Academic Achievement?
“I ain’t no lame” was the response the social worker continued to receive as she met with a young man about his grades and classroom behavior. Andre (name changed for privacy reasons) is a star basketball player at a local high school, but receives services at the Burke Mental Health Center due to the fact his low grades limit his eligibility to shine on court. He entered the room hesitantly, but opened up more as the session continued. When various ways of improving his behaviors and grades were discussed he informed the provider that the suggestions she gave, if adopted, would only set him out for ridicule. Andre felt that increasing his grades and behaviors would make him a social outcast, but that not doing so would prevent him from fulfilling his dream of going to college on a basketball scholarship. He seemed stuck between facing negative outcomes if he was successful in school and facing other negative outcomes if he was not successful in school. Andre, an African American 16 years old male, is not alone in his academic struggles. Currently, there are… (cite). The purpose of this paper is to review literature that will shed light on the impact …show more content…
Articles were limited to the last 15 years to ensure that information gathered is current. For this paper, the author sought out peer-reviewed articles that spoke on keywords such as “fear of failure;” “fear of success;” “African American youth;” “stereotype threat;” “golem effect;” and “academic achievement.” Using these keywords led to identification of several articles which are summarized topically below. It is important that certain keywords are used as they pertain to addressing the question and ensuring that the context surrounding materials found are valid for the