PERCEPTIONS: EXAMINING HOW TEACHERS CONTRIBUTE TO THE POSITIVE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE OF ACADEMICALLY AT RISK STUDENTS

Abstract

This study identified, from the perspective of ethnic minority academically at risk adolescents, teachers who were making a positive difference in their learning. In particular, the study sought to elicit the above students' descriptions of ways in which their named teachers made a contribution to a positive education experience and to explore from the perspectives of the identified teachers their actions and attitudes that contribute to a positive education experience. Narratives were provided by academically at risk students of African American, Hispanic, and American Indian descent, in grades 7 through 9, at a public junior high school in the Midwest. The researcher used a descriptive qualitative research design to elicit and analyze student and teacher narratives.