Empowered/Disempowered Students in a Junior High School―School life under the power that induces behavior―

Abstract

The present study attempted to examine the relationships between an individual’s empowerment and school power that is embedded in school community. There are all sorts of schools and each school has original collective stories that are often told and shared by their school members. These collective stories are peculiar to each school community and they will create the school communal narratives that sustain individual’s personal stories.

Some students may be able to enjoy their school life and grow by participating in the school events and gain mastery over issues of concern to them. However, other students may not be able to adjust themselves to their school and they will be in danger of becoming a marginal man gradually. The major difference between the former, who are defined as “an empowered student”, and the latter, who are defined as “a disempowered student” is the way of accessing to their communal narratives. In this study, it is concluded that the personal stories of empowered students are rooted in their own communal narratives that will develop their personal stories as renewable. On the other hand, the personal stories of disempowered students were not shared by others and therefore they could not access to their communal narratives, and consequently it was difficult for them to renew their personal stories in positive way.