Teachers’ views of the discipline gap: A qualitative study

Alasmi, Nada

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115355 Copy

Description

Title

Teachers’ views of the discipline gap: A qualitative study

Author(s)

Alasmi, Nada

Issue Date

2022-04-04

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Hood, Denice

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Hood, Denice

Committee Member(s)

• Pak, Yoon
• Kang, Hyun-Sook
• Hale, Jon

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Discipline gap
• teachers' views of the discipline gap
• expulsion
• Black students

Abstract

The term “discipline gap” refers to data illustrating that, compared to students of other races, Black students are more likely to be referred, suspended, or expelled from school (Gregory & Mosely, 2004; Skiba et al., 2002). Increased discipline is associated with a variety of short and long-term negative outcomes for Black children (Fabelo et al., 2011). According to the “differential selection” explanation, Teachers’ subconscious racism and colorblindness cause them to over-select Black students for punishment, contributing to the discipline gap (Carter et al., 2017; Deckman, 2017; Gregory & Roberts, 2017; Okonofua et al., 2016). Therefore, the purpose of this research was to engage teachers in conversations about the discipline gap in order to understand and critically examine their views about it. Seven Miami Dade County Schools teachers were individually interviewed, and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to analyze the findings. Results indicate that participants were uninformed about the discipline gap, thought the discipline gap was important, believed they can improve students’ behavior without referral, and blamed the discipline gap on parental neglect and/or Black culture. While participants were able to discuss the negative impacts of racism, they also expressed a variety of colorblind and racist attitudes.

Graduation Semester

2022-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Nada Alasmi

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