Voices of Gifted Black Students. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

This study examined the academic and social integration of black students, all of whom were recipients of scholarships in a science and math scholarship program for black students at the University of Maryland (Baltimore County). The Meyerhoff program provides a range of support in addition to the scholarship support including study groups and personal and academic advising. This study compared 15 Meyerhoff scholars and 15 non-Meyerhoff white students with similar academic credentials. Qualitative data were collected from interviews (sophomore and senior years) with the Meyerhoff students and were organized around the six principles in Tinto's theory of student persistence. Results pointed to a theme of black achiever isolation. Academically talented black students entered college with few, if any, academic relationships with other achieving black students. Meeting and studying with other talented black students was highly valued by the Meyerhoff participants. The study's conclusions also underscored the importance of strong relationships between faculty and students even when those faculty are predominantly white. The study's overall conclusion is that being in a "race-specific" program at a predominantly white institution contributed to the success of the students. The senior year interview form is appended. (Contains 47 references.) (DB)