Summary of Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah and the Bee centers around a one-year period of a young girl’s life and the confidence she gains while studying to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Akeelah is an awkward, intelligent, eleven year old African American girl. She lives with her widowed mother, her older sister, her niece and one of her two older brothers, who has fallen in with the wrong crowd. Her eldest brother is an airman in the Air Force.

Javier

The movie begins with Akeelah’s teacher asking her to compete in the Crenshaw Middle spelling bee. Akeelah has no interest in competing and representing her middle school because she dislikes the condition of the school and the administration’s apathy in upgrading the school. Secondly, she is also afraid that she will be labeled as a “braniac”. To avoid school detention for repeated truancy, Akeelah reluctantly agrees to participate in her school’s spelling bee and wins easily. This is also her first interaction with Dr. Larabee a professor at UCLA who had been spelling bee champion when he was younger. Although she has won her school spelling bee he gives her a series of hard words to spell, which she does correctly impressing the administrators of the bee only messing up on the word pulchritude. Dr. Larabee decides to coach Akeelah, but quickly dismisses her after she comes to his house being rude and talking "ghetto",  he tells her he doesn't have time for insolent little girls. Akeelah decides to study for the district spelling bee on her own, memorizing many words directly from the dictionary. Akeelah competes in the district spelling bee and places tenth only after another student is disqualified for cheating. At the district bee she meets a boy named Javier who is from the affluent neighborhood of Woodlawn Hills. He invites her to the spelling club he is a part of, and she then secretly meets him at his school to prepare for a the Regional Spelling Bee. This is where she interacts with Dylan for the first time, he is her biggest rival and has placed second in the Scripps National Spelling Bee two years in a row. Dylan is rude to Akeelah and tells her she doesn't belong in the regional bee.

Dr. Larabee

Akeelah realizes that winning the spelling bee will be difficult and ask Dr. Larabee to become her coach again, he agrees after making Akeelah agree that there will be no nonsense. After coming home late from Javier's school Akeelah’s mother forbids her to participate in the regional spelling bee. Despite her mother’s initial disapproval and the possible label that winning the spelling bee might get her, she continues to study and train hard with Dr. Larabee. In the middle of the regional bee her mother pulls her off stage angry Akeelah went with out her permission. With the persuasion of Dr. Welch, her principal and Dr. Larabee Akeelah's mother lets her finish the bee. Akeelah places third in the bee  gaining the support of her mother and the community.

Dylan

After winning a spot to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., Dr. Larabee challenges her to learn five thousand new words and tells her he can no longer coach her.  Ironically, as Akeelah’s success becomes an inspiration to many in her community, she becomes a little discouraged as expectations and outside pressures increase. Akeelah’s community rallies behind her, and offer to coach and help her prepare. With the help of her family and community, Akeelah learns to overcome adversity and embrace her special gift. After many months of preparation and sacrifice, Akeelah ultimately ties for      first place with Dylan in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and is named a co-champion. Her winning word was pulchritude, derived from the Latin word pulcher, which means beautiful.

Theories found in Akeelah and the Bee

Vygotsky’s Cognitive Development Theory
Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development states that parents and schools shape children’s thought processes to value culture that which society values. Even when individuals are by themselves, what they think and do is the result of cultural values and practices some of which may stretch back over hundreds or thousands of years (Snowman, McCown, & Biehlar 2012).

Vygotsky theory also makes mention of a process called mediation, which is "a process that occurs when a more knowledgeable individual interprets a child’s behavior and helps them transform it into an internal and symbolic representation that means the same thing to the child as it does to society" (Snowman McCown, & Biehlar 2012).

Explanation

In the beginning of the movie it is not evident that Akeelah has anyone in her life to act as her mediator. Vygotsky’s defines a mediator as a person who is more knowledgeable than the child and guides the child so that the child can make good decisions even when the mediator is not present. Akeelah’s father died when she was six years old, and her mother works long hours which means that she is not home much. Even though she instills discipline in Akeelah, she is hardly there to enforce the rules set for her children. Her mother is not aware that Akeelah continuously skips classes and that her brother hangs out with the local drug dealer Derrick T.

