What Adolescent African American Male Adolescents Say About Music Videos With Implications

255 Pages·2015·0.93 MB·English

by  Zerric Michael Clinton

Florida State University Libraries
Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School
2010
What African American Male Adolescents
Say About Music Videos with Implications
for Art Education
Zerric Clinton
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THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF VISUAL ARTS, THEATRE, AND DANCE

WHAT AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE ADOLESCENTS SAY ABOUT MUSIC

VIDEOS WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR ART EDUCATION

BY

ZERRIC CLINTON

A Dissertation submitted to the
Department of Art Education
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Awarded:
Spring Semester 2010

Copyright © 2010
Zerric Clinton
All Rights Reserved
The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Zerric Clinton defended on
April 1, 2010.

___________________________
Tom Anderson
Professor Directing Dissertation

___________________________
Martell Teasley
University Representative

___________________________
Pat Villeneuve
Committee Member

___________________________
Dave Gussak
Committee Member

Approved:
______________________________________________________
Dave Gussak, Chair, Department of Art Education

_____________________________________________________
Sally McRorie, Dean, College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance

The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee

members.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I give thanks to Almighty God who has kept me throughout this sometimes
arduous phase of my life. I would like to thank all committee members: First, I have to
thank my committee chair Dr. Tom Anderson who has kept me on track with his
encouragement and unwavering belief that I could do this. Next, I would like to thank
committee member Dr. Melanie Davenport who helped me to work through some major
logistic issues early on. To Dr. Martell Teasley who has given me insights that only he
could throughout this process. Thank you as well to Dr. Dave Gussak who helped me
tremendously with the philosophical aspects of this endeavor. I have to pause here to
thank Dr. Pat Villenueve who guided me in professional writing early on to encourage
me to become a better writer.
To my mentors: Dr. Charles Magee, Dr. Ansu Mason, Dr. Angela Copeland, Mr.
Horace Williams, Mrs. Betty Rainey my first grade teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Pope my high
school art teacher Dr. Stephen Lahr and Dr. Lanny Milbrandt my undergraduate advisors
I would have never made it to Florida State University without your guidance over the
years.
Special thanks to Lateesha , Makaya and Andrew who always made me smile
when things were difficult. I thank you as well for being understanding when I was
always busy. Thanks to my great uncle Millard Surrency who told me when I was a child
that I would be a doctor one day. That small statement has stuck with me during this
process. Last but certainly not least I thank my parents who have always stressed the
importance of education. Even when I thought they were being hard on me I see now that
their foresight was necessary for me to receive this achievement. This degree is a result of
their unwillingness to accept mediocrity.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract..............................................................................................................................vi
CHAPTER 1.......................................................................................................................1
Introduction.........................................................................................................................1
Research Question..............................................................................................................2
Research Objectives............................................................................................................2
Justification for the Study...................................................................................................2
Research Design and Procedures........................................................................................5
Definition of terms..............................................................................................................6
Summary.............................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER 2.......................................................................................................................8
Literature Review................................................................................................................8
General Information about Development...........................................................................8
Dress as Social Marker of Membership............................................................................12
The Effects of Media on Identity-Development...............................................................14
Media and Its Effects on Youth........................................................................................19
Presentation of Media.......................................................................................................29
CHAPTER 3.....................................................................................................................34
Methodology.....................................................................................................................34
Statement of the Problem..................................................................................................34
Theoretical Foundation.....................................................................................................34
Overview of the Study......................................................................................................38
The Curriculum.................................................................................................................41
Data Gathering, Instrumentation, and Data Coding..........................................................45
Data Analysis....................................................................................................................47
CHAPTER 4.....................................................................................................................51
Findings.............................................................................................................................51
Pre-Survey.........................................................................................................................51
Critiques............................................................................................................................58
Discussions.......................................................................................................................63
Researcher’s Critiques of the Videos................................................................................70
Contextual Information and Reflection............................................................................73
Final Survey......................................................................................................................74
CHAPTER 5.....................................................................................................................79
Interpretations and Implications.......................................................................................79
Supporting Question #1....................................................................................................79
Supporting Question #2....................................................................................................81
Supporting Question #3....................................................................................................82
Conclusions and Discussion.............................................................................................87
Implications.......................................................................................................................92
Limitations and Insights about the Structure of the Study................................................96
Suggestions for Future Research......................................................................................97
APPENDIX A...................................................................................................................99
APPENDIX B.................................................................................................................106
APPENDIX C.................................................................................................................110
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APPENDIX D.................................................................................................................111
APPENDIX E.................................................................................................................116
APPENDIX F..................................................................................................................125
APPENDIX G.................................................................................................................154
APPENDIX H.................................................................................................................203
APPENDIX I..................................................................................................................227
APPENDIX J..................................................................................................................233
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................234
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH..........................................................................................247

