Program

Education Doctorate

Number of Pages

80

Year Approved

2021

First Advisor

Reimer, Tracy

Second Reader

Krista Soria, Judith Nagel

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether there are differences between racial groups in elementary students’ self-reported mental health. The Minnesota Department of Education gathered data from Minnesota school districts via the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey, an online survey completed by over 44,000 fifth grade students. Data were collected from the Minnesota Department of Education website, a publicly available source. Reverse engineering was employed by calculating the mean for each group in order to calculate the differences in groups using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of this study indicate that American Indian/Alaska Native students, Asian or Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, and Hispanic or Latinx students have significantly higher levels of worrying a lot compared to White students. Black or African American students did not have a significant different level of worrying a lot compared to White students. Additionally, the results suggest that American Indian/Alaska Native students, Asian or Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, and Hispanic or Latinx students have significantly higher frequency in feeling sad without knowing why compared to White students. Black or African American students did not have a significant different level of feeling sad without knowing why compared to White students. The findings suggest that while the Minnesota Student Survey was valid and reliable, further research is needed to explore the differences between racial groups in elementary students’ self-reported mental health. A survey created and administered solely to measure mental health could provide additional details.

Degree Name

Education Doctorate

Document Type

Doctoral dissertation

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