How to achieve high rates of academic success

A successful life is contingent on an individual’s ability to succeed academically. Educational institutions have strived hard to ensure that adequate learning resources are available for each student so that they can attain their academic goals. Nonetheless, despite these efforts, there is still a great discrepancy in the academic achievements of learners from the majority and minority groups. Oakland Technical High School, for instance, is characterized by a high variation in the academic performances and achievements of different ethnic groups in the school. Recently collected data on the school’s performance indicate a graduation rate of 83.70% Latino, 92% Asia, 50% Pac Islander, 100% Filipino, 85.80% African-Americans, and 87.90% Presumably, the low academic achievements of Hawaiian students may be due to factors such as teacher stereotyping, unequal resources, inexperienced teachers, and low levels of motivation among Hawaiian students. A stronger fight against racial inequality relies on an understanding of the factors that foster the lower rates of graduation especially among Hawaiian students at Oakland High School. High rates of academic success are contingent on equal educational resources and opportunities, total student integration and the presence of a favourable school climate. 

Statement of the Problem 

The poor academic performance of Hawaiian students is a major issue of concern. The integration of diversity is one of the topmost priorities of every school. How successful these efforts are is indicated by the performances of different student categories. This paper attempts to identify the factors inhibit higher graduation rates in Hawaiians. 

Research Questions 

This study is guided by the questions, "How does the degree of student belonging or integration into the school affect academic performance? Does being part of a majority or minority population affect school performance?" 

Study Design 

The cross-sectional study design is employed in this research. Through observation, data is obtained from the target population segment in Oakland High School. The study design enables the researcher to gauge the magnitude of the causal impacts of independent variables on dependent variables. The independent variables, in this case, are the school climate and the levels of student motivation while the dependent variable is the students’ academic performances and graduation rates. 

Data Collection Methods 

Ethnography will be used as the primary data collection method. The ethnographer will observe, interview and document the acquired information for further analysis. The process will take exactly one year for the purpose of obtaining valid and reliable results. This method is effective for a number of reasons. First, the behaviour of the teachers and their students will be examined in everyday contexts as opposed to under experimental conditions. Secondly, the approach fosters the acquisition of raw and feasible data since it is unstructured and does not necessitate sticking to a detailed plan. This method also enables the researcher to focus on one particular setting, population, or group. It is, therefore, the most effective data collection strategy. 

Literature Review 

Previous studies on the low academic achievements of minority students give valid reasons as to why students from various minority groups perform mediocrely in school. McGrady and Reynolds (2013) use the cultural capital theory to illustrate one of the factors that drive academic failure in minority groups. The theory argues that cultural mismatches obfuscate classroom relations and deters students from attaining high academic scores (McGrady and Reynolds,.2013), which has significantly contributed to the prevalence of racial inequality across generations. Notably, more constrained and ambiguous interactions between student and teachers take place when the two parties come from different ethnic groups. Interactions between a teacher and a student from the same culture are characterized by common symbols, knowledge, and values, which makes the interaction process an easier one. Furthermore, even with the extensive cultural competency training that teachers undergo, most of them are unable to eliminate bias. Many instructors prioritize the educational attainment of students from their ethnic groups as opposed to others. Therefore, students from minority groups are unable to learn effectively due to the lack of various privileges which are extended to other students by teachers who come from their groups. 

A ccording to Yarnell & Bohrnstedt (2018), students take time to conform not only to the values and norms of the school but their teachers as well, especially if they are not from the same ethnic group. Concurrently, learners become frustrated since they feel that they do not belong and are often chastised by their teachers, who often fail to understand the difficulties experienced in an attempt of adjusting to the new norms. Students who are castigated continuously develop a negative attitude towards their teachers, which creates a barrier for learning (Yarnell & Bohrnstedt, 2018). In such a case, the student becomes reluctant to participate in learning activities such as answering questions asked and asking critical questions when they have not understood the content that has been taught. It is vital for students to feel appreciated and welcomed in their schools. Often, students from minority groups feel unwelcome and unappreciated. These feelings are essential for the development of a sense of belonging. Learners who are deficient of this may display a great reluctance to participate in classroom activities, and low levels of motivation when it comes to learning. 

O n the other hand, Maxwell et al. (2017) argue that a school’s social climate dramatically affects the performances of students from various marginal groups. One of the most intricate and multi-dimensional constructs is the school climate. The school climate refers to the character and atmosphere of an educational setup, which includes its standards, values, and prospects. It refers to the psychosocial atmosphere of an educational institution, as well as the inter-group interactions that influence learning and school functioning. The deficiency of a suitable school climate deters students from active learning and attaining high academic scores.

Student’s find a school friendlier when they have members of their groups with whom they can socialize (Maxwell et al. 2017). In the case of Oakland High School, African/American, Asian, and whites are considered majority groups since they are greater in numbers. The reports also show that the school has more teachers from three dominant groups: 25 African/America, 58 Whites, and 11 Asian teachers. Even though Blacks and Asians are considered one of the marginalized groups, their high rates of academic success indicate that the school provides an ideal learning environment since these learners can socialize with their own and get assistance from African-American and Asian teachers. Concurrently, these learners effectively adapt and integrate into the new society, which is critical for academic success. This implies that the school climate at Oakland high is indifferent to marginal groups such as the Hawaiians. 

