Résumés
Abstract
In Canada, the Black population is the third-largest racially visible group, yet students of African descent continue to face inequities in Canadian school systems. Students of African descent can benefit from learning from an Africentric perspective that cultivates their well-being and achievement while centring their lived experience as a person of African descent. As research demonstrates the significance of parental involvement in Africentric education, the purpose of this study was to explore an Africentric High School Cohort from the perspective of parents of the students of African descent in this Cohort. Based on the conceptual framework of Nguzo Saba, the theoretical framework of Africentric education, and critical race theory, a thematic analysis of the findings was conducted. The findings are discussed under the themes of parental engagement, positive youth development, and addressing challenges. Recommendations are suggested for future Africentric cohorts.
Keywords:
- Africentric cohort,
- Africentric education,
- Nguzo Saba,
- critical race theory,
- people of African descent,
- Black people,
- African Nova Scotians,
- parents’ perspectives
Résumé
Au Canada, la population noire constitue le troisième groupe de minorités visibles. Cependant, les étudiants d’ascendance africaine continuent de faire face à des inégalités dans le système scolaire canadien. Les étudiants d’ascendance africaine peuvent tirer profit d’un apprentissage fondé sur une perspective africaine qui favorise leur bien-être et leur réussite tout en mettant l’accent sur leur expérience vécue en tant qu’individu d’ascendance africaine. La recherche ayant démontré l’importance de la participation des parents dans l’éducation afrocentrique, l’objectif de cette étude est d’explorer, du point de vue de leurs parents, une cohorte d’étudiants d’une école secondaire afrocentrique. Sur la base du cadre conceptuel de Nguzo Saba, du cadre théorique de l’éducation afrocentrique et de la théorie critique de la race, une analyse thématique des résultats a été effectuée. Les thèmes suivants ont servi de base à l’analyse : l’engagement parental, le développement positif des jeunes et les défis à relever. Enfin, l’article propose quelques suggestions pour les cohortes afrocentriques futures.
Mots-clés :
- cohorte afrocentrique,
- éducation afrocentrique,
- Nguzo Saba,
- théorie critique de la race,
- personnes d’ascendance africaine,
- Noires,
- Néo-Écossais d’origine africaine,
- perception des parents
Parties annexes
Bibliography
- Adler, K., Salanterä, S., & Zumstein-Shaha, M. (2019). Focus group interviews in child, youth, and parent research: An integrative literature review. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919887274
- Ministry of African Nova Scotia Affairs. (2017). Count us in: Nova Scotia’s action plan in response to the International Decade for People of African Descent. Government of Nova Scotia.
- Asante, M. K. (1988). Afrocentricity. Africa World Press.
- Asante, M. K. (1991). The Afrocentric idea in education. The Journal of Negro Education, 60(2), 170–180. https://doi.org/10.2307/2295608
- Asante, M. (2007). An Afrocentric manifesto: Toward an African renaissance. Polity.
- Bean-Folkes, J., & Ellison, T. L. (2018). Teaching in a culture of love: An open dialogue about African American student learning. School Community Journal, 28(2), 213–228. http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/SCJ.aspx
- Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (1972). The social construction of reality. Peguin.
- Bracher, M. (2006). Radical pedagogy: Identity, generativity, and social transformation. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Carter, D. J. (2008). Cultivating a critical race consciousness for African American school success. Educational Foundations, 11–28.
- Cherng, H. S. (2016). Is all classroom conduct equal?: Teacher contact with parents of racial/ethnic minority and immigrant adolescents. Teachers College Record, 118(11), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811611801104
- Codjoe, H. (2006). The role of an affirmed Black cultural identity and heritage in the academic achievement of African-Canadian students. Intercultural Education, 17(1), 33–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980500502271
- Codjoe, H. (2007). The importance of home environment and parental encouragement in the academic achievement of African-Canadian youth. Canadian Journal of Education, 30(1), 137–156. https://doi.org/10.2307/20466629
- Day, E., & Dotterer, A. M. (2018). Parental involvement and adolescent academic outcomes: Exploring differences in beneficial strategies across racial/ethnic groups. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47, 1332–1349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0853-2
- Dei, G. J. S. (1996a). Anti-racism education: Theory and practice. Fernwood Publishing.
- Dei, G. J. S. (1996b). The role of Afrocentricity in the inclusive curriculum in Canadian schools. Canadian Journal of Education, 21(2), 170–186.
- Dei, G. J. S. (2008). School as community: Race, schooling, and the education of African youth. Journal of Black Studies, 38(3), 346–366.
- Del Toro, J., & Wang, M. (2021). School cultural socialization and academic performance: Examining ethnic‐racial identity development as a mediator among African American adolescents. Child Development, 92(4), 1458–1475. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13467
- Delpit, L. (2006). Lessons from teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487105285966
- Eze, M. O. (2013). Pan Africanism: A brief intellectual history. History Compass, 11(9), 663–674.
