Roderick Watts (GSU), Anne Moleko (Univ. of Pretoria), and Jim Emshoff (GSU)

In post Apartheid South Africa, one major challenge for the Black and mixed raced population is the transition from an educational system that was designed to maintain social inequity and restrict academic achievement to one that fosters achievement and well-being for everyone.  Although educational opportunity has increased dramatically, employment and educational resources are far from being in line with need. Black students in township schools face daunting challenges in their effort to evade the dangers of drug abuse, family disintegration due to AIDS, violence, and economic hardship.

The purpose of this research is to identify the protective and risk factors associated with the educational success, community involvement, and psychological well-being in South African high school students. Protective factors are broadly conceived to include sociopolitical functioning, ethnic identity, and environmental variables.

Our colleagues in Pretoria, led by Anne Moleko in the psychology department at the University of Pretoria, identified Black South African college freshmen who successfully high school and are furthering their education at South African universities.  We collaborated on a set of questions for two focus group sessions, and she conducted them in the Spring of 2003.  We also used the time with them to explore the relevance and validity of several survey measures we are considering for future research. Our purpose was to learn from these successful young people and see if they would be interested in working as partners with adults to develop programming for young people who hope to follow in their footsteps.

We are in the process of analyzing the focus group data. Georgia State University graduate and undergraduate students are involved in this effort:

1. Determining, in the minds of young people and perhaps their adult caregivers, what accounts for their success and well being,
2. Reconciling the constructs of interest to the researchers—substance use and substance use attitudes, ethnoracial identity and socialization, sociopolitical development, and social support (peer, institutional, and familial)—with those identified in #1.
3. Pilot testing and debriefing the instrumentation associated with the variables in #2 with the youngsters to determine if it is meaningful and valid for this population, and whether other constructs or different measures ought to be considered.

The second phase will follow analysis of data in the first phase.  In phase 2 we will collect baseline data from a larger group of students based on our findings.

We intend to begin data collection in April 2003 and conclude in June 2003. Our long-term aims are to expand this basic research and then to ultimately develop a preventive, community-based intervention for educational, civic, and psychosocial competence based on the findings.

Dr. Watts is an associate professor in the clinical and community psychology programs. Dr Emshoff is an associate professor and chair of the community psychology program.