Exploring organizational factors that influence resilience and pe

California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations Office of Graduate Studies 12-2017 EXPLORING ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RESILIENCE AND PERSISTENCE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF COLOR Stephen Franklin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Franklin, Stephen, "EXPLORING ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RESILIENCE AND PERSISTENCE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF COLOR" (2017). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations.edu/etd/596 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Office of Graduate Studies at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@csusb.

EXPLORING ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RESILIENCE AND PERSISTENCE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF COLOR A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership by Stephen Louis Franklin December 2017 EXPLORING ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RESILIENCE AND PERSISTENCE IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF COLOR A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Stephen Louis Franklin December 2017 Approved by: Donna Schnorr, Ph., Committee Chair, CSUSB Doris Wilson, Ed., Committee Member, CSUSB Sherri Franklin-Guy, Ph., Committee Member, CSUSB © 2017 Stephen Louis Franklin ABSTRACT This study sought to examine how schools influenced and promoted student resilience through the lens of persistence, leading to high school completion. The focus of this study was significant because there are few studies that focus on student resiliency as it relates to high school completion through the lens of persistence. Previous studies have generally identified at-risk factors for non-high school completion and either qualify or quantify the results. They have not taken into account the social and economic contexts of school and the communities and their influence on student resiliency.

This study utilized a phenomenological methodology that identified the lived experiences of twenty-six 11th - grade students of color at an urban high school in Southern California that manifested resilience and persistence. Semi-structured interviews of participants drawn from a stratified variation sampling were utilized. A CRT framework was applied to examine the role of high school as a protective factor, the interactions of faculty and staff, and the perceptions of participants as it relates to school culture and climate. External factors such as supportive relationships in the familial and community context were also examined and discussed.

The results of this study highlighted school climate that promotes belonging along with a collective focus on the study of student success, the role of teacher-student and counselor relationships as being pivotal to the development of resilience in students of color. The findings from this study provide examples for schools to develop supportive climates that focus on promoting and developing academic, social, and emotional resiliency in students of color with specific next step recommendations. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS One cannot possibly take on an endeavor of this magnitude by oneself. There are many people that I would like to acknowledge for their support along the way.

First, I want to thank my sisters Janet and Michelle, through this journey I was not always available, and missed out on a few family events and trips. Second, I would like to thank my cohort at California State University, San Bernardino. My cohort, cohort 8, or as well liked to refer to ourselves, “The Ocho”, bonded in a way I could not imagine and became a second family. Throughout our coursework, and individual efforts to complete our dissertations, “The Ocho” remained strong and always supportive of each other, never competitive.

Third, I would like to thank my family, friends, and co-workers who were supportive during this journey, and kept reminding me this would soon be over, and that it would all be worth it. Their patience, encouragement, and absolute support provided me with the motivation to continue and achieve my goals. Finally, I must express my sincere appreciation to my Dissertation Committee: Dr. Donna Schnorr who served as my Dissertation Chair, Dr.

Doris Wilson, and Dr. Sherri Franklin-Guy for providing guidance with their feedback and expertise. iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this dissertation to three amazing women, whom without their support and guidance, this day would not be possible. First, my mother.

My mother always voiced her expectations that all three of her children would have a college education, and pursue happiness. It was my mother who encouraged me to enter the field of education, when at the age of 32, I experienced a “mid-life” crisis. Thank you mom, for pushing into the field that I should have been in all along. Second, my godmother Sissy.

Sissy passed away in March of 2017, so she is not here to see me reach this point. Though not here physically, Sissy walks with me every day. When I was considering pursuing my doctorate, it was Sissy, who gave me the final push and encouragement. Finally, my grandmother.

Her given name was Edna, but we all called her “Mom”. Mom was the quiet force that ensured that education was taken seriously, and that respect for self, ranked with respect for others. It was this triumvirate of Mommy, Sissy, and Mom that ensured, that as a young black male growing up without a father figure that I did not succumb to the streets. Of these three, only my mother is still with me.

Sissy and Mom, however, I am sure are looking down and beaming with pride. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. iv LIST OF TABLES. x LIST OF FIGURES.

xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Introduction. 4 Significance of the Study. 9 Definitions of Key Terms. 11 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Background.

13 Facets of Resilience.16 Academic Resilience and the Four C’s .19 vi Distal and Proximal Risk Factors. 23 School as Protective Factors. 25 Transition to High School. 30 Cultures of Success.

37 The Role of the Counselor and Academic Ethic. 43 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Introduction. 58 Positionality of the Researcher. 63 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS Results.

65 vii Family Support and Expressed Academic Expectations. 67 Instability and Community Safety. 79 Perceptions of School and Relationships. 95 Student Experiences with Success and Challenges.

