The Importance of Learning and Achievement in Life Regardless - Essay Example

ABSTRACT There exists numerous notions on what is the actual reason behind the present issue that governs middle school systems in the American regions. Most of the time, the target of the discussion with regards to the said issue pertains to poverty and other behavioral problems caused by the said life-status of the students, which in turn directly affects the achievement attitudes of the students in their studies. Hence, this paper is designed to give a brief yet clear answer to the said claims of social and educational experts basing from the proofs that resulted from actual interview and questionnaire system given out to the main reactors on the issue. In recent years, about one in five American children – that is some 12 to 14 million – have lived in families in which cash income failed to exceed official poverty thresholds. Income poverty is the condition of not having enough income to meet basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. Because children are dependent on others, they enter or avoid poverty by virtue of their family’s economic circumstances. Children cannot alter family conditions by themselves, at least until they approach adulthood. This research will be conducted in a rural setting in the state of Michigan. The instrumentation will be designed by the researcher using a survey. The population to be surveyed will be Middle School Resource Room students from Grades 5-8. They survey will ask a variety of questions regarding poverty, student achievement, how these students perceive themselves and what their aspirations, hopes and dreams are for the future. -i- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As the author of this paper, I would specifically want to thank the administration of the Middle School Resource Room students from Grades 5-8 of Montabella Community Schools in Michigan for their cooperation and permission for me to be able to conduct a survey that would help in the process of coming up with my research and thesis conclusions regarding the topic that I am supposed to tackle. I would also like to thank my professor for the continuous assistance and support that he has rendered me as I was completing the process of finishing this paper. Aside form him, my family and friends also served as the primary inspiration for me to finish this paper. The success of completing this research is all owed to their presence and therefore I intend to give them the gratitude that they deserve. -ii- TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic Page Number Abstract -i- Acknowledgements -ii- CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 Statement of Purpose 1 Justification of Study 2 Hypothesis 2 Definition of Terms 3 Brief Overview 4 CHAPTER 2 Background and Review of Literature 5 Description 5 Background Knowledge 5 Studies related to topic 6 CHAPTER 3 Methodology 9 Description of research design 9 Description of sample 9 Description of instruments used 9 Specific procedures to be used 10 Internal Validity 10 External Validity 11 -h- Statistical Techniques 11 CHAPTER 4 Data and Presentations 12 Income Level Issues 12 Behavioral Issues 14 Perception towards School and Learning 15 CHAPTER 5 Conclusion 17 Bibliography -iii- Appendix -iv- -j- LIST OF FIGURES TABLE 1 Income Scale Perception (13) 2 Family members supported by one source of budget (14) 3 Family Set-Up [single parent or non single parent families] (14) 4 School Attitude (17) Pie Graph 1Absences incurred by students every school year (15) 2 Disability measure and perception (15) 3 Goals and Success Measures (16) Introduction 1 Poverty and Middle School Resource Room Achievement CHAPTER 1 Statement of Purpose In the school year 2004-2005, the researcher had the privilege of working with the most wonderful Middle School Resource Room children. The experience of teaching in a rural farming community was an eye-opening experience and one that I will never forget. The following research has been based on the idea that children of poverty often do not achieve their highest potential in school. One way or another, it seems that grades are not important to them. In my opinion, grades are not important to the said students because they feel as though they do not have many opportunities such as getting a good paying job, acquiring lots of money and so on. Resource Room students often see themselves as inadequate in the area of knowledge, skills and brains. Hence, it is the duty of the teacher or teachers to help these students see what they have to offer the world, the job market and other sectors of success in the society. Although this is the case, it could not be denied that the main will of these students is to free themselves from poverty. How? Through short term schooling, earning minimum grades and planning to obtain a minimum wage paying job in the future. . In this regard, understanding poverty and middle school resource room student achievement will allow teachers to begin to understand the students’ thinking, their rationale for school, their view concerning the importance of school, their patterns of displaying several behavioral reactions towards numerous situations concerning themselves and their education. Finally, this would also help the educators understand the possible ways by which the students being studied Introduction 2 could be helped and motivated in achieving more that hat they are achieving at present, hence providing them with a healthy growth, good education and an excellent outlook on life. Justification of Study In rural areas, Middle School Resource Room students and poverty seemed to go hand and hand. Farming is a way of life but sometimes not suited for raising a family of six. Households in a rural area in Michigan often