Exploring Urban Student Perspectives on Literacy Achievement

Abstract

This qualitative study explores urban adolescent students’ perspectives on their literacy achievement. It discusses the factors students feel impact their achievement in literacy, as well as what challenges they face in reaching academic achievement. This study also explores the reasons for students’ academic challenges and successes, how students feel about statistics about themselves, and what teachers can do to help students become the best literacy learners they can be. A vast amount of research in the field discusses external factors that influence a student’s literacy achievement, generally focusing on a deficit perspective. Previous research has also been done on student perspectives, focusing on the importance of student interest, choice, and identity. Six urban seventh grade students were interviewed one-on-one with their math teacher, given a Reading Attitude Survey, and a Writing Attitude Survey throughout the course of five weeks to explore the student perspective on what influences their literacy achievement.