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| Through his research, visiting professor Terrance McClain found that a desire to disprove racial stereotypes was a driving force for high school students who had turned their grades around. |
Recent statistics show that African American males have the lowest high school graduation rate in the United States.
Terrance McClain, a visiting professor in Oakland University's Department of Counseling, has conducted research examining the social dynamics influencing this trend and offering insights into potential solutions. For his dissertation, titled “African American Racial Identity and its Intersection with Academic Achievement in Adolescent Males,” Dr. McClain interviewed 11 African American high school juniors and seniors who had risen from academic failure to achieve a B average or better. He wanted to find out how these students reconciled their racial identity and academic identity.
Disproving racial stereotypes
Dr. McClain explained that African American students in general, and males in particular, “feel forced to make a choice between fitting in as an African American and being successful in school.” He noted that other researchers have dubbed this dilemma as “the burden of acting white.”
So, what factors influenced the turnaround of the 11 students in the study? According to Dr. McClain, the students had come to see education as critical to their success and wanted to disprove racial stereotypes by doing well in school. Dr. McClain also found that the students’ parents promoted academic excellence, regardless of their own level of education.
“These young men saw identity as fluid,” Dr. McClain said. “They had to decide internally, and in their relationships with others, who they were going to be. Being successful, making their parents proud and taking pride in themselves rose to the top.”
A personal journey
In some ways, Dr. McClain's own story parallels that of the students he interviewed. He was raised in a home where education was valued and recalls growing up watching his father obtain master's and doctorate degrees and “modeling the sacrifices it takes to achieve one's dreams.”
Describing himself as a lifelong student, Dr. McClain attended the University of Michigan for three years during the 1970s, before leaving to enter the ministry and raise a family. He later went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Rochester College in 2003 and obtained his master's degree in Counseling from Oakland University in 2006. He started pursuing his doctorate at OU the following year. Throughout his life, Dr. McClain has mentored adolescents through his work as a minister, community leader, varsity basketball coach and school board member. Although he sees promise for the future, Dr. McClain says there’s plenty of work to be done.
“There are still far too many of our young people being lost,” Dr. McClain said. “This study is my attempt to bridge the gap and tap into the greatness that simply needs to be mined and cultivated.”
For more information on Oakland University's Department of Counseling, visit oakland.edu/counseling.