African American Women Obtaining Higher Education

Abstract

Over the past few years, African American women have gained a number of opportunities for pursuing higher education. Women in their 40s and 50s are finally capable of getting a degree. However, very few African American women of 40–50 decide to continue education. This refusal affects Black women’s ability to get a good job since most companies demand that their employees should have a Master’s or at least a bachelor’s diploma. By conducting qualitative research and using a survey as a key tool, one can possibly define the factors predisposing this phenomenon and the means to address it.

Introduction: Survey as the Key Tool

It has been decided to use a survey. According to the existing evidence, a survey is one of the best methods for acquiring qualitative data from a group of people (Kallet, 2004). In addition, the qualitative results of the survey can be measured efficiently (Barnham, 2012).

Shaping the Questions: Type, Scope and Precision

To embrace every possible combination and explore the participants’ background and aspirations, a multiple-choice survey has been designed (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Unlike other surveys (Krosnick, 1999), this one does not have a fixed amount of possible answers per question – the number of answers is predetermined by the nature of the question and the possible life scenarios. Thus, more accurate results can be attained.

Data Collection Measure: Survey Results Evaluation

After the data is collected, the average mean and the standard deviation of African American women that have graduated from a higher education establishment will be defined. The statistics for the factors affecting African American women’s education choices will be calculated, and the standard deviation will be provided. Based on the results, the methods for encouraging education-related endeavors of Black women will be listed.

Reference List

Barnham, C. (2012). Separating methodologies? International Journal of Market Research, 54(6), 736-738. Web.

Cozby, P. & Bates, S. (2012). Methods in behavioral research (11th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Kallet, R. H. (2004). How to write the methods section of a research paper. Respiratory Care, 49(10), 1229–1232.

Krosnick, J. A. (1999). Survey research. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 537-567. Web.

Appendix A: The Survey

• Choose the options that describe your family background:

  • Two-parent family
  • Single mother
  • Single father
  • Divorced parents
  • Parent death
  • Brother
  • Sister
  • 2–3 siblings
  • More than 3 siblings
• Your parents’ income can be defined as:

  • Low
  • Middle
  • High
• Your family educational background can be described as:

  • Both parents have (had) a high school/university diploma;
  • One parent has (had) a high school/university diploma;
  • Neither of the parents (have) completed their higher education course;
  • All of your siblings have a high school/university diploma;
  • Some of your siblings have a high school/university diploma (state the number: ___ out of ___)
• Describe your parents’ attitude towards your academic progress when you studied at school (choose the options that suit your situation):

  • They encouraged me and praised me for every accomplishment;
  • They wanted me to deliver top results and punished me for receiving bad marks;
  • They never attended parent meetings;
  • They attended parent meetings regularly;
  • They never cared about my academic progress or the lack thereof.
• Are you married?

  • Yes
  • No
  • No, but I have a partner
  • Divorced
• Do you consider yourself smart?

  • Yes
  • No
• Why do you consider yourself smart/not smart?

  • My parents told me so;
  • My husband told me so;
  • My friends told me so;
  • My teachers told me so;
  • I had poor grades at school;
  • I am a slow thinker.
• Do you want to learn more?

  • Yes
  • No
• Do you have a high school, college or university diploma?

  • Yes
  • No, but I want one
  • No, and I do not want one
• If you answered “no” to the previous question, what are the reasons why you have not yet obtained a diploma?

  • Lack of money
  • Lack of support
  • Other: _____________________
• Would you like to continue your education, and why?

  • Yes, because I need it to have a better job and earn more money
  • Yes, because I want people to recognize me as a well-read and intelligent person
  • Yes, because both of my parents/all my family members have a Master/Bachelor degree;
  • Other:__________________________________________.