Her older brother is our first introduction to Vygotsky’s definition of a mediator. Akeelah's brother finds out from his mother that she is skipping class and warns Akeelah that “she better not be skipping class." As the oldest brother he seems to be the replacement father figure and someone Akeelah can confide in. In the scene before her brother leaves for his army base, he tells Akeelah that he heard she won her school spelling bee, and she had a chance to go to an even bigger contest. She makes up various excuses for why she would not be competing in the district bee. Her brother correctly guesses that she is scared and her brother compares her fear of competeing in the spelling bee to him jumping out of a plane for the first time. He tells her that everything in his body told him no but the mind has to be smarter than the body. Akeelah follows her brother’s advice and decides to enter the district spelling bee

Dr. Larabee serves as another example of Vygotsky’s mediator. He is a former spelling bee champion and college professor at UCLA. Dr. Larabee teaches Akeelah many life lessons. He says “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate. It is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous. Actually, who are you not to be. We were born to make manifest and as we let our let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” Akeelah interprets this quote to mean that she cannot be afraid of herself. You can tell that she takes this quote to heart because from this point on she gains more confidence in herself and believes that she is worthy of winning the spelling bee. Dr. Larabee also teaches Akeelah that she must speak properly; that it is important to have life goals and that if you have to willing to sacrifice and work hard to achieve your goals.

Dr. Larabee is seen as the replacement father figure in Akeelah’s life. Dr. Larabee increased Akeelah’s level of mental development because he introduced Akeelah to more developed thinking (Snowman, McCown, &  2012). He exposes her to scholarly essays and works that shows African-Americans in a positive light rather than in the way she used to seeing them. A teacher’s affection and care can have a decidedly positive impact on student learning and achievement which could ultimately decide whether the student completes school (Nieto, 2010). Dr. Larabee does not want Akeelah to just be another statistic. He guides her to be a hard-working student by telling her that she must be no nonsense and leave that “ghetto” talk at the door. He broadens Akeelah’s views on society and education, which in turn contributes to her positive cognitive development.

Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic View: The Theory of Successful Intelligence
This theory consists of three main parts. The first ability involves applying knowledge to everyday situations, using tools, and seeking relevance. Practical ability is the ability to adapt to one’s environment, shape one’s environment, and select a different environment. The second is a creative ability which involves inventing, discovering, imagining, supposing, and solving novel and unfamiliar problems. The third part is analytic ability which involves breaking ideas and products into their component parts, making judgments, evaluating, comparing, contrasting, and critiquing. (Snowman, McCown, Biehlar 2012)

Explanation

Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic View is evidenced by Akeelah’s practical ability. In the beginning of the movie it is shown that the kids at Crenshaw middle school do not take education seriously as most of the grades on the spelling test were C and below. Even though Akeelah tries to hide her intelligence, it eventually becomes well known throughout the school. As a result two girls confront Akeelah by calling her a “freak” and telling her to do their English homework because they heard she was a “braniac” to which Akeelah replies “I aint no braniac” showing that she does not want to be associated with her intelligence. In Akeelah’s neighborhood it becomes clear that they do not place high values on education. Even the person closest to Akeelah, her best friend Georgia, aspires to be a flight attendant which does not require a degree. Akeelah becomes famous in her neighborhood because her win at the national spelling bee is broadcast. After which she is revered for being smart and looked up to by the community. Sternberg states that “where a mismatch exists and the individual cannot adapt to the values of the majority the intelligent person explores ways to make the values of others more consistent with his or her own values or skills” (Snowman, McCown, & Biehlar). By doing well in the bee, Akeelah changed her neighborhood’s mindset. Instead of feeling like an outcast as she did in the beginning of the film she now feels loves and acceptance by the community.

Akeelah also experiences Steinberg’s creative ability. Dr. Larabee, Akeelah’s spelling bee coach, tells her that she has to learn five-thousand new words and that he is now no longer be able to help her, so now Akeelah has to learn all on her own. With the help of her mother, Akeelah turns her whole community into coaches. In doing this Akeelah discovers that she has support and that being intelligent isn’t so bad. Her intelligence had a positive impact on her community.

