Kenneth M. Tyler

Cultural Discontinuity: Toward a Quantitative Investigation of a Major Hypothesis in Education

Education researchers have suggested that the academic challenges faced by many ethnic minority students are linked to perceived cultural discontinuity between students’ home- and school-based experiences. However, there has been very little empirical inquiry into the existence and effects of cultural discontinuity for these students. The purpose of this article is to offer a definition and methodology to be used in the quantitative investigation of cultural discontinuity. A description of the cultural values and corresponding behaviors of African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American students, along with those values and behaviors salient in most public schools, is offered. Next, a method for investigating cultural discontinuity is proposed. Finally, future research directions to further examine cultural discontinuity are offered.

Examining Mainstream and Afro-Cultural Value Socialization in African American Households.

This article examines the role of culture in the socialization patterns found in the households of low-income African Americans. Using the Triple Quandary theoretical framework, the authors hypothesized that cultural themes consistent with an Afro-cultural ethos would be reported significantly more than those associated with a mainstream cultural ethos. Scenarios depicting socialization activities reflecting the four distinct cultural themes were constructed. Seventy-one low-income African American parents reported how often they perform the activities reflecting the cultural themes in question. Findings revealed that parents reported communal practices significantly more than those activities linked to the remaining three cultural themes. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Brief report: The number of sexual partners and race-related stress in African American adolescents: Preliminary findings

The current study examined the association between the number of lifetime sexual partners and race-related stress among African American 201 high school juniors and seniors at two urban high schools in the Southeastern region of the country. Students completed the Index of Race-Related Stress-Brief (IRRS-B) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). African American male adolescents reported higher race-related stress and a higher number of sexual partners compared to African American females. Controlling for gender and age of first intercourse, race-related stress significantly predicted the number of sexual partners for African American adolescents. Preliminary findings indicate that the role of race-related stress may prove critical in decreasing risky sexual behavior among African American adolescents.

African American caregivers An exploration of pathways and barriers to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease for a family member with dementia

Despite the significance of an early diagnosis of Alzheimers disease (AD), African Americans are diagnosed in later stages of the disease and present with greater cognitive impairment at the time of diagnosis when compared to Euro-Americans. To this end, there exists a paucity of research on diagnostic pathways among African Americans with dementia. More specifically, few studies have explored help-seeking pathways from the initial manifestation of symptoms until an actual diagnosis of Alzheimers disease was received from the perspective of African American caregivers. Thus, the present study examined the retrospective experiences of 17 African American caregivers who were given a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease for a family member with dementia. Participants completed face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Study findings revealed a complex interplay between the patient with dementia, entities that comprise their social support network, and clinicians.

Investigating the Link Between Home–School Dissonance and Academic Cheating Among High School Students:

The current study examined the association between home–school dissonance and academic cheating among 344 high school juniors and seniors at two urban high schools. Students completed two subscales of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale (PALS) and one subscale of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). Analyses revealed that home–school dissonance significantly predicted both amotivation and academic cheating. In addition, results revealed that amotivation was a significant mediator of the association between home–school dissonance and academic cheating. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Testing an Attachment Model of Latina/o College Students’ Psychological Adjustment

The present study examined the influence of attachment relationships on the psychological adjustment of Latina/o university students (N = 80) attending predominantly White institutions of higher education.A path analysis conducted to test a hypothesized model of parent and peer attachment, self-esteem, and psychological distress indicated that the final model provided good model-to-data fit, explaining 21% of the variance in self-esteem and 50% of the variance in psychological distress. Furthermore, bootstrapping procedures suggested that perceptions of self-worth mediated the relationships between parent and peer attachment and psychological distress. Results indicate that attachment theory may provide a useful framework from which to conceptualize the psychological adjustment of Latinas/os attending predominantly White institutions of higher education. Implications for universities and helping professionals are discussed.

Linking Home-School Dissonance to School-Based Outcomes for African American High School Students

The current study examined associations between home-school dissonance and several academic and psychological variables among 239 African American high school students. Regression analyses revealed that home-school dissonance significantly predicted multiple academic and psychological variables, including academic cheating, disruptive classroom behavior, performance avoidant and performance approach goal orientations, and poor self-reported English and math grades. Implications of this research include a more systematic incorporation of African American high school students’ out-of-school experiences into their classroom learning experiences.

Anti-Black racism, self-esteem, and the adjustment of White students in higher education.

The present study examined the negative consequences of racism to White university students. It was hypothesized that anti-Black racism would impact students’ selfesteem, college social adjustment, and college personal-emotional adjustment above and beyond academic adjustment. It was further expected that self-esteem would mediate the relationship between racism and college adjustment. In a White university student sample, students reporting attitudes reflecting a combination of overtly racist and egalitarian attitudes toward Blacks also reported lower levels of self-esteem and college social adjustment. Furthermore, self-esteem mediated the relationship between anti-Black racism and college social adjustment. Findings inform the multidimensional nature of negative consequences of racism to Whites in higher education. A discussion of implications from this research with regard to the creation of diverse and culturally sensitive university environments is presented.

Examining the Associations Among Home–School Dissonance, Amotivation, and Classroom Disruptive Behavior for Urban High School Students

The current study examined the association among home–school dissonance, amotivation, and classroom disruptive behavior among 309 high school juniors and seniors at two urban high schools in the Southern region of the country. Students completed two subscales of the Patterns of Learning Activities Scales (PALS) and one subscale of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). ANCOVA analyses revealed significant differences in classroom disruptive behaviors for the gender independent variable. Controlling for gender in the multiple hierarchical regression analyses, it was revealed that home–school dissonance significantly predicted both amotivation and classroom disruptive behavior. In addition, a Sobel mediation analysis showed that amotivation was a significant mediator of the association between home–school dissonance and classroom disruptive behavior. Findings and limitations are discussed.

Investigating the Association Between Home-School Dissonance and Disruptive Classroom Behaviors for Urban Middle School Students:

Disruptive classroom behaviors are a major schooling dilemma in urban schools. While several contextual and motivational factors have been statistically associated with disruptive classroom behaviors, one overlooked factor has been home-school dissonance. The current study examined the relationship between 260 middle school students’ reports of perceived home-school dissonance, several motivational antecedents of academic performance, and disruptive classroom behaviors. Six hundred sixty middle school students completed six subscales of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS), including the Home-School Dissonance subscale, Mastery Goal, Performance Approach, and Performance Avoidance Goal Orientations, and the Disruptive Classroom Behavior subscales. Home-school dissonance scores were significantly associated with lower mastery goal orientation and lower academic efficacy scores. Home-school dissonance scores were also significantly associated with higher disruptive classroom behavior scores and higher performance approach and performance avoidance goal orientation scores. In addition, structural equation modeling with multiple mediators showed that mastery goal orientation and performance approach goal orientation mediated the relationship between home-school dissonance and disruptive classroom behavior.