UZURI PAPERS Volume 1, Issue 1
Enhancing Black Male Academic Achievement:
Reading and Study Skill Proficiency
Anthony G. Robins, Ph.D.
Rex L. Crawley, Ph.D.
Lamont L. Gilliam, Jr.
The RMU Uzuri Think Tank is an endowed research center focused on
African American male educational success
African American men’s inability to complete
Once admitted to a
college/university (i.e., receive a credential or degree)
university, capable
continues to be a conundrum (Robins, 2013; Palmer et al.,
African American
2009; Palmer and Wood, 2011; Harper, 2012; Harper, 2009;
Monk, 1998). Once admitted to a university, capable
male students
African American male students experience difficulty
experience difficulty
navigating the academic journey. Their educational
navigating the
challenges stem from lack of effective study skills as
opposed to absence of ability (Palmer et al., 2011). The
academic journey.
consequences of such challenges tend to compromise the
academic achievement of Black men and often lead to
dissatisfaction with school that ultimately impacts persistence and completion
(www.thinkprogress.org; Palmer et al., 2009).
Among black men aged 25 years and older, 45 percent have attempted college but only 16
percent have earned college degrees. This compares unfavorably to white counterparts of
the same age who have college degrees (U.S. Department of Education, 2010; U.S. Census
Bureau, 2003). Disturbingly, the graduation rate of black college students overall stands at
an appallingly low 42 percent (www.jbhe.com) compared to 62 percent for white students.
It is apparent that access to higher education does not necessarily mean academic success.
Studying is intentional (Gettinger and Seibert, 2002; Thomas and Rohwer, 1986). Effective
studying requires not only the knowledge and application of skills (Gettinger and Seibert,
2002; Thomas and Rohwer, 1986), but volition as well.
These skills are fundamental to academic competence (Waters and Waters, 1992). They
minimize failure and enable students to take advantage of learning opportunities.
Academic success underscores the need for a strong emphasis on the development and
maintenance of cogent study skills. To be effective learners, students must (a) have a wide
array of study strategies at their disposal, and (b) know where, when, and how to use these
strategies. Does this apply to all students? When one considers that African American men
receive the poorest educational outcomes juxtaposed to other major cultural and socioeconomic groups (Harper, 2009), are these students at greater risk of failure due to poor
study skills? Are there study skills strategies that impact student success more? Are there
study skill strategies that are more or less developed in African American male college
students?
The Uzuri Think Tank at Robert Morris University (RMU)—a predominantly white liberal
arts institution, located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania—proposed an answer to the
access to higher education does not necessarily mean academic success.
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A random sample of African American male students ages 20 to 22
years old, representing 8 major courses of study, were recruited
via flyers, email and word of mouth. The goal of the focus group
was to have participants share their best study skill practices. The
session yielded common, as well as, distinct challenges related to
study skills/ strategies.
Educational
challenges stem
from lack of
effective study
skills as opposed to
absence of ability.
Cultural tailoring of skills/strategies was the backdrop for the
focus group discussion. The interactive session, purposefully encouraged participants to
discuss their experiences and reactions to ten strategies. These strategies (e.g., Be prepared;
involve your professors; manage your time; designate a study space; disconnect; assess your
study techniques; utilize your resources; relax; pre-test preparation; and rest) were thought to
be critical to educational success. The strategies were introduced as the Uzuri Top Ten Tips.
African American male facilitators shared their “lived”
Studying is intentional experiences associated with understanding and applying
these strategies.
A short survey designed to assess awareness of study skills needs over several domains (e.g.,
reading textbooks, taking notes, studying, memorizing, preparing for tests, managing time,
motivation/attitude, and writing) was administered to the cohort after the presentation.
Participants were asked to rate the skills that resonated as both most important and
underdeveloped. The group session ended with a social networking reception (a pizza party)
where students were able to informally discuss their reactions to the experience overall. A
mixed methods approach was employed to triangulate qualitative data (observation) from the
workshop and quantitative data from the short survey.
Participants acknowledged the importance of effective study skills/strategies and their
relationship to successful academic performance. However, results alerted facilitators that the
participants had not mastered many of them. While it appeared that the students had been
informally exposed to study skills training in the past, there were still significant deficiencies.
Of significance, findings suggest that respondents’ self-reported inadequacies center on four
areas: reading, writing, memorization and time management. Challenges in reading
comprehension and speed (i.e., indicators of academic success) were recurring themes.
It is important to note that to engage any of the prescribed study skills/strategies, one must
show proficiency in reading. Proficiency is simply reading at grade level with speed that is
adequate to get through narratives at pace. Without this ability, the future for the African
American male student is bleak. Reading deficits limit the African American male student’s
ability to compete with the best and brightest (e.g., his future competitors for jobs and
opportunities).
Ultimately, we have the responsibility of implementing adequate policies that are specific to
this group of learners, and one potential way of supporting these learners is by helping them to
evaluate and compensate their strategies for coping with the demands of daily literacy tasks
Academic success underscores the need for a strong emphasis on the
development and maintenance of cogent study skills.
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and test taking. This can be achieved in the traditional classroom but also in computer
equipped environments. The question of how best to account for the varied demands of African
American male learners needs to be researched further, as do issues regarding learner
autonomy and teacher training, in order to prevent reading and academic failure.
In sum, strategies employed and lessons learned in this project will guide the research direction
of the Uzuri Think Tank and its agenda related to academic success for African American men.
We find it intriguing that the American educational system measures academic success by its
students’ ability to take tests, but provide sporadic, if any, study skills training. Every Black
male student in higher education should be exposed to intensive training that reinforces grade
level reading and teaches the fundamentals of test taking and studying.
UZURI PAPERS Vol. 1, Issue 1
2013
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References
Gettinger, M. & Seibert, JK. (2002). Contributions of Study Skills to Academic Competence.
School Psychology Review, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 350-365.
Harper, S. R. (2012). Race without racism: How higher education researchers minimize racist
institutional norms. The Review of Higher Education, 36(1),
9-29.
Harper, S. R. (2009). Niggers no more: A Critical Race Counter-narrative on Black male student
achievement at predominantly white colleges and universities. International Journal of
Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(6), 697-712
Monk, T. Y. (1998). Variables associated with academic achievement of African-American males
in four-year undergraduate educational institutions: A synthesis of studies. (Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University).
Palmer, R.T., Davis, R.J., & Hilton, A.A. (2009). Exploring Challenges that Threaten to Impede the
Academic Success of Academically Underprepared African American Male Collegians at an
HBCU. Journal of College Student Development, 50(40), 429-445.
Palmer , R. & Wood, J.L. (Eds) (2001). Black Men in College: Implications for HBCUs and Beyond.
New York, NY: Routledge.
Robins, A.G. (2013). Cultivating the Black Male Intellectual. (OpEd). http: //www.postgazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/cultivating-the-black-male-intellectual-689155/.
Thomas, J.W. & Rohwer, W., Jr. (1986). Academic Studying: The Role of Learning Strategies.
Educational Psychologist, vol., issue 1-2.
U.S. Department of Education (2010). “Digest of Education Statistics, 2009.” Washington, DC:
National Center for Education Statistics.
Waters, M. & Waters, A. (1992). Study Skills and Study Competence: Getting the Priorities
Right. ELT Journal, 46(3): 264-273.
www.census.gov/ “The Black Population in U.S.: March 2002.
www.jbhe.com/features/50_blackstudent_graduates
www.thinkprogress.org/data-shows-black-male
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