Nodding’s Erickson’s and Kohlberg’s Care Theory
Nodding’s care theory states it is not enough to say that we care; to simply express concern for someone or some group of people. Instead, a caring relationship must be established. A caring orientation to social and moral development is an alternative to the justice-fairness-individual. (Snowman, McCown, & Biehlar 2012)

Nodding Theory is first evidenced in the movie when the character Dylan Chiu is introduced. He is Akeelah’s rival and the only person that can beat her in the spelling bee. Dylan had placed second in the national bee two years in a row and this was his final chance to place first. Upon their first meeting, Akeelah tries to introduce herself and he rebuffs her. He then asks her to spell the word xanthosis she spells it with a z instead of an x which results in him telling her that if the boy hadn’t been caught cheating she wouldn’t have made the cut. Dylan is rude and abrasive toward Akeelah even though he does not know her. Akeelah witnesses Dylan’s father berating him about losing the national bee on two separate occasions. This makes Akeelah feel sorry for Dylan. Despite the fact that Dylan was mean to her, Akeelah was willing to give up winning the bee so that Dylan can win because this is his last chance. Also the night before the national spelling bee, Akeelah invites Dylan to her room to hang out and brings him a soda pop. It is evident that a caring relationship has developed between them because Dylan refuses to let Akeelah give up her chance at becoming a champion. After this moment, Dylan and Akeelah become friends. Akeelah extended her friendship to Dylan even though it was obvious he did not particularly care for her. Nodding states that there is a human desire for goodness (Snowman, McCown, &Bieher). Akeelah utilized her desire to be good which showed in her developmental growth and maturity.

Erickson’s Theory: Psychosocial development
Erickson’s Theory describes psychological growth from infancy to old age. The eight stages of psychosocial development are trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame and doubt, Initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority, indent versus role confusion, intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair. (Snowman, McCown & Biehlar)

The three that are relevant to the movie are discussed below:
Psychosocial Crisis principle
In Erickson’s view personality development occurs as one successfully resolves a series of turning points or psychosocial crises. Crises occur when people feel compelled to adjust to the normal guidelines and expectations that society has for them but are not altogether certain that they are prepared to carry out these demands fully (Snowman, McCown, & Biehlar 2012).

Intimacy Versus Isolation (Young Adulthood)
To experience satisfying development at this stage, the young adult needs to establish close and committed intimate relationships and partnerships with other people. Failure to establish certain relationships will lead to a sense of isolation (Snowman, Mccown & Biehlar 2012).

Identity Versus Role Confusion
The development of the roles and skills needed to prepare adolescents to take a meaningful place in society. Role confusion occurs when having no clear conception of appropriate behavior that others will react to favorably.

Akeelah is an intelligent girl. She is received an A on the spelling test she did not even study for. Although she is smart, she pretends that she is not and skips class in order to fit into her community. Akeelah is in what Erickson refers to as a psychosocial crisis. Personality development occurs as one successfully resolves a series of turning points, or psychosocial, crisis. "Crises occur when people feel compelled to adjust to the normal guidelines and expectations that society has for them but are not altogether certain that they are prepared to carry out these demands fully" (Snowman, McCown, & Biehlar 2012). Akeelah attends Crenshaw middle school, a rundown school that does not even provide doors for the bathroom stalls. Akeelah is struggling with identity versus role confusion because she does not yet know her role in society. At Crenshaw the students do poorly and do not believe that being smart is good. It isn't until Akeelah meets Javier another constant friend and romantic interest, that she starts developing her own sense of identity and realizes that her place in the world is to uplift her community by winning the spelling bee. She tells her mother she doesn't know if she can do the spelling bee because everyone is counting on her to win, she feels the pressure of the situation but later accepts her role as the community hero, someone they can be proud of.

Akeelah experiences intimacy versus isolation. At the beginning of the movie she feels like an outcast because she is smart and feels like her family doesn’t understand her or pay attention to her needs. She also feels isolated when her best friend is mad at her for not spending enough time with her. Akeelah resolves this when she wins the regional spelling bee which makes her neighborhood accept her. After which, her mother actually begins showing interest in her progress in the bee.

