Evolving theories of student disengagement: a new job for Durkheim’s children?

Abstract

This paper uses John Furlong’s analysis of student disaffection written over 20 years ago as a basis for building new analyses in changing contexts for schooling. Specifically, Furlong’s observation of the dominance of psychological based explanations for student disruption and disengagement in education policy making holds—albeit an evolving psychological narrative. Divided into two parts this paper presents Furlong’s argument and takes up the challenge of reconstructing sociological analyses of student disengagement and disruption and interrogates the increasing rates of diagnosis of individual student defects and educational exclusions. Hyper-awareness of an increasing catalogue of behavioural and attention disorders has diminished the analysis of the pathology of schooling in the production of student disengagement. This is further accentuated in an era of high stakes accountability and school comparisons where student disaffection and disengagement are serious threats to risk averse schooling.