Subjective Disciplinary Moments: A Qualitative Study of Culturally Responsive Practices in Three Inner City Classrooms

Abstract

African American students constitute 17% of the student population in the United States of America and 36% of suspensions and 32% of expulsions; European American students comprise 59% of this population and 44% of suspensions and expulsions. This disproportionate rate is termed the discipline gap. The most discussed gap in the current discourse on educational statistics has been the achievement gap with numerous studies examining the need for cultural relevancy and consistent conceptual arguments made which present teachers' stereotypical perceptions of African American students as a causative factor of African American students' lack of engagement in public school classrooms. These studies and arguments provide the foundation for the emerging discussions on the discipline gap. Studies investigating this gap have found that the majority of disciplinary moments experienced by African American students are subjective in nature. The current qualitative case study design examines these Subjective Disciplinary Moments by exploring the disciplinary practices of three middle grades teachers in an urban school. The disciplinary reports submitted by these teachers were examined and follow-up interviews were conducted with the teacher and reported students (see Appendices E and F). Grounded theory methods were employed to analyze collected data and extrapolate themes from observed interactions and each participant's perception of these reported incidents. The following emerged as contributing to the construction of subjective disciplinary moments in these inner-city classrooms: not addressing student and teacher expectations explicitly, perceptions of race, class and culture not considered as a reason for understanding and not acknowledging the emotional life in the classroom.