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Cultural enrichment: Connecting African American elementary children to academic achievement

CULTURAL ENRICHMENT: CONNECTING AFRICAN AMERICAN ELEMENTARY CHILDREN TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT by DEBORAH L. WINSTON May 2012 Advisor: Dr. Janice E. Hale Major: Curriculum and Instruction Degree: Doctor of Philosophy The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported academic achievement and participation in extracurricular, community-based and religious activities among African American elementary school children. The study further sought to examine the impact of participation in extracurricular, community-based, and religious activities on the students’ school behavior, goal orientation and academic-related perceptions, beliefs, and strategies. A nonexperimental, descriptive research design was used in this study. Two surveys, the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS) and a short demographic survey were used to collect data from the students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades who were attending a public school academy located in an urban area in a large Midwestern state. A total of 102 students participated in the study. The sample included 36 fourth grade, 33 fifth grade, and 33 sixth grade students. The students were between 8 and 13 years of age, with the fourth grade students ranging from 8 to 11 years, fifth grade students ranging from 9 to 12 years, and sixth grade students ranging from 10 to 13 years. The findings of the study indicated that the students were involved in many school-based