The relationship of lived experience of social capital, activity involvement, anxiety, feelings of belonging and academic success in African American eighth grade males

The achievement of African American male students has become an increasingly recognized issue as researchers, educators and parents examine the factors that contribute to this problem. The academic achievement gap between African American male students and their White counterparts has been well documented with numerical data. This research attempts to develop theories that assist in eradicating the achievement gap, and explores the lived experiences of social capital, activity involvement, and the anxiety and feelings of belonging as experienced by many African American male students.;This study took place in a middle school on Long Island, New York. Through the use of an ethnographic approach, an attempt was made to investigate the impact of social capital, activity involvement, and anxiety and feelings of belonging on the academic success of African American male students. Five African American males were interviewed, two participants achieved a level of mastery, two participants achieved a level of proficiency, and the fifth participant scored below the level of proficiency on the New York State Grade 8 English Language Arts exam.;Recommendations for strategies to reduce the achievement gap between African American male students and their White counterparts include a whole community and school approach that requires full commitment from all stakeholders, which include: family, educators, coaches, administrators, guidance counselors, school aids and all paraprofessional staff in order to promote and support the academic success of all students.;This study found that commitment to cultural competency, high academic expectations with support, affirmation and celebration of the individual strengths contributed to the academic success of these students.