Question two asked students, “What does it mean to be successful in your school?” Using the QSR Nvivo 10 software program student responses were analyzed by grade point average. The minimal success (MS) students appeared to have no systems knowledge. Systems knowledge would be defined by the researcher as knowing how to relate to teachers and play the game of school. Responses by the participants were minimal as evidence by the response of this participant.
Xavier (18) talked about success at his school:
What it means to be successful in my school is academic wise, making sure I’m educated when I graduate from high school and most likely to get my high school diploma.
Students were not able to speak to specific incidences of success in their school. They do not mention success in school as preparing them for life beyond school. Only one student talked about success as getting good grades. One student mentions success as focusing on his goals, but not reaching them.
The low-average success (LAS) students talked about success as knowing/learning about oneself, getting good grades, making honor roll, going to college, and having the appropriate credits to graduate for college. Students did not mention systems knowledge like relationships with adults or school structure. Students are focused on themselves and making sure that they are in the right place/space to be successful. They appeared to lack what is termed here as school
which states that social capital influences the academic achievement of African American males the researcher developed a new term for school aged social capital called school social capital. School social capital is termed as knowledge of the educational system and the ability to work with or around adults and peers within the educational system.
In the average success student responses (AS), this was the first time students began to talk about teachers and others liking them in school as well as having respect for the teachers, administrators, and other school staff. Doing all your work and getting good grades was a theme that was heard across grade point average groups. Students hint at school social capital as “this game of school” that they have learned how to play.
Fred (19) explained what it meant to be successful at his school:
Basically, good attendance, straightforward attitude, all the teachers and higher you know- what’s that word uh- people of importance here, like teachers, staff, even janitors and what not, be respectful of all of them. Attend class, a lot. You- doing like doing all your work even if it’s the little things like if you get good grades, but you still have other work you feel like you shouldn’t need to do because you already have a good grade, you just do those anyway because that’s just that deceives you and if you have good grades and you don’t do it, it goes down like really quickly, so if you miss anything that they’re looking for. Do all of your stuff no matter what. Turn them in on time. Follow deadline and basically have a good GPA.
Pride was mentioned first here also. Students talked about taking pride in their accomplishments. This group of students talked about working hard, listening to the teachers and doing everything that the teachers tell you to do. This was a shared narrative with low-average
success (LAS) students as well. Students were also working to get into college or working towards a career or life outside of school.
The high success (HS) students talked about getting good grades and not talking back to the teacher like their average success (AS) student counterparts. Unlike the other groups, this group viewed teachers as helpers, not just someone to comply with. They appeared to have a strong school social capital. The tension of having friends but not being too social was also mentioned. This group also spoke about having friends that they could relate to in class.
There was also a tension between being popular and still doing well in school as described by Craig (17):
I mean initially the whole get good grades and um not focus on being social too social but still having friends that you can relate to in classes and that will help you through it. Friends who are there to also help you succeed and teachers who are willing to work with you also just being in a good environment and being successful in school like knowing that that school will shape you to have a future and know where you want to go so.
Being in a good environment in school was seen as important. School was seen as a place to be shaped and prepared. Being a hard worker, an achiever and staying ahead of the game were something these students reported having done as well as looking forward to the next step in life like college or a job. Goals were not just for school but for the future.
Every group except the minimal success students had college and a career as their ultimate goal whereas the minimal success students’ goal was doing well and graduating from school. High Success and average success students also had systems knowledge/school social capital that the low-average success and minimal success students did not possess. The high success and average success students learned how to interact with teachers and other school
personnel in a positive manner and were able to pay attention to subtleties and nuisances within school that lead to success. This may have been one contributor to their positive academic performance.