An analysis of African American males' perceptions of Reactive Attachment Disorder at selected alternative school sites
Abstract
Research suggests that the disproportionality of school discipline among African American (AA) males exists. This disproportionality of school discipline among AA males compared to other subgroups may be perceived as significant because it may lead to an increase in the achievement gap and possibly increased dropout rates. In addition, these factors may create a greater likelihood of students entering the court system fueling the school-to-prison pipeline. A possible cause of the disproportionate number of discipline offenses among AA males may be due to their difficulty in relating socially to others. The researcher explored the problem of disproportionate representation of AA males in alternative school settings— Alternative (ALT) and Performance Learning Center (PLC)—through the use of the characteristics of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). The methodology in this study measured the characteristics of RAD using a Likert scale inventory (T-BRADSI). The researcher measured the perceptions from the results of participant ratings from the T-BRADSI. The specific research design in this study consisted of the Quan-Qual method. The results of the quantitative data were analyzed using the Pearson r correlation coefficient to determine the relationship between the prevalence and confidence levels of AA males' perception of the responses on the TBRADSI. The Pearson r was used to determine if in fact, AA males self-reported characteristics similar to RAD. In addition, qualitative data from the open-ended questions on the survey were analyzed to give readers a more in-depth understanding of the data presented. The implications of the findings are deserving of future research.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Education Policy|Education
Recommended Citation
Sandidge, Tanya, "An analysis of African American males' perceptions of Reactive Attachment Disorder at selected alternative school sites" (2016). ETD Collection for Fayetteville State University. AAI10610449.
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/dissertations/AAI10610449