STRAND DISCRIMINATION: CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY SELECTED GRADE 11 STUDENTS OF GENERAL DE JESUS COLLEGE ACROSS DIVERSE ACADEMIC STRANDS

Abstract

Existing studies have primarily focused on identifying which academic strand most frequently experiences strand discrimination. In this study, the researchers explored strand discrimination and the challenges encountered by Grade 11 students at General De Jesus College across diverse academic strands. This study employed a qualitative research approach using a phenomenological design. The researchers utilized the participants’ encountered challenges to collect and analyze the necessary information to achieve the objectives of the study. A total of twelve (12) students from diverse academic strands participated in semi-structured interviews. The responses of the selected students were recorded through voice recordings for data accuracy. All selected participants reported encountering challenges related to strand discrimination across different academic strands. Students experienced discrimination due to perceived differences in future opportunities, with most discrimination stemming from differences in skills and abilities. As a result, the participants identified various coping mechanisms to address the challenges associated with strand discrimination and recommended different strategies to manage and overcome these experiences. The results demonstrate that students from every Grade 11 academic strand at General De Jesus College have experienced strand discrimination and the associated challenges. Discrimination was most commonly linked to perceived differences in skills and abilities. Consequently, many students reported coping with these challenges by disregarding negative comments about their chosen academic strand.