Through children's eyes with children's voices: An ethnographic study of elementary peer culture
Author(s):
Clark, Stephanie Jane
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ed.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), 2002.
Pages:
115
Language:
English
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the peer culture of an elementary classroom as described by the students, themselves. The sample was drawn from the student body of a predominately White, working class, suburban elementary school. The focus of the study was the 27 students from my intermediate multi-aged classroom, 11 fourth grade and 16 fifth grade students, 11 girls and 16 boys with ages ranging from 9–11. The class was comprised of 4 students from lower class, 16 from working class, and 6 from middle class families. There were 22 White students, 1 Hmong, 2 Hispanic, 1 bi-racial Native American White, and 1 adopted Korean student. To describe the peer culture of the classroom, an ethnographic model was used. Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence (DRS) Method provided the framework for the investigation. In observing peer culture these themes became apparent: peer culture, although influenced by dominant society, evolved separately from it. Students developed and maintained a cultural hierarchy through unwritten rules of behavior that determined one's power, popularity, and social status. Peer culture is a factor in the development of student identity, and through peer interactions children interpret the adult world, and prepare for their participation in it Although peer culture is not a true reflection of the dominant culture, it is created by the needs of the students to define themselves, mediate the adult world, and practice being an adult. The use of ethnography is invaluable in defining the social structure of the classroom. The ethnographic questions, “Who can do what, when, with whom, for what purposes, under what conditions, with what outcomes?” (Frank, 1999, p. 13) is the perfect framework for understanding the complexity of classrooms. As a teacher, being aware of peer culture's stratifying nature assists me in negotiating the power struggles, and hierarchy seeking behavior. Teachers and students, through dialogue, create knowledge together by investigating generative themes gleaned from the students' lives.