struggle meeting the basic needs of their families therefore little food is provided thus the family must rely on the government for help. Often times, the government in the way of Medicaid or Food Stamps do not provide enough to keep the family above the amount of bills that are piling up. The families seem to keep sinking and sinking with no way out. Thus, one could conclude that student achievement and poverty could and should go hand in hand. In addition, due to the location of this study, a very rural farming area, there may not be other employment opportunities available such as a second job. . Hypothesis Poverty is one of the main reasons why students of middle schools attain lesser achievements than other students having better economic means. This hypothesis suggests a relationship between poverty and achievement. The independent variable is poverty. This encompasses the thought that many struggle to obtain money. This money is often times not enough to support their family and provide their children with necessary food and clothing. The dependent variables are gender, age, and student Introduction 3 achievement. Poverty is not gender bias. Student achievement is how the student perceives his or her performance in school. D. Definition of Terms The constitutive definitions for this proposal will help the nonprofessional understand the meanings of the words in context. The following list is the constitutive definitions that will be found in this thesis. Poverty – the lack of what is needed; the essentials function in every day life, which includes food, clothing, heating, money, and a place to live. -Pertains to the situation wherein an individual or a family is having a hard time obtaining the most basic needs that they need for daily living. - income under the national standard of living; it also could be said that poverty is a way of life for some families in America; It is below the average wages set by the United States government. Student – child or children who attend school for educational purposes. -The learner; one who receives teaching from educators - students who attend Grades K-12; it will encompass all backgrounds, ethnicities, status, genders and backgrounds. Effect – whatever is produced by a cause; to influence something. - to cause a result; example would be the effect of warm weather and how it might cause thunderstorms . Introduction 4 . Achievement – the accomplishment of something. – reaching a specific or particular goal one has set for them; society sets certain achievement standards on certain populations. In regards to the research, all the above terms will be used in this paper whether the definition is constitutive or operational. Brief Overview Montabella Community Schools is in the Michigan District. Montabella Community Schools currently maintains four facilities including Webb Elementary (PreK), Blanchard Elementary (K – 5 grades), Montabella Middle School (6th – 8th grades), and Montabella High School (9th-12th grades). A variety of services are offered to the students at Montabella Community Schools depending on their grade level. Among these services are Title I, Special Education, Alternative Education, Advanced programs, and Career Center. As the researcher, I hope to enlighten the reading audience to the fact that poverty does effect student achievement especially in those students who are labeled with a disability. These children already start out life in negative connotation because of having a disability and now adding to the equation that is poverty. Indeed this situation it is very difficult to stop the cycle. Background and Review of Literature 5 CHAPTER 2 Description The literature to be reviewed will come from scholarly journals dealing with poverty, student achievement, and statistics on poverty from the United States Government, and finally will also include a fantastic book from renowned author Ruby Payne and other magazine articles. Background Knowledge Income poverty is the condition of not having enough income to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Children cannot alter their family conditions by themselves, at least until they reach adulthood. In predicting levels of student achievement, family incomes continue to be a reliable and valuable indicator. Today in the United States, there is an epidemic poverty plaguing childhood for many of our nation’s children. Census data for 2000 indicates that there were about 72 million people under the age of 18 living in the United States and more than 11.6 million of these children were living below the poverty line (Taylor, 2005). That means that at least one out of every six children in this country was living in poverty. These were not children from families that were lazy, unable to work, unmotivated, or unable to work due to illness, drug use, or some other circumstances but rather children from families that were working and still not able to make enough money to support their families in a healthy way (Bracey, 1997). These children are in a situation not of their own making. For many, this is not a condition that they are surviving for a brief period of time but rather a societal context in which they are challenged to grow up. Eighty percent of children who Background and Review of Literature 6 are poor one year are still poor the following year. Student achievement directly correlates to poverty in such that children only think of themselves as low income and poor rather than seeing themselves as children who will ultimately make a difference in society. These students usually are the ones who act out behaviorally, have poor academic achievement, are sixteen and high school dropout, unwed mothers and the list could continue. Studies Related to Topic Hundreds of books, studies and reports have examined the