Dissertation
African American Students' Narratives of Critical Interactions
Doctor of Education (EdD), Washington State University
01/2020
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/118189
Abstract
This study explores in one high school setting how students who identify as African American perceive the critical interactions that occur between them and educators that may result in exclusionary discipline or other forms of exclusion and how White educators respond to the narratives of the youth. Using Critical Race Theory, the design of the research study privileges the voices of the African American students and calls on educators, those with the power and authority to exclude these students, to hear and respond to the counternarratives of the youth. Students who identify as African American were interviewed regarding their perceptions of interactions between them and educators that may result in the students’ exclusion from school. The student descriptions were developed into narratives which were presented to educators for their response. Student counternarratives revealed that the responsibility of addressing racism and injustice fell to the African American youth themselves. The students were aware that their decision about whether or how to address injustice could result in trouble for themselves, either through school discipline or other forms of exclusion. In their focus group responses to a composite narrative co-written with one of the student participants, the educators in the study demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to name racism and expressed reluctance to take risks to address the harm racism caused in their school. Researchers and educational leaders can learn from the both the experiences of the youth and the responses of the educators to move toward the larger goal of eliminating the disproportionate suspension of Students of Color and other forms of oppression in schools.
Metrics
5 File views/ downloads
26 Record Views
Details
- Title
- African American Students' Narratives of Critical Interactions
- Creators
- Catherine Ann Woods
- Contributors
- Katherine C Rodela (Advisor)Sharon D Kruse (Committee Member)Shameem Rakha (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Educational Leadership, Sport Studies, and Educational/Counseling Psychology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EdD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 232
- Identifiers
- 99900581812201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation