Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand and use the resiliency theory lens to examine the indicators or behaviors that promote students' success despite the adverse perceived conditions that limit ELL students' abilities to earn a high school diploma in a traditional public K-12 schooling system.Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework that guided this qualitative narrative inquiry study was Resiliency Theory. As a research framework, Resiliency Theory was based on examining students' behaviors and perceived experiences in their journey of earning their high school diploma. This study used resilience as a theoretical and empirical framework to focus on indicators or behaviors that promote students' success of English Language Learners who did not graduate from a comprehensive high school.Methodology: A narrative inquiry design was used explore the perceived experiences of ten English Language Learners. Ten ELL's participated and were provided a semi-structure open-ended interview of an hour. Participants were Hispanic and two were native born of immigrant parents and eight were foreign born.Findings: Examination of qualitative data from the Toledo Unified School District indicated that participants exhibited numerous resilient behaviors that enabled them to earn their high school diploma. Several participants had limited information on the role of a counselor. However, participants had a successful high school completion by resorting to their developed resilient behaviors.Conclusions and Recommendations: Data suggests that despite the negative experiences of ELL's, they did not allow themselves to give up in their high school academic goals. ELL participants were found to be resilient and exhibited numerous forms of behavioral adaptations and human adaptations until the desired goal was accomplished. Further research is advised: replicating study using the Validation Theory to identify the impact of validation in ELL students high school trajectory. Also, a longitudinal study focusing on ELLs credit recovery support programs to test if graduation can be maximized. Moreover, expanding research on ELLs vocational training education or postsecondary is necessary to identify barriers that prevent this population from pursuing higher education.