Enabling
From WikEd
Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
ENABLE
- render capable or able for some task; "This skill will enable you to find a job on Wall Street"; "The rope enables you to secure yourself when you climb the mountain"
- To supply with the means, knowledge, or opportunity; make able: a hole in the fence that enabled us to watch; techniques that enable surgeons to open and repair the heart.
- To make feasible or possible: funds that will enable construction of new schools.
- To give legal power, capacity, or sanction to: a law enabling the new federal agency.
- To make operational; activate: enabled the computer's modem; enable a nuclear warhead.
en·a'bler n. Answers.com
In terms of education, there are two definitions.
Academic Enabler:
- One who fails to hold students properly accountable for their academic performance. (Landfried, 1989)
- Nonacademic skills that contribute to academic success. (DiPerna and Elliot, 2002)
Application in classrooms and similar settings
1. In terms of the first definition, teachers, counselors and administrators must change their own behaviors which undermine the students' capacity to take responsibility for themselves.
Common enabling practices cited by Landfried included:
- accepting homework late without penalty
- giving credit for sloppy work
- ignoring cheating
(Landfried, 1989)
Each of which essentially come back to preventing students from realizing the full consequences of their actions.
2. In terms of the second definition, DiPerna and Elliot identified four specific academic enablers:
- Interpersonal Skills
- Motivation
- Study Skills
- Engagement
(Diperna and Elliot, 2002)
Theoretically, integrating these skills into the regular curriculum should increase academic acheivement.
I read under the link that was available for "locus of control that "families from low socioeconomic backgrounds have a lack of life control so that they attribute any kind of success as a result of luck and may not try again since they do not believe that they will do well again. What can be done to break this cycle since it may continue for several generations?Also, how do external conditions such as abuse or bullying factor into this scenario? It seems that some conditions happen to people and compound their difficulties. B. Orenic
Evidence of effectiveness
1. For the first definition, Lynch, Hurford, and Cole found that at-risk students were more likely to have parents that were considered highly enabling, based on parental responses to the Lynch Enabling Survey for Parents. The findings indicated that students with enabling parents formed a more external locus of control than did non-enabling parents. (Lynch, Hurford, and Cole, 2002)
Miller, Leinhardt, and Zigmond (1988) felt that further research was necessary, but that "Believing that there will always be a second chance, learning that you can get through school without challenge and hard work, and being bored may teach students to look for second chances, to not seek challenges or hard work, and to not persist."
2. In a recent study, DiPerna, Volpe, and Elliot found that there was a high correlation between the enabling skills mentioned above and academic acheivement, although they recommended further exploration of the subject. (DiPerna, Volpe, and Elliot, 2002)
Critics and their rationale
Landfried himself, in his article said "It isn't always easy to know the difference between helping students and assuming their responsibilites for them" (Landfried, 1989)
In their study of at-risk students, Miller, Leinhardt and Zigmond found that enabling accomodations seemed to increases student engagement, and therefore to keep these at-risk students from dropping out of school. (Miller, Leinhardt, and Zigmond, 1988).
It sees that it is a constant balancing act between helping students to acheive success, and letting them off of the proverbial hook.
Enabling is particularly problematic for older students. The will be on their own soon, potentially, so the danger to themselves is imminent. MG
Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
1. The term accomodation seems to apply "enabling" to a different set of students. Often, accomodations are required by a 504 plan, or an IEP. What might be enabling for one student could be a necessary accomodation for another.
2.
Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories
I feel that a lot of teachers enable students while trying to help them out. I think students need to see the consequences of their actions. If you forget something you need for class then you will have to complete the activity later. In my first year of teaching I used to give pencils and paper to students who forgot theirs or didn't have any. I had kids on a daily basis asking me for these supplies, a lot of times because they were too lazy to get theirs. Since then I have stopped given students daily supplies and the students all seem to have these supplies now. They know not to ask me for these and if they need them they need to solve the problem on their own. A lot of teachers disagree with this idea, but as teachers we need to make sure that we are not doing things for the students that they can do for themselves even if it makes life easier on us. B. Moore
I see both teachers and parents enabling children. Parents constantly write notes wanting me to accept late or incomplete work. Understandably, there are times when homework cannot be completed, but this should be the exception not the rule. Teachers enable students by accepting late and sloppy work, allowing them to return tho their lockers, provide materials, and do the work for them. it is the doing of the work for the students that I find the most damaging as it can lead to learned helplessness. Regarding B. Moore's comments above, I sell students pencils and paper as well as extra copies of worksheets that they've lost. They lose far fewer handouts this way. T. Stilts
I find it interesting that this article focuses primarily on teachers and other school personnel as primary enablers as opposed to the parents and other family members of students. I'm sure it's a prevalent habit among many different populations, but I do see parents as the primary enablers for my students. This is so common that I often assume I am working against this. -R. Foley
