Voices unheard: a look into the elementary at-risk student experience

Thesis (M.A., Education (Multicultural Education))--California State University, Sacramento, 2014.Students who have been labeled ???at risk??? because of their academic struggles often go through a negative classroom experience because of teacher perception and bias, accountability, and the self-fulfilling prophecy. This is a problem because these negative experiences can become progressively worse through the years, impacting students??? sentiments toward school. If students view school as a place where they feel defeated and unaccepted, they are more likely to start falling behind, which could eventually lead to them failing or dropping out of school all together. Without an adequate education, students are less likely to obtain a quality job and earn a decent living. This impacts the economy in terms of what they can offer as a productive member of their community and what they are able to contribute to society in an increasingly competitive world market.\ud Those students that are particularly affected by these negative experiences in the classroom are marginalized groups, such as Hispanic and African American students. These struggles in school are even further compounded for students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds that were found to be ???more likely than other students to be deficient in basic mathematics and reading skills. These students were also more likely than other students to drop out between the 8th and 10th grades??? (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 1992, p.V). According to the California Department of Education, minorities accounted for over half (71.55%) of the state???s Graduation Cohort in 2012 (http://www.cde.ca.gov). On a national level, minority students comprise a majority of our schools??? populations and therefore, the way these students experience school is a definite cause for concern. If students find school to be an unpleasant experience, especially in the early years, they will more than likely develop negative sentiments toward school. Students who harbor these feelings run a heightened risk of dropping out, let alone achieving the educational attainment they are capable of. \ud The data will be obtained through open-ended teacher surveys, Likert Scale student surveys, and one-on-one student interviews. All surveys and interviews will take place at the same elementary school site, and will be compared to each other for analysis and statistical differences.\ud After obtaining the results from the teacher surveys as well as the student surveys and interviews, several connections emerged between the data and the literature reviewed in preparation to conduct the current research study. These major themes included: Critical Pedagogy, Students??? Lived Experiences, Academic Resiliency and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. The study began with the assertion by the founder of Critical Pedagogy, Paulo Freire, which stated, ???World and human beings do not exist apart from each other, they exist in constant interaction??? (1970, p. 50). When the teacher and student data was compared to one another, this seemed to be an issue. There seemed to be a lack of interaction between teachers and their pupils, especially from the perspective of the students. On many of the student survey questions, children were unable to answer countless questions about their teachers that should have been relatively easy to comment on. However, students showed the lack of interaction they were receiving when they repeatedly listed that they were ???not sure??? or ???neutral??? on many of these questions. The teachers also commented several times throughout their surveys about the lack of home-school connection and parent and/or student apathy. Had teachers and students alike shared this idea about a need for constant interaction, it is likely that their responses would have been more reflective of one another. \ud One quote in particular from Duncan-Andrade and Morrell shed light primarily on the results of the student surveys. In their 2008 book, the authors state ???When one set of schools is given the resources necessary to succeed and another group of schools is not, we have predetermined winners and losers??? (p. 1). In the context of this study, it seemed to be the students that were divided into ???predetermined winners and losers???. Although not directly stated by teachers or students, responses in both student surveys and interviews revealed that there was an obvious gap in the way students perceived their teacher and their experience in the classroom. Being that these feelings were exuded in both the surveys and interviews, it was not by chance that these students felt divided on many of the questions regarding their place in the classroom and the education they were receiving. \ud One specific point where students were divided was regarding the feedback they received from teachers about their progress in school. This relates to a quote regarding Students??? Lived Experiences in which the authors state, ??????students in low-income culturally diverse urban schools who are academically underachieving may be the least likely but most in need to experience feedback about their strengths and potential competence for academic and career development??? (Jackson, Perolini, Fietzer, Altschuler, Woerner & Hashimoto, 2011, p. 1024). Being that a majority of the students surveyed in this sample are low-income, from culturally diverse backgrounds, and considered ???at-risk??? while all attending an urban elementary school, it is evident by this quote how much these students in particular need this feedback. Without it, these students will be ill-prepared for the academics they will encounter, which will later affect the types of jobs they can obtain and the lives they will lead. \ud No matter what the students??? demographics, there is undeniable potential for academic resiliency. Rivera and Waxman (2007) state that one of the key characteristics of resilient students is ???having a positive relationship with a competent adult??? (p.12). Embedded throughout the student surveys and interviews, many of the students articulated either through words or by their answer choice on the Likert Scale that they were feeling a strong disconnect with their teachers. Some showed outright disagreement, while others maintained neutrality because of simply not knowing where their teacher stood when it came to them personally. If rapport with a teacher can be a determining factor in whether a student is academically resilient or not, then their responses in the data collected is a major cause for concern. \ud Part of the reasoning for students experiencing these varied encounters in the same classroom may be due to the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. Being that at this particular school site ???student placement cards??? are used, much about the student is already ???known??? about them before the first day. Brophy cautions against this when he states, ???expectations can be affected significantly by information about test performance, performance on assignments, track or group placement, classroom conduct, physical appearance, race, social class, ethnicity, sex, speech characteristics, and various diagnostic labels??? (1982, p. 11). The student responses, especially in the surveys, revealed that many of them were in fact having contrasting experiences in the classroom and were often divided, especially when it came to their teachers??? perceptions of them as well as what they thought students were capable of. The abovementioned research supports the fact that these discrepancies may be accounted for by teachers??? preconceived notions and the varying levels of expectations that accompany them.Education (Multicultural Education