Resources

Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. (10th Anniversary ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. (2012). Psychology applied to teaching. (13 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Culture and Ethnography in Akeelah and the Bee

                                                          

Culture is the factor influencing the lives of a group of people in a certain setting. While the people may be very different and hold differing views, as a whole group they are defined by their environment. Culture is heavily influenced by the socioeconomic status of the group. Socioeconomic status is measured by annual income, occupation and the amount of education a person possesses. (Snowman, et al p.152)

In her book, The Light in Their Eyes, Sonia Nieto defines culture as
the ever-changing values, traditions, social and political
relationships, and worldview created, shared, and
transformed by a group of people bound together by a
combination of factors that include a common history,
geographic location, language, social class and religion.
(Nieto, 2010, p.78)

With this definition in mind, we can see how Akeelah, the main protagonist in the movie is influenced by her culture and then how she and the people around her begin to change their views and the culture of the neighborhood changes, too.

In the beginning of the movie, Akeelah knows she does not fit in with her surroundings. She is a smart girl in a neighborhood that does not respect intelligence or education. A smart girl who does well in school is called names such as "brainiac" and is bullied by the older girls who want her to do their homework for them. In order to fit in, Akeelah must play the game; she must act as if she doesn't care about her education, speak like the rest of the neighborhood and act like the rest of the neighborhood by not doing her homework and skipping school.

Akeelah's own family is a micro-environment reflecting the values of the surrounding environment. Her father is dead, having been shot on his way home from work one day six years prior, her mother is tired and overwhelmed with working a low paying job to support her family. Akeelah's oldest brother is the only child who was raised with two parents, when times were better. He graduated from high school, joined the United States Marines and has plans to attend college and become a pilot. Akeelah's sister is an unwed mother; we can assume she dropped out of school to care for her infant although that is not specifically addressed in the movie. Akeelah's other brother is getting caught up in the gang culture in the neighborhood, has no plans to finish school and feels oppressed by the "whites."

When we first meet another pivotal character in the movie, Dr. Larabee, Akeelah is skipping class
and getting beaten by two older girls who were trying to coerce her into doing their assignments for them. Dr. Larabee is on sabbatical from his university teaching post but is a bit reluctant to tutor Akeelah just as Akeelah is reluctant to study and compete in the spelling bee. One of the first challenges to Akeelah's culture comes when she arrives at Dr. Larabee's house. Despite the fact that Larabee lives in the same neighborhood as Akeelah, he has a different culture which is that of an educated, highly respected university professor. It does not take her long to learn that certain types of speech are used in certain environments. This initial lesson serves her well when she meets other students at the district spelling bee who are from upper middle class neighborhoods. Akeelah displays the typical social characteristics of a middle school student in that 1) "The development of interpersonal reasoning leads to greater understanding of the feelings of others." And, 2) "The desire to conform reaches a peak during the middle school years." (Snowman, 2012, p.91) We see this develop as she interacts with other students competing in the spelling bee, particularly Dylan. She reaches out to Dylan and brings him a soda as a friendly gesture even though Dylan is prohibited by his father from socializing with Akeelah before the national spelling bee. She needs to conform to the standards of her own neighborhood and also to the expected standards of the students competing in the spelling bee. Initially, her friends at school, reject her as she goes through the changes but eventually, they come around, particularly her best friend, Georgia. When Akeelah appears on Georgia's doorstep and tells her that if she wants to be a flight attendant Georgia must first fly on a plane. The next day, before the plane has left the ground in Los Angeles, Georgia has changed her career goal from flight attendant to pilot, realizing that she will have to attend college and flight training to achieve that new goal. Culture is not static, it is ever-changing as Nieto stated and in this instance, the culture of Georgia's "world" has changed.

