Barriers to school attendance as experienced by young people and their parents: A Narrative Oriented Inquiry

Abstract

Aim:Although there is a complex interplay between bio-psycho-social-cultural factors in the development of school attendance difficulties, research into the family experience of Barriers to School Attendance (BtSA) is limited. The aim of this study was to enhance understanding of the family experience of BtSA by exploring how those affected tell their stories.Method:Adapted Narrative Oriented Inquiry (NOI) was used to explore the stories told by participants. Guided narrative interviews were undertaken with two families who held ongoing experiences of BtSA. Data was analysed using holistic-form and categorical-content analysis.Findings:Holistic-form analysis reflected how transition to secondary school was key for each family. This was followed by a deterioration in the young people’s mental health and by challenges within the home. Key themes were interpreted within the narratives, in relation to the experiences of BtSA: aspects of school; individual experiences and the impact on the family system; and the parental experience.Limitations:Findings are reflective of the individual experiences of the families, so further research with families from varying backgrounds is needed to explore the family experience of BtSA further.Conclusions:The key themes discussed here remain pertinent to the post-pandemic understanding of BtSA. The idiographic data supports the notion that hearing individual stories allows for an in-depth understanding of a complex phenomenon. This informs the work of educators and psychologists to assess and understand the contexts and interactions of BtSA across the individual, family and school levels, aiming to optimise interventions appropriate to family systems and their functioning.