Black Virgin Island high schoolers' school mattering
Date
2021
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Abstract
Black Virgin Island high schoolers matter but may find themselves questioning
if they matter to their schools since the 2017 hurricanes. The current complementarity
mixed methods study examined how Black Virgin Island high schoolers in St.
Thomas, United States Virgin Islands perceived school mattering was associated with
school practices (i.e., school discipline, teacher relationship, and culturally sustaining
pedagogy). The study also explored how Black Virgin Island high schoolers
experienced school mattering during academic disruption (a concept developed in the
study), their engagement in street life, and get off the Island mentality. The final
quantitative sample consisted of 120 participants completing a survey measure. The
univariate linear regression and the multivariable linear regression revealed that only
teacher relationship had a statistically significant association with school mattering
(β= .449 p= <0.001). The qualitative results reveal that academic disruption causes
stress and can negatively impact the student-teacher relationship. The qualitative data
also revealed that students in street life most likely do no matter to their school, and
that mattering to their school did not make a difference in whether a student desired to
leave the Island after high school or not. Recommendations for stakeholders to give
ear to the importance of the student perspective are given.
Description
Keywords
Academic disruption, Future selves, Mattering, Street life, Teacher relationship, Virgin Islands