Father and Child: Achievement Based on African American Structure

By A'lon M Holliday

Few studies examine the role fathers play in the development of their African-American child's academic achievement, despite the growing body of research on the role mothers play on their students' achievement. To fill this gap, this present study of Father and Child  examines how the father or male surrogate influences the develop

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taylor Made Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Oct 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781735374413

Book preview

Father and Child: Community College Achievement Based on African-American Family Structure

Written By:

A’lon Michael Holliday

Copyright © A’lon Michael Holliday

This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system without prior written permission of the Publisher.

ISBN EPUB: 978-1-7353744-1-3

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Abstract

Preface

Foreword

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: Looking at the African-American Family Structure

CHAPTER 2: The Researchers Weigh In on the Family Structure

CHAPTER 3: The Sample of Students Studied

CHAPTER 4: The Present Study’s Family Structure Findings

References

About the Author

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this to Herbert Lawrence Jr., my father and the person who shared his passion and experiences that gave me strength in my hardest times. This is also dedicated to my daughter, Siena, my inspiration and greatest achievement.

Acknowledgments

There’s two types of parents in this world, A’lon: Selfish parents and unselfish parents. I have given you all that I have.

– Marguerite Holliday

My mom would tell me this when I would want the new bomber jacket or new Adidas sneakers. She worked, borrowed, and begged (thank God for layaway) to provide for me. Because of your unwavering support I succeeded and because of your unconditional love I overcame every obstacle.

From LaSalle Military Academy in New York to Boston College you made sure I soared with eagles. Through law school and, finally, my doctorate at Dowling College in New York, you were always my biggest supporter.

I wish I listened in my early years when you talked about things. But your words built a bridge that has steadily supported every step I have taken.

Thank you, Mom.

Love always, your son, A’lon

I would like to thank my mother for her unwavering support through this process; my family for its support and understanding; Dr. Stephanie Tatum, Dowling College Chair of Dissertation Committee Department of Leadership, Technology, and Education, for sharing her knowledge and patience; and my dissertation committee members, Dr. Kevin Jordan, Dowling College professor, Department of Leadership, Technology, and Education; Dr. Walter , Dowling College professor, Department of Leadership, Technology, and Education; Dr. Elsa Sofia Morote, Dowling College professor, Department of Leadership, Technology, and Education; and Dr. Richard Bernato, Dowling College professor, Department of Leadership, Technology, and Education for their contribution to this dissertation and to my maturation.

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research on African-American students’ academic achievement and the role mothers play in their child’s academic development, few studies (Carter, 2008; Fordham, 1988) examined the role fathers play in the development of their child’s academic achievement. The primary aim of this study was to examine how the father or male surrogate influences the development of six dimensions: personal identity, social sensitivity, academic self-concept, resilience, race theory, and vision of own success. Sixteen second-year community college students in New York were interviewed--nine males and seven females. The semi-structured interview protocol questions were developed based on the research literature regarding the six dimensions. The results indicated differences between academically successful students with a father or male surrogate and academically unsuccessful students without a father or male surrogate. The father or male surrogate contributed positively to the development of the six dimensions, and the absence of a father or male surrogate contributed to a lack of confidence, direction, and the inability to see past negative stereotypical labels given by the media and instructors.

Preface

I imagined myself a Dr. Huxtable, just like in the TV show. I would have a wonderful complete family, a great job, a wife, a child, a dog, and a beautiful home in Brooklyn Heights or Long Island. We would raise our child together happily ever after. We would have everything that I didn’t have growing up. I lived in a household where my mom was re-married, and I never heard from my biological father until I was told he died. I never prepared to parent alone and I didn’t know what I would bring to a child’s life that was valuable as a father. Through my own father I was shown that my mother would take care of everything I wanted and needed. Little boy lessons to young adult lessons--she had it covered.

When I divorced my daughter’s mother the reality set in that despite my willingness and eagerness to become a father, fathers were viewed by some as not important as the mother. The Family Court system, public opinion, and even the woman I shared a child with had the same view, ironically. I would be lying if I said I didn’t begin to believe this--I was a product of this myself, right? Through the Family Court system fathers are baptized with phrases like primary care taker, custodial parent, and parental time. Fathering almost becomes a thing, a moveable part that can be replaced or subtracted at any time without any measurable consequence, or so we are told. How many times do we hear about African-American households being run by a single mother or depictions of single mothers on television and movies? This is our reality, right? We put on the mask and pretend it’s OK, but inside it’s not. We have questions and need answers, but pride and ego take the wheel and steer. So many of us resign, raise the white flag and, in some cases, disappear.

As I was constantly being compared to fathers who abandoned their responsibilities as a parent, I was considered an outlier. I was told, You’re not like other fathers, you’re different, and the court and public opinion go with what they see as the norm. What can I do? Is this worth even fighting for? How can I show the world why my involvement is important? I didn’t want to be a curb-side pickup dad or a holiday day or a weekend father." It was such an isolating feeling because I didn’t think anyone was going through the same feeling and experiences that I had. Frankly, most African-American fathers don’t share their battle stories with each other.

So, I buried myself in pursuing my doctorate and fighting for the right to raise my daughter, trying to convince a judge who never walked in my shoes or experienced the life of an African-American father that my impact and influence is just as important as the mother’s. And then do battle with your child’s legal guardian who tries to assess the importance of your 2-year-old’s opinion of you in her life. I researched and researched and researched to find nothing remotely close by literary scholars who researched African- American fathers and their impact on their children. I created my own philosophy that the father and mother raise the daughter; the daughter watches how the father treats the mother; and then the daughter picks a partner similar to her father to marry and start a family. The cycle continues over and over. The father is needed--we have to be around or the daughter doesn’t have an example of whom to marry. In my mind, this was gold. I just couldn’t find any research that demonstrated that the father’s impact was significant. I once said, If you watch celebrities win awards, they thank God and moms, but rarely dads. We are almost conditioned to believe the father bears no responsibility or impact. I knew I had to change this, and I knew I wasn’t the only father feeling this way.

Many times I wanted to give up fighting for my rights in court, and let the system decide what’s best for my daughter and control my worth. But I knew there was something deeper in developing my rights as a father, and it was showing the impact fathers have on their children, not just as adolescents but as young adults. So it led me to define what a father really is. This is key because many men accept the role of father but are never given the title.

My research challenged the thought that academic success is the only way a father can contribute to children. Terms such as social identity, resilience, and academic self-concept are used to provide a look into the important variables fathers instill in their children.

Though I may have not become a Huxtable, through this process I became something greater--a father who knows his worth.

Foreword

Being an African-American single father and being very active in my daughter’s life (academically and in social development), I discussed a lot of the obstacles (good and bad) I faced with other single fathers. The pathological view that African-American fathers did not take an active role in their children’s life weighed heavy on me. I knew first-hand that this couldn’t be true. I have a lot of friends, family members, and colleagues that proved this wrong. TV, empirical studies, movies, and news never showed positive images of African-American fatherhood. When I first suggested my topic for my dissertation at the Dowling College School of Leadership, Technology and Education Program I was told by one professor that this topic will make you no money and frankly no one cares. This pushed me even more to do it! In 2008 I began the three-year process of understanding what a dissertation is and the complex research that goes into it. Under the guidance of my chair, Dr. Stephanie Tatum, I was able to develop my title and abstract.

This would embody the idea of what and how a father impacts his child’s life socially and academically. Personal identity, social sensitivity, academic self-concept, resilience, race theory, and vision of own success are all variables that a father presence can impact and in my finding does. I interviewed 16 second-year community college