EXPLORING SUPPORTIVE

RELATIONSHIPS

IN THE ACADEMIC LIVES OF

UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS

SymposiumAERA Annual Meeting, 2013

JOEL GARCIA

SUSAN GLASSETT FARRELLY

DOMENICA CIMARUSTI PEARL

BEVERLY PRANGE

University of California, San DiegoCalifornia State University San Marcos

ERIKA DANIELS, CHAIRCalifornia State University San Marcos

GLORIA CRISP, DISCUSSANTUniversity of Texas at San Antonio

INTRODUCTION

ERIKA DANIELS, ED.D.ASSISTANT PROFESSORSCHOOL OF EDUCATION

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

A POVERTY OF SOCIAL CAPITAL:STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL

Susan Glassett Farrelly, ED.D.teacher

North county technology and science academySan Marcos, CA

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

* Who attends alternative school?

* What is the lived student educational experience before, during, and after attending alternative school?

PARTICIPANT SELECTION VARIANT x AN EXPLANATORY SEQUENTIAL DESIGN

* Grounded in Critical Theory* Phase One: Self-Determination

Theory (SDT) * Survey of 187 alternative education students* Assessed students’ perceived basic psychological

needs (autonomy, competency and relatedness)* Student records

* Phase Two: Student Voice Narrative Inquiry* Audio narrative analysis* Analysis of narratives

CRESWELL & PLANO-CLARK (2011)

CONTEXT

* County Community School (CCS)

* Regionally distributed over 8 sites and 17 classrooms

* Operated 245 school days

* Serves 300 to 450 students in 2010-2011 enrollment was 336

* High (70%) mobility rate - 1024 different students were enrolled

PARTICIPANTSSAMPLE POPULATION

Latino 81% 81%

White Non-Hispanic 11% 11%

African American 6% 4%

Special Education 18% 19%

Limited English Proficient 47% 64%

Free or Reduced Lunch 86% 79%

Female 17% 20%

CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Cluster#1

Cluster#2

Cluster#3

Cluster#4-2.0

-1.5

-1.0

-.5

.0

.5

1.0

1.5

AutonomyCompetencyRelatedness

NARRATIVE ANALYSIS

*Cluster #1* Oscar fulfilled all graduation requirements

except state exit exam, was attending community college

* Rainman graduated and is employed fulltime

*Cluster #2* Eddie was going back to traditional high

school but got arrested* Jacob was still attending alternative school

sporadically due to homelessness

NARRATIVE ANALYSIS

*Cluster #3* Kyle graduated and was employed full time* Raul returned to traditional school for

senior year currently has a 3.8 GPA

*Cluster #4* Leo returned to traditional school for 9th

grade year and is struggling* Güero was still attending alternative school

but has since dropped out

ABOVE THE LINE

* Named specific teachers by name with whom they had a special relationship

* There was evidence in each story of teachers having high expectations

BELOW THE LINE

* Did not describe a specific relationship with a teacher

* Did not identify a single positive educational experience

CAREER OBJECTIVES

* Oscar – Army

* Rainman – Marines

* Kyle – Police Officer or Game Warden

* Raul – Probation Officer

* Eddie – Probation Officer

* Jacob – Chef

* Leo – Police Officer

* Güero – Probation Officer

“Got to enforce some laws.

I want to carry a gun” (Kyle)

“[I] seriously thought like I wasn’t going to graduate high school. I was just going to drop out and just go to juvenile hall…But right here they work with you to improve, you know… [Name deleted] doesn't take crap, but if you're serious about school he'll try to work with you, you know? Because [name deleted] is a good teacher. I've seen him help...my family have gone, other family has gone to his class too, and he's helped them go to college. He helped them sign up for college and everything. But that's only if you're serious about school” (Raul)

CONCLUSIONThe student voices in this study show the heart of alternative education success lies in the development of a caring and supportive environment grounded in positive student-teacher relationships that embrace high expectations. These relationships need to not only support students academically but also to empower them with “rich social capital and resource generating networks” (Stanton-Salazar, 2010, p. 1097) that will alter their destinies.

EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND

THEIR EDUCATORS

Joel Garcia, ED.D.Principal, Monarch School

Juvenile Court and Community SchoolsSan Diego County Office of Education

OVERVIEW

* Background* Statement of the Problem* Conceptual Framework* Research Questions* Research Design* Results* Implications for Research and

Professional Practice

BACKGROUND

* 2.3 to 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness each year(National Center on Family Homelessness, 2009)

* Nationally, a record 1,065,794 homeless children attended schools in the 2010-2011 school year(National Center for Homeless Education, 2012)

* In San Diego County, there are 18,093 homeless K-12 students(M. Lustig, San Diego County Office of Education, personal communication, 10.8.2012)

STATEMENTxTHE PROBLEM

* Although some literature exists regarding the resilience of homeless students, little is known about the relationships between these youth and their educators

* Little is known about the school structures and climate and their effect on these relationships

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK* Risks

* Resilience

* School Structures

* School Culture and Climate

Risks Resilience

Student-Educator Relationships

RISKS

* Family Breakdown

* Social Emotional

RESILIENCE FRAMEWORKResilience

Stress and Risks

Family Breakdown

Social Emotional

Mediating Mechanisms

Temperament

Relationships

School Experience

Coping/Protective Mechanisms

Positive Self-Esteem

Family Cohesion

Availability of External Support

(Garmezy, 1985; Rutter 1987)

RESILIENCE-PROMOTING SCHOOLS

Theoretical Model High Expectations

Caring Relationships

Meaningful Participation and Contribution

(Benard, 2004)

SCHOOL STRUCTURES

* Student Support

* Staff Awareness and Development

SCHOOL CULTURE y CLIMATE

* Safety

* Staff Attitudes

* Adult and Peer Relationships

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Are caring relationships available for homeless youth at a traditional school and a modified comprehensive school specifically designed for students experiencing homelessness?

1. In what ways do the institutional structures support or constrain these relationships?

2. How does a school’s culture and climate influence these relationships?

METHODOLOGY* Comparative Case Study

* Sample and Population*City High and Bayview Schools

*24 students total; Purposeful, homogenous sampling

*12 staff members total ;Teachers, Counselors, Administration

METHODOLOGY

* Data Collection* Document Analysis, Semi-Structured

Interviews, Classroom Observations

* Within and Cross-Case Data Analysis* Conceptual framework informed initial code

development

* First cycle: In vivo coding

* Second round of pattern coding used to further analyze and organize data

FINDINGS: CITY HIGH SCHOOL* 75% of student participants reported having a

supportive relationship* Having a “normal conversation”* Empathy yields relatability

“I know they care because they have normal conversation that’s not about school stuff. They ask

about how work is going and stuff like that” (Steven, 12th grade)

“I was having a tough time and it was close to homecoming and I couldn’t go to the homecoming

dance. My parents [said] ‘no you need to focus on helping us get through what we’re going through.’ And Ms. Jacobs was telling me she went through the same thing. Her parents were really hard on her and didn’t

really want her to do anything and put too much responsibility on her too”

(Layla, 12th grader)

* Emotionally Safe

FINDINGS: CITY HIGH SCHOOL

* Homeless students go unidentified“We have these little markers on our student profiles that, I don’t know what they all mean. They are like

coded. I don’t know if we even have a code for that, but if we do I don’t know what it is”

(Mr. Jones, Science Teacher)

* “You’re on your own”“[The teachers] are putting up a front so that’s what we

have to do too. We have to put up a front. Like, oh, since you don’t care, I don’t care. I’m not going to do it

because you’re not going to teach me that. So all around, I feel like if we just all help each other, then

there’ll never be a reason for any student to feel that they can’t do anything”

(Yolanda, 9th grader)

FINDINGS: BAYVIEW SCHOOL* Supportive and Warm Environment

* For all student participants* “Like a family”* Wide network of support

“[Bayview] is like my second family and seriously I have moms, I have dads, I have sisters and brothers”

(Molly, 12th grader)

* Individualized SupportBecause we're so small, we know the students. We know just

from observing what's normal behavior and what's not normal behavior for a particular student. We know if somebody is usually really loud and boisterous at lunch, and now they're

sitting on a bench and not talking to anybody, that's unusual. So, we need to figure out what’s going on that’s making them

behave differently” (Vice-Principal Terry Norris)

IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH

y PRACTICE

* Continuum of Homelessness

* Identification is Critical

* Focus Beyond Academics

* Balance of Institutional Context

(Murphy and Tobin, 2011)

!THANK YOU

EXPLORING SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATORS

/AND LATINA O STUDENTS

ON THE ROAD TO COLLEGE

BEVERLY PRANGE, ED.D.PROGRAM SPECIALISTMIGRANT EDUCATION

SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

IMPROVING ACADEMIC OUTCOMES

FOR LATINO STUDENTS

* Students of Latino origin comprise the majority of public school students in California and are the fastest growing group nationwide

89

41

71

32

94

43

020406080

100

High School or GED College Enrollment

All StudentsLatino StudentsWhite Students

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics , 2012

PROBLEM

Latino students comprise the

majority

Low academic achievement

What contributes to Latino student

success?