- Gale, A., Williams, A., Rowley, S., & Boyd, D. (2022). The role of parents’ school climate perceptions on attainment expectations for Black middle schoolers. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 31(1), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02156-2
- Grix, J. (2004). The foundation of research. Palgrave MacMillan.
- Hamilton-Hinch, B., Harkins, M. J., Seselja, D. (2017). Implementing culturally sensitive pedagogies. Association of Atlantic Universities Showcase 2027 Open Journal, 21, 99–114. https://ojs.library.dal.ca/auts/article/view/8476
- Hamilton-Hinch, B., McIsaac, J. L., Harkins, M. J., Jarvis, S., LeBlanc, J. (2021). A call for change in the public education system in Nova Scotia. Canadian Journal of Education, 44(1), 64–92. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/5025
- Hamilton, S. (2012). When and where I enter: History, film and memory. Journal Acadiensis, 41(2), 3–16. Department of History at the University of New Brunswick.
- Hayes, D. (2011). Predicting parental home and school involvement in high school African American adolescents. The High School Journal, 94(4), 154–166.
- Horvat, E. M., & Lewis, K. S. (2003). Reassessing the “burden of ‘acting White’”: The importance of peer groups in managing academic success. Sociology of Education, 76(4), 265–280. https://doi.org/10.2307/1519866
- Howard, T., & Terry, C. L., Sr. (2011). Culturally responsive pedagogy for African American students: Promising cohorts and practices for enhanced academic performance. Teaching Education, 22(4), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2011.608424
- Huguley, J. P., Delale-O’Connor, L., Wang, M. T., & Parr, A. K. (2021). African American parents’ educational involvement in urban schools: Contextualized strategies for student success in adolescence. Educational Researcher, 50(1), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20943199
- James, C. (2012). Students “at risk”: Stereotypes and the schooling of Black boys. Urban Education, 47(2), 464–494. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085911429084
- James, C. (2013). Equity, social justice, and the inclusive classroom (research for teachers). ETFO Voice, (Winter). http://etfovoice.ca/node/579
- Jean-Pierre, J. (2021). How African Nova Scotians envision culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy as civic repair. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 42(8), 1153–1171. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2021.1981247
- Karenga, M. (1989). The African American holiday of Kwanzaa: A celebration of family, community, & culture. Kawaida Publications.
- Karenga, M. (2008). Kwanzaa: A celebration of family, community and culture. University of Sankore Press.
- Ko, D., Bal, A., Çakir, H. I., & Kim, H. (2021). Expanding transformative agency: Learning lab as a social change intervention for racial equity in school discipline. Teachers College Record, 123(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/016146812112300201
- Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. Jossey-Bass.
- Ladson-Billings, G. (2013). Critical race theory—what it is not! In M. Lynn & A. D. Dixson (Eds.), Handbook of critical race theory in education (pp. 34–47). Routledge.
- Ladson-Billings, G. (2014). Culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0: A.k.a. the remix. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 74–85.
- Lateef, H., & Anthony, E. K. (2020). Frameworks for African-centered youth development: A critical comparison of the nguzo saba and the five Cs. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 29(4), 270–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2018.1449690
- Latunde, Y., & Clark-Louque, A. (2016). Untapped resources: Black parent engagement that contributes to learning. The Journal of Negro Education, 85(1), 72–81.
- Lee, E., Nova Scotia Department of Education, Enidlee Consultants Inc., Marshall, C., & Canadian Electronic Library. (2009). Reality check: A review of key cohort areas in the BLAC report for their effectiveness in enhancing the educational opportunities and achievement of African Nova Scotian learners Nova Scotia Department of Education. https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/realitycheckfinalreportforweb.pdf
- Livingstone, A. M., Celemencki, J., & Calixte, M. (2014). Youth participatory action research and school improvement: The missing voices of Black youth in Montreal. Canadian Journal of Education, 37(1), 283–307.
- Love, H. R., Nyegenye, S. N., Wilt, C. L., & Annamma, S. A. (2021). Black families’ resistance to deficit positioning: Addressing the paradox of Black parent involvement. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 24(5), 637–653. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2021.1918403
- Lynch, E. W., & Stein, R. C. (1987). Parent participation by ethnicity: A comparison of Hispanic, Black, and Anglo families. Exceptional Children, 54(2), 105–111.
- Marschall, M. J., & Shah, P. R. (2020). Linking the process and outcomes of parent involvement policy to the parent involvement gap. Urban Education, 55(5), 699–729. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916661386
- McCoy, D., & Rodricks, D. (2015). Critical race theory in higher education: 20 years of theoretical and research innovations. ASHE Higher Education Report, 41(3), 1–117.
- McGee, E., & Spencer, M. B. (2015). Black parents as advocates, motivators, and teachers of mathematics. The Journal of Negro Education, 84(3), 473–490.
- McGregor, S. L. T., & Murnane, J. A. (2010). Paradigm, methodology and method: Intellectual integrity in consumer scholarship. International Journal Of Consumer Studies, 34(4), 419–427.
