Student Engagement and Resistance: Exploring the stories of African Canadian girls in high schools in southwestern Ontario

Abstract Student resistance is complex and has been described in existing literature as self defeatist, reactionary, conformist, transformational or strategic. Some Black students respond to interactions considered oppressive at school by engaging in a variety of resistive actions. Existing scholarship about Black student resistance in the US and Canada are largely framed within deficit frameworks with limited focus on Transformational Student Resistance. Research that focuses on transformational student resistance by Black girls, how schools respond, and how some resistive behaviours can be considered opportunities for change, is limited. While a diverse community, studies about Black girls often portray them as a monolithic group. Nevertheless, discussing some of their school related intragroup differences and similarities bring existing nuances to the fore. For example, studies about the experiences of African Canadian girls in high schools in Canada are relatively limited. Their experiences are largely invisible in the literature on Black girls, education and student resistance. By centering the experiences of African Canadian girls, this study emphasizes the benefits of providing support to all Black girls in high schools to enhance their engagement and academic outcomes. Teachers can support their students to adopt positive strategies when they engage, rather than censor students when they participate in student resistance activities or related actions. The nexus between meaningful Black student engagement and academic outcomes cannot be overstated. This qualitative narrative inquiry expands existing research on Transformational Student Resistance and Black students by exploring the organizing and advocacy related activities of 19 African Canadian girls aged 16-24 through purposive sampling, in some high schools in southwestern Ontario. Their stories are gathered through qualitative interviews and focus groups. This study explores issues of race with a specific focus on Critical Race Theory and anti-Black racism. The dissertation disrupts negative narratives about African Canadian girls as passive objects by positioning them as valid knowledge holders in a bid to draw attention to their agentic powers and subjectivities. Specifically, participant narratives counter existing perceptions about their ‘deviant oppositional behaviour’ and instead documents their efforts at enacting agency through organizing and advocacy with the goal of transforming their schools. The findings of the study provide additional insights into how educators, staff, administrators and policy makers can work towards equity in schools.