The Conceptualization of Middle Achievers in a High-Performing High School

• In Event: 33.078 - Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 33.078-8 - Rethinking Motivation and Achievement

Abstract

This paper examines how teachers, administrators, and students in a high performing high school in eastern North Carolina conceptualize "the middle achiever." Via interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, this paper considers how middle achieving students, often defined by what they are not, are understood in a local school context and the way these understandings intersect with school, community culture, and national. In addition, I consider how these conceptualizations affect student/teacher interactions and students' educational goals.

Author

• Lindsey Schrott, The Pennsylvania State University