Relationships with educators

are a key

How do supportive

educators build and maintain

these relationships?

PURPOSE

* Explore supportive relationships between students and educators from the student perspective to identify the characteristics, dispositions, and behaviors of school adults who successfully offer empathic understanding and support to Latina/o students who are striving to be the first in their families to graduate from high school and attend college

RESILIENCYStrengths-

Based Theory

Protective Factors

Internal Protective

Factors

External Protective

Factors

Opportunity for

Participation & Contribution

High Expectations

Caring Relationships

Alfaro, Umaña-Taylor, & Bámaca, 2006; Alva, 1991; Gándara, 2002

SOCIAL CAPITAL

* Access to resources obtained through interpersonal relationships

* Historically underserved groups have less access to social capital due to societal and school structure

* Educators are uniquely situated to increase Latino students’ access to social capital: information, resources, networks (“empowerment agents”)

(BOURDIEU, 1986; COLEMAN, 1988; CRONINGER & LEE, 2001; KLEM & CONNELL, 2004; STANTON-SALAZAR, 2001, 2011)

EMPATHY

* Basis for interpersonal relationships

* Humans are hard-wired for empathy

* Empathy can be taught and developed

(Carr, Iacoboni, Dubeau, Mazziotta, & Lenzi, 2003; Hoffman, 2000; Ramachandran, 2010)

EMPATHY

* Empathy is the process of understanding others that in turn helps them understand themselves. The quality of empathy involves valuing and caring about the person; having a non-judgmental attitude; listening; working to understand another’s perspective; and helping the other person achieve his or her potential.

Rogers (1975); Cooper (2004)

RESEARCH QUESTION ySUB-QUESTIONS

In what ways does empathy play a role in the relationships educators form with Latino first generation college-bound

students?

In what ways does empathy play a role in the relationships educators form with Latino first generation college-bound

students?

QUANTITATIVEa) Relationships?b) With whom?c) Empathy?d) Does race affect

empathy?

QUANTITATIVEa) Relationships?b) With whom?c) Empathy?d) Does race affect

empathy?

QUALITATIVEe) Educator

behaviors, attitudes and attributes?

f) How?

QUALITATIVEe) Educator

behaviors, attitudes and attributes?

f) How?

TRANSFORMATIVE

MIXED-METHODSDESIGN

Phase I: QuantitativePhase I: Quantitative

Phase II: QualitativePhase II: Qualitative

SurveySurvey

Latina/o First-Gen students

Latina/o First-Gen students

InterviewsWritten

Responses

InterviewsWritten

Responses

EOP StudentsEOP Students

PHASE I : QUANTITATIVE

In what ways does empathy play a role in the relationships educators form with Latino first generation college-bound students?

a) Do Latina/o first generation college-bound students experience supportive relationships with educators in high school?

b) For those Latina/o students who experience a supportive relationship, is this adult more likely to be a teacher, counselor, or other educator?

c) To what degree do Latina/o students perceive these educators as empathic?

d) Does the race/ethnicity of the educator affect how Latina/o students rate them on empathy?

QUANTITATIVE PARTICIPANTS

* EOP students (n=184)

* 77% (n=141) Latina/o

* 81% female

QUANTITATIVE INSTRUMENTATION

* Demographic information* Information regarding supportive

educator* Modified Jefferson Scale of Patient

Perception of Physician Empathy (Kane, Gotto, Mangione, West, & Hojat, 2007)

* e.g. “This person can view things from my perspective (see things as I see them)” and “This person asks about what is happening in my daily life”

QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS

* Do Latina/o first generation college-bound students experience supportive relationships with educators in high school?

88% YES* For those Latina/o students who

experience a supportive relationship, is this adult more likely to be a teacher, counselor, or other educator?

74% teacher, 49% AVID teacher, 15% counselor

QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS

* To what degree do Latina/o students perceive these educators as empathic?

High EmpathyHigh Non-Judgmental Attitude* Does the race/ethnicity of the educator

affect how Latina/o students rate them on empathy?

