Top

Learning Environments Research

Published in:

04-09-2017 | Original Paper

Fostering independence through an academic culture of social responsibility: a grounded theory for engaging at-risk students

Author: Hannah Selene Szlyk

Published in: Learning Environments Research | Issue 2/2018

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

At-risk behaviours, including substance abuse, suicidal ideation and delinquency, are prevalent amongst teenage youth in high-school settings. Focusing on the academic and emotional needs of their students encourages teachers to have thoughtful interactions and be continually aware of the problems of their students. Evidence-based interventions, such as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, can guide teacher–student interaction as a method to address truancy, graduation rates and emotional issues. Using grounded theory, the researcher conducted interviews with teachers working at an alternative high school founded in solution-focused communication to understand the process of engaging students with at-risk behaviours and emotional needs in the classroom. Results suggest how teachers foster student independence through an academic culture of social responsibility. Recommendations for staff development and support and the assimilation of school curriculums based in solution-focused approaches are discussed.

previous article Is problem-based learning associated with students’ motivation? A quantitative and qualitative study

next article Role of teachers in influencing the development of adolescents’ possible selves

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Allodi, M. W. (2010). The meaning of social climate of learning environments: Some reasons why we do not care enough about it. Learning Environments Research, 13(2), 89–104. doi:10.1007/s10984-010-9072-9.CrossRef

Back, L. T., Polk, E., Keys, C. B., & McMahon, S. D. (2016). Classroom management, school staff relations, school climate, and academic achievement: Testing a model with urban high schools. Learning Environments Research, 19(3), 397–410. doi:10.1007/s10984-016-9213-x.CrossRef

Berg, I. K. (1994). Family based services: A solution-focused approach. New York: W.W. Norton.

Bernard, R. H. (2013). Analyzing qualitative data III: Grounded theory and content analysis. In H. R. Bertrand (Ed.), Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed., pp. 524–548). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers.

Campbell, S. B., & von Stauffenberg, C. (2007). Child characteristics and family processes that predict behavioral readiness for school. In A. Booth & A. C. Crouter (Eds.), Disparities in school readiness: How families contribute to transitions into school (pp. 225–258). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Carpenter Rinaldi, D. (1995). Grounded theory research approach. In H. J. Streubert & D. Carpenter Rinaldi (Eds.), Qualitative research and in nursing: Advancing the humanistic imperative (pp. 145–161). Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Ten leading causes of death and injury. Atlanta, GA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/leadingcauses.html.

Chiovitti, R. F., & Piran, N. (2003). Rigour and grounded theory research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 44(4), 427–435. doi:10.1046/j.0309-2402.2003.02822.x.CrossRef

Close, W., & Solberg, S. (2008). Predicting achievement, distress, and retention among lower-income Latino youth. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72(1), 31–42. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2007.08.007.CrossRef

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2005). Safe and sound: An educational leader’s guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning programs- Illinois edition. Chicago, IL: Author.

Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory Into Practice, 39(3), 124–130. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2.CrossRef

de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to solution in brief therapy. New York: W.W. Norton.

Dever, B. V., Kamphaus, R. W., Dowdy, E., Raines, T. C., & DiStefano, C. (2013). Surveillance of middle and high school mental health risk by student self-report screener. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 14(4), 384–390. doi:10.5811/westjem.2013.2.15349.CrossRef

Draucker, C. B., Martsolf, D. S., Ross, R., & Rusk, T. B. (2007). Theoretical sampling and category development in grounded theory. Qualitative Health Research, 17(8), 1137–1148. doi:10.1177/1049732307308450.CrossRef

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.CrossRef

Franklin, C. G., Kim, J. S., Ryan, T. N., Kelly, M. S., & Montgomery, K. L. (2012). Teacher involvement in school mental health interventions: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(5), 973–982. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.01.027.CrossRef

Franklin, C., Street, C. L., Kim, J. S., & Tripodi, S. J. (2007). The effectiveness of a solution focused, public alternative school for dropout prevention and retrieval. Children & Schools, 29(3), 133–144. doi:10.1093/cs/29.3.133.CrossRef

Franklin, C., Zhang, A., Froerer, A., & Johnson, S. (2016). Solution focused brief therapy: A systematic review and meta-summary of process research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(1), 16–30. doi:10.1111/jmft.12193.CrossRef

Gilgun, J. F. (2006). The four cornerstones of qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 16(3), 436–443. doi:10.1177/1049732305285338.CrossRef

Glaser, B. G. (2005). Basic social processes. Grounded Theory Review, 4, 1–27.

Glaser, B. G. (2012). Constructivist grounded theory. Grounded Theory Review, 11(1), 28–38.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (2007). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New Brunswick: Aldine Transaction.

