Date of Conferral

7-17-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Vicki Underwood

Abstract

Although negative experiences and unfair factors in the K–12 educational experiences of Black males are well-researched, very little research is found on the positive contributions toward their educational success. As some Black males successfully complete K–12 schooling and advance to the college level, it is imperative to understand the factors that positively contributed to their educational advancement. Guided by Yosso’s theory of community cultural wealth, this basic qualitative study explored six aspects of cultural capital—the aspirational, familial, linguistic, resistant, navigational, and social capital—that contributed to the educational success and advancement of Black males during their journeys through the U.S. K–12 public school system and their desire to pursue a college degree. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 Black males aged 20 to 30 who completed their K–12 education in the U.S. public school system and were currently enrolled in a college or university or recently graduated. The interview data were coded using a priori codes based on Yosso’s theory, with the following themes emerging: family, friends, experience, and expectations. Family provided guidance, friends provided support, experience broadened perspectives, and expectations set a course for academic success. These findings may be used by K–12 academic success program developers and others to promote social change through facilitating family involvement activities, fostering positive friendships in extracurricular activities, engaging students in new experiences by leveraging technology, and maintaining high expectations for more Black males to succeed in the U.S. K–12 education system.

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