Energy Institute High School, Houston ISD >>
A SYNOPSIS OF LISTENING TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Dalane E. Bouillion, Ed.D. Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz, Ph.D. Lizzy Asbury, Ed.D. Grounded in pragmatism, a team of educational researchers with approval from the Internal Review Board (IRB) at The University of Texas at Tyler, conducted a phenomenological, qualitative research study aimed at exploring the impact that purposefully designed learning spaces have on the high school students’ engagement in learning at Energy Institute High School. Phenomenological research provides the investigators with a fundamental understanding of the experiences and perspectives of individuals who have experienced the identified phenomenon (Creswell, 2014). The investigators designed semi-structured interviews to ensure an adequate level of flexibility during the focus groups (Creswell, 2014). By collecting the data through focus groups, high school students were encouraged to selfreflect and also elaborate on other students’ comments (Carter et al., 2014). Two rounds of semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted. The first group was interviewed while the students were attending high school at one of the old buildings where the magnet school had been housed three years prior to the construction of the new campus. Students interviewed ranged from freshmen to juniors who planned on continuing to attend the high school once the new campus was built. In the first school year at the new building, two groups of sophomores, juniors, and seniors participated in the focus groups—all were enrolled at the high school housed in the old building and were then attending school at the new campus. Three separate focus groups were conducted to ensure dependability
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and data source triangulation. Additionally, to ensure investigator triangulation, each investigator coded the data separately and met to debrief and compare the identified themes. Three coding methods were utilized to analyze the interview data: open, axial, and selective coding (Creswell, 2014). Open coding allowed the authors to identify broad categories of information (Creswell, 2014). Following open coding, axial coding facilitated the identification of themes within the conceptual framework of the study, and selective coding was used to explain the relationship and interconnectedness of the themes (Creswell, 2014). Given that the findings are the results of focus group interviews, the investigators were cognizant of the limitations of focus groups and the influence members of the groups might have on the responses of others (Carter et al., 2014). The findings are limited to the themes and ideas students felt comfortable sharing in the presence of other students in the room. The pre-move focus groups, conducted while the students were in the old building, produced four main themes. Students expressed anticipation that the new learning spaces would not impact their learning. Contrary to the pre-move focus groups, the students consistently
