College Students: An Examination of Differences

African American male students (N = 203) attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) and a predominantly White institution (PWI) participated in a study to determine differences in wellness. HBCU students scored significantly higher than did PWI students on Friendship, Love, Sense of Control, and Gender Identity. PWI students scored significantly higher than did HBCU students on Sense of Worth. Implications and future research directions are suggested.     

Relational Variables and Life Satisfaction in African American and Asian American College Women

The authors explored associations among relationship harmony, perceived family conflicts, relational self‐concept, and life satisfaction in a sample of 169 African American and Asian American college women. As hypothesized, higher relational self‐concept, or the extent to which individuals include close relationships in their self‐concepts, and relationship harmony scores were predictive of greater life satisfaction, whereas perceived family conflict was associated with lower life satisfaction. Implications for counseling African American and Asian American college women are discussed.     

校园调查:大学生眼中的高考

恢复高考30年,人们再一次将目光聚集在高考制度上,有人盛赞30年来高考推动我国社会发展的丰功伟绩,有人以专业的眼光评述高考的得与失,也有人挑剔高考的是是非非,并主张废除高考。有没有人知道亲历过高考洗礼的大学生们如何看待高考,他们又是怎么想,怎么说的?本研究用实证的方法,对在校大学生如何评价高考的问题进行了抽样调查,以期在以科学发展观为指导下的高考改革能更多地关注考生的需要与利益,使我国的高考更加科学化和人性化。调查结果显示,大学生对高考制度给予了充分的肯定;社会发展需要高考,个人发展也需要高考;高考功利性太强,教育性不足;高考改革的重点是录取制度,其次是考试内容和考试方法。     

Career Narratives of African American Female College Students: Insights for College Counselors

The authors collected narrative data from 11 African American female college students at a predominantly White institution using the Career Construction Interview (Savickas & Hartung, 2012 ), the Future Career Autobiography (Rehfuss, 2009 ), and a qualitative career experiences questionnaire. Using the constant comparison method (Strauss & Corbin, 1990 ), the authors uncovered 4 overarching themes based on the unique experiences of participants. The authors present insights for college counselors providing career development services.     

The Strong African American Families Program: translating research into prevention programming

A randomized prevention trial contrasted families who took part in the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF), a preventive intervention for rural African American mothers and their 11-year-olds, with control families. SAAF is based on a contextual model positing that regulated, communicative parenting causes changes in factors protecting youths from early alcohol use and sexual activity. Parenting variables included involvement-vigilance, racial socialization, communication about sex, and clear expectations for alcohol use. Youth protective factors included negative attitudes about early alcohol use and sexual activity, negative images of drinking youths, resistance efficacy, a goal-directed future orientation, and acceptance of parental influence. Intervention-induced changes in parenting mediated the effect of intervention group influences on changes in protective factors over a 7-month period.     

Cognitive Effects of College: Differences Between African American and Caucasian Students

In this longitudinal study of African American and Caucasian students from eighteen 4-year institutions, objective tests were used to estimate the cognitive effects of race in college, while applying statistical controls for an extensive set of confounding influences including precollege and background traits, institutional characteristics, and academic and social experiences. Evidence from the study suggests that in the first 3 years of college Caucasian students scored higher than their African American counterparts on seven standardized tests measuring critical thinking skills, knowledge of mathematics, reading comprehension, science reasoning, and writing skills. Implications for future research are discussed.     

African American College Students,the Black Church,and Counseling

African American undergraduate students face numerous challenges during college; however, they are less likely to seek help from college counseling services. Often, African Americans seek support from spiritual resources. In the current phenomenological study, participants shared in a focus group interview. Overall, participants seemed to value the Black Church as an integral part of their lives and as an influence on their perceptions of counseling and proclivity to seek counseling services.     

Using the College Outcome Measures Project to measure college outcomes

This article describes one institution's use of the College Outcome Measures Project (COMP) in comparing outcomes for graduates of traditional and non-traditional programs. The study was designed to answer three questions concerning the use of COMP in evaluating traditional and non-traditional programs. Results obtained in a study of 96 University of Minnesota graduating seniors suggest greater potential usefulness in distinguishing among institutions than in comparing outcomes of programs within an institution. The authors conclude that as new approaches and instruments for measuring college outcomes become available, criteria for instrument selection need to be shared among individuals charged with conducting outcome studies.     

Centering the Educational and Social Significance of HBCUs: A Focus on the Educational Journeys and Thoughts of African American Scholars

In this article we provide a brief history of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as a part of the sociopolitical context framing this special issue. The aim of this issue is to situate HBCUs as centers of leadership, change, and influence as well as repositories of Black education and the Black American experience through their legacy of intellectual, cultural, and communal engagement. We argue that the lived experiences of HBCU graduates provide a deeper understanding of their positionalities in the landscape of U.S. American higher education outcomes.     

高中生的大学升学抱负和升学选择--兼论其他社会经济因素的影响

根据对安徽省和上海市高中3年级学生的抽样问卷调查分析,结果表明,升学和就业选择不受大学升学抱负安定性的影响,但是本科和专科选择受升学抱负变化的影响,升学抱负形成越早,越有可能到本科院校学习。     

Early Head Start and African American families: Impacts and mechanisms of child outcomes

Persistent disparities exist between African American children and their European American counterparts across developmental domains. Early childhood intervention may serve to promote more positive outcomes among African American children. The current study examined whether and how the Early Head Start (EHS) program benefited African American children at the end of the program, when they were 36 months of age, as well as the parenting these children experienced and how this affected their developmental outcomes. The data show a wide and strong pattern of impacts of EHS for African American children and families. Path analysis yielded findings that suggested a direct effect of EHS on specific child outcomes and parenting processes within this group of African American families. Parental supportiveness and cognitive stimulation emerged as important direct influences on African American children's outcomes and as pathways through which Early Head Start benefits these children. These findings are discussed in the context of early childhood intervention practice.     

Help-Seeking Experiences and Attitudes among African American, Asian American, and European American College Students

The study examined African American, Asian American, and European American college students’ previous direct and indirect experiences of seeking professional psychological services and related attitudes. Survey data were collected from 254 European American, 182 African American and 82 Asian American college students. Results revealed that fewer African American and Asian American college students had sought professional psychological services, knew someone who had sought psychological services, and knew a close person who was diagnosed with a psychological disorder, relative to European American students. Furthermore, African American and Asian American participants showed less favorable attitudes on a variety of help-seeking attitudes, compared to the European American group.     

高校专业设置与大学生结构性失业的关系问题初探

高校专业设置滞后于市场需求,且专业的人才培养过程与社会对应用型人才的实际需求脱节,因而导致大学生专业结构性失业。可采取以下对策:高校结合区域发展目标错位发展,前瞻性地进行专业布局,以能力培养为导引,坚持特色育人,提升人才培养对社会需要的适应性。