Abstract
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the issue of school refusal, particularly given the adverse effects on young people’s social, emotional and educational development. School refusal is understood differently within contemporary literature; as a symptom of an underlying mental illness or disorder, or alternatively, as a signal that all is not well in the young person’s world. These varying construal’s have important implications for education responses to school refusal. This study explores education professionals' views and experiences of school refusal within second level schools in Ireland. The findings from seventeen in-depth interviews highlight the complex nature of school refusal and unique challenges it presents for professionals, young people and parents. Key themes include emotional and psychological distress experienced by young people and their exposure to adverse childhood experiences and trauma; the influence of family socio economic status and unequal access to support services and resources; the pressures for academic achievement and resulting conflictual relationships within the school environment and between home and school. This study highlights the need for trauma-informed approaches in schools and urges future research to consider school refusal within wider debates on social justice and the goals and purposes of education.
Highlights
Information of ParticipantsPseudonym Gender Professional role John Male Teacher AnnaFemale Retired Principal SamRetired PrincipalFrances Female PrincipalMaeve Female Deputy Principal
Key themes have been identified from professional’s descriptions and challenges experienced in working with young people and school refusal
It was evident that teachers were often concerned for young people’s welfare as Lisa recalled a student who came to school: “She [the student] came [into school] very upset and I was worried about her mental health and the fact that she had self-harmed before”
Summary
The aim of this study was to explore the views of education professionals in relation to school refusal
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