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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of music videos on African-
American males. Minimal research exists in this area and the results are mixed. Hurt
(2006) found that society has become desensitized to the sexism, misogyny and the
sexual objectification of women in hip hop culture and noted that music videos are part of
the problem. This impact is controlled by the catch, pull, and hold mechanisms
(Vernallis, 1998). Straw (1988) extended this view by purporting that music videos
perpetuate certain images or lifestyles. Kinder (1984) inserted that repeated exposure to
these images or lifestyles within a short period of time establishes connections in the
brain circuitry. This strengthens associations to such a point that when the spectator
hears the same song on the radio or in another context in which the visuals are absent, the
presence of the music retrieves these images from memory, accompanied by a desire to
see them again.
In contrast, Sternheimer (2003) asserted that the media is just an easy target which
people use to cover up other reasons for the ills of today’s youth. Jones (2002) had a
positive view of the media saying that make-believe settings help adolescents deal with
their anxieties and fears.
This study was conducted with a group of ninth through twelfth grade students in
a rural southern Georgia town. The sample population was 30 adolescent African
American males in the local high school. The students completed a pre-survey, a final
survey, critiqued a music video and participated in a focus group discussion. The pre-
survey elicited demographic information about the students’ ages, ways of dress and their
attitudes on music artists and their music videos. Following the pre-survey each
participant critiqued their favorite music video using the Anderson and Milbrandt (2005)
critique model. A focus group was conducted next, in which participants candidly talked
about what they see and learn from music videos. The participants completed a final
survey to end the study.
There were three major findings.
1. Most participants are not critically analyzing the visual culture of music
videos. They appear to be socialized into acting out what they have viewed in
their communities.
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2. The students are influenced by their favorite music artists’ style of dress and
the behavior of their favorite artists.
3. If given a chance to create their own music videos, most students agreed that
they would use the same elements that they see in their favorite music videos.
The evidence shows that it is important for educators, particularly art educators to
develop and implement ways for adolescents to gain experience in critically analyzing
their environment, which in their words includes the visual culture that pervades popular
music videos. Therefore, art educators have to be instrumental in assisting adolescents in
assessing their social environments. Duncum (2006) argued for this by stating that visual
culture art education has a social purpose, which is to develop critical thinkers and doers
who can make responsible decisions and choices in society.

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The literature has established that music videos from popular culture have an
impact on African-American adolescent boys (Hurt, 2006 & Cohen, C., Celestine-
Michener, J. Holmes, C. Merseth, J. & Ralph, L., 2007). What I want to know in this
study is what that impact is, from their perspective. What do they perceive in these videos
and what does it mean to them? I want to understand from a pragmatic philosophical
perspective (Dewey, 1934) what reality these adolescent boys construct in relation to
popular music videos. The practical model I will use to assess what is going on with the
young men is the “throughput” model (Heylighen, 1998), which attends to what is being
processed and how, as well as what that means.
As a high school art teacher I am interested in learning about the way visual
culture, specifically music videos effect adolescents. To put my interest in context I am
African-American, male, and I have 12 years of teaching experience all at the secondary
level. I believe that the way we present ourselves says something about who we perceive
ourselves to be (Hansen & Hansen), 1990a; Hansen & Hansen 1990b, and Stroman 1991.
In that context, researchers agree that the presentations made by television, television
commercials, magazine advertisements, music videos, and other forms of visual imagery
impact adolescents’ sense of self. I want to know how, from their perspective (Stroman,
1991; William, & Qualls, 1989).
Statement of the Problem
The literature suggests television and other visual media have a strong impact on
the socialization of children and youth (Lee & Browne, 1995; Hansen & Hansen, 1990a;
Hansen & Hansen, 1990b; and Zillman, Aust, Hoffman, Love, Ordman, Pope, Siegler, &
Gibson, 1995). Duncum (2006) cited a few case studies such as ones conducted by Tavin
and Toczydlowska (2004) & Polaniecki (2004), which inquire about this impact as
perceived by the youth. However, there are few studies about the impact of visual media,

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specifically, on African American high school students. Therefore, the purpose of this
study is to determine the impact of visual media, specifically music videos, on African
American males as they perceive it.
RESEARCH QUESTION
In this study the primary guiding question is: What do adolescent African-
American males perceive in selected popular music videos, how do they process the
images, and what do they mean to them?
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The procedures of this study framed as research objectives include:
1. reviewing and analyzing literature on music videos and adolescents;
2. structuring the problem and question for this study based on the literature review;
3. justifying a theoretical way to answer the research questions;
4. selecting a site, population, and instruments;
5. conducting the study;
6. analyzing the data and reaching conclusions, and
7. using the results to construct implications for future research and practice in art
education.
JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY
Life goes on in an environment; not merely in it but because of it, through
interaction with it. No creature lives merely under its skin; its subcutaneous
organs are means of connection with what lies beyond its bodily frame, and to
which, in order to live, it must adjust itself, by accommodation and defense but
also by conquest. At every moment the living creature is exposed to dangers from
its surroundings, and at every moment, it draws upon something in its
surroundings to satisfy its needs. The career and destiny of a living being are
bound up with its interchanges with its environment, not externally but in the
most intimate way (Dewey, 1980, p. 13).
Today this environment is largely a human construction (Anderson & Milbrandt,

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