- McKay, M. M., Atkins, M. S., Hawkins, T., Brown, C., & Lynn, C. J. (2003). Inner-city African American parental involvement in children’s schooling: Racial socialization and social support from the parent community. American Journal of Community Psychology, 32(1/2), 107–114.
- Ministry of African Nova Scotia Affairs. (2017). Count us in: Nova Scotia’s action plan in response to the International Decade for People of African Descent. Government of Nova Scotia.
- Neergaard, M. A., Olesen F., Andersen R. S., & Sondergaard J. (2009). Qualitative description – the poor cousin of health research? BMC Medical Research Methodology, 9(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-9-52
- Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2016). Individual program plan review. Government of Nova Scotia.
- Parke, C. S., & Keener, D. (2011). Cohort versus non-cohort high school students’ math performance: Achievement test scores and coursework. Educational Research Quarterly, 35(2), 3–22.
- Phillips, M. J. (2023). Towards a social constructionist, criticalist, Foucauldian-informed qualitative research approach: Opportunities and challenges. SN Social Sciences, 3, 175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00774-9
- Poliandri, D., Perazzolo, M., Pillera, G. C., & Giampietro, L. (2023). Dematerialized participation challenges: Methods and practices for online focus groups. Frontiers in Sociology, 8, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1145264
- Posey-Maddox, L. (2017). Schooling in suburbia: The intersections of race, class, gender, and place in Black fathers’ engagement and family-school relationships. Gender and Education, 29(5), 577–593. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2016.1274389
- Rall, R. M., & Holman, A. R. (2021). The power of the collective: How a Black parent group’s initiative shaped children’s educational experiences and excellence. School Community Journal, 31(2), 181–212.
- Reinharz, S. (1992). Feminist methods in social research. Oxford University Press.
- Ristock, J., & Pennell, J. (1996). Community research as empowerment: Feminist links, postmodern interruptions. Oxford University Press.
- Robinson, J. (2020). Using focus groups. In S. Delamont & A. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research in education (pp. 391–404). Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Rummens, J., & Dei, G. (2010). Including the excluded: De-marginalizing immigrant/refugee & racialized students. Education Canada Network, 50(5). https://www.edcan.ca/articles/including-the-excluded-de-marginalizing-immigrantrefugee-and-racialized-students/
- Scott, D., Cernasev, A., Barenie, R. E., Springer, S. P., & Axon, D. R. (2023). Teaching deprescribing and combating polypharmacy in the pharmacy curriculum: Educational recommendations from thematic analysis of focus groups. Clinical Practice, 13(2), 442–453. https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13020040
- Shillingford, A., Joe, M. R., Norman, A., & Chapple, R. (2020). African American mothers’ perceptions of their sons’ school and community. Journal of African American Males in Education, 12(1), 49–65.
- Shizha, E. (2016). Marginalization of African Canadian students in mainstream schools: Are Afrocentric schools the answer. In A. Ibrahim & A. A. Abdi (Eds.), The education of African Canadian children: Critical perspectives, (pp. 187–206). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
- Solórzano, D., & Yosso, T. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23–44.
- Statistics Canada. (2019). Diversity of the Black population in Canada: An overview. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2019002-eng.htm
- Stinemetz, J. (1995). Independent schools: A workable solution [Unpublished paper]. Department of Sociology in Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto.
- Taylor, E. (2009). The foundations of critical race theory in education: An introduction. In E. Taylor, D. Gillborn, & G. Ladson-Billings (Eds.), Foundations of critical race theory in education (pp. 1–13). Routledge.
- Taylor, S. P. (2021). Assessing critical realism vs social constructionism & social constructivism for a social housing research study. In V. Hus (Ed.), Selected topics in humanities and social sciences vol. 3 (pp. 32–42). BP International. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/sthss/v3/1736C
- United Nations General Assembly. (2014). Recognition adopted by the General Assembly on 18 November 2014: Programme of activities for the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent. https://undocs.org/en/A/RES/69/16
- United Nations Human Rights Council. (2017). Report of the working group of experts on people of African descent on its mission to Canada. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/1304262?ln=en
- Williams, M. Y., Adams, Q., Hamilton-Hinch, B., & Patrick, M. (2018). Toward an African Nova Scotia Strategy for Dalhousie University [Internalreport as elaborated and finalized by the Dalhousie University African Nova Scotian Advisory Council, 2020]. Dalhousie University.
- Wiersma, W., & Jurs, S. G. (2009). Research methods in education: An introduction (8th ed). Allyn & Bacon.
- Wiggan, G., & Watson, M. (2016). Teaching the whole child: The importance of culturally responsiveness, community engagement, and character development in high achieving African American students. Urban Review, 48(5), 766–798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-016-0377-6
- Yull, D., Blitz, L., Thompson, T., & Murray, C. (2014). Can we talk? Using community-based participatory action research to build family and school partnerships with families of color. School Community Journal, 24(2), 9–31.