African American Child and Adolescent Academic Help-Seeking: A Scoping Review

To influence school achievement, researchers investigate student academic help-seeking. However, a growing population of students of color combined with the risk of poorer academic performance yields attention toward African American student academic help-seeking. In this review, 13 studies analyzed sampling characteristics, theoretical frameworks, and designing methodologies. Results illustrated that samples varied in terms of data collection, settings, participant characteristics, and research purpose. Also, frameworks differed with the majority of the studies referencing culture or motivation-informed theory. The methodology focused on quantitative measures of help-seeking behavior, attitude, and influencing variables. Qualitative measures showed African American students experienced help-seeking challenges, family involvement, and assumed responsibility for seeking help. Implications for research and practice are provided.