Other examples of the changes in the culture of the neighborhood are the gang leader telling Akeelah's brother to help her study her words and the "deal" he makes with Akeelah before he drives away. He mentioned that he had seen her on TV and knew she was trying to win a contest. He reflects on how he wrote the winning poem in his class in elementary school. When Akeelah validates his accomplishment by asking to read it, he tells her she can read it "after you win the contest." In that, even the gang leader shows new respect for education.

By the time Akeelah departs for Washington, DC to participate in the national spelling bee, many people have helped her study the 5000 words in the boxes that Dr. Larabee gave her. The culture of the neighborhood has changed just a bit. People respect education, they are hoping Akeelah will win, they are proud of her accomplishments and they are all slightly more interested in bettering themselves. They are still the same people with the same culture but it is a new reflection on the values and traditions they hold.

References

Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. (10th Anniversary ed). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. (2012). Psychology applied to teaching. (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Themes in Akeelah and the Bee

Culture Conflict and Fitting In

Akeelah Anderson doesn’t feel comfortable in her neighborhood and school; she is a smart girl in an environment that doesn’t prize academic intellect. She is in Erikson’s (Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. 2012) stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion, unsure about how she, a smart girl, fits into Crenshaw Middle School, a place where students, who are predominantly African-American, view school as a White-man’s game; if you’re doing well at school, you must be playing the White-man’s game. Akeelah wants to fit in to her community so she plays the anti-intellect game. According to Vygotsky (Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. 2012), Akeelah has internalized the tools and signs of her culture; unfortunately, they conflict with her academic-self. Through the tutelage and mediation of a “smart” African-American man, she finds the bridge to her true self and ultimately success in both worlds.

                                                              
Loss and Connection Akeelah and Mr. Larabee both come to their relationship with the burden of loss; Akeelah has lost her father to neighborhood violence and Mr. Larabee has lost his daughter to illness. They are joined by their love of words; both find comfort in words. Akeelah loves words because they represent a connection to her dead father; Mr. Larabee loves literature and teaches college English. Their connection provides some relief from the pain of their personal loss, allowing each to see a new way to the future. In Akeelah’s case, Mr. Larabee serves as a mediator, according to Vygotsky (Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. 2012), who helps Akeelah to reinterpret some of the information in her environment, thus allowing for self-reflection and re-imaginged possibilites.

                                               

Family and Community Akeelah’s family, like most, represents both pain and comfort. Her father’s death is an open wound within the family. For Akeelah, his death represents not only the loss of a parent, a caregiver, but also a similar soul with whom to connect, a fellow lover of words. Likewise, her community represents familiarity but also conflict, especially with her “self.” Ultimately her family and community put aside their own pain and prejudices and come together to support Akeelah in her bid to win the National Spelling Bee; in doing so, they help to build a stronger family and community. In their new supportive roles, Akeelah’s family and community become Vygotsky’s mediators again (Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. 2012), helping Akeelah to resolve her identity confusion.
                                             

Fulfilling Your Potential and Working Hard Despite her internal conflicts, Akeelah is resigned to play the game of school failure that is evident in her neighborhood, skipping class and missing assignments. Her journey to the National Spelling Bee and the mentorship of an intellectually successful African-American enable her to see other possibilities for her future. Despite her innate affinity for words, success requires hard work, a message that Mr. Larabee drives homes through his strict and unrelenting practice schedule. According to Vygotsky, Mr. Larabee is helping Akeelah internalize the culture of hard-work and perseverance (Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. 2012). After Mr. Larabee steps out of the picture, forcing Akeelah to practice on her own, she continues her hard work, with the support of family and community, and finds ultimate success by winning the Bee.
                                 

  
                                           

Friendship and Culture While Akeelah recognizes the realities of the culture divide, she is open to people despite their apparent differences. She accepts people for who they are, not what they are, and thus finds deep friendships based on kindness and shared interests. According to Nodding (Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. 2012), Akeelah is fulfilling the human desire for goodness. For Akeelah, like most adolescents, friendships are a sustaining force in her life and thus aid her on the journey to autonomy and eventually adulthood.
                                        

Conclusions

 Adolescence is a time of identity struggles.

