Open AccessCheckmate: A Chess Program for African-American Male Adolescents
Author(s) -
Mikhail Korenman,
Tamara Korenman,
Elena Lyutykh
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of multicultural education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.472
H-Index - 16
ISSN - 1934-5267
DOI - 10.18251/ijme.v11i1.186
Subject(s) - charter school , charter , psychology , context (archaeology) , african american , social psychology , developmental psychology , pedagogy , mathematics education , sociology , political science , geography , ethnology , law , archaeology
This investigation looked at the influence of a chess program on adolescents’ attitudes towards schooling at an alternative charter school in a high-risk urban context. Participants included school administrators, subject teachers, and 15 chess players, all of whom were African American male students from low-income backgrounds. Interview data revealed that the game of chess had a positive impact on the adolescents’ attitudes toward schooling in a number of ways by: (1) engaging these adolescents in interactions with a supportive school professional, (2) having the students socialize in a violence-free environment, and (3) providing students with opportunities to explore life beyond their neighborhood.