Educational psychology concepts and applications

Educational Psychology

The value of diversity is frequently intoned by the public and the educational system, and yet this intonation rarely goes very deep into the challenges that diversity creates. This is not to say that successes are not evident on many levels but the individual development that takes place is often a monumental struggle to developing a sense of self that is congruent enough to demonstrate success but not so streamlined that it creates a sense of selling out of ones race.

The case study of Johnnie Betts is a perfect example of the development of self that is created by diversity and the conflicts it can create. Betts is now a successful high school student living in California with his maternal Uncle and his family. Though Betts is very close to his family, including his mother and grandmother in St. Louis he was stifled by an inability to function through his education, due to the climate of education in St. Luis, and the fact that there was little if any social support for education, as there were little perceived options if you succeeded or not. (Case Study 167) According to many experts the social strength of families is sometimes perceived as divergent as secondary caregivers are so frequently utilized to care for children when times are hard, yet the strength of this extended network must be enforced and recognized rather than denigrated. (Harry, Klingner & Hart, 2005, p. 101)Therefore the pressure in St. Louis, among his peers was to shirk school responsibility and get involved in gang culture. He provides countless examples of the negative and dominant educational culture in St. Louis, and many negative examples of strict and even violent teachers and situations. (Case Study 167-168)

Betts has made several moves back and forth between St. Louis and California but for the time being he is committed to succeeding in California, as the school climate allows him to be successful and not "sell out" his culture by identifying himself with a postured persona that signifies a strong black man and switching between this and his academic success, without extreme censure. (169-170) Bett's switching between attitudes and personas could be characterized as unhealthy, and yet the true self of the African-American student must be balanced between their experiences in their own communities, and their need to form socially acceptable personal characteristics that "sell" those who make hard decisions about their future, such as educators and in some cases parents and/or alternative caregivers. With Betts this is particularly evident with his dress and also his linguistic switching. (Case Study 165-167) in one text the discussion of language and identity is a serious one for African-American Students and an important factor in development of identity and cultural pride. (Smitherman, 2000, p. 38)

The foundation of Betts' education has been surrounded with a disconnected goal from those that are given to children of other races with regard to education and success. To some degree the negative experiences that Betts expresses in his early education are a reflection of frustration on the part of educators with this disconnect which is portrayed by students as a lack of personal motivation in education. (Smitherman, 2000, p. 287) (Case Study 176) Motivation in education is a crucial aspect of success but it is often incongruent with social attitudes and with the actual educational environment one is exposed to. "Poor educational attainment and delinquency are often described as part of an 'oppositional youth culture' (Ogbu 1978)." (Sanders, 2002, p. 237) the oppositional youth culture that Betts experienced in St. Louis clearly demonstrates the extremes of cultural disenfranchisement. "Self-identity may be fluid, but the extent to which ethnic identity is optional varies by race." (Sanders, 2002, p. 237) Additionally the rigid manner in which Betts' mother and grandmother enforce broken English as reflective of his culture, is also evidence to the extreme disjointed nature of cultural diversity and disconnect. (Case Study 165) the reflection of the value of linguistic enforcement and the manner in which Betts must acclimatize his language to a given situation is a part of the oppositional aspects of his character. A certain level of culturally accepted language surrounds identity a proud African-American, and not someone who has, "sold out" his or her culture. Though Betts' main language is English, he Code Switches between that and an African-American dialect, from his mother's and grandmother's generations as well as youth cultural linguistics, heavy with slang.

A it would appear that the distinction between code-switching and loans is of a 'more or less' and not an absolute nature... If it is an innovation on the speaker's part, it is a code-switching. If it is frequently used in that community -- whether or not in free variation with a native element -- then it is at least on its way to becoming a loan. In short, a loan is a code-switch with a full-time job. (Myers-Scotton, 1993, p. 176)