scholarly journals Differences between African-American and Caucasian students on enrollment influences and barriers in kinesiology-based allied health education programs

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Barfield ◽  
D. C. Cobler ◽  
Eddie T. C. Lam ◽  
James Zhang ◽  
George Chitiyo
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Allied Health Education ◽  
American Students ◽  
Education Enrollment ◽  
Caucasian Students

Kinesiology departments have recently started to offer allied health education programs to attract additional students to teacher education units ( 9 ). Although allied health professions offer increased work opportunities, insufficient enrollment and training of minority students in these academic fields contribute to underrepresentation in the workforce ( 3 ). To improve workforce diversity, kinesiology departments must understand how enrollment influences and barriers differ by race among prospective students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify differences in allied health education enrollment influences and enrollment barriers between minority and Caucasian students. Participants ( n = 601) consisted of students enrolled in kinesiology-based allied health education programs. Multivariate ANOVA was used to compare group differences in enrollment decision making. “Personal influence,” “career opportunity,” and “physical self-efficacy” were all significantly stronger enrollment influences among African-American students than among Caucasian students, and “social influence,” “experiential opportunity,” “academic preparation,” and “physical self-efficacy” were all perceived as significantly greater barriers compared with Caucasian students. Findings support the need to recruit African-American students through sport and physical education settings and to market program-based experiential opportunities.

African American Students’ Experiences in Special Education Programs

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Eleanor Craft ◽  
Aimee Howley
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
African American ◽  
General Education ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Institutional Racism ◽  
Victim Blaming ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Special Education Referral ◽  
American Students

Background/Context Disproportionate placement of African American students into special education programs is likely to be a form of institutional racism, especially when such placement stigmatizes students. If placement also fails to lead to educational benefits, the practice becomes even more suspect. Some studies have explored disproportionate placement (i.e., over-representation) from the perspectives of policy makers and educators, but few have looked at the practice from the vantage of the African American students experiencing it. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study explored how nine African American students in secondary special education placements perceived their school experiences and the benefits, challenges, and detriments associated with their placements and accompanying disability labels. Setting Participating students attended one of three high schools in an urban district in the midwestern United States. Respectively, the schools had low, medium, and high percentages of students on individualized education programs (IEPs). Population/Participants/Subjects Three students from each of three schools participated in the study. With the help of school personnel, the researchers selected students who (a) were African American, (b) were juniors or seniors, (c) carried the label of learning disabilities or mild cognitive impairment, and (d) had received special education services for at least three years. Research Design The researchers used an in-depth interview design including three increasingly detailed interviews with each student. Verbatim transcripts of interviews provided the data the researchers analyzed using (a) inductive coding, (b) development of case-specific profiles, (c) organization of codes to identify patterns in the data, and (d) identification of emergent themes. Findings/Results Three emergent themes suggested that, in most cases, students found the negative consequences of their special education placement to outweigh any benefits. The limited benefits of placement included interactions with responsive teachers and, in a few cases, more suitable instructional pacing. The negative consequences included the experience of being stigmatized by peers, making limited academic progress because of a slow-paced curriculum, and confronting barriers that kept them from returning to general education placements. Conclusions/Recommendations The study found that traumatic events in the students’ lives led to academic difficulties, which subsequently led to placement in special education. Rather than supporting the students through a difficult phase of their lives, educators used special education referral and placement as a form of victim blaming. This response had the effect of excluding the students from engagement with the general education curriculum and from interaction with friends. The dynamics of victim blaming led the researchers to judge special education referral and placement of the nine African American students as a form of institutional racism.

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and the Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education: A long-needed initiative for the profession

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-8
Author(s):  
Thomas K. Skalko, PhD, LRT/CTRS ◽  
Ray E. West, MS, LRT/CTRS ◽  
Peg Connolly, PhD, LRT/CTRS ◽  
Terry Kinney, PhD, LRT/CTRS ◽  
Pam Wilson, MS, LRT/CTRS
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Recreational Therapy ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Allied Health Education ◽  
Therapy Education

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