Grunbaum, J. A., Lowry, R., & Kann, L. (2001). Prevalence of health-related behaviors among alternative high school students as compared with students attending regular high schools. Journal of Adolescent Health, 29(5), 337–343.CrossRef

Hahn, R. A., Knopf, J. A., Wilson, S. J., Truman, B. I., Milstein, B., Johnson, R. L., et al. (2015). Programs to increase high school completion: A Community Guide systematic health equity review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 48(5), 599–608. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.12.005.CrossRef

Hallberg, L. R. (2006). The “core category” of grounded theory: Making constant comparisons. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 1(3), 141–148. doi:10.1080/17482620600858399.CrossRef

Hopson, L. M., & Kim, J. S. (2005). A solution-focused approach to crisis intervention with adolescents. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1, 93–110. doi:10.1300/J394v01n02_07.CrossRef

Johnson, K. E., & Taliaferro, L. A. (2012). Health behaviors and mental health of students attending alternative high schools: A review of the research literature. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 17(2), 79–97. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00311.x.CrossRef

Jones, S. M., Bouffard, S. M., & Weissbourd, R. (2013). Educators’ social and emotional skills vital to learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(8), 62–65. doi:10.1177/003172171309400815.CrossRef

Kim, J. S. (2008). Examining the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 18(2), 107–116.CrossRef

Kim, J. S., Brook, J., & Akin, B. A. (2016). Solution-focused brief therapy with substance-using individuals: A randomized controlled trial study. Research on Social Work Practice. doi:10.1177/1049731516650517.

Kim, J. S., & Franklin, C. (2009). Solution-focused brief therapy in schools: A review of the outcome literature. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 464–470. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.10.002.CrossRef

Kuperminc, G. P., Leadbeater, B. J., & Blatt, S. J. (2001). School social climate and individual differences in vulnerability to psychopathology among middle school students. Journal of School Psychology, 39(2), 141–159. doi:10.1016/S0022-4405(01)00059-0.CrossRef

Lagana-Riordan, C., Aguilar, J. P., Franklin, C., Streeter, C. L., Kim, J. S., Tripodi, S. J., et al. (2011). At-risk students’ perceptions of traditional schools and a solution-focused public alternative school. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 55(3), 105–114. doi:10.1080/10459880903472843.CrossRef

McGee, D., Del Vento, A., & Bavelas, J. B. (2005). An interactional model of questions as therapeutic interventions. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 31, 371–384. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2005.tb01577.CrossRef

McGee, J. J., & Lin, F. Y. (2016). Providing a supportive alternative education environment for at-risk students. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 60, 1–9. doi:10.1080/1045988X.2016.1254082.

McLeod, J. D., Uemura, R., & Rohrman, S. (2012). Adolescent mental health, behavior problems, and academic achievement. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 53(4), 482–497. doi:10.1177/0022146512462888.CrossRef

Miller, G., & de Shazer, S. (2000). Emotions in solution-focused therapy: A reexamination. Family Process, 39, 5–23.CrossRef

Morse, J. M. (1995). The significance of saturation. Qualitative Health Research, 5(2), 147–149.CrossRef

Morse, J. M. (2010). Sampling in grounded theory. In A. Bryant & K. Charmaz (Eds.), The Sage handbook of grounded theory (pp. 229–244). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Reinke, W. M., Stormont, M., Herman, K. C., Puri, R., & Goel, N. (2011). Supporting children’s mental health in schools: Teacher perceptions of needs, roles, and barriers. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(1), 1–13. doi:10.1037/a0022714.CrossRef

Russell, S. L., Wentzel, K. R., & Donlan, A. E. (2016). Teachers’ beliefs about the development of teacher–adolescent trust. Learning Environments Research, 19(2), 241–266. doi:10.1007/s10984-016-9207-8.CrossRef

Solution-focused Group Therapy (2017). Intervention summary. Substance abuse and mental health services administration’s national registry of evidence-based programs and practices. Retrieved January 31, 2017 from http://legacy.nreppadmin.net/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=281.

Somersalo, H., Solantaus, T., & Almqvist, F. (2002). Classroom climate and the mental health of primary school children. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 56(4), 285–290. doi:10.1080/08039480260242787.CrossRef

Wasser, J. D., & Bresler, L. (1996). Working in the interpretive zone: Conceptualizing collaboration in qualitative research teams. Educational Researcher, 25(5), 5–15.CrossRef

Zychinski, K. E., & Polo, A. J. (2012). Academic achievement and depressive symptoms in low-income Latino youth. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(4), 565–577. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9509-5.CrossRef

Title: Fostering independence through an academic culture of social responsibility: a grounded theory for engaging at-risk students
Author: Hannah Selene Szlyk
Publication date: 04-09-2017
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Learning Environments Research / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 1387-1579
Electronic ISSN: 1573-1855
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-9245-x

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Other articles of this Issue 2/2018

Evaluation of engineering and technology activities in primary schools in terms of learning environment, attitudes and understanding

Conditional cooperators: student prosocial dispositions and their perceptions of the classroom social environment

Role of teachers in influencing the development of adolescents’ possible selves

Is problem-based learning associated with students’ motivation? A quantitative and qualitative study

Cultivating constructivist science internships for high school students through a community of practice with cogenerative dialogues

Motivational climates: assessing and testing how science classroom environments contribute to undergraduates’ self-determined and achievement-based science goals

Premium Partner