detrimental effects of poverty on the well-being of children. Ruby Payne, an award winning author of A framework for Understanding Poverty, best describes poverty as a state of mental, physical, emotional, financial and spiritual (Payne, 1996). She goes on to state that poverty is relative. It everywhere around us in the physical world and poverty and wealth only exists in relationships to known expectations (Payne, 1996). According to Educational Leadership, recent studies have suggested that high levels of poverty within the community can adversely affect children’s development regardless of the individual family environment. Also in the article, it states that community poverty affects high school completion for different ethnic groups. Other studies suggest that often times, students do not realize their own potential because of being in a state of poverty. Often enough, children of poverty are the last to be chosen for a team sport because they do not have the right brand of shoes or because they look different from the other children. They are often the last to be befriended by the popular Background and Review of Literature 7 group or clique in school. This separates them from the norm and often times they feel disregarded, trash and not worthy of being in school. “Small` seems to work in beating back the negative effect that poverty has on student achievement, whether you are talking about small schools or small districts. The study concludes that reducing either district size or school size without altering the other would narrow the test score achievement gap between students from more and less affluent communities. Reducing both district and school size would narrow that gap even more. Earlier research found that, as schools become larger, the negative effect of poverty on student achievement increases and that the well-documented correlation between poverty and low achievement is much stronger -- as much as 10 times stronger -- in larger schools than in smaller ones. The most powerful results in this study come in an analysis of how much “power” poverty has over student achievement. The results were poverty has less power over achievement in large schools operating in small districts. Also poverty had even less power over achievement in smaller schools operating within larger districts and lastly, poverty’s power over achievement was weakest in smaller schools operating in smaller districts – accounting for as little as sixteen percent. The study referred to above suggests that achievement is not linked to poverty status because it should be linked to school size or district size. The smaller the school district the less money funded by the state and federal government thus one can assume that books and materials are outdated, students are not challenged and thus those in a Resource Room environment will not have the same materials afforded to them as their Background and Review of Literature 8 peers in larger districts (Holloway, 2004). The researcher of this paper will continue to look for journal articles relating to this topic to find dissenting points of view. As of now, only one was found. Methodology 9 CHAPTER 3 Description of Research Design The research design pattern will be a correlational study. This type of study deals with a cause and effect. In this particular research, the cause is poverty and the effect would be Middle School Resource Room student achievement. Some of the descriptors to be used in this research will be poverty, poverty and children, poverty and school achievement and finally, poverty and how it affects families. Description of Sample The sample has been narrowed to 15 students ranging in ages from 11 to 15. Both genders will be used and all are in a Resource Room environment. However, one must state that the ratio between boys and girls is approximately 7:1. They have been diagnosed with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Emotional Impairment. They are taught through remediation classes or pullout classes. They happen to be past students of the researcher thus understanding the backgrounds each individual student. Description of Instrument Used In this research, I have designed a questionnaire. This questionnaire has 25 questions for students to answer. The intended target audience are 5-8th grade Resource Room students at the local middle school in Michigan. The questionnaire is non-biased in the questions asked and the answers will remain strictly confidential. The results will be used in the thesis paper to describe the relationship of poverty and middle school student achievement. The independent variable in this research study is poverty whereas the Methodology 10 dependent variable is student achievement. Questions asked are will either have a yes, no, maybe, sometimes answers. There are 4 open-ended questions for students to write their own personal responses. Specific Procedures to be Used The first step will be to give the questionnaire to a group of 5th grade students in the general education curriculum. This will provide the researcher with pertinent information concerning the structure of the questions. After the initial testing of the general education students, the researcher will then finalize the questions and prepare the questionnaire. The researcher will set up a mutually agreed upon time with the principal and Resource Room teacher to administer the questionnaires. Because of the broad range of disabilities within the Middle School Resource Room and the different levels of reading abilities, this researcher will be reading each question to the students and allow them ample time to answer each question. The approximate time for the survey to be complete should be no more than fifteen (15) minutes. Again, there will be no names printed on the questionnaires