108 High Risk Factors/High Academic Resilience. 117 Social and Emotional Resilience. 119 Academic Supports and Sense of Belonging. 123 CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS Overview .129 Recommendations for Educational Leaders.

134 Next Steps for Educational Reform. 143 Recommendations for Future Research. 156 Limitations of Study .158 viii APPENDIX A: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL LETTER.160 APPENDIX B: STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA. 163 APPENDIX C: HOUSTON INTERVIEW GUIDE 2010.

165 APPENDIX D: HOUSTON LETTER OF CONSENT. 172 APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL. 178 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Three Waves of Resiliency Inquiry.

High Risk Factors/High Academic Resilience. High Risk Factors/Low Academic Resilience. Low Risk Factors/High Academic Resilience. Low Risk Factors/Low Academic Resilience.

54 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Engagement Process Model. Actual and Projected Enrollment in Elementary and Secondary School through Fall 2022. Actual and Projected Enrollment in Elementary and Secondary School by Race/Ethnicity through Fall 2022.

Potential Responses to Trauma. Two Concepts of Adaptation. Dimensions of Belonging. 116 xi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION American adolescents are exposed to significant levels of dysfunction and risk on a near daily basis.

The proliferation of violence and secondary traumatization, combined with increases in levels of poverty and societal moral distress, contribute to declines in academic performance and the negative outcomes of stress experienced by American children and adolescents (Condly, 2006). Adolescence is an inherently stressful stage of life, given the myriad associated biological, cognitive and social changes (Conger & Petersen, 1984; Hall, 2007; Licitra-Kleckler & Wass, 1993, Munsch & Wampler, 1993). For high school students of color, living in inner-city or low socioeconomic status (SES) communities, the exposure to risk and victimization is compounded by depleted or minimal resources (Meyers & Taylor, 1998). This suggests that, in addition to navigating all of the changes inherent to this stressful developmental stage, high school students of color must also navigate the unique stressors found in their daily environments.

These high-risk circumstances serve to amplify the increased need for supportive roles of schools as protective factors and as vehicles for promoting resilience through the lens of persistence for high-risk high school students of color. 1 Problem Statement This study aims to address the problem of increased dropout rates and decreased graduation rates experienced by high school students of color, English learners, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, as compared to other subgroups of high school students (Stark and Noel, 2015). The notion of recovering after an academic setback has often been referred to as academic resilience. Need achievement and self-worth motivation theories posited by (Covington, 1992; Covington & Omelich, 1991; McClelland, 1965) examine student motives to avoid failure and strive for success.

These theories tell us a) why students do what they do; b) how they do it; c) their confidence in being able to do it; d) their ability to surmount obstacles and challenges; and e) their capacity to recover after an academic setback. The role of schools will be examined as it relates to promoting resilience through the lens of persistence among high school students of color. This, in turn, will inform school based practice in terms of supporting students to overcome aversive situations and permits students to surmount academic and personal challenges without catastrophizing or perpetuating the circumstance. Purpose Statement The objective of this study is to examine how schools foster student resilience through the lens of persistence.

Given various societal barriers, the 2 overarching question is, how do schools support students of color to remain resilient through the lens of persistence by remaining in school and academic achievement, ultimately leading to high school completion? A school climate that centers on the study of failure utilizes distorted data to promote negative stereotypes (Harper & Kuykendall, 2012). Pessimism perpetuates an attitude of defeatism, and learned helplessness. Luthar (1991) asserts that when children and even adults, believe they are powerless through learned helplessness, they become passive and restricted in coping abilities. Conversely, a school climate centered on the study of success helps adolescents thrive in a manner that seeks to avoid learned helplessness.

Rather than seeing their students as failing, teacher-student relationships and other personal relationships within the school context exhibit the role of respect and the power of encouragement-support dynamics (Rodriguez, 2007). School climate and school culture are often used interchangeably to address the environment of the school itself. While related, they have two distinct meanings and impact on the actual school environment. Climate is used to describe people’s perceptions of an organization or work unit (school).

On the other hand, culture relates to the assumptions, values and beliefs that define an organization’s identity (Stolp & Smith, 1995; Keefe, Schmitt, Kelley & Miller, 1993). To put it more succinctly, school climate refers mostly to the schools’ effect on students, whereas school culture refers more to how teachers and staff work together. For the development of academic resiliency, a school climate that establishes high expectations for all 3 students must be espoused, along with the supports necessary to live up to high expectations (Bernard, 1993). This combination of expressed expectations along with appropriate supports results in resiliency manifested through persistence of effort.

Research Questions Inductive reasoning will be employed, based on the author’s use of the theoretical framework of critical race theory (CRT), in conjunction with patterns that arise from the data. The research questions that will inform this study are: 1. How do 11th- grade students of color describe the ways in which they persisted by remaining in school, when they encountered various barriers? 2.