More Than Just the Teacher: How Other Adults Shape Adolescents' Experiences in School

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: Identifying and Ameliorating Academic Risk of Failure for Adolescents in School

Abstract

Youth interact with numerous adults inside and outside of school that may shape their experiences at school. However, research often focuses singularly on how teachers or how parents influence youth’s school experiences. The objective of this study is to explore how adults beyond teachers shape Black adolescents’ experiences within school. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of 25 Black youth, their primary caregivers, and another adult in their families. We created a dataset of stories of school experiences from the interviews. Thematic analysis of these school experiences suggests three categories of adults beyond teachers shape Black adolescents’ experiences in schools in different ways: caregivers; other adults in the school; and nonparental adults outside of the school.

Authors

• Aisha Griffith, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Noelle Hurd, University of Virginia