Black Studies Materials Do Make a Difference

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of relevant curriculum materials upon the self-concept, achievement, and school attendance of black students. Subjects for the study were black students enrolled in ten randomly selected inner-city schools in a large urban school system. Thirty-nine heterogeneously grouped classrooms were involved in the study-sixteen third grades and twenty-three sixth grades. A control group design was established. To measure the effects of relevant materials, three instruments were utilized: The How I Feel About Myself Inventory, The Metropolitan Reading Test, and The Attendance Form. There were positive statistically significant differences in the achievement and attendance of students in the experimental group. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the self-concept of students in the experimental and control groups as measured by The How I Feel About Myself Inventory.