How an Afrocentric Education Will Positively Impact African American Children in Early Childhood Education (Thesis Sample)

How an Afrocentric Education Will Positively Impact African American Children in Early Childhood Education Your Name Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts in Education Name 7 / 07 /2023 Name, AdvisorDate Name7 / 07 /2023 Name, Second ReaderDate Education Program Spring 2023 Dedication Tba. Acknowledgments Tba. Land Acknowledgements Example: I live on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. My work takes me onto the lands of the Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Snoqualmie, and Tulalip peoples. My heart and thoughts come from the lands of the Taíno and Mescalero Apache peoples as well as the peoples indigenous to West Africa. Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Dedication PAGEREF _Toc131430939 \h iiAcknowledgments PAGEREF _Toc131430940 \h iiTable of Contents PAGEREF _Toc131430941 \h iiiAbstract PAGEREF _Toc131430942 \h ivChapter I Introduction PAGEREF _Toc131430943 \h 11.1. Background, Problem Statement, and Research Question PAGEREF _Toc131430944 \h 11.2. Personal Story PAGEREF _Toc131430945 \h 31.3. Social and Ecological Context PAGEREF _Toc131430946 \h 31.4. Limitations of the Study PAGEREF _Toc131430947 \h 41.5. Biases of the Author PAGEREF _Toc131430948 \h 41.6. Definitions of Major Terms PAGEREF _Toc131430949 \h 51.7. Summary PAGEREF _Toc131430950 \h 6Chapter II Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc131430951 \h 72.1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc131430952 \h 72.2. Theoretical Framework PAGEREF _Toc131430953 \h 72.3. Need for Afrocentric Pedagogy PAGEREF _Toc131430954 \h 92.4. Challenges Impacting Afrocentricity PAGEREF _Toc131430955 \h 112.5. Summary PAGEREF _Toc131430956 \h 13Chapter III Methodology and Creative Process PAGEREF _Toc131430957 \h 143.1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc131430958 \h 143.2. Co-Researchers PAGEREF _Toc131430959 \h 143.3. Location PAGEREF _Toc131430960 \h 153.4. Research Design and Rationale PAGEREF _Toc131430961 \h 153.5. Data Sources and Collection Procedures PAGEREF _Toc131430962 \h 163.6. Data Analysis PAGEREF _Toc131430963 \h 173.7. Summary PAGEREF _Toc131430964 \h 18Chapter IV Findings PAGEREF _Toc131430965 \h 194.1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc131430966 \h 194.2. Impacts of Afrocentric Education PAGEREF _Toc131430967 \h 194.2.1. Theme 1: Participants Broadly Comprehend About the Vision of Afrocentric Education PAGEREF _Toc131430968 \h 194.2.2. Theme 2: There is Slow Uptake and Implementation of Afrocentric Pedagogy in Schools PAGEREF _Toc131430969 \h 204.2.3. Theme 3: Afrocentric Education Impact on Social and Academic Development of Children PAGEREF _Toc131430970 \h 214.3. Perceived Facilitators for Afrocentric Pedagogy PAGEREF _Toc131430971 \h 234.3.1. Theme 4: Teacher Training and Preparedness PAGEREF _Toc131430972 \h 234.3.2. Theme 5: Support from School Leaders and Administrators PAGEREF _Toc131430973 \h 244.4. Theme 6: Perceived Barriers to Afrocentric Pedagogy Implementation PAGEREF _Toc131430974 \h 254.5. Summary PAGEREF _Toc131430975 \h 26Chapter V Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations (1000) PAGEREF _Toc131430976 \h 285.1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc131430977 \h 285.2. Discussion PAGEREF _Toc131430978 \h 285.3. Conclusions PAGEREF _Toc131430979 \h 315.4. Limitations PAGEREF _Toc131430980 \h 325.5. Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc131430981 \h 335.5. Concluding Statement PAGEREF _Toc131430982 \h 33References PAGEREF _Toc131430983 \h 34Appendices PAGEREF _Toc131430984 \h 42Appendix 1: Interview Questions PAGEREF _Toc131430985 \h 42Appendix B: Consent Form PAGEREF _Toc131430986 \h 43 Abstract Over the decades, there have been efforts to design culturally responsive curriculum content in American schools amid the rise of ethnic minorities in learning institutions. However, the education system remains largely emphasizing Eurocentric values with a paucity of research conducted on the potential impacts of Afrocentric education on African American children in ECE settings. The objective of this study was to understand in what ways can Afrocentric education impact the development of African American Children in ECE settings. Participatory action research was used in the study where co-researchers from public and charter schools helped explore the study problem. Findings from the thematic analysis showed that Afrocentric pedagogy will enable preschool children to become better equipped about their historical background and learn about their African culture and values. The introduction of African-centered values and norms could enable children to become better at processing information, become motivated and engaged in the classroom, and improve how they perceive challenges and solve problems they encounter in ECE environments. Children who receive an Afrocentric curriculum also improve on social