and the results will be strictly confidential. Internal Validity The internal validity will be governed by using the same questionnaire on the target group only one time. The questions have already been examined by colleagues and students of the same age therefore, validity will be maintained. There will also be a limited number of open-ended questions for written responses. Methodology 11 External Validity In order to maintain external validity, the researcher plans to pilot the survey prior to administering it to the target population. This will ensure that all questions are understood and worded correctly. This way the results of the questionnaire could be expected to be more accurate. Statistical Techniques The statistical techniques the researcher will use in this proposal will be to compare MEAP scores from last year (2004) to this year (2005). This will be helpful in determining if student achievement has risen, fallen or stayed the same. This will be represented using a bar graph. The questionnaire answers will be used to determine the students and how they perceive their achievement during the current 2005-2006 school year and also by looking into the future. This will be represented by a bar graph as well. Also needed to obtain poverty levels within the school district, the researcher will have to obtain the amount of students receiving free or reduced lunch. This will indicate poverty and poverty levels within the school. This will be represented in a bar graph. The variables used within this research are quantitative in nature and will be treated as such. Data Presentation 12 CHAPTER 4 In the process of this research, as the researcher myself, I have learned through the results of the questionnaires which I handed to my respondents, that most of the children involved in the dilemma that poverty brings are indeed having low self esteem thus obtaining low level of motivation in achieving the best possible success they could get from schooling. It is because of the negative and damaging thoughts that poverty itself has implanted in their young minds that they are convinced that they have no better place on earth than that of the situation they are already enticed with. As a result, they loose the wanting, the passion to earn more than the minimum grades which they think could get them a job that pays them the minimum wage. These claims that I have formulated as I went on with the process of this research shall be proven true by the graphical presentations of the results that I have gathered during the surveying processes of this paper. The presentations to follow are subdivided into three major sections that pertain to the results of the survey. The computations for the results are done through percentage system as well as averaging computations. A. Income Level Issues Data Presentation 13 In this section of the presentation of the students with regards their income status depends on three major points. One is the number of family members they live with, two, whom they live with and three, how they are able to understand their situation depending on their own scale of measurement of their family’s income. As seen in the graphical presentations, many among those who have answered the survey live with either their parents or an extended family. In this regard, the budget of the family are stretched to be able to support the needs of each family member who is Data Presentation 14 present in the household. Hence, at times, not all the wants or at times even the basic individual needs of the students are provided making them think that they are not rich. B. Behavioral Issues Data Presentation 15 In this section of the presentation, it could be observed that most students have minimum absences of at least one to five times each school year, while lesser students incur both six to over ten times of absences each year. What is the significance of this issue with regards to the disability measures and perceptions of students towards themselves? Most likely, students who think that they are disabled and the disabilities they have are more of a disadvantage to their being have greater chances of incurring absences. It has also been observed through the results of the survey where these presentations were based that female students have greater chances of considering themselves disabled than boys and thus have the tendency of having negative perceptions on themselves as well. This thought of one’s incapabilities contribute so much to the students’ performance in school. C. Perception towards School and Learning Data Presentation 16 In the third section of this chapter, it is shown that most of the students who go to school are less interested in learning. There are lesser number of students who are really motivated to learn when they come to their learning instates. Hence, this connotes the fact that most students simply go to school because they need to and not necessarily based on their wanting to learn. Aside form this, although there are larger portion of the students who have goals in the future, it could be noted that not all of them are basing this goals from gaining achievements in school. Through the data presented herein, it could be understood that the biggest problem of the students really is their behavior towards learning which is further aggravated by their income status as a family in the society. Most of the time, the wrong attitudes of students towards their studies is contributed by the environment they live in, however, usually, the environments they deal with are also controlled by the scale of income that governs them, like for example living in extended family which has been explained earlier. Conclusion 17 CHAPTER 5 As the researcher, I have come up with a five point concern for this topic as the summary of all the