ABSTRACT

The senior year is among the most important for students’ long-term academic success. Traditionally, seniors are assumed to be largely disengaged from school, enduring “senioritis” or a “senior slump.” For college-bound Latinx students, academic disengagement may be particularly troublesome given the well documented postsecondary struggles of these students. However, leveraging theories of ganas and symbolic violence, the findings here suggest that many Latinx students engage in academic rigor until the very end of their senior year. By leveraging their ganas – skills of self-reliance and social networks – and finding culturally relevant educational spaces free from symbolic violence, students were able to avoid bouts senioritis. However, not all succeeded in doing so. The students at one comprehensive school who disengaged academically in their final year of high school endured symbolic violence in the form of low expectations from teachers and culturally disconnected learning. The findings have important implications for how educators and school leaders might structure senior-year learning experiences to maintain academic rigor and focus.

摘要

高年级对于学生的长期学业成功来说是最重要的一年。传统上，老年人被认为基本上脱离了学校，忍受着“老年炎”或“老年衰退”。对于即将上大学的拉丁裔学生来说，考虑到这些学生中学后的挣扎，学术脱离可能尤其麻烦。然而，利用加纳和象征性暴力的理论，研究结果表明，许多拉丁裔学生直到高三结束时都保持学术严谨。通过利用他们的加纳– 自力更生和社交网络的技能 – 并找到没有象征性暴力的与文化相关的教育空间，学生能够避免老年炎的发作。然而，并非所有人都成功做到了这一点。一所综合性学校的学生在高中最后一年学业脱离，遭受了象征性的暴力，表现为教师的低期望和与文化脱节的学习。研究结果对于教育工作者和学校领导如何构建高年级学习经历以保持学术严谨性和重点具有重要意义。