Student Retention in High School

Student Retention in High School

Hypothetical Case Study

Esteban is a 10-grader whose first language is Spanish. He attends high school that is located close to the U.S./Mexico border in a middle class neighborhood. Although Esteban speaks fluent English with an accent, he has some writing and reading difficulties, plus lacks motivation and interest in academics. Esteban seems to be a social adolescent who speaks of being happy to be in high school, even though he seems a little immature for his age.

As time passed, Esteban's quality of work declined, plus he began vying for attention by trying to monopolize classroom discussions even if it meant laughing at someone else for his or her contribution. Additionally, he would ask the same questions just posed, and at times, he would be reminded sarcastically by other students. Esteban would bombard the teacher with questions not even relevant to the current tasks, just to see if the teacher could answer all them.

One day during bell work, students were reminded to write the question down from the white board but with part of the question in the answer. Esteban blurted out that he always writes the question because it looked longer. In a derogatory manner, a student next to him mimicked the way he said it. Laughingly, the student stated to Esteban, "That's not the way you are suppose to say it." Students were reminded to be sensitive to others, and subsequently, the student apologized to Esteban. After the incident, Esteban began crying and put his head down.

At the end of the day, the teacher spoke to Esteban privately. He shared his dislike for the school; he wanted to be home schooled because students were bullied him, he did not have any friends, and no one cared for him. Esteban had shared concerns with the Dean, but the Dean was unsupportive. The Dean and several teachers shared the same concerns about his immature behavior in class, boundary issues, and his social skills. Subsequently, the Dean referred Esteban to the school counselor.

Applicable Theories

The applicable theories are Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development and Erikson's Psychosocial Stage. Cherry (2011) states that one of the main elements of Erikson's psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that develops through social interaction. As adolescents transition from childhood to adulthood, they may begin to feel confused or insecure about themselves and how they fit in. Esteban is going through the identity crisis that is part of adolescent development. In turn, he may be insecure and in need of acceptance from his peers, but because of his behavior, this causes students to perceive him differently and possible target for bullying.

Erikson (as cited in Berger, 2010) posits that in the Identity vs. Role Confusion, adolescents try to figure out self-identity. They establish identities or are confused about what roles to play. Additionally, Cherry (2011) states that child must have a conscious sense of self that is developed through social interaction. A child's ego identity is constantly evolving as he or she acquires new experiences and information. Processing these new experiences and information embodies and shapes one's sense of self.

According to Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development (Berger, 2010), thoughts and expectations profoundly affect attitudes, beliefs, values, assumptions, and actions. In turn, these factors have a direct correlation to the sense of self that motivates competence, positive behaviors, and actions. If a void occurs in developing a sense of self relative to others, he or she will have psychological barriers that are translated into a defense mechanism to conceal one's lack of motivation, fear of failure, and social dysfunction (Berger, 2010). Lowering the affective filters are critical to foster social development and to eliminate identity confusion.

Remediation & Retention

With respect to high school dropout rates, there is a direct correlation to social and academic factors (Berger, 2010). Students who drop out of high school are disengaged with his or her environment. Based on social factors according the Berger, Esteban would benefit from a smaller school environment, extra-curricular activities, and an Ambassador (2010). Each facet will assist with social development, as aligned with the Social Learning Theory, an extension of Behaviorism Theory (Berger 2010). Without knowing Esteban's interest or reason for the lack of motivation, the educator needs to build a relationship with Esteban. Holding a discovery discussion will provide insights as to his interests, desires, and abilities; this will allow the educator to facilitate student engagement. By observing modeled behavior and given an opportunity to practice in a nonthreatening environment, Esteban will develop the self-efficacy needed to establish self-identity.