results and the discussions that have been incorporated in this paper: Students who live with five or more people in the house achieve lesser in school than those living with four or less people Students who believe that they are poor are less motivated to study hard and achieve great in school because of the fact that their goal in life is to simply obtain minimum wage paying jobs in the future wherein there is not much of a requirement of high school grades. Students’ behaviors towards their studies affect the way they perform at school. In this regard, they are less enthusiastic in actually applying what they learn from school in their daily lives, t times they even see their lessons impractical for the actual living systems in the society. Parents and family have a great role in motivating the students towards learning habits. Students who are able to see success as a part of their living are the only ones who end up with fine jobs in the real world. With these five major parts of the summary, I have also formulated ways by which educators could help their students understand the importance of learning and achievement while still in school, hence giving them a better future and a better outlook in life regardless of their income status in the society. Conclusion 18 Educators should inculcate in the students the value of achieving by giving them extra benefits every time they garner achievements in school. Documentary shows should be shown to the students regarding poor people who made it great in the society later on. This program is set to inspire them to do better and aim higher for themselves to make them realize that they have worth in the world. These are only few suggestions. Educators could formulate more programs which they could include in their teaching programs to be able to help their students realize that life is not for the rich ones alone. It takes time and effort to reach the top, but once the top has been reached, the rewards are worth appreciating. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bracey, G. (1997). A few facts about poverty. Phi Delta Kappan, 79, 163-164. Brooks-Dunn, J., & Duncan, G. (1997). The effects of poverty on children. Children and Poverty, 7(02), 55-71. Caldas, S., & Bankston III, C. (1997). Effect of school population: socioeconomic status on individual academic achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 90, 269-77. Harper, M., & Vandivere, S. (1999). Poverty, welfare and children: a summary of the data. Child Trends Research Brief, , 2-5. Holloway, J. (2004). Research Link/How the Community Influences Achievement. Schools as Learning Communities, 61(08), 89-90. Joseph Roundtree Foundation, (2005). Child poverty and its consequences. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/389.asp. Lewis, A. (1996). Breaking the cycle of poverty. Phi Delta Kappan, 78, 186-187. McLanahan, S. (1995). Family structure and the reproduction of poverty. The American Journal of Sociology, 90(04), 873-901. Payne, R. (1996). a framework for understanding poverty. 4th ed. Highlands, Tx: aha! Process. Pellino, K. (n.d.). The effects of poverty on teaching and learning. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from TeAch-nology.com Web site: http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/pvoerty/print.htm. Taylor, J. (2005). Poverty and student achievement. Multicultural Education, 12(04), 53-55. , . (1994). What do student grades mean? differences across schools. Retrieved November 22, 2008, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ResearchRpts/grades.html. -iii- APPENDIX Questionnaire Results POPULATION SAMPLE: 13 Males ranging in ages from 10-15 8 Females ranging in ages from 11-14 Primary disability are LD or Learning Disabled PART 1 On Income How many people currently live in your home 1 - 0 2 - 1 (Female) 3 - 1 (Male) 4 - 10 (Female - 5 and Male - 5) 5 - 2 (Males - 2) 6 or more - 7 (Female - 3 and Male - 4) Who do you live with? Mom - 4 (Female - 1 Male - 3) Dad - 1 (Female - 1) Mom and Dad - 11 (Female - 6 Male - 10) Other - 0 Do you consider yourself poor? Yes - 6 (female - 3 male -3) -iv- No - 12 (female- 4 male - 8) Don't know - 3 (female - 1 male - 2) PART II On Behavior About how many days are you absent from school each year? 1-5 - 12 (Female - 4 Male - 8) 6-10 -6 (Female - 2 Male - 4 ) 10 or more - 3 (Female - 2 Male - 1 ) Do you have a disability? Yes - 7 (Female - 6 Male - 1 ) No - 14 (Female - 2 Male - 12) If you do have a disability, can you name your disability? LD - Learning Disabled -7 (Female - 1 Male - 6) Asperger's Syndrome - 1 (Male) I don't know - 3 (Female - 1 Male - 2) ADHD - 3 (Male) No answer - 7 How do you see your disability - a good thing or a bad thing? Good - 9 (Male - 6 Female - 3) Bad - 12 (Male - 7 Female - 5) -v- Have you ever made the Honor Roll in Middle School? Yes - 5 (Female - 2 Male - 3) No - 16 (Female - 6 Male - 10) If you haven't made the Honor Roll, why do you think you haven't? I feel like I'm stupid (1 Male) Bad at work (1 Male) Not getting good grades (Male - 3) I don't do a good enough job and the school hates me (1 Male) Because of my Science and Social Studies grade (1 Male) Because I don't study (Male - 3) Because I don't do my homework (Male - 1) Female - 3 Classes are too hard (1 Male) Getting into trouble and not being in class (1 Male) I wasn't here since the beginning of the school year - 1 (Female) No Answer - 2 (Males) 2 (Female) PART III On Learning and School Do you have a life goal or dream? Yes - 20 (Female - 8 Male- 12) No - 1 (Male) -vi- Do you think you will be successful at a job? Yes - 12 (Female - 7 Male - 5) No - 0 Maybe - 9 (Female - 1 Male - 8 ) Do you like school? Yes - 3 (Female - 2 Male - 1 ) No - 6 (Female - 2 Male - 4 ) Sometimes - 12 (Female - 3 Male - 9 ) -vii- Read More