Akeelah Anderson is conflicted; not only is she struggling with the notion of who she is, her identity, she must also address her ethnic identity and the intersection of the two. A bright girl who naturally enjoys and excels at academics, Akeelah’s environment and its culture dictate and exemplify just the opposite. This picture of adolescence, of the struggle for identity, represents one of the hallmark theories of adolescent development as espoused by Erik Erikson: personality development, or identity formation, occurs as one successfully resolves a series of psycho social crises or adjustments (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012). Through the resolution of the conflict between her environment and her self, Akeelah begins the process of identity formation that continues through the teen years and hopefully ends in a sense of psycho social well-being (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012).

In particular, Akeelah is exploring alternatives to her current situation (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012) of poor school performance by choosing to take part in the various spelling bees. She is testing out different versions of her self and seeing if they bring recognition and acceptance from those who count, a process thought by Erikson to be crucial to identity development (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012). Ultimately, this “smart” version of her self does bring support, recognition and widespread acceptance from her family and community, thus helping Akeelah to resolve the conflict of self and environment and move on to the next crisis of identity formation. Other components of identity stressed by Erikson are acceptance of one’s appearance and knowledge about where one is going (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012); Akeelah appears to have no issues or crises about her appearance at this time and the resolution of her smart vs. environment crises provides her with a clearer path to her future (i.e. doing well in school). Further aiding her identity development are the secure attachments to influential individuals (as cited in Snowman, p. 34) she is developing through participation in the spelling bees. Akeelah’s ethnic identity, while seemingly at odds with her individual identity, doesn’t appear to change throughout the story as she remains tied to and supported by family, friends, and neighbors. Recent reviews by Meeus (2011) of research done in the early 21st century indicates that ethnic identity often remains the same during individual identity development. This seems true for Akeelah who while acculturating to the “successful academic” environment seems to have remained successfully bonded with her ethnic environment.

Akeelah’s question of “Who am I?” is further supported by the work of James Marcia (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012) who developed the notion of four processes for managing the tasks of establishing a sense of identity, all of which focus on the presence or absence of crisis and commitment.: crisis refers to instances of choosing among alternatives while commitment refers to the degree of personal investment expressed (as cited in Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, p. 32). Again, Akeelah is testing out the “smart” version of her self and also appears to be very committed to its success as evidenced by her perseverance and hard work. More recent longitudinal research reviewed by Meeus (2011) indicates that there is no empirical proof for the supposition that exploration precedes commitment in the formation of identity. According to Marcia’s model of identity formation (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012), Akeelah appears to be in the third stage or status, Moratorium, where the crisis is partially experienced and the person has given some thought to identity-related issues (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012) although in some ways she seems more mature and closer to the final stage known as Identity Achievement, an achievement that, in reality, is reached by very few middle-schoolers (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012).

References:

Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. (2012). Psychology applied to teaching. (13 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

Meeus, W. (2011). The study of adolescent identity formation 2000–2010: a review of longitudinal research, Journal of Research on Adolescence, DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00716.x


Support systems are important during adolescent development although friends take precedence over adults

After watching Akeelah and the Bee it can be concluded that Support Systems (e.g adults, friend, communities), are important during adolescent development although sometimes friends take precedence over adults. This is first evidenced in the beginning of the movie by Akeelah’s actions she is skipping class with her friend Georgia and although she is smart she tries to act like she is not. Snowman McCown & Biehlar (2012) state that the desire to conform reaches a peak during middle school years, early adolescents find it reassuring to dress and behave like others and they are likely to alter their own opinions to conform with those of the groups. Upon her first meeting with Dr. Larabee, Akeelah is late, rude, and has a nonchalant attitude characteristic of young black girls in her neighborhood. She asks him questions like “aint you got a job?” Dr. Larabee tells Akeelah that she uses ghetto talk to fit in with her friends. Although Akeelah is smart, she pretends that she is not and speaks improperly using a limited vocabulary even though she knows more intricate and proper words.This is an example of a behavior that she believes will help her fit in. Adolescents feel pressure to conform. They are expected to eradicate their own way of being (Nieto 2010). Akeelah is smart and enjoys learning but because of the beliefs her peers share, she tries to erase who she is. Another example of when friends take precedence of adults is when Akeelah coerces her sister into borrowing their mother's car to take her to a friend's birthday party in Woodlawn Hills. Akeelah knows her mother does not want her going out there but because she wants to fit in with this new group, she defies her mother’s rules.

