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Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of three Black male undergraduate education majors at a predominately White institution (PWI) in the Southeastern United States (SEUS). The researcher sought to examine primary factors that influenced the Black male undergraduate education majors to pursue teaching as a profession and to understand if and how the educational and pre-service professional learning received aligned with their social and prior academic experiences. This qualitative research rendered a case study that relied on three data collection methods: interview, field notes, and document analysis. Three Black male education majors attending the PWI in the SEUS were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using the constant comparative method and thematic analysis. The findings from the Black male education majors’ interviews yielded three major themes: (1) Navigating Identity and Belonging: The type of experiences that Black male education majors have at PWIs are greatly influenced by Black male education majors’ level of resistance, resilience, and sense of belonging; (2) Navigating Racism: The experiences Black male education majors have with racism and race at PWIs will affect their outlook on the teaching profession; (3) Navigating Social Justice and Teaching Philosophies: There is a disconnect between teaching philosophies at a predominately White college of education and the Black male education majors’ orientation toward social justice. The findings of this study could aid in developing recruitment strategies that aim to increase the enrollment of Black male undergraduate education majors at predominately White colleges of education. Index words: African American male theory, Black male education majors, Black male teachers, predominately White institutions (PWI), resiliency theory, sense of belonging, social cognitive career theory