Unpacking Deficit Ideology in Education: How Single Stories of Marginalized Students and Families Shapes Educators' Beliefs by Lisa Paisley

Introduction

lpaisley6 — 2024-11-26 21:24:10 UTC

Deficit thinking in education places the academic failure of black and brown students with the students, their families, and their culture. “The systems that guide educational inquiry may portray certain groups of people, particularly people and communities of color, in deficit and deficient terms.” (Milner, 2002). With this in mind, we all know that the population of students in public schools in the United States is becoming more diverse. In public schools, minority races are increasing, and white student populations are decreasing. However, the teacher population is still predominantly white.

The increase in student population diversity and the teacher population still being predominantly white, show an urgency for educators to understand and reflect on their positionalities and views of marginalized students and their families and to acknowledge how systemic oppression and structural racism affect marginalized students and their families if they are to provide an equitable education to all students.

Purpose of this Study

lpaisley6 — 2024-11-26 21:24:31 UTC

This study aims to understand how educators’ race, culture, and narratives influence their beliefs about the single story of marginalized children and their families and how this single story influences deficit beliefs about the academic capabilities of marginalized students.

In addition, the study will also try to understand how educators' deficit beliefs influence their pedagogical practices in the classroom and the long-term social-emotional impacts on students and families.

Research Questions

lpaisley6 — 2024-11-26 21:39:43 UTC

How do educators’ racial and cultural background and narrative influence their deficit beliefs and reinforce their understanding of the single story of marginalized children and families?
How are these understandings and deficit beliefs displayed in the culture of their classroom and pedagogical approaches?
How do deficit paradigms/thinking about marginalized students and their families influence the long-term social-emotional health of students and families?

Theoretical Framework: Critical Race Theory

lpaisley6 — 2024-11-26 21:40:38 UTC

Critical Race Theory “challenges the dominant discourse on race and racism as it relates to education by examining how educational theory and practice are used to subordinate certain racial and ethnic groups.” (Milner, 2007, pg. 390). In other words, CRT provides a lens to see how systemic and structural racism in our educational system perpetuates inequities for black and brown students.

Using the CRT framework, I will focus on the ingrained nature of race and racism in society and, thus, education. This feature focuses on the idea that racism is permanent and is embedded in all aspects of our society, and it impacts all structures, including educational structures.

The next feature I will focus on is intersectionality. Intersectionality focuses on how race intersects with other marginalized identities, such as gender or class. This will help me to examine how race, class, and even gender intersect and influence how marginalized students are viewed in the classroom. This is especially pertinent to African American males.

The CRT framework will enable me to understand the foundation of educators’ deficit orientation about marginalized students and their families. Additionally, it will allow me to critically examine why educators resist changing their views.

Research Design

lpaisley6 — 2024-12-05 20:44:33 UTC

This will be a Critical ethnographic research study. I chose this design because critical research “aims to critique existing conditions and through that critique bring about change” (Merriam et al. 2016). A critical ethnography not only tries to interpret the culture but also exposes cultural systems that oppress and marginalize certain groups of people.

I will use purposive sampling, specifically criterion-based selection methods, to select my participants. The criteria I will use for teachers will include race, socioeconomic status, at least 3 years of teaching experience, and teaching in a K-5 setting. I will choose a teacher for each grade level as this will give me a range to work with. I will choose the students and, if necessary. families from the teachers' classroom in my participant group. I will need to gain parents' permission to interview studentsIn terms of how many people should be in my sample, there will be a minimum of 15 participants.

Data Analysis Plan

lpaisley6 — 2024-12-05 20:50:52 UTC

Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews, student artifacts analysis and classroom observations. Classroom observations will include pictures and recordings, where necessary and with teachers' permissions. Field notes will be uploaded in Dedoose for transcription and coding. Interviews will be recorded and transcribed in the Rev App.

Recording

lpaisley6 — 2024-12-05 21:15:42 UTC