Veater, Mary;
(2022)
An exploration of the affective engagement of children with special educational needs attending mainstream, rural primary schools.
Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Affective engagement relates to the emotional aspects of engaging with school, involving a sense of belonging and valuing school. It is a construct that has been associated with a range of positive outcomes, including academic achievement, school completion and improved mental health. Affective engagement plays a crucial role in creating inclusive learning environments; yet there is a lack of research in this area involving children with special educational needs (CSEN), especially those attending small, rural schools. Using Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) bioecological systems framework, this study explores how both SEN status and gender are associated with affective engagement. It also investigates how contextual factors influence the development of affective engagement for CSEN. A sequential, mixed method design involving three phases was used. Firstly, self-report measures were used to compare the affective engagement of 110 children both with and without SEN, in Years 5 and 6, from three mainstream primary schools in rural settings. Semi-structured interviews with senior leaders then provided an understanding of the wider systemic influences on affective engagement. Finally, semi-structured interviews with 10 CSEN, explored factors that influence the development of affective school engagement. The findings demonstrated that there was no significant effect of SEN status or gender on affective engagement. However, CSEN were more likely than their non-SEN peers to report feeling unsafe in school, that the school rules were unfair, and that school was a waste of time. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of the teacher-student relationship, where key characteristics included teachers being proactive and using positive praise when working with CSEN. Further themes related to how CSEN value school, friendships and a safe environment. The results provide an understanding of how CSEN perceive and feel affectively engaged in their schools. Implications are discussed in relation to how schools, policy makers and Educational Psychologists can enhance the affective engagement and wider inclusion of CSEN.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Ed.Psy |
| Title: | An exploration of the affective engagement of children with special educational needs attending mainstream, rural primary schools |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10154659 |
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