Reflections: Literature as data

Lagana-Riordan, C., Aguilar, J., Franklin, C., Streeter, C., Kim, J., Tripodi, S., & Hopson, L. (2011). At-Risk Students’ Perceptions of Traditional Schools and a Solution-Focused Public Alternative School.Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 55(3), 105-114. doi:10.1080/10459880903472843

During my graduate diploma, I focused one of my field studies on Ross Greene’s Plan B approach. I really like how his methods were strength based and included the student and their ideas or opinions into the conversation. This article describes the findings from a study that used qualitative research methods to “explore at-risk students’ perspectives about their current alternative school and their former traditional schools.” It felt like this article was describing my school, our classrooms and was on-point with the things that students were expressing. Similar to the school in this study, my school has “multigrade classrooms and integrated curriculums that allow new students to learn the culture and expectations of the new schools from veteran students and to build on their academic motivations.”

The students were interviewed about specific topics including current relationships, engagement factors, education and career goals. The results from the interviews “highlighted the shortcomings of traditional schools and revealed mostly positive perceptions about their experience” at their alternative school. There were four themes each, about traditional and alternative schools, that students were able to articulate about their experiences at school.

Poor teacher relationships, lack of safety, overly rigid authority and problems with peer relationships were noted as the most common traditional school shortcoming. “Many students interpreted the system of rules and penalties at the traditional schools as punitive.” The message that stuck out for me was that “schools that fail to balance these challenges with at-risk students needs risk alienating the most vulnerable students.” The commonalities between the interviewees were that students felt labeled, judged, or sensed a general lack of respect for kids.

Positive teacher relationships, improving maturity and responsibility, understanding about social issues, better peer relationship and supportive atmosphere are what students value in their alternative school setting. I know from first hand experience that mainstream teachers tend to be “fearful of asking students about their personal problems or their home lives or they assume that students will not talk to them about these issues.” Students at my school and the ones from this study both described their teachers as “their most influential role models and confidants.”

This article helped concrete my beliefs about the importance of focusing on a supportive and nonjudgmental teacher-student relationships, making home-school connections a priority, honouring the “whole person, including the obstacles that the student faces at home”, being flexible with school rules and offer choices when consequences are given.