Investigating identification: an analysis of Black male students' discourse about school

Using a discourse analytic approach, this study draws on both academic identification and disidentification theories and examines interview discourse about the academic identity construction of six Black male students. This thesis also focuses on parent and teacher perspectives on academic identity and education experiences. Parent and student participants were interviewed and asked to reflect on the following categories: school experience, academic identification, peers, and academic motivations and goals. Using a close analysis of the discourse produced in the interview, racialized experiences, a father’s influence and the influence of sports were key themes in the way academic identities are constructed. The analytic findings extend previous understandings of academic disidentification while the conclusion offers suggestions for future studies to focus on the integral role of parent and educator discourse interaction on the development of Black male student academic identity.