‘Only the wind hears you…’ The experiences of Pakistani girls in a primary school: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

The experiences of Pakistani pupils at school are little documented. This article introduces findings from an interpretive phenomenological study that investigated the experiences of a group of Year 6 pupils from a Pakistani cultural background. The interest in exploring the Pakistani experience is timely, as tensions within the current social context have led to the emergence of the term ‘Islamophobia’ (Sheridan, 2006). While the meaning and usefulness of the term islamophobia remains contested, the rising everyday use of such a term reflects a context in which young Pakistani schoolchildren develop a sense of self and seek a sense of place in 21st century Britain.Semi-structured interviews were carried out with four female primary school pupils from Pakistani backgrounds from Year 6, aged between 10 to 11 years old from the same school. The narratives were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis found seven super-ordinate themes: the emotional experience of learning; the cultural impact of the school curriculum; the importance of enduring friendships; the impact of the segregation between communities; the impact of gendered power struggles; the impact of bullying; and the impact of cultural identity.This paper reports a particular focus on how experiences of school intersect and are interwoven with other aspects of the lives of young people such as peer relations, home environment and community culture, which are all important in shaping and developing the children’s sense of who they are. The research has highlighted the potential of young people to express themselves and share views and experiences that can be further investigated in order to discover and create methods of organising together to challenge forms of oppression. Implications for service planning and educational psychologists are discussed.