In high school, I could walk less than fifty feet from my back door and be on school property. Still, I was probably late to school more than any other student in my graduating class of over 600 students. Why? Every morning, my alarm would go off, and I would then turn it off. My mother would wake me up about ten minutes later, but I’d roll over and go back to sleep. It would eventually get to be about fifteen minutes before the first bell, and at this point an angry mother would scare me into taking a quick shower. While she was then driving me the 2min route to school, she’d make a quick call to the attendance office, who knew her personally by now. I’d arrive at school, get a pass from attendance, and walk into my first period class without any consequences. I’m now in my mid-twenties, live two blocks from the school I work at, and I continue to be the staff member with the most tardiness on my record. I am always late by only 1-4 minutes, but still rarely on time. Why? In this aspect, I’ve always been enabled, and never really faced true consequences for my action of being tardy. It’s probably now my hardest habit to break. (Thus - don't enable students!) –Christopher Liang
1. In my Language Arts class, I begin every class with a journal entry. Students are expected to either answer an open-ened question, explain possible meanings of an ambigious statement (e.g. Wanted: a person to look after a cow who doesn't smoke or drink, correct spelling and grammar in a sentence, or write on a topic of their choice. We always go over the journal, so that students have a chance to get the correct answers, or to share their writing. Students are expected to turn in their journals at the end of the week to be graded. The special education teacher keeps track of these journal questions so that when her students fail to complete the assignment, she can give it to them again. Often I receive their journals weeks after they have been collected. To me this is enabling, because these students are no longer responsible for completing the simple task of copying down a question, or writing the correct answer when we have gone over them. WRF
I had this happen on more than one occasion during a parent-teacher conference. When I go over the grades of each student with their parents, I can usually identify the enabling parents almost immediately. Usually, if the student is struggling and is simply not doing the work, the explanations from enabling parents usually end up sounding as though the student has no control over getting assignments done. There is a tendency to portray the student as a victim of merciless circumstances, when in most cases it sounds to me as though the enabling parents just have a hard time putting their foot down. Enabling allows students to go through school without developing key skills, responsibility, and independence. Enabled students cannot see past circumstances and do not undertake challenges. H. Ro
DHeater: I have seen a special ed teacher at our school who continues to enable her students. I have subbed in the class and, the first few times, had a difficult time with them. This teacher allows the students to yell at her, demand that she findout what their homework is and refuse to do as they are told. She allows this so that they are not sent out of the class and get in trouble. When I subbed in this class, I heard from the aides of the problems. when confronted with these students, I gave them choices. When they refused to choose, I did for them. By giving them a choice and following through with what I said, I was able to get cooperation from the students without yelling and screaming. Enabling these students will only make it harder for the teachers in the years to come.
I believe somtimes schoolare their own worst enemies when it comes to enabling. We will send notices home for a field trip, or some other event. We say it is do on Friday. When Friday comes along we will say just bring it with yo before we leave on Monday morning. What is this teaching the students? This is wrong. If the notice is not in on Friday then I do not believe the student should be able to go. This is why there is a deadline. If students do not learn it from us, many will never learn at all. Bret Helms
Working in special education, I have seen many cases of enabling parents and enabling teachers. The process serves no one. More recently I have heard my husband, a high school health teacher, speak of the parents who enable their high school students. It's very frustrating because I can't imagine how these parents expect their children to function in the real world. R.Hall
I work in Special Education for some years and have been very frustrated with parent and regular teacher’s enabling behaviors. For some years now, I have had two brothers on my caseload whose parents enable their behaviors and decisions for failure. One brother is a peeping tom in his neighborhood and falls asleep all the time in class. His parents don’t keep watch over him or enforce a bedtime. They enable his behaviors by not keeping him in check and allowing him to play computer games all night or go outdoors. The other brother is falling behind in class and his mother does his homework for him. This is very frustrating for me and I wish there was a crystal ball I can show the mother and the father what their enabling behaviors will do to their sons. P Graham
I have seen enabling occuring all the time. Generally it is not the teachers who are guilty of it but the parents. I have seen many cases where a student is failing and the parent comes in and states 1 million and 1 reasons why his or her child does not do their work. The parent is constantly asking for the student to be able to make up or be excused from late assignments and to re-take tests. This is not in anyway helping the student, but letting them know if they get into trouble, mommy will dig them out. It is extremely frustrating dealing with parents that refuse to let their children suffer the consequenses of their actions. L.Gowler
I see enabeling all the time in the special education department. If a student doesn't get something or doesn't feel like doing the work, I see special education teachers doing the work for kids all the time. Also, I see parents helping out the child all the time. If they skip a detention they go ahead and bail them out. Their is always an excuse for the student because of their label.--Brian Bucciarelli
References and other links of interest
DiPerna, James Clyde; Elliot, Stephen N. (2002) Promoting Academic Enablers to Imporve Student Achievement: An Introduction to the Mini-Series. School Psychology Review, 31(3) 293-297.
DiPerna, James Clyde; Volpe, Robert J.; Elliot, Stephen N. (2001) A Model of Academic Enablers and Elementary Reading/Language Arts Acheivement. School Psychology Review, 31(3) 298-312.
Landfried, Steven E. (1989) "Enabling" undermines responsibility in students. Educational Leadership, 47 79-83
Lynch, Shirley; Hurford, David P.; Cole, AmyKay. (2002) Parental Enabling Attitudes and Locus of Control of At-Risk and Honors Students. Adolescence, 37(147) 527-549.
Miller, Sandra E.; Leinhardt, Gaea; Zigmond, Naomi. (1988) Influencing engagement through accomodation: An ethnographic study of at-risk students. American Educational Research Journal, 25(4), 465-487.
