Increasing Student Engagement of Ontario Secondary School Students

Increasing Student Engagement of Students from Ontario Secondary School Students From Low
Socioeconomic Circumstances: Case of Ontario Secondary School.
Capstone Major Academic Report Proposal
Name
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
Degree
Faculty of Education, University
Supervisors: Name
Date
Abstract
This capstone research project explores the factors that contribute to student disengagement and marginalization for secondary school students from low socioeconomic contexts in Ontario. Further, it seeks to identify policies, programs, and leadership approaches that are having a positive impact on increasing both the inclusion and engagement of these students. My inquiry is informed by the philosophical paradigm of critical theory, which will be applied throughout the systematic literature review, thematic summary, and analysis. As a critical theorist, I begin with an assumption of what is good and investigate the literature with reference to the values identified (e.g., to what extent are students from low-income families disadvantaged). The intent is not to describe the situation about low-income students but rather find solutions to change the situation. Addressing the persistent problem of student disengagement, especially among students living below poverty line, requires that educational leaders consider both the inside and outside of school realities of students and their families. As such, educational leaders have critical role in addressing educational gaps ranging from poor academic performance to bullying to student disengagement. Educational leaders have the voice and the influence to lobby for funding to close these gaps, promote social justice, and instill ethical practices inside and outside the school setting. The findings from this research project can be used to further inform policies, programs, and school leadership development programs to reduce barriers and increase the inclusion and engagement of students from low socioeconomic contexts in secondary schools in Ontario.
Keywords: low socioeconomic context, educational leadership, policy, student engagement, inclusion, marginalization, disengagement
Table of ContentsTOC \z \o "1-3" \u \hAbstract PAGEREF _Toc86166640 \h 2Table of Contents PAGEREF _Toc86166641 \h 3Role of Educational Leaders in Increasing Student Engagement of Ontario Secondary School Students From Low Socioeconomic Circumstances? PAGEREF _Toc86166642 \h 4Research Question PAGEREF _Toc86166643 \h 5Theoretical Framework PAGEREF _Toc86166644 \h 6Methodology PAGEREF _Toc86166645 \h 7Research Methods PAGEREF _Toc86166646 \h 8Limitations of Research PAGEREF _Toc86166647 \h 9Ethical Considerations PAGEREF _Toc86166648 \h 9 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc86166649" Preliminary Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc86166649 \h 1110False Equality PAGEREF _Toc86166650 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc86166651" Student Engagement and Disengagement PAGEREF _Toc86166651 \h 1312 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc86166652" The Role of Educational Leaders PAGEREF _Toc86166652 \h 1413Significance of the Proposed Research PAGEREF _Toc86166653 \h 15 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc86166654" References PAGEREF _Toc86166654 \h 1716 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc86166655" Appendix: Proposed Timeline PAGEREF _Toc86166655 \h 2120
Role of Educational Leaders in Increasing Student Engagement of Ontario Secondary School Students Fromfrom Low Socioeconomic Circumstances?
Decades of international and Canadian research have demonstrated that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds face different challenges that impact their chances of graduating from high school and pursuing higher education, training, and employment. The long-term impact on school-going students from low socioeconomic statuses begins within their immediate contexts (Ontario Ministry of Education, n.d.). The places they live directly impact their chances of having a fulfilling life, and the facilities they access, including libraries, playgrounds, and community centreers, are vital to their positive development. Most parents from low-income groups rarely provide an environment that supports positive child growth and development. Most parents, for example, work long hours and often have their energies focused on immediate financial needs, thus having limited or no time to support students’ school engagement (Morsy & Rothstein, 2015). Day-to-day challenges encountered by this class of students introduce barriers that decrease their academic performance and subsequently increase their chances of not completing high school and transitioning to postsecondary studies smoothly, and subsequently living miserable lives later in life.
Over the years, Canada has emphasized the need for citizens to aspire for to higher academic achievement,s including having at least onea degree (Attia & Edge, 2017). But whereas over half of students from high-income families proceed to acquire bachelor’s degrees, only 1 in 10 people from low-income communities acquire one. When a student from a low-income household acquires a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification, their chances of making it out of the low socioeconomic status increases four-fold. For low-income secondary students, fitting into an academic institution or becoming fully prepared for life after secondary school can be extremely challenging. Therefore, based on my personal and professional experience as an educational leader, I argue that every educational leader in Ontario has a vital role to play to increaseing student engagement of students from low socioeconomic circumstances in Ontario secondary schools.
Research Question
With a wide broad understanding of challenges facing low-income students in Ontario secondary school, I intend to explore what role education leaders can play in increasing their students’ engagement and making it as possible for them to navigate through education like as students from high- income families. My main research question is, “How can educational leaders increase students’ engagement of students from low socioeconomic status in Ontario secondary school?” From this question three other subquestions emerge:
What are the individual and societal implications of student disengagement from Ontario secondary schools?
What are some of the key risk factors that create student disengagement for Ontario secondary students from low socioeconomic circumstances?
What type and how could leadership interventions be implemented to positively affect the secondary and postsecondary academic achievement rate for those students ofin low socioeconomic status currently and post-secondary?
On completion of the capstone project, I intend utilize my research findings to inform key decision- making and help increase higher educational attainment among low-income students not only in secondary school but also postsecondary institutions.
