Secondary Students' Perceptions of School Life with Regard to Alienation: The Effects of Disability, Gender and Race

Abstract

Student alienation is a major cause of dropping out of school, gang activity and poor peer, school-student, and teacherstudent relationships. A considerable amount of research has focused on factors that distinguish between students who are engaged in the learning process and those who are not. This study examined the relationship between students and their perceptions of school life. A survey was distributed to over 200 students at two high schools in a large, urban school district in the southern United States. Results suggest that gender, race/ethnicity, and placement in special education are all strong factors in influencing whether students perceive school and/or life in general as alienating. The limitations of the study as well as future research directions and implications for practice are discussed.

School Alienation: A Construct Validation Study

“…Currently, most measurements of school alienation draw upon some of the alienation categories addressed by Seeman (1959) and Dean (1961), including powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, and self-estrangement (e.g., Brown, Higgins, Pierce, Hong, & Thoma, 2003b;Mau, 1992). For example, recent studies explicitly focused on the four alienation dimensions most closely associated with the school context, namely, powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, and social estrangement (Brown et al, 2003b;Çağlar, 2013;Kocayörük & Simsek, 2015;Mau, 1992).…”

“…For example, recent studies explicitly focused on the four alienation dimensions most closely associated with the school context, namely, powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, and social estrangement (Brown et al, 2003b;Çağlar, 2013;Kocayörük & Simsek, 2015;Mau, 1992). Similarly, another study developed an alienation-based framework for student experience in higher education, concentrating on the three categories, such as powerlessness, meaninglessness, and self-estrangement (Barnhardt & Ginns, 2014).…”

“…Similarly, another study developed an alienation-based framework for student experience in higher education, concentrating on the three categories, such as powerlessness, meaninglessness, and self-estrangement (Barnhardt & Ginns, 2014). Despite the relative popularity of recognizing the above-mentioned categories as an alienation construct, only a very limited number of studies have measured it (Brown et al, 2003b). Some researchers have addressed the phenomenon of school alienation by investigating its correlates.…”

“…In accordance, it may not be surprising that there is little consistency in its measurement (Barnhardt & Ginns, 2014;Brown et al, 2003b;Çağlar, 2012;Carlson, 1995;Hyman, Cohen, & Mahon, 2003;Johnson, 2005;Mau, 1992;Murdock, 1999). Although most instruments recognized the multidimensional nature of school alienation, it is still obscure whether school alienation is a general or rather a domain-specific construct and what are its key elements.…”

Experiences of university life for students with Asperger’s Syndrome: a comparative study between Spain and England

“…Such intuitive understanding of other people's feelings, otherwise known as empathy, is what people with AS have been said to lack (Baron-Cohen 2008; Attwood 1998)! The quotes also show how participants experienced others' social treatment of them based on attributes, behaviours, or reputation that are socially discrediting (Brown et al 2003;Craig et al 2002). Stigmatisation can include overtly negative behaviour including labelling, verbal abuse and rejection as well as more subtle socially exclusive behaviour such as restrictions in opportunities (Jahoda et al 2010;Szivos and Griffiths, 1990).…”