No difference in empathy based on race/ethnicity

PHASE II : QUALITATIVE

* What attitudes/attributes/behaviors do Latina/o first generation college-bound students experience as supportive of their academic and life goals?

QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY

* Phenomenology* focuses on the meaning of lived experience

(Van Manen, 1990)

* seeks to describe the essence of a group of individuals’ experiences of a phenomenon (Creswell, 2007)

* Data Sources* Responses to open-ended survey questions * Written responses to prompts* Interviews

22 STUDENT PARTICIPANTS

* Volunteers from survey* Referred by colleagues* First and second-year undergraduates* 13 females* 9 males* 100% first generation college* 64% first generation high school grads* 16 high schools in 13 school districts* 4 undocumented students

THEMES

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

SAFE SPACE

PERSONAL ISSUES

TRUST

HUMOR

OFFERING A PERSONAL

RELATIONSHIP

PERSPECTIVE TAKING

ASKING QUESTIONS AND

LISTENING

UNDERSTANDING STUDENT EMOTION

NON-JUDGMENTAL

ATTITUDE

EDUCATOR USING PERSONAL

EXPERIENCE

CULTURAL EMPATHY

EDUCATOR ETHNICITY

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY

UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

STUDENT BELIEF IN POTENTIAL

EMPATHY FOR EQUITY

DEVELOP EDUCATOR EMPATHY

EMPATHY + EXPECTATIONS

Educator

Skills yAttitudes

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

PERSPECTIVE TAKING

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

CULTURAL EMPATHY

Implications

:SUPPORT AND RETENTION

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF

MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS AND

SOCIAL CAPITAL BETWEEN FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS

Domenica Cimarusti Pearl, ED.D.Associate Director

Undergraduate advising servicesCalifornia State University San Marcos

45%DROPPED OUT

BACKGROUND

* In more than fifty years, the college graduation rate in the United States has only increased by 3%.

National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, 2011; Hout, 2009

6-year average graduation rate, 2009

55%GRADUATED

?WHY ARE STUDENTS LEAVING

* Academic difficulty

* Adjustment issues

* Lack of clear goals or commitment

* Rising costs

* Poor integration into community

Tinto, 1993; Moore, Offenstein & Shulock, 2011

PROBLEM

Parker, Summerfeld, Hogan & Majeski, 2004; Tinto, 1993; Qualter, Whiteley, Morley & Dudiak, 2008

Students are failing to acclimate to university life

Integration into the campus community helps students to be more successful

Relationships with academic staff & peers assist in this connection

Mentoring enhances relationships

College student retention

PURPOSE

* Explore the contribution of relational factors or the impact of personal characteristics of mentors

* Provide empirical and theoretical insight student affairs practitioners might consider when establishing mentoring programs to promote student retention

Jacobi, 1991; Bernier, Larose & Soucy, 2005

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

* In what ways do mentoring relationships between student affairs professionals and students support or constrain the retention of college students?* To what degree do mentoring relationships

foster social capital?* In what ways do students use “mentoring social

capital” to persist toward degree?* Do students perceive a relationship between a

mentor’s emotional intelligence and the quality of the mentoring relationship?

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

* Parallels with mentoring* both are structures in which individuals benefit

from a relationship* provides students with the social capital

needed to better navigate the university* Illuminates knowledge about relationships

and the way individuals interact with one another

SOCIAL CAPITAL

“A set of resources rooted in relationships” or, the advantages an individual acquires through the social network in which they belong”

Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998, p.243; Bourdieu, 1986; Hezlett & Gibson, 2007

LITERATURE

Social Capital

* The heart of social capital is the relationship

* Significant positive effects on the persistence of college students

* Stronger predictor of success than academic preparation and other personal factors

Mentoring

* Advocate for students

* Connects students to the university

* Less likely to drop out * Promotes goal and

career achievement* Provides support,

reinforcement &emotional sustenance

* Helps students recognize they are capable of succeeding

Emotional Intelligence

* The manner in which individuals perceive, express, manage and understand emotion in both themselves and others

* Internal mechanism necessary for healthy relationships

* Enhances the ability to support and connect with students on a more personal level

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Creswell, 2008; Creswell and Plano Clark, 2011; Rudestam & Newton, 2007; Denzin & Lincoln, 2005