Theoretical Framework
The ontological position, which is my philosophical perspective, intends that the research position must be informed by reflexivity. In this regard, it is appropriate to reveal more information about my life and my . There is an individual interest in the research question. because I am a White, heterosexual woman aged 51 years who is heterosexual. Although I grew up in a family with low economic abilities, I overcame the conditions I was raised in. My family comes from a low socioeconomic background, but I have overcome the conditions I was raised in and have had gradually there has been social mobility allowing access to better education opportunities. I am Canadian who is working as a leader in the education sector, and I have experienced numerous challenges which I believef will influence this research process. For example, I have lived as a single mother responsible for raising three children. alone andI can therefore relate to the challenges endured by secondary school students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Through these experiences, I have developed a deep understanding on of the barriers that prevent some students from reachinged their desired academic limitspotential. The lack of a holistic support system, together with a struggling family background, takes a major toll on student’s’ well-being and academic performance. As such, I have a unique interest in eliminating ameliorating the current disengagement level in the academic sector, particularly for marginalized and low-income learners. With this in mind, I will explore instances of student’s disengagement using a critical paradigm because I strongly believef that a scientific investigation of this type must be conducted with an express goal of social change in mind. There is evidence that our the system is biased against low-income population students, and through educational leadership, it is easier to foster a positive change that improves the everyone’s livelihoods of everyone.
Methodology
For me to capture extent of student disengagement and educational leadership gaps, critical qualitative research is necessary. Through qualitative research, method I will explore different perspectives and experiences to understand better the role those educational leaders play in increasing student engagement among Ontario secondary school students from low socioeconomic circumstances. Additionally, there is a reflectionI will reflectlfect on the posed research questions and the need for educational leadership and strategies to improve student engagement and academic achievement. When there are participants, they are primed to have a better understanding of their explanation and knowledge is constructed based on the contexts, but care is prioritized to ensure credibility (Holmes, 2020). Analytical interpretation of responses to the research question and prior research will provides insights on improving learning outcomes among students from poor backgrounds.
My tenets of good qualitative research are as follows: (a) comprehensive literature review, (b) sound research goal and strong methodological alignment, and (c) reflexivity in research. Fundamentally, research demands that all research goals are in line with all the methods adopted, based on . This will be clear only with a strong philosophical underpinning of the identified research paradigm as well as their relationship to the research methodology (Lyle, 2018). More so, The value of Conducting a sound literature review is a tenant tenet that cannot be ignored in qualitative research. A literature reviews offers me the framework through which toI build ideas necessary for further research. Accordingly, literature review it must be conducted immediately after a rough idea is developed as this sets the basis for refining and reframing the topic problem. Finally, More so, reflexivity is a vital tenet in as farinsofar as qualitative research is concerned.
Research Methods
My preferred data collection method is an extensive literature review, with a major focus on qualitative research studied. Arguably, Literature reviews have an advantage of questioning assumptions and synthesizing sources. In my case, literature the review focuses will focus on how educational leaders can increase student engagement of Ontario secondary school students from low socioeconomic circumstances. To obtain dataattain a desirable success, the research studyI will use the methodology outline by Greene’s (2006) methodology, which entails evaluating the literature’s theoretical assumptions and positions, inquiry reasoning, strategies for research practice, and sociopolitical obligations. Jahan et al. (2016) reported that conducting a narrative systematic review requires understanding different views on the topic of study and making interpretations using one’s own experience and existing theories, knowledge, and models. Systematic reviews include eligibility criteria, the sources of information sources, study selection, bias, search strategy, and data synthesis.
This research study will use a secondary research method. Secondary research data is are easier to collect, and does not need require extensive research expertise, are quicker to perform obtain assin ce one only needs to access statistical data that is already within the public domain, anddomain and are much cheaper in terms of quantity of information gathered is compared to primary research (Johnston, 2014). However, secondary research also has the weaknesses of providing information that may be too general to be of any assistance, incompatible with research objectives, or even outdated. After conducting a literature search, the relevant research studies are selected, followed by reading then, extracting data, and performing the analysis (Suprapto et al., 2020). The proposed timeline can be found in the appendix.
Limitations of Research
One limitation with the research is that most findings from the qualitative research is thecan have issues of reliability and validity. Qualitative research is perceived to lack the ability to draw samples from large- scale data sets (Sherif, 2018). Second, qualitative research lacks the statistical representationive and therefore is an unreliable source of research largely due to the subjective nature of the researcher.( Sherif, 2018).To reduce research limitations and increase research credibility, there is need to consider undertake a deeper cross- examination of sources. I will also practice reflexivity throughout the research process. More so, sinceGiven that some of the information in these data sources is not always relevant and may only contain only general knowledge about the research topic that cannot be customized to meet the research needs, care will be taken to source only the most applicable information. Again, caution will be exercised when accessing data from the different data sources to ensure that they are compatible with the research subject (Sherif, 2018). Another consideration will be the availability of current data. Only those data sources with the most recent data regarding student engagement levels in Ontario, along with the various contributing factors and individual and societal ramifications, will be included in the study. Throughout the data collection process, I will exercise care is exercised so that the information gathered aligns with the overall study objective, and helps in answering the research inquiries, and that it is accurate and current.
Ethical Considerations
In this research I consider myself an insider researcher mainly because I am a Canadian working as a leader in the same education system I want transformed. As such, I must remain mindful of the biases well known to me as well as avoiding any form of assumption that could be derived from my role and experience in the education sector (Agostinelli, 2017). Nonetheless, I come into this research with comprehensive pool of knowledge as I am widely knowledgeable on the issues facing students from low-income groups. With this knowledge, I am in a better position to strategically identify suitable literature and to also undertake a more accurate analysis of the selected literature. More so, With my deep understanding of leadership in the education system as well as possible gaps, I can easily select and analyze the selected research. Since As I am reviewing the leadership in the education system, I must entirely and reflexively engage with all ethical concerns related to representation of secondary students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Additionally, as leader in the education sector, I must remain mindful of conflict of interest, especially when it comes to analysis and interpretation of research findings (Holmes, 2020). I believe that through reflexivity I will be able to identify resea...