Alternative Education Settings Research Articles

Views from the margins: teacher perspectives on alternative education provision in Ireland

ABSTRACTAlternative education provision in Ireland is under-researched. This paper is a qualitative investigation of the perspectives of a purposive sample of ten teachers on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in their respective alternative settings of a voluntary education centre, a Youthreach centre and a post-primary special school. ‘Funds of knowledge’ ideas contribute to the theoretical framework of the study [Moll, Luis C., Cathy Amanti, Deborah Neff, and Norma Gonzalez. 1992. ‘Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms.’ Theory Into Practice 31 (2): 132–141]. The findings in this paper focus on: (1) how curriculum is enacted and mediated in alternative education settings; (2) the pedagogical decisions of teachers as they strive to connect their students to learning and (3) the tensions in assessment practices as teachers and alternative settings attempt to provide authentic and yet certified evidence of learning through the formal state assessment processes. This article is timely as it offers a view of the under-researched area of alternative settings in Ireland.

Brief Report: A Preliminary Investigation of a Mindful Breathing Intervention to Increase Academic Engagement in an Alternative Educational Setting

The current study used a multiple-baseline across subjects design to examine the effect of a daily, audio-delivered, mindful breathing intervention on adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties attending an alternative educational setting. Academic engagement served as the primary dependent variable, with disruptive behavior, feasibility, and acceptability serving as secondary dependent variables. Four students entered the baseline phase; however, only two students entered the intervention phase. Results indicated that participants displayed increases in academic engagement as measured by both direct behavior rating and systematic direct observation that were maintained at 6-week follow-up. Decreases in disruptive behavior were also observed. Because the effects were not replicated three times, changes cannot be directly attributed to the intervention. In addition, teachers and students perceived the intervention to be both feasible and acceptable. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Special Considerations for Using Functional Behavior Assessment and Functionally-Indicated Interventions With Students in Alternative Educational Settings

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is the process of collecting data to determine the function of an individual’s behavior to develop a functionally-indicated behavioral intervention (BIP). Special adaptations may be needed to conduct FBA and implement BIPs in alternative educational settings. In this article, we highlight suggestions for adaptation centered around data, systems, and practices.

Student-Directed Check-In/Check-Out for Students in Alternative Education Settings

Student-Directed Check-In/Check-Out for Students in Alternative Education Settings

Distance travelled: outcomes and evidence in flexible learning options

Flexible learning options (FLOs) provide individualised learning pathways for disengaged young people with strong emphasis on inclusivity and wellbeing support. Amidst a rapid expansion of Australia’s flexible learning sector, service providers are under increasing pressure to substantiate participant outcomes. This paper stems from a national study of the value of FLOs to young people and the broader Australian community. The study enumerates the outcomes valued by flexible learning practitioners, as well as the various evidence forms they cite to substantiate participant outcomes. Framing success as ‘distance travelled’ (i.e. an individual’s progress relative to his or her own starting point), practitioners demonstrate critical awareness of the social and structural mechanisms by which young people are marginalised from mainstream schooling. Holistic assessment practices also reveal practitioners’ efforts to expand the terms of reference by which educational outcomes may be validated in alternative education settings.

Effects of an interdependent group contingency on the transition behavior of middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

An ABAB design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of an interdependent group contingency with randomized components to improve the transition behavior of middle school students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) served in an alternative educational setting. The intervention was implemented by one teacher with three classes of students, and the dependent variable was the percentage of students ready to begin class at the appropriate time. Data revealed significant improvements in student behavior, providing support for implementation of group contingencies for students with EBDs in alternative educational settings and an example of feasible procedures and data collection methods. (PsycINFO Database Record

Using Computerized Mental Health Programs in Alternative Education: Understanding the Requirements of Students and Staff

ABSTRACTComputerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) programs have been shown to be both acceptable and effective with youth. However, their use with more vulnerable youth, such as early school leavers, remains relatively unstudied. This study explored student and staff attitudes toward the use of cCBT in an alternative education setting. Methods: Student and staff needs were assessed using the Requirements development approach (Van Velsen, Wentzel, & Van Gemert-Pijnen, 2013). An online staff survey (n = 16) was conducted to provide information on the context of delivery, and stakeholder requirements were further explored in four student workshops (n = 32) and staff group discussions (n = 12). Results: Students’ requirements in relation to program look and feel were reflective of issues with literacy and concentration. Activity- rather than text-based programs were considered easier to learn from, whereas attractive design with features such as connecting with others were thought necessary to keep young people engaged. Students wanted to learn practical skills on improving their mental health and well-being, using content that is positive, encouraging, and credible and that can be tailored to individual needs. Anonymity and voluntary participation were considered essential when delivering cCBT in the context of alternative education, as well as additional access from home to ensure timeliness of support. Staff required both flexibility and careful planning and timetabling in order to deliver cCBT in the alternative education setting and to support student engagement. Conclusion: The findings provide novel insight into the needs and preferences of vulnerable youth, with important implications for the implementation of computerized mental health programs in alternative education settings. A better understanding of user needs and preferences is critical for improving the uptake and impact of e-mental health resources.

