Date of Award
9-22-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Topeka Singleton
Second Advisor
Karen Buchanan
Committee Members
Donna Madison-Bell; Laura Strickland
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to examine the relationship between the lack of access to information and communication technologies and the grade point averages among African American students in Arkansas Rural Delta schools. The problem addressed in this qualitative phenomenological study is limited access to technology among African American students in the Rural Arkansas Delta and its influence on grade point averages and overall academic success. This research strived to explore and portray the experiences of students facing extenuating circumstances and barriers with technological resources and the effect on their achievement. The methodology used is qualitative, and the design is phenomenological. Data was collected through qualitative questionnaires and individual semi-structured interviews and analyses that aimed at depicting the lived experiences of African American students in Arkansas Rural Delta schools. The approach to collecting the data from the eight participants was made by listing a clear set of open-ended questions for them to answer about their experiences with information and communication technologies. The data collection procedure will include a thirty-seven-item questionnaire and a nine-item, semi-structured interview. Purposeful coding and thematic analysis will be used to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the data. The eight participants attended Arkansas Rural Delta High Schools. Six themes materialized from the data collected regarding the four research questions for this study; Theme 1: ICT in Education, Theme 2: Challenges with ICT, Theme 3: Personal Relationship with ICT, Theme 4: Digital Literacy and Skills, Theme 5: Access and Support, and Theme 6: Future Aspirations and Academic Performance. The findings uncovered that access to adequate technological resources and supportive learning environments improves grade point averages, confidence, and academic success. Likewise, the study identifies key challenges such as lack of access, socioeconomic barriers, stereotypes, support, and implicit biases that hinder access and success. Based on the theoretical frameworks, findings, and implications of this research study, future researchers can build upon this work by addressing its limitations and exploring new avenues to deepen the understanding of the factors influencing African American students in academia and the workforce. Extending research to include a broader geographic area beyond Arkansas can help determine if the findings are consistent across different regions and educational systems. More qualitative research is needed to capture the lived experiences, voices, and narratives of African American high school students- especially how they navigate, resist, or adapt to digital barriers and opportunities. Educational practices and systemic barriers may vary by region, and understanding these differences can provide a more comprehensive picture of the factors affecting and affecting African American students in Arkansas Rural Delta schools. Keywords: Technology, Digital Divide, Arkansas, Rural Delta, African American
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Williams, Alisha Shanta, "The Impacts of the Lack of Access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) On African American Students" (2025). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1092.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1092
