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‘I think it helps you better when you’re not scared’: fear and learning in the primary classroom

Hargreaves, E; (2015) ‘I think it helps you better when you’re not scared’: fear and learning in the primary classroom. Curriculum, Pedagogy and Society , 23 (4) pp. 617-638. 10.1080/14681366.2015.1082077. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

The research reported in this current paper explored in 2013 the classroom fear of two samples of UK primary school pupils (aged 7-8 and also 10-11 years old). The investigation was approached within a framework of critical theory, in which emancipatory aims were embraced. The authoritarian nature of most classrooms necessitates that teachers control pupils through coercion underpinning authoritarian pedagogy, whether through autocratic, parental or more democratic yet still authoritarian means. Such control by the teacher over many pupils makes transformational learning difficult, and fear is considered to be one important impediment to transformational learning. During four triangulated data collection activities including observation, children’s drawing, children’s sentence writing and interviews, I investigated children’s experiences of fear in their classrooms. Findings suggested that the authoritarian nature of their classrooms did provoke fears that were destructive to transformational learning. Ways of addressing fears and implications for future classrooms are suggested.

Type: Article
Title: ‘I think it helps you better when you’re not scared’: fear and learning in the primary classroom
Location: UK
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/14681366.2015.1082077
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2015.1082077
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
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 - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1471612
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