A Comparison of Perceptions of Barriers to Academic Success Among High-Ability Students From High- and Low-Income Groups: Exposing Poverty of a Different Kind. (January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cross, Jennifer Riedl; Frazier, Andrea Dawn; Kim, Mihyeon; Cross, Tracy L.
• Other Names: VanTassel-Baska Joyce guest-editor.; Stambaugh Tamra guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Gifted child quarterly. Volume 62:Number 1(2018)
• Page Start: 111
• Page End: 129
• Publication Date: 2018-01
• Subjects: low income -- special populations/underserved gifted -- high income -- qualitative methodologies -- middle school -- age/developmental stage; Gifted children -- Education -- Periodicals; Gifted children -- Periodicals; 371.9505
• DOI: 10.1177/0016986217738050
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-9862

Abstract

In 14 focus group interviews, sixth- to eighth-grade high-ability students from high- ( n = 36) and low-income ( n = 45) families were asked to describe the barriers they perceived to their academic success. Three themes were identified through the qualitative analysis: Constraining Environments, Integration versus Isolation, and Resource Plenty versus Resource Poor . Students in both groups experienced environments not conducive to learning, inhibiting peers, and teachers as a barrier. Students in the low-income group described mayhem in their schools, which interfered significantly with learning. These students were highly integrated in their school community, whereas the students in the high-income group were socially isolated from both peers and teachers. Both groups exhibited issues of poor fit within their schools: autonomy and competence for both, relatedness for students in the high-income group. Attention to these issues will help support these students in achieving their potential.