Phase 1 {Quantitative}• Original survey • SPSS data analysis• Phase 2 student

participant selection

Phase 2 {Qualitative}• 6 student interviews• 5 identified mentor

interviews• Content & cross-case

analysis

Phase 2 {Qualitative}• 6 student interviews• 5 identified mentor

interviews• Content & cross-case

analysis

Site: Mid-size public university in California (n = 10,276)

SEQUENTIAL EXPLANATORY

MIXED METHODS DESIGN

PHASE 1 PARTICIPANTS

* Senior-level non-probationary students (n = 3487)

* 18% response rate (n = 628)

* 46% of respondents had a mentor

* Only 11% indicated a mentor in Student Affairs

PHASE 2 PARTICIPANTS

* 6 undergraduate students

* 5 mentors employed in Student Affairs

FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTSFrances

First-generation college student

ConnieBoth parents

college educated

BeatriceBoth parents

have BA

MikeFirst-generation college student

GailFirst-generation college student

JackFirst-generation college graduate

LucaFirst-generation college student

PatriciaFirst-generation college graduate

DylanFirst-generation college student

MarieFirst-generation college graduate

ChrissyBoth parents

have AA

* 4 out of 6 students

* 4 out of 5 mentors

* Reported mentoring relationship to be the catalyst of their success

From the both the quantitative and qualitative data,

3 MAIN CONCEPTS influencing college student retention emerged:

Emotional Support

MENTORCOMMITMENT

Relational Capital

* Emotional factors influence academic performance and affect a student’s decision to remain in school

* Emotional health is one of the only self-rated personal characteristics to have a positive effect on degree completion

Astin, 2006

Emotional Support * Emotionally supportive

mentors help acclimate students to college life

ELEMENTS

Trust

Empathy

Rapport

Parent-like Support

Emotional Support

ELEMENTS

Parent-like Support

“I’m not a counselor, I’m not a doctor, I’m not a police officer. I’m just a window…

Because sometimes, these kids, they know so many people and they still could be the loneliest people

around, or it’s their first experience away from mom and dad. They don’t make the right choices or they

feel so lonely, or they can’t go to their parents for anything, or even their best friend.

So, I make myself available to them–to be able to come in for whatever,

and then I just point them in the right direction”(Frances)

Emotional Support

* Particularly for first-generation student participants, who described mentor commitment as instrumental in providing a path to college graduation

* Provided students with security and reinforcement needed to excel academically and socially

MENTORCOMMITMENT

* “Your success is my success” mentality empowered students

ELEMENTS

Dependability & Availability“A mentor is someone

who you know is there for you whenever you need her…

Beatrice is the one who’s been there for me

from start to finish”(Mike)

Motivation

MENTORCOMMITMENT

* Contributed to a comprehensive and meaningful mentorship

* Assisted students in navigating the university, and what to do post-graduation

Relational Capital

...Having the aptitude to manage relationships and build connections with others in order to cultivate social ties to improve academic outcomes

ELEMENTS

Role Modeling“I need someone who can

inspire me to choose a career pathand not just, a career”

(Dylan)

Belonging and Mattering

Relational Capital

ELEMENTS

Connections

Reciprocity“The most rewarding part of the relationship

that you build with students is their success…

I think when you talk to them and you see them succeed in any fashion of life,

that’s very rewarding”(Jack)

Relational Capital

FIRST-GENERATIONSTUDENTSyMENTORS

* Vital way to gain access to information and opportunities

* Success was facilitated by supportive interpersonal relationship with their mentor* Mentors intervened to assist students

navigate the university and facilitate academic success

* Ability to empathize* Understood potential adversity * Helped avoid common obstacles

“I was a first-generation student, so was Jack, and because he’s already been there and done that, he kind of helped me along the way...Even though I have a family who supports me. My mom doesn't speak English, she’s working day by day. She never went through it. It’s nice to have somebody here, where I can go, and he’s always available or he’ll make time. If I email him, he emails me right away. It’s nice to have that support here on campus. I have it at home, which is great, but I can’t go to my mom and ask what classes I should I take. It’s just nice to have it here” LUCA

INTERSECTIO

NAL

MODEL

IDEAL MENTOR CONDITION

“I love my job. It’s really all about the relationships that I have and building those relationships with students. I think I just love being in an environment where I see that

growth. College is such a great setting to see that happen” (Beatrice)

“I have met many young adults, and have hired many of them throughout the years,

and they have all respected me on a level that I hadn’t thought I was even worthy of. It was amazing. And, somehow I have impacted their

lives” (Frances)

DISCUSSION

GLORIA CRISP, ED.D.ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIESUNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO