Loizidou, Christiana; (2009) School exclusion : exploring young people's views. Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.

Preview

Text 536522.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike. Download (6MB) | Preview

Abstract

Although school exclusion's negative effects on children, their families, schools and on society in general have been extensively researched, the phenomenon of school exclusion still exists. Previous research has justified the procedure of obtaining pupils' own views as a valuable methodology to develop an understanding of the impact of school exclusion. It has also been suggested that in order to have a greater understanding of school exclusion, further research needs to consider contextual factors such as those related to school and family systems. The study employed a mixed methodological design. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the experiences of thirteen young pupils regarding school exclusion. In addition, an attitude questionnaire to school and the individual was administered to all participants. Two groups of pupils were involved in this project: pupils who had been permanently excluded (Group One: n=7) and pupils who were at the greatest risk of permanent exclusion but had managed to avoid exclusion. (Group Two: n=6). The sample involves Year 8 and Year 9 pupils, boys and girls educated in settings across an out of London authority (two out of school provisions and one mainstream secondary school). The main aim of this study was to identify risk factors that cause exclusion, but more importantly, ascertain critical factors that prevent exclusion from school by investigating pupils' narratives. Findings derived from the data analysis emphasised the importance of good, positive relationships among all parties (teachers, parents, child), as well as the importance of communication and coordination between the three systems (school, family, child). Furthermore, the data analysis revealed the presence of family support as the most substantial difference between the two groups and indicated how this factor was critical for pupils to avoid school exclusion. Particular attention is given to the factors that help exclusion to be avoided, in order to suggest ways of developing more positive strategies for dealing with school exclusion. Implications for educational psychology practice and service provision are discussed. Avenues for future research are suggested.

Download activity - last month

Export as CSVXMLJSON

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Archive Staff Only

View Item