Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Dr. John A. Harrison

Abstract

AbstractDisengaged students display boredom, low achievement, and high dropout rates. The problem addressed in this study was the need for a better understanding of teachers’ perceptions about disengaged students, which is essential in developing interventions to support students’ school completion. This basic qualitative study explored teachers’ perceptions of the underlying reasons for student disengagement and explored how teachers perceived the role of disengagement in student academic achievement. The self-system motivational theory lens was the framework used to guide the research and address the research questions, which asked about middle school teachers’ perceptions of the underlying reasons for student disengagement and how teachers perceived the role of disengagement in low student academic achievement. Data were collected through individual semistructured interviews with 10 middle school teachers and analyzed using a thematic coding process. Lack of knowledge and skills, family-related issues, peer relationships in adolescence, lack of parental involvement, social media effects on student academic performance, poverty and lack of resources, and different levels and styles of learning were the seven major themes that emerged from the data analysis and answered the two research questions. This study’s results confirmed the importance of a meaningful, equitable curriculum to meet student needs for relatedness and address disengagement. In addition, teachers and parents can work together as partners in developing students’ social-emotional skills and academic competencies in order to provide a curriculum that creates a climate for learning that promotes positive social change through minimizing disengagement and supporting achievement.

Download

Share

 
COinS