Developing Authentic Identity: Service as Community Building

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Developing Authentic Identity Service as
Community Building

• Dr. Allison Nazzal
• EERA Annual Conference
• February 28, 2002

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Theoretical Framework

• Critical Theory Much of the failures and
  difficulties students experience in school are a
  result of their resistance to an inauthentic
  identity assigned to them, out-dated teaching
  strategies and rules that alienate students from
  the school community (Bennett Le Compte)

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Theoretical Framework

• Theory of Experience All experiences are
  educative, but some are mis-educative informing
  future experience
• Development of identity occurs through
  experiences in school and informs future
  experiences and relations with others
• (John Dewey)

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Philosophical Framework

• Ethic of Care Purpose of schooling is to
  develop in students the ability to care narrowly
  prescribed liberal arts curriculum hinders the
  development of authentic identity (Nel Noddings)
• Social Roles Purpose of schooling is to develop
  in students the capacity to effectively
  participate in our nation-home in all of their
  social roles focus on skills and knowledge
  needed for the world of work hinders the
  development of authentic identity (Jane Roland
  Martin)

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What is Authentic Identity?

• Consider your own identity- Who are you?
• Can your identity be defined without connection
  to others?

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What is Authentic Identity?

• Propositions
• Identity must be defined in terms of relations to
  others
• Identity cannot be based on performance alone
  (example scholar artist)
• Your work, the product of your efforts/occupation
  meaningless until used to care for others or
  until used or appreciated by others

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Inauthentic Identity in Schools

• In schools, students develop an inauthentic
  identity based solely on academic performance
  (testing)
• In schools, students develop an inauthentic
  identity devoid of social connections (narrowly
  prescribed liberal arts curriculum)

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Identity, Alienation, and Community

• Inauthentic identity developed by school policies
  and teaching strategies that alienate students
  and deny them membership in the school community
• Standardized testing
• Graduation requirements
• Extra-curricular/co-curricular requirements
• No-Pass/No-Play Rules
• Competitive teaching strategies

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The Study

• How would participation as a cross-aged tutor
  affect their perceptions of alienation and
  behavior in school?
• Participants Students identified as at-risk for
  dropping out of school due to low socioeconomic
  status and (failure, poor attendance, or
  misbehavior forms of resistance)

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Meet the Group

• 8th graders in large suburb at an at-risk
  school based on standardized tests
• Diverse backgrounds
• Many identified as at-risk based on more than one
  factor
• Teachers described them as problems in the
  classroom due to misbehavior, lack of motivation
  etc.

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Meet the Group

• Alienated from the school community
• They described school as very important, trusted
  their teachers, but disliked classroom/teaching
  strategies
• Defined themselves in terms of social relations
  including student but based value of self as
  student in terms of performance grades

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Meet No Identity Carrie

• Hispanic, Special Education Student at risk due
  to low socio-economic status, failure,
  attendance.
• On herself and schooling Im trying to
  understand this stuff. It makes me feel like
  everyone thinks Im dumb. They really dont but I
  think they do. (As a whisper and with a tear in
  her eye) My math is a 5th grade level. I dont
  think Ill graduate because of my math.

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Meet Lashonna Lost in the trailer park blues

• African-American, at-risk for failure unable to
  pass standardized math test did not participate
  in school community
• On the tutoring experience I finally got to do
  something! I was like oooh, Mama, I get to join a
  club. It felt great to be one of the chosen ones.
  I would tutor again in a heartbeat!

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Meet Why Bother Randy

• Caucasian Male at risk for failure, attendance,
  behavior
• Teachers described him as lazy, a disruption to
  the class He just sits there and then will
  sometimes explode if I make him work.

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Meet Why Bother Randy

• On school (pre and post interview) School is
  boring. I dont want to be a street person, so
  Ill graduate. But after that, no more for me!
• I d like to tutor again. It was kind of cool to
  work with someone.
• Three Strikes, Youre out!
• Teachers reported a remarkable change in his
  behavior during tutoring assuming leadership
  role in class helping other students completing
  his work

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Meet Claiming an Identity Daniel

• Hispanic Male at risk for failure, behavior,
  attendance
• Identified self as leader of The Latino Crew,
  a Hispanic school gang
• Became a leader during the tutoring project
  expelled

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Implications of Research

• Schools should assist students in developing
  authentic identities.
• Schools must provide opportunities for all
  students to participate in the school community
• The curriculum should provide opportunities for
  students to explore identity, and the social
  roles included in their identity
• The school should reward students for
  demonstrating a capacity to care