Synthesizing Middle Grades Research on Cultural Responsiveness: The Importance of a Shared Conceptual Framework

In conducting a literature review of 133 articles on cultural responsiveness in middle level education, we identified a lack of shared definitions, theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and foci, which made it impossible to synthesize across articles. Using a conceptual framework that required: 1) clear definitions of terms; 2) a critically conscious stance; and 3) inclusion of the middle school concept, we identified 14 articles that met these criteria. We then mapped differences and convergences across these studies, which allowed us to identify the conceptual gaps that the field must address in order to have common definitions and understandings that enable synthesis across studies

Assaults on belonging : how Dutch youth without ‘blue eyes, cheese, and clogs’ experience everyday racism in educational contexts

Minoritized students’ ethnic backgrounds and racial appearances influence their academic opportunities and belonging experiences, and limit their access to safe and equal learning environments. In the Netherlands, limited research has focused on minoritized students’ experiences. In this study, we drew upon a theoretical framework focused on Othering and belonging as well as macro-/micro- connections related to racism to investigate the contemporary educational experiences of students from nondominant backgrounds. Participants experienced everyday racism and Othering in the: continuous centering of Whiteness and marginalization of the non-White Other; persistent obstacles perpetuated by educators that prevented parental participation; and consistent underestimation of students’ abilities by teachers and peers. As a step toward more just schooling, participants suggest that educators become more aware of minoritized students’ backgrounds and create spaces of belonging

The evolution of “loaded moments” toward escalation or de-escalation in student–teacher interactions

To minimize negative interactions and their impacts, teachers and students must successfully negotiate loaded moments, points in time when two or more parties realize that their needs differ and that they must confront that difference. In this literature review, we synthesize 30 studies, published from 2000 to 2020, that describe the evolution of loaded moments between teachers and students with the goal of identifying and explicating the co-construction of escalation and de-escalation during classroom interactions. We found that macro level social contexts and existing classroom patterns set the scene for the occurrence of a loaded moment. In addition, loaded moments emerge when specific instigating circumstances are co-constructed, which refer to incompatibilities between teacher and student(s). Furthermore, loaded moments (de)escalate, depending on the co-construction of the moment as it progresses, such as through mutual trade-offs, turnings, or refusals. Finally, these co-constructions can result in a specific long-term relationship- and bond-development. Implications of these findings for research concerning student–teacher conflict are discussed

Taking Teacher Inquiry into Higher Education: A Dialogue in Four Parts

Practitioner inquiry methodology, applied in primary and secondary schools worldwide, provides a structure for systematic study of an instructor's own teaching practice in order to address a self-identified instructional dilemma. This methodology holds promise for improving teaching in higher education as well. In this dialogue, two faculty members at research institutions discuss, and give an example of, how practitioner inquiry can improve the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education

Assaults on belonging: how Dutch youth without ‘blue eyes, cheese, and clogs’ experience everyday racism in educational contexts

Minoritized students’ ethnic backgrounds and racial appearances influence their academic opportunities and belonging experiences, and limit their access to safe and equal learning environments. In the Netherlands, limited research has focused on minoritized students’ experiences. In this study, we drew upon a theoretical framework focused on Othering and belonging as well as macro-/micro- connections related to racism to investigate the contemporary educational experiences of students from nondominant backgrounds. Participants experienced everyday racism and Othering in the: continuous centering of Whiteness and marginalization of the non-White Other; persistent obstacles perpetuated by educators that prevented parental participation; and consistent underestimation of students’ abilities by teachers and peers. As a step toward more just schooling, participants suggest that educators become more aware of minoritized students’ backgrounds and create spaces of belonging

Explicit exclusion or effective exclusion? Defining a conceptual lens for inquiry into student marginalization across national boundaries

This is a commentary introducing the concept of effective exclusion as a helpful tool for comparing the marginalization of students from nondominant backgrounds across national contexts

Grounded duoethnography: A dialogic method for the exploration of intuition through divergence and convergence

Motivated by our respective intuition about our need for a place called "home," we engaged in methodological bricolage to study the concept. We draw upon methodological traditions of constructivist grounded theory methodology (CHARMAZ, 2006; CHARMAZ & KELLER, 2016) and duoethnography (NORRIS & SAWYER, 2012) to envision and conduct a grounded duoethnography. Ultimately positioning the methodology within a constructivist paradigm, we nevertheless draw upon the complexities of postmodernism and poststructuralism, specifically as invoked in CLARKE's (2009, 2019) situational analysis and NORRIS and SAWYER's (2012) application of Bakhtinian dialogue to create a shared narrative through the exploration of the convergences and divergences of our experiences and expertise. Through these dialogues we identify core concepts related to "home." We elaborate on the background and application of this methodology and briefly describe an example to demonstrate how these concepts have sensitized us as scholars

Experiences of (not) belonging among higher education students from nondominant ethnic backgrounds

Students from nondominant backgrounds face challenges in educational contexts related to finding support and having a sense of belonging. In this study, we focus primarily on race and ethnicity in shaping experi- ences of nondominance. Using a theoretical framework based upon criti- cal race theory and sense of belonging, we interviewed ten young adults from nondominant backgrounds about their educational experiences in primary, secondary, and tertiary education in the Netherlands. Findings indicate challenges related to interactions with White peers, low teacher support and expectations, and discontinuities between home and school cultures. Sources of support included peers from nondominant back- grounds, religion and faith communities, and family. Implications suggest that teachers and leaders in educational institutions develop their own, and their dominant students’, understandings of nondominant students’ experiences. Additional arguments for the need to focus on race in the European context and for the affordances of interpretive qualitative in- quiry approaches are included

Middle School Administrators’ Beliefs and Choices about Using Corporal Punishment and Exclusionary Discipline

This grounded theory study of how Title I middle school administrators determine students’ punishments was developed using interviews with 27 Florida administrators from schools allowing corporal punishment. Administrators’ choices were shaped by their upbringings, their experiences as parents, their job requirements, the expectations of students’ parents, and fears of reprisal. They expressed simultaneous desires to develop the child while deterring future misbehavior. They described the outcomes of their decision making as emotional work that entailed contradictions and compromises. To encourage positive preventive and responsive school discipline practices, policies must address administrators’ misconceptions about ineffective practices by providing both pressure and support for change

Using Narrative Inquiry to Understand Persistently Disciplined Middle School Students

Educators’ persistent disciplining of a small group of students positions them as “frequent flyers.” This identity prevents educators from developing an understanding that could enable them to reengage these students. Using the methodology of interpretive biography positioned within narrative inquiry and using a Gestalt-based analysis, this study presents the case narratives of three persistently disciplined students from one urban middle school in the southeast USA. Examining the central tensions of each case led to a richer and more comprehensive narrative of each student, reflecting his or her complex motivations and desires. Viewing students as the whole people reflected in these narratives rather than through the deficit-oriented lens that labels students as frequent flyers can shift educators’ practices to better support the learning of all students