Problematic Situations in the Lives of Urban African American Middle School Students: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Qualitative methods were used to identify problem situations encountered by adolescents in urban middle schools serving a predominantly African American student population. Interviews focusing on identifying problem situations and the context in which they occur were conducted with 60 adolescents including students and peer mediators at middle schools and adolescents at community centers. Interviews were also conducted with 50 adults, including parents of middle school students, community center staff, and middle school staff including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers, security guards, and school administrators. Qualitative analysis and coding of interview transcripts identified 39 themes representing a diverse array of problem situations, many of which occurred across multiple contexts including peers, school, family, and neighborhood domains.Children and adolescents growing up in poor urban areas frequently encounter a variety of stressors that place them at increased risk for the development of adjustment problems (Allison et al.

Participants’ Perceptions of a Violence Prevention Curriculum for Middle School Students: Was It Relevant and Useful?

“…Lessons also address applying these skills to make a complaint (i.e., talking to someone when they did something that bothered or hurt the student), address peer and gang pressure and bullying situations, and diffuse a fight. Sullivan et al (in press) included an additional lesson on prosocial behavior and social networks, and incorporated problem situations for role plays derived from prior qualitative work to identify relevant problem situations encountered by urban youth (Farrell et al, , 2007. Implementation training for project staff addressed both the curriculum and best practices for effective classroom instruction.…”

Child and Parent Perceptions of Relational Aggression Within Urban Predominantly African American Children’s Friendships: Examining Patterns of Concordance

“…However, it may be that if children were to use active coping strategies, such as seeking social support or confronting the aggressor, given the social nature of relational aggression, the aggression could be exacerbated or escalate to physical aggression (Farrell et al 2007). We suggest that additional research explore the effectiveness of specific coping and conflict resolution strategies within the context of relational aggression among close friendships.…”

“…Although research on relational aggression is steadily increasing, the manner in which boys and girls experience relational aggression within their close friendships remains unclear. The extant research has largely focused on relational aggression among White suburban children, yet there is increasing concern about the rates of relational aggression among urban African American children, and how it may quickly escalate to physical acts of retaliation (Farrell et al 2007;Talbott et al 2002). While parents can play an important role in preventing or helping children manage relationally aggressive situations (Beane 2008), there has been limited empirical research examining how parents view this problem.…”

“It Makes Me a Man from the Beating I Took”: Gender and Aggression in Children’s Narratives About Conflict

“…Research that considers the broader context of children's relationships, peer groups, families, schools, and communities provides a more nuanced understanding of children's aggressive behaviors and the ways that children construe their own and others' aggression Cohen et al 2005). In particular, community violence has been recognized as an important contextual factor that influences children's use and perceptions of aggression (Farrell et al 2007;Fitzpatrick 1997;Garbarino 1995;Guerra et al 2003;Kupersmidt et al 1995;McCart et al 2007;Schwartz and Proctor 2000;Zalot et al 2007). In community contexts where levels of violence and crime are high, some have proposed that children may become habituated to acts of violence and their effects (Garbarino 1995, Guerra et al 2003.…”

“…Research by Farrell et al (2007) illustrated the role of violence and aggression in the lives and peer relations of a sample of low-income African American adolescents living in urban, high-crime, low-income communities. Qualitative interviews revealed several themes pertaining to the normative role of aggression in these youths' lives and to their justifications and interpretations of physical violence.…”