African American Male College Students Navigate to Achieve: The Relationship Among College Adjustment Experiences, Coping, and GPA for Black Males at Two Predominantly White Institutions

African American males face daunting obstacles as they pursue higher education as research has shown. This study sought to better understand the impact of specific factors—social support, racial identity, perceived racial discrimination, coping, and religious coping—on the academic achievement of African American male college student achievement. Using secondary data and a Multiple Linear Regression analyses, the project investigated relationships among these influences as a way of uncovering strategies used to mitigate obstacles faced by African American males attending Predominantly White Institutions. The study used an anti-deficit achievement approach to examine how African American male college students at two PWIs negotiate experiences and the use of coping mechanisms that may positively affect academic achievement for this subgroup of students. Results of the study indicate that the college experiences and coping mechanisms examined have a limited impact on GPA for African American male students. The results indicate that higher education professionals should focus attention on providing avenues for African American male students to express religious and other coping techniques to assist in achievement and to better manage the effects of discrimination and isolation that are part of their transition to PWIs. Future research on African American male college student achievement should include a broader sample group from various campus types to increase the generalizability of the findings.