Perspectives of respect, teacher–student relationships, and school climate among boys of color: A multifocus group study.

Abstract

Black and Latino students, particularly boys, experience higher rates of school disengagement and dropout than their non-Hispanic White peers (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, 2010). Although attention to exclusionary disciplinary practices is necessary to understand their disengagement, a focus on the experiences and perceptions of relationships and on teacher attitudes among boys of color can help to illuminate some of the challenges they experience. Eight focus groups involving 23 middle school-and 99 high school-aged boys of color participating in a community-driven basketball program shared how they experienced their school and their relationships with teachers and peers. Students' age ranged from 12 to 19 years (M ϭ 15.86, SD ϭ 1.71). Constant comparative analysis of focus group interviews yielded the following 5 themes: (a) school climate; (b) respect and disrespect; (c) encounters with discrimination; (d) hopes, wants, needs, and facilitative conditions; and (e) barriers to academic success. These themes illustrate students' perception of relationships, respect, and differential treatment within schools. Although these are barriers to academic success, students were not without hope. Students communicated their hopes and demonstrated an awareness of the importance of healthy relationships with teachers. These themes are discussed within the research on masculinity, discrimination, and school climate. Implications for research and practice are framed within the literature on bias, masculinity, and restorative practices. Public Significance StatementStructural and interpersonal forms of discrimination embedded in schools are reasons for academic disparities (e.g., dropout, suspensions/expulsions) and opportunity gaps (e.g., gifted and talented programs) experienced by boys of color. The findings of this qualitative study shed light on how boys of color experience race-and gender-based structural and interpersonal barriers in academic settings. Boys of color in this study also share their observations of what is needed for change.

Relationships between School Climate and Values: The Mediating Role of Attitudes towards Authority in Adolescents

“…The formation of school climate is complex and can be the result of multiple influences at the proximal and distal levels of the educational system. The characteristics of students, teachers, and staff can be considered as factors related to the internal development of school climate [ 11 , 69 ].…”

Internalization of Islamic Values in Developing Students' Actual Morals

“…The formation of characters with respect is the main part that teachers must do and familiarize themselves with. Because respect for the teacher is a noble quality that brings glory to students and makes them love their lessons (Balyer, 2019;Liang et al, 2020;Zhou et al, 2020). The formation of students' Islamic behavior begins with paying attention to the strength of the soul in humans, namely the power of hammiya or called anger turmoil.…”

Improving High School Graduation Through School Climate

“…Similar to Jia et al's (2016) study, Liang et al (2019) examined the impact of school climate among boys of color and barriers to academic success. In this study, the researchers interviewed eight focus groups of Black male students to determine what factors affected their schooling.…”

“…The first theme to emerge was school climate, which suggested that school climate is a perceived barrier among this student subgroup. Liang et al (2019) further stated that Black and Latino students were more affected by poor school climate and dropped out of high school more than White students. These findings support that school climate may play a critical role in a student's decision to drop out of school, specifically with marginalized student populations.…”