YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS DEMOCRACY: A CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY ON VOICE, DEMOCRACY, AND CHILDHOOD IN A DEMOCRATIC SCHOOL by Alicia Hill, B.S., M.A. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in School Improvement December, 2018 Committee Members: Melissa A. Martinez, Chair Patricia Guerra Timothy Kinard Michael O’Malley COPYRIGHT by Alicia Hill 2018 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Alicia Hill authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with sincere gratitude that I acknowledge the many people who provided support, encouragement, and guidance during this dissertation process. Thank you to the members of my committee, each of whom contributed invaluable insight and perspective to this study; I am truly grateful for your unquestioning commitment of time and your thoughtful counsel. Thank you, Dr. Martinez, for the steady support and direction you provided throughout this journey. I cannot thank you enough for the countless hours you spent reading over my drafts and for the thoughtful feedback you were always willing to share. Dr. O’Malley, my entry into this graduate program was met with the opportunity to travel abroad and participate in your research project, from which this study drew inspiration. I am grateful for the good fortune I had to learn from you and experience this new world of scholarly academic research. Thank you for helping me bear in mind that the world is viewed through different lenses, and for pushing me to more thoroughly and thoughtfully make that connection in my writing. Dr. Guerra, I am forever grateful for the important role you played on my committee. As a steadfast advocate for a more socially just system, you were the consistent voice reminding me why we are doing this work. Thank you for directing me towards a more honest critique of my positionality, my work, and my purpose. Thank you, Dr. Kinard, for agreeing to serve on my committee after just one meeting. As a former early childhood educator myself, I continue to be inspired by the iv work you do that so befittingly acknowledges the often underappreciated potential of young people. I appreciate the perspective and insight you shared throughout this process. Thank you also to my mom, Annette Stafford, for your endless encouragement and love and for the many holiday meals you provided so I could spend time writing. You are and have always been a source of inspiration and strength. Finally, I want to thank my husband, John Rumrich, and sons, Gabriel and Nathaniel. Thank you for your love, patience, and support throughout this process. I am forever grateful that I have the honor to share this life and experience with each of you! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Background ..................................................................................................5 Democracy in America ..............................................................................11 Radical Democratic Education ..................................................................12 Statement of the Problem ..........................................................................16 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................18 Overview of Research Methodology ........................................................20 Contributions and Significance of Study ..................................................21 Organization of the Study .........................................................................22 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..................................................................24 Constructing Childhood ............................................................................26 Locke-the imperfect state of the child ..........................................27 Rousseau and The Innocent child .................................................28 The Annals of Childhood ..............................................................29 Sudbury Education ....................................................................................32 Defining Student Voice in Education .......................................................34 Student Voice Through the Discourses of School Reform .......................38 Neo-liberal Discourses ..................................................................39 Student Voice and Discourses of Democratic Engagement .........41 Student Voice Within Poststructural Discourses ...........................42 Problems with Student Voice ....................................................................47 Conclusion ................................................................................................51 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................52 III. METHODOLOGY .........................................................................................55 Rationale for Qualitative Research ............................................................55 vi Critical Ethnographic Case Study ..............................................................58 Site and Participants ...................................................................................61 About Preferred School Site ..........................................................64 Hillview Staff Members .................................................................67 Participant Selection ..................................................................................70 Data Collection ..........................................................................................72 Stage One: Building a Preliminary Record ...................................73 Stage Two: Preliminary Reconstructive Analysis ........................74 Stage Three: Dialogical Data Generation .....................................74 Data Analysis .............................................................................................77 Stages Four and Five: Conducting Systems Analysis...................77 Reliability and Validity ..............................................................................78 Triangulation ..................................................................................79 Rich Description ............................................................................80 Reflexivity......................................................................................80 Limitations .................................................................................................81 Ethical Considerations ...............................................................................84 IV. FINDINGS .......................................................................................................86 Hillview Sudbury School ...........................................................................86 Introduction to Study Participants .............................................................91 Raven .............................................................................................92 Olivia..............................................................................................93 Fynn ...............................................................................................94 Crystal ............................................................................................94 Fletcher ..........................................................................................95 Introduction Research Findings .................................................................95 Historical Sense of Self as Child ...............................................................95 Tensions Within the Constructivist Self as Learner ................................100 Self-Determination and Body Autonomy ................................................107 Choice Architecture .................................................................................111 Of the People, By the People, For the Individual ....................................117 Summary ..................................................................................................123 V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ............................................................124 Key Findings ...........................................................................................125 Summary of Study Themes .....................................................................126 Discussion of the Findings ......................................................................129 Implications for Practice, Policy and Research ......................................138