Academic achievement

Abstract

Izabel is in the fifth grade. She was born in the United States, though her older sister and parents were born in Portugal. She has average grades, likes R & B music, and describes herself foremost as “not mean." Izabel enjoys school for the most part and reports having high levels of school engagement and strong school values. She believes that getting good grades and doing your homework are very important since doing these things enables one to learn. Izabel consistently says that she likes her teachers and thinks that they like her as well. In fact, having good teachers is something that makes her proud of her school. However, despite these positive interactions, she is not always completely comfortable at school. She notes that students in her class do not get along well because “a lot of people bully a lot of other people” and that she feels a bit excluded while at school. She feels that “for no [particular] reason” some kids in her class do not like her. Nonetheless, she says she goes to school every day because she likes school. When Izabel arrives home from school, she usually starts her homework, which takes her anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes to complete. Although it is her least favorite part of school, she always does her homework because it helps her get good grades. Izabel also believes that graduating from high school is very important since doing so will allow her to “get a job." And although she only “kind of” thinks she might go to college someday, she knows her teachers and parents believe that she will. Arun is also in the fifth grade but is a far-below-average student. He describes himself as “Cambodian, Khmer, and Asian." Like Izabel, he was born in the United States to immigrant parents. However, unlike Izabel, his parents were not voluntary migrants but instead fled the Khmer Rouge and arrived in the United States as refugees. In school, he likes “doing handwriting and having free time” and does not like “doing math or getting suspended." He espouses positive school values and says that he wants to graduate from high school. However, he indicates that he is often absent and only some times does his homework-for about 10 minutes a day, usually in the living room, where he is interrupted “all the time” by his brothers. Like Izabel, he is sometimes uncomfortable at school because “people [are] bothering” him. He believes that few teachers like him or would be willing to help him if he needed assistance, and he says that his classmates do not treat each other well-that “they always swear, and they hate each other.".