Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Articles

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2014): The Equity and Social Justice Issue

Hope, Promises and Disenfranchisement: Examining Computer-Assisted Instruction in Alternative Schooling

Submitted
October 12, 2014
Published
2014-10-12

Abstract

In the following study, the author explores the role that computer-assisted instruction (CAI) plays in the cycle of disenfranchisement experienced by alternative school students. Students in alternative education are often trapped in the vicious cycle of disenfranchisement, and the high school diploma is heralded as a method for disrupting this cycle. CAI is viewed as a tool for rapidly progressing students towards graduation. The author found that in the CAI classroom, efficiency was rewarded over meaningful and equitable learning that could effectively lead to change. This leads the author to question whether alternative education is another method for maintaining the
status quo.

References

  1. Akiba, M. (2002) Computer-assisted instruction. In Barley,
  2. Z., Lauer, P. A., Arens, S. A., Apthorp, H. S., Englert, K. S., Snow, D., & Akiba, M. Helping at-risk students meet standards: A synthesis of evidence-based classroom practices. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. pp. 95-109.
  3. Anyon, J. (1980). Social class and the hidden curriculum of work. Journal of Education, 162, 67-92.
  4. Aron, L. Y. (2006). An overview of alternative education. Urban Institute. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411283_alternative_education.pdf
  5. Carr, W. & Kemmis, S. (1986). Becoming critical: Education, knowledge, and action research. Geelong, Vic: Deakin University.
  6. Chalker, C.S. & Stelsel, K. (2009). A fresh approach to alternative education: Using malls to teach at-risk youth. Kappa Delta Pi Rec, 45(2), 74-77.
  7. Conley, B. (2002). Alternative schools: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABCCLIO.
  8. D'Angelo, F., & Zemanick, R. (2009). The twilight academy: An alternative education program that works. Preventing School Failure, 53(4), 211-218.
  9. Esterberg, K. G. (2002). Qualitative methods in social research. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
  10. Goodman, G. S. (1999). Alternatives in education: Critical pedagogy for disaffected youth. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
  11. Greene, M. (1985). The role of education in democracy. Educational Horizons, 63(Special Issue): 3-9.
  12. Habermas, J. (1971). Knowledge and Human Interests, trans. Jeremy J. Shapiro. London, Heinemann.
  13. Kim, J., & Taylor, K. (2008). Rethinking alternative education to break the cycle of educational inequality and inequity. The Journal of Educational Research, 101(4), 207-219.
  14. Lehr, C. A., Tan, C. S., & Ysseldyke, J. (2009). Alternative schools: A synthesis of state level policy and research. Remedial and Special Education, 30(1), 19-32.
  15. MacLeod, J. (2009). Ain’t no makin’ it: Aspirations and attainment in a low-income neighborhood. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
  16. McLaren, P. & Kincheloe, J. L. (2007). Critical pedagogy: Where are we now? New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.
  17. McNamee, S. J. & Miller, R. K. (2013). The meritocracy myth (3rd ed.). Lanham, MD:Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
  18. Miller, E. R. (2013). Deconstructing the discourse of opportunity: Computer-assisted credit recovery in alternative education. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from
  19. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. AAT 3562151)
  20. Neumann, R. (2003). Sixties legacy: A history of the public schools alternative movement. 1967-2001. New York: Peter Lang.
  21. Stake, R. E. (2000). Case studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. pp. 435-