Tamara S. Morrill and Dr. J Merrell Hansen, Teacher Education
Hispanics currently make up the largest minority in America, surpassing even African-Americans. And “Hispanics aged 14-19 are 50 percent less likely than non-Hispanics to complete high school.” As an aide at a high school in Provo, Utah, I developed an interest in and concern for the Hispanic high school students that I know and interact with daily. These students come from varied backgrounds, culturally and educationally. Their lack of English poses a challenge for all of them. But while some need only the ability to express their knowledge in the language of the dominant culture, others need to play catch-up to make up for a lack of education. This unique blend of abilities, cultures, and language abilities made me curious. I wanted to make a difference in their lives.
I decided to study one ESL class’s “academic mentality” – how they view school, education and intelligence in general. The class I chose was composed of 15 level 1 ESL students, male and female, ranging from 9th to 12th grades. I began the study with a two-page questionnaire in their native language (Spanish), asking them to rate such things as “Do you like to learn?” “How intelligent are you? (Tell two reasons why you think that)” and “Do you feel like you are a part of this school?”
This was followed by a series of five 30 – 45 minute lessons designed to help the students see and understand themselves as learners, as well as develop certain skills that are needed to succeed in schools in the United States. Of necessity, the lessons were taught in English, which may have made them less accessible to the students. However, several teachers and aides were there to give support, which helped the students access the lessons. Based on the written evaluations gathered each lesson, the students understood with a fairly high degree of accuracy (though not perfectly) what was being taught.
The five lessons dealt with the following five topics: multiple intelligences, reading & note-taking strategies, classroom strategies (coming to class prepared and behaving positively within class), study habits & environments, and finally, education options after high school. I taught the lessons using proven teaching methods, such as group work, stations, one-on-one interaction, etc. I encouraged the students to personalize the information as much as possible.
I administered the initial questionnaire again at the end of the study, in the hopes of gathering evidence that the students had come to understand themselves better and had gained educational tools. Upon examining the data, there appears not to be a major change in self-perception. Many students rated answers such as their intelligence level and how much they felt a part of the school the same on both questionnaires. I was encouraged to see that most students considered themselves to be a 5 on an intelligence scale of 1-5.
Seven of the questions on the survey asked the students to respond on a scale of 1-5. I calculated the average results for each question and compared the initial and final surveys. To the question “Do you enjoy learning?” the average student response was 4.89 of 5, or 97.8% in the first survey and 4.7 or 94% in the second. “How intelligent are you?” came in at 75% and 79%, respectively. “Is education important to you?” was 97% in both surveys. To the question “How likely would you be to come to school if it wasn’t mandatory?” (1 = probably not, 5 = definitely) the average response was 76% in the first and 82% in the second survey. To “How much do you want to go to college?” students gave average responses of 92% and 89%. “How likely is it that you will go to college?” yielded 83% in both surveys. “How much do you feel like you ‘belong’ at this school?” yielded average responses of 72% and 82%, respectively.
A weakness of this study is the time frame. For some of these things to sink in, there needs to be more repetition and simply more time. It could easily be a several-month unit of study, but was done in a period of about six weeks, so I fear that speed meant less absorption of the material. I think if this had been a longer unit of study, the results may have been more dramatic.
However, I believe the students did make educational gains with this study. The questionnaires may not have adequately reflected what they learned. From talking with the students and examining what they recorded during the lessons, I feel that they walked away from these lessons with a better understanding of intelligences, learning strategies, and post-secondary educational options. Sometimes in education you make small gains, but they add up in the end.
In addition, the questionnaires gave me valuable insight into students’ attitudes and self-perception, regardless of the degree of change. These students care about learning, value education, and see themselves as smart people.
I currently am trying to get a job in secondary education. Because of this study, I feel that I have a better understanding of Hispanic students. In my future work with them, I plan to continue this study, refining or expanding questions and lessons. I believe the things I have taught are critical for Hispanic students to learn if we are going to rectify the academic discrepancy that currently exists in our schools. I look forward to being a part of that, and feel that this study has given me a solid foundation in pursuing that goal.