1983 - Black Students' Occupational Expectations: A National Study of the Impact of School Desegregation

Attribution: Dawkins, Marvin P.
Researchers: Marvin P. Dawkins
University Affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Email: mdawkins@miami.edu
Research Question:
How is school desegregation related to job expectations for African Americans?
Published: 1
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Urban Education
Journal Entry: Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 98-113
Year: 1983
Findings:
  • Students who attended desegregated schools were more likely than those who did not to expect non-traditional occupations.
  • School desegregation positively influences higher occupational expectations for Black males in southern schools.
  • The effects of desegregation on non-traditional expectations was small for southern and non-southern women relative to other predictors.
  • The higher expectations for professional outcomes of Blacks who attend desegregated schools persist when examined up to four years after high school.
  • Social class, academic aptitude, educational aspirations, high school curriculum, and self-concept of ability to complete college were more important than desegregation for all sub-groups except southern men.
Keywords: DesegregationLong Term OutcomesOccupational OutcomesRegions: NationalMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: Secondary Survey DataAnalysis Methods: Regression Sampling Frame:Black males and females
Sampling Types: RandomAnalysis Units: IndividualData Types: Quantitative-Cross Sectional
Data Description:
  • Data are from subsamples of Black men (1369) and women (1750) who participated in the NLS (National Longitudinal Study) of the high school class of 1972—sponsored by the NCES.
  • Two stage sample design to select a national probability sample of high school seniors.
  • Student data included family background, educational and vo-tech activities, post-high school plans, aspirations and other attitudes.
  • DV: The major dependent variable is occupational expectations. Non-traditional occupations-higher level positions in which blacks are underrepresented. Traditional occupations- lower level positions in which blacks are overrepresented.
  • Analyses are performed separately by gender.
  • IV: school desegregation, social class, community size, teacher influence on college plans, high school curriculum, academic aptitude, high school grades, educational aspirations, job values, self-concept of ability to complete college, college admission.
Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:
Archives: K-12 Integration, Desegregation, and Segregation Abstracts