Undeniably, white, African/American, Asian learners can adapt and learn effectively not only due to their great numbers, but their high levels of motivation as well. It is easy for these students to feel like they belong when they have members of their own ethnicities with whom they can share great ideas and form discussion groups with. As a result, they are highly motivated to learn, which accounts for the outstanding academic performance in majority groups. Ideally, schoolchildren from minority groups feel like outcasts, not only due to their fewer numbers but because they lack individuals with whom they can discuss educational content with (Chen, 2018). Additionally, these students may be reluctant to join group discussions with learners from other ethnicities, which renders them lowly motivated. 

S tudents who come from a group with only a few of its members in the school find the school climate hostile since it is dominated by students from different ethnicities, who even bully them for the sole reason of being different. Based on Maxwell et al. (2017) research findings, Hawaiian students at Oakland high school are likely to isolate from the rest of the class and school since they do not have a voice and power to dominate, which is achieved through numbers. Consequently, these students may feel like outcasts in their school, which brings about feelings of insecurity, and jeopardizes their emotional and mental wellbeing (Maxwell et al. 2017). It is doubtful for such a student to raise their hand when a question is asked in class, or even follow the teacher after a lesson, to ask a question about the content that has been taught. A school’s climate is, therefore, a critical determinant of excellent performance and a student’s integration into the school. 

Research Methodology 

Ethnography will be used as the primary data collection method to examine the impact of racial inequality and the school climate, on the academic achievements of Hawaiian students at Oakland High School. The researcher will spend one year observing and collecting data on the interactions between teachers and their students in Oakland High School. Based on the fact that the school consists of many Black, Asian, and White teachers, I will focus on the interactions between these particular instructors and students from diverse ethnicities. More attention will be given to eleventh-grade students since this level determines whether or not students will proceed to college or not. 

I will examine the interactions between teachers and students from their ethnic groups, as well as others from different groups such as Filipinos, American Indians, and Asian. Additionally, the attitudes of the students towards the teachers will also be assessed through personal interviews with randomly selected students from different eighth-grade classes. I will also gauge the opinions of the teachers towards different students by recording student-based conversations between teachers during their time in the classroom, since they mainly discuss the issues that they have encountered with students as well as the different characters in their classes, attributing some traits to various stereotypes. I will further initiate conversations with teachers during regular social talks. 

Moreover, I will make a physical appearance in lessons that touch on various sensitive subjects such as slavery, to determine multiple cultural preferences used during teaching as well as the ethnic group that the teacher prefers. For instance, a teacher who chooses some students from a particular group to answer a question over and over again indicates a liking and some form of racial bias. An observation of the interaction between students in the classroom will be made to identify whether some students are isolated or not, and from which ethnic group they are from. As a result, students are lowly motivated to engage themselves in classroom activities due to the feelings of isolation. This is because it is easy to identify the students who are most preferred by an instructor based on the students, he/she chooses to answer questions or those selected to participate in any other class activity. Concurrently, the integration of diversity in the class can be determined by the composition of members from a particular ethnicity in a certain group. 

Furthermore, I will request instructors to ask the students to form discussion groups composed of five individuals on their own. In this case, if the groups formed are comprised of students from different groups, this will indicate effective integration of diversity, Nonetheless, if most of the groups are composed of a number of students from the other dominant groups while others consist of only Hawaiian or Filipino students, then I will identify the groups that are alienated from the rest of the class. Diverse groups foster more interaction and maximum participation in learning activities, hence more positive educational outcomes. Student participation and contributions in class will be used as a criterion to determine how favourable or friendly the classroom climate is. 

R acial inequality is an issue of significant concern in modern schools. The study attempts to identify the factors that inhibit academic achievement in minority groups, and particularly those of Hawaiian descent. In addition, the research is also targeted at obtaining additional information on other issues that inhibit the educational success of the selected group, such as bullying, and the degrees to which such factors affect the mental and emotional health of students. The acquisition of this critical information will be useful in determining the various steps that teachers and the school management can take to promote higher rates of educational attainment among the target group. Mainly, extensive cultural competency training should be offered to teachers continuously, for the integration of diversity into the classroom setup. The programs would not only create awareness of the impacts of cultural incompetence on student’s academic performance but foster more professionalism in the educational setup. The study enables teachers to recognize the significance of motivation in a great performance. It can further foster significant improvements in the education system by enabling instructors to identify the various motivational strategies that can be used to promote higher academic scores, especially for minority students. Concurrently, more Hawaiian students and others from various marginal groups would become more successful in their personal, as well as academic lives. 

References 

Chen, J. (2018). Exploring Chinese International Students’ Sense of Belonging in North American Postsecondary Institutions . Retrieved from 

https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/major-papers/17/ 

Maxwell, S., Reynolds, K. J., Lee, E., Subasic, E., & Bromhead, D. (2017). The impact of school climate and school identification on academic achievement: multilevel modelling with student and teacher data. Frontiers in psychology , 8, 2069. 

McGrady, P. B., & Reynolds, J. R. (2013). Racial mismatch in the classroom: Beyond black-white differences. Sociology of Education , 86(1), 3-17. 

Yarnell, L. M., & Bohrnstedt, G. W. (2018). Student-Teacher Racial Match and Its Association with Black Student Achievement: An Exploration Using Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling. American Educational Research Journal , 55(2), 287-324.