University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2018 The Ninth Grade Experience: Examining the Role of Student Voice in the School Reform Process Christopher Bitgood University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Bitgood, Christopher, "The Ninth Grade Experience: Examining the Role of Student Voice in the School Reform Process" (2018). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 710. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/710 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE NINTH GRADE EXPERIENCE: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF STUDENT VOICE IN THE SCHOOL REFORM PROCESS BY CHRISTOPHER BITGOOD A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND AND RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 2018 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF Christopher L. Bitgood APPROVED: Dissertation Committee Major Professor: David Brell Carolyn Panofsky Minsuk Shim Kathy Peno RIC: Donald Halquist, Dean, Feinstein School of Education – RIC URI: Nasser H. Zawia, Dean, The Graduate School - URI UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND AND RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 2018 ABSTRACT This study examined the emergence of student voice in the school reform and intervention process, and documented what happened when a systematic effort was made by school leadership to cultivate student voice, and to engage students in a cooperative effort to change a pressing problem of educational practice, specifically the difficulties students face in their ninth-grade year. This used use Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods to merge scholarship and praxis to effect educational change, supplemented by an established pre/post quantitative survey to confirm the results of the intervention. The intent was to broaden the scope of school leadership, public scholarship, and student advocacy by engaging students in a democratic dialogue about the difficulties students experience in the ninth grade, which evidence strongly suggests is the most crucial year in K-12 schooling. Previous research has suggested that the voices of students may provide the tipping point to shift the culture and practices of high schools to be more effective for students (Cook-Sather, 2006). Therefore, a systematic attempt was made to assess and develop student voice throughout the school year. A small group of ninth grade students worked in concert with school leadership to develop a ninth-grade improvement plan. The plan was then presented to district educational policy makers for negotiation and implementation. This study documented the dialogue about the freshman experience between school personnel in positions of power and the students they are trying to serve. As mentioned, this qualitative component was supplemented by a pre/post quantitative survey, in the interest of an additional triangulation. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the members of the freshman advisory at Plains High School for their willingness to volunteer and share their thoughts and feelings about their experiences of their freshman year. This study would not have been possible without their trust and openness. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my dissertation committee members who have supported me through this process and provided me with invaluable feedback: To Dr. Shim, thank you for teaching me to use the right research tool for the job and that quality research is quality research regardless of methodological stance. To Dr. Panofsky, for the belief in democratic promise of education and the power of students to change their education reality. To Dr. Peno, for teaching me about methods to examine organizations, organizational learning, and how best to work within an organization to affect change. And my major professor, Dr. David Brell, for the philosophical discussions about the purpose of education, working to improve my writing, and continued encouragement, support, and belief in me throughout this process. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude to my colleague at Plains, Dave Wilcox, for being a sounding board for my ideas and for his continued commitment to the students of Plains High School. I would also like thank my colleague in the program, Kim Stack, for being a sounding board for my ideas, providing life lessons, and for continued and unwavering support. Finally, my first and most important teacher, my mother, Martha Bitgood, thank you for lifelong support and commitment to the promise of education. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………..…….ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...……...………………………………………………....iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………...…iv LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………………….vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem and Research Questions .................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 5 The Need for Student Voice in the School Reform Process ...................................... 5 Democracy and the Promise of High School ........................................................... 10 School Boards ........................................................................................................... 12 Conceptual Framework: Adults and Youth Working Together in a Community of Practice ..................................................................................................................... 13 Components of a Community of Practice ................................................................ 15 Transformative Learning .......................................................................................... 18 Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 21 Aim of the Study ...................................................................................................... 21 Qualitative Research Approach ................................................................................ 21 Positioning My Values ............................................................................................. 22 Setting ....................................................................................................................... 26 Participants ............................................................................................................... 28 Permission and Consent ........................................................................................... 29 Research Design ....................................................................................................... 23 Qualitative Data Analysis ......................................................................................... 29 iv Issues of Trustworthiness in a Qualitative Study ..................................................... 31 Research Relationship, Positionality, and Bias ........................................................ 31 Data Security ............................................................................................................ 33 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 34 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS ......................................................................................... 35 RQ1: What do the students at Plains High School say about their experiences in ninth grade? .............................................................................................................. 37 RQ2: What do students say about student voice and empowerment at Plains High School? ..................................................................................................................... 78 RQ3: What happens when students and a school administrator partner in the school reform process? ........................................................................................................ 96 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION .................................................................................. 103 Sustainability and Follow-up .................................................................................. 103 Discussion of Follow-up......................................................................................... 105 Next Steps ............................................................................................................... 107 Reflections on the PAR Process ............................................................................. 108 Transformative Learning ........................................................................................ 110 Contributions to Research ...................................................................................... 113 Recommendations for Research and Practice ........................................................ 116 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 128 Appendix A. Schedule of Student Activities .......................................................... 130 Appendix B. Request to Conduct Research ..........................................................