In the corner of working-class boys: Relational approaches and the re-orientating of habitus

Abstract

The academic disengagement of working-class boys features regularly in sociology of education research which frequently highlights how their classed and gendered identities often serve as a barrier to their academic success. The salience of this issue is elevated in the current climate of social change which has renewed debates around gender identities. Analysing case study data from a Northern Ireland-based study, we draw on Bourdieu's theoretical construct of habitus to examine how school-community youth work collaboration encompassing relational approaches can be leveraged to foster better learning experiences and outcomes for such boys; and how their habitus can be reorientated toward a pro-school agenda by resultant changes in the field within which their learning occurs.