Dissertation
Television's effects on the future aspirations of African American middle school females: a phenomenological study
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Aug 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7045
Abstract
This phenomenological study examined how African American middle school girls make meaning of the television programs they watch and how their television viewing patterns inform their future aspirations. The following research questions guided the study: (a) What are the perceptions of middle-school African American adolescent girls on television programming images related to their academic learning experience? (b) How are the behaviors of African American adolescent girls shaped by the internalization of television programming images? (c) What are the perceptions of middle-school African American adolescent girls on television programming effects on their identity development and future aspirations? This study was informed by social identity theory and previous research on how adolescents make meaning of television programming, and this study was designed to inform the practice of middle school guidance counselors. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 African American girls enrolled in a middle school in California. Additionally, 8 of the 10 participants submitted a journal with entries about their television watching for a period of one week following the interviews. Analysis of the data revealed television viewing patterns and three themes: higher education trajectory, appreciation of characters, and entertainment. The results were as follows: (a) higher education is the chosen path for participants but television was not a major influence on either desire or expectations for the experience, (b) participants identified with African American female characters as well as with characters who did not look like them but who exhibited desired personality traits and careers or who reflected their own values and beliefs, and (c) participants referenced television as a form of entertainment. The results informed recommendations for practice and recommendations for future research.
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Details
- Title
- Television's effects on the future aspirations of African American middle school females
- Creators
- EriCa Wellington - DU
- Contributors
- Deanna Hill (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- x, 107 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 7045; 991014632582604721