connection with peers, in addition to learning about their identities early in life, while appreciating others’ ethnic identities. However, hurdles to the adoption of an Afrocentric curriculum include a lack of relevant resources, teacher training, professional development opportunities, and support from school administrators. Successful implementation of Afrocentric pedagogy in ECE settings would require education policy change that supports its adoption in preschool learning environments. Such policy guidelines will also be essential to outlining curriculum content and teaching methods to be used in delivering relevant Afrocentric values to children in ECE settings. Support from school leaders and administrators could further contribute to teachers’ commitment to facilitating Afrocentric pedagogy in their classrooms. Keywords: Afrocentric pedagogy, Afrocentrism, Early childhood education, Chapter I Introduction “The Black community has been engaged in a struggle to see their experiences, history, and lifestyles reflected in the education their children receive.” – Janice Hale 1.1. Background, Problem Statement, and Research Question As noted by Janice Hale, over the centuries, African Americans have struggled to see their experiences, history, and lifestyles reflected in the education their children receive (King & Pringle, 2019, p. 540). In efforts to address this problem in the education sector, there have been scholarly debates since the early 1970s about improving the educational experiences of students from minority populations (Banks & Dohy, 2019; King & Pringle, 2019; Verkuyten et al., 2019). These debates were informed by an increase in minority students in public schools (Verkuyten et al., 2019), the disconnection between teachers’ experience and the students they teach (Banks & Dohy, 2019), and the disconnect between schooling experience and students’ homes (King & Pringle, 2019). Minority students are learners who can be distinguished from mainstream society via primary language, social class, and ethnicity (Miller & Orsillo, 2020). Multiple identities have primarily influenced the schooling experience and quality of education minority students receive (Hung et al., 2020; Small, 2020). Despite their unique multiethnic and multicultural backgrounds, Small (2020) observes that minority students are exposed to Eurocentric curricula. Scholars regard the Eurocentric curriculum as teaching indigenous and Black students that their lives and ancestors are of limited value (Small, 2020; Verkuyten et al., 2019). Simultaneously, Eurocentric pedagogy teaches White students they are highly valued in spaces of power and knowledge (Arday, 2018; Bell, 2019; Small, 2020). Inadequate emphasis on Afrocentric education has substantial impacts since it contributes to unconscious bias against African American students. Such biases contribute to the marginalization of minority students regarding what they learn, resulting in a poor academic transition to adulthood and the job market (Arday, 2018). Insights from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show variations in the academic achievement between Black and White students (NAEP, 2019). On average, Whites scored higher in math and reading than Black students (NAEP, 2019). The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) reported that, on average, 42% of Black learners scored above basic skills compared to 76% of White students (NCES, 2020). Similar trends have been captured by the U.S. Department of Education for 2018 through 2020, in which there is a disparity between Black and White students (U.S. Department of Education, 2018; 2019; 2020). Critics argue that the disparity results from the type of curriculum and learning content students are exposed to in the classroom (Hung et al., 2020; Mullen, 2022; Small, 2020). Existing educational curricula tend to track Black students toward white benchmarks for success (Mullen, 2022). Instead, existing pedagogy should be formulated to immerse Black students in environments that support their holistic development, resulting in excellence in intellect, spirit, and character (Hung et al., 2020; Mullen, 2022). To this end, educators, parents, researchers, and black students have advocated for African-centered education to enable students to explore the world through an African eye (Small, 2020; Wu, 2022). The approach to changes in Afrocentric education focuses not only on curriculum and instructional aspects that influence students’ views of the world but promotes actions and values fundamental to societal growth and development. While research on Afrocentric education has primarily been conducted in institutions of higher learning (Banks & Dohy, 2019; King & Pringle, 2019; Verkuyten et al., 2019), little is known regarding its implementation in early childhood education (ECE) settings (Souto-Manning et al., 2022). Scholars observe that culturally relevant pedagogy has been debated in high school pedagogy and higher education academic cycles (Hung et al., 2020; Mul...