Although there are incidents where Akeelah makes her decision based on her friends, there are also just as many incidents where she bases her decisions on the adults and community. Akeelah experiences Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth because she has social capital and familial capital. Akeelah experiences  social capital which is the networks of people and community resources. These peer and other social contacts can provide both instrumental and emotional support to navigate through society’s institutions. Akeelah receives adult support through her principal Dr. Welch and her mentor/teacher Dr. Larabee. Dr. Welch is a pivotal part in Akeelahs adolescent development because he responsible for Akeelah meeting Dr. Larabee. Dr. Larabee is a very influential part of Akeelah's life because he teaches her manners, the importance of hard work, and the significance of setting goals. When Akeelah is on the news for winning the regional spelling bee the whole community stands behind her because they are proud to have neighborhood recognized for something positive. They become invested in her success and help her learn words to ensure that she wins the bee. Through the support of her community, Dr. Welch, and Dr. Larabee, Akeelah comes to the realization that she is perfect the way she is and feels loved.

References:
Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. (10th Anniversary ed., pp. 101-154). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. (2012). Psychology applied to teaching. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital?: A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91



Friendships are crucial to the development of the adolescent
Near the end of the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, there is a scene at the hotel in Washington, D.C. on the night before the Scripps National Spelling Bee in which Akeelah and several other children are relaxing with popcorn and sodas. Only one of the students, Dylan, is missing and that is because his father will not allow him to stop studying for the spelling bee. Akeelah knocks on his hotel room door and invites him to join her group but as he is not allowed, she hands his father a soda and says, "For Dylan" in a gesture of friendship and camaraderie.

Throughout the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, we see Akeelah interacting with her school friends, and we see her make new friends both in her community and outside of her community. As the movie progresses, Akeelah meets people she would perhaps not have known if it were not for competing in the spelling bee. The first of these people is Dr. Larabee, her mentor and, later, her friend. She meets Javier who befriends her almost immediately and Dylan Chu who takes much longer to warm up to her.

In the article, Relationships Among Adolescents' Perceptions of Friends' Behaviors, Academic Self-Concept, and Math Performance, the authors state that social-cognitive theory and peer-emulation theory leads us to believe that adolescent's self image and school performance are related to the beliefs they perceive their friends hold. (Jones, Audley-Piotrowski and Kiefer, 2012, p. 19) Georgia initially cheers Akeelah on to compete in the spelling bee and Javier supports her success even though he is competing against her in the championship. Akeelah sees throughout the competition process that her new friends value intelligence and education. Research has shown a correlation between adolescent friends and school performance. (Jones, et. al, 2012, p. 19) We see Akeelah try harder to study over the summer before the regional spelling bee and again before the national spelling bee. In Psychology Applied to Teaching, Snowman discusses the influence that peers have on academic performance. (Snowman, 2012, p. 100) Her friend Georgia begins to value education more and decides on the flight to Washington that she no longer wants to be a flight attendant; she wants to be a pilot instead. It is clear in that scene that the values Akeelah have come to hold dear are also positively influencing her best friend. This takes place in accordance with peer emulation theory, that "students' academic self-concept should relate to their perceptions of friends' academic behaviors." (Jones, et al, p.20) In the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, this is clearly the case. The friends, Akeelah, Georgia, Javier and Dylan to an extent, influence each other in positive ways that enhances each student's self-concept and is crucial to their ongoing social development.

References:

Jones, M.H., Audley-Piotrowski, S. R. and Kiefer, S.M. (2012). Relationships Among Adolescents' Perceptions of Friends' Behaviors, Academic Self-Concept, and Math Performance. Journal of Educational Psychology (104)1, pp. 19-31.

Snowman, J., McCown, R., & Biehler, R. (2012). Psychology applied to teaching. (13 ed., pp. 01-141). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.