Interpreting the Re-Engagement of Disenfranchised Youth with Disabilities Through the Lived Experiences of Alternative High School Staff Members: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to interpret the lived experiences of re-engaging at-risk students with disabilities after disenfranchisement from traditional educational settings for non-compulsory alternative charter school staff members at Southwest Charter Academy in the Southwest United States. The theory guiding this study was Bronfenbrenner’s theory on bioecological systems, as it connects the influences of interactions to an individual’s development of behaviors. The central research question for this qualitative study asked: What are the lived experiences of non-compulsory alternative charter school staff members in the Southwest United States who work to re-engage at-risk students with disabilities after they have been disenfranchised from traditional educational settings? Bioecological systems theory framed the sub-questions. Criterion and maximum variation sampling were used to secure participants who are staff members employed at a non-compulsory alternative charter school. Data were collected using journal prompts, individual interviews, and focus groups. Data were analyzed using van Manen’s interpretive method of data analysis. The themes that emerged included staff members’ ability to provide students with additional support and resources, addressing external circumstances that create barriers, staff members’ experiences of building positive relationships, and specific personalities and philosophies unique to staff members who work at non-compulsory alternative schools for disengaged youth. Findings indicated that systems within an individual’s biological and environmental circle influence their experiences in the educational setting. The significance of this study was to add to the limited literature on re-engaging students with disabilities who attend non-compulsory alternative schools.