Abstract
This study employed hierarchical linear regression techniques to study the relationship between GPA and the extent to which high-achieving black collegians’ feel pressure to prove their intellectual ability using survey data from participants at a predominantly white institution. Findings suggest that approximately 88% of high-achieving black collegians report feeling pressure to prove their intellectual ability, despite prior achievements and participation in a university scholarship program. Regression results were not statistically significant for the tie between GPA and the degree of psychological burden reported; however other variables account for 27% of the variance in GPA and hold promise for future practice and research on high-achieving blacks.
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Notes
African American and Black are used interchangeably throughout this manuscript.
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Acknowledgements
This research was funded, in part, by generous grant support from the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School and the Office of the Provost. The opinions reflected in the paper belong to the primary author and do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors. Special thanks to my doctoral research team for their assistance with data collection.
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Dr. Terrell L. Strayhorn is Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Special Assistant to the Provost at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he also serves as an adjunct professor of sociology.
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Strayhorn, T.L. The Burden of Proof: A Quantitative Study of High-Achieving Black Collegians. J Afr Am St 13, 375–387 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-008-9059-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-008-9059-0