Evaluating Implementation of Check In/Check Out in Alternative Educational Settings: Stakeholder Perspectives

ABSTRACTCheck in/check out is a research-based intervention that has been used to support the behavior of students with emotional and behavioral disorders that has been investigated across settings. Utility of implementation of check in/check out within an alternative educational setting was assessed by interviewing five stakeholders regarding their perceptions of applicability, as well as effectiveness of the check in/check out intervention. Analysis using the constant comparative method revealed three themes of successes, two themes of challenges, as well as themes related to ideal characteristics of time of implementation, mentors, and participants. Each of these themes are discussed with examples from stakeholders. Limitations and future directions are addressed.

Reworking or reaffirming practice? Perceptions of professional learning in alternative and flexible education settings

The success of alternative and flexible education settings, serving young people for whom mainstream schooling has not worked well, rests on the practices of their staff. This paper explores interview and survey data on the professional learning experiences and perceptions of staff working in flexible learning programmes across Victoria, Australia. These settings are often associated with innovative educational practice, as well as a freedom to act outside of dominant neoliberal logics governing teachers’ work and limiting possibilities for ‘transformative’ professional learning. This paper shows staff engaged in a diversity of professional learning activities mediated through interactions with colleagues and responsive to locally determined needs. The paper focuses on three core components – ‘external events’, ‘internal stuff’ and ‘cross program’ – to explore what staff perceive to be valuable professional learning in supporting their practice. Themes of authenticity, collegiality and trust, as well as tensions between reworking and reaffirming practice are considered. The highly collaborative nature of professional learning and apparent privileging of internal ‘within sector’ knowledge is argued to bring possibilities for strong support for staff and expeditious cross-fertilisation of practice whilst also posing risks in terms of endangering innovation, flexibility and diversity. Areas of fruitful future research are identified.

Learning from teaching in alternative and flexible education settings

Alternative and flexible education settings provide a unique vantage point on the possibilities of crafting educational spaces with and for young people, as demonstrated through the papers in this ...

Symbolic non-violence in the work of teachers in alternative education settings

Patterns in analysis of research data on alternative education practices as well as on student and teacher experience in mainstream settings seem to support Pierre Bourdieu and Jean Claude Passeron’s theory of symbolic violence. Data from teachers and students suggest that students from low socio-economic backgrounds often disengage from education because of their perceived failure as students. The research data also suggest that structures, practices and relationships in alternative education settings could be characterised as symbolic non-violence. This concept is explored in this paper with a view to clarifying critique of Bourdieu and Passeron as well as understanding the work of teachers in alternative settings and the role of non-violence in education. The article also considers what emergent ideas can be gained for the mainstream in suggesting new ways of supporting students from low socio-economic status backgrounds who are often marginalised in the education system. This could be achieved by changing the way school works rather than trying to change students to fit into existing school structures, practices and relationships.

'I don't need pink hair here': Should we be seeking to 'reintegrate' youngsters without challenging mainstream school cultures?

This article draws on data gathered between 2014 and 2015 through interviews with youngsters and staff, and supplemented by research that took place over a two-year period (2012–14) at a school for excluded youngsters in Devon, UK. The research explored the views of students and staff about reasons for being in alternative education settings, the difference in culture between such contexts and those provided by mainstream schools, and feelings about reintegration. Noting that reintegration is more successful with primary school students than at secondary level, the authors consider staff preoccupations around the issue of timing, and identify potential windows of opportunity. They also discuss the way in which centres for excluded children can construct environments that operate in the manner of an extended family. This, they argue, creates a conundrum for those working with excluded youngsters: the very elements put in place to create a supportive environment for such youngsters are liable to militate against targets for reintegration back into mainstream schools. The authors conclude that, rather than suggesting problems with such alternative settings, this highlights the need for change in mainstream schools.

A PROPOSED PILOT STUDY OF A GRATITUDE PRACTICE PROGRAM TO INCREASE GRATITUDE AMONG EDUCATORS: THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF GRATITUDE PRACTICE TO INCREASE WORK ENGAGEMENT AND BUFFER AGAINST AND DECREASE BURNOUT

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 24pt 36pt;"><span style="color: #131413; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Burnout in educational settings is an international issue. Drawing on practitioner experience in Flexi schools for disenfranchised young people and the methods of positive psychology, this paper outlines a gratitude practice program (GPP) as a proposed intervention to address burnout within Flexi schools. The proposed intervention comprises a full-day workshop and 10 weekly group coaching sessions that aim to develop gratitude practice among teachers. The intention of the paper is to consider the GPP’s capacity to increase gratitude and the potential benefit of the program to participants. This proposed pilot study will be delivered to 14 educators in a single school. A pretest-posttest, multi-method design of evaluation will be presented and discussed. The GPP’s capacity to increase gratitude will be evaluated utilising a gratitude questionnaire. A focus group will be used to ascertain the benefit of the program. It is predicted that the GPP will increase gratitude and will be found beneficial by participants. The potential of the GPP to increase work engagement is discussed in terms of future studies. This proposed pilot study offers a practical intervention that can potentially address the real-world problem of burnout in alternative educational settings.</span></p>

Valued outcomes in the counter‐spaces of alternative education programs: success but on whose scale?

AbstractFor marginalised young people, alternative education settings—referred to here as flexible learning programs (FLPs)—are thought to provide a powerful ‘counter‐space’ to damaging experiences of mainstream schooling. Such programs are inherently contradictory, with potential to also reproduce stigma and disadvantage. The provision of secondary schooling via FLPs is significant. In Australia, for example, the sector serves over 70,000 students. A better understanding of student experiences and outcomes in these educational spaces is needed. Drawing on interview data with staff, students, and graduates from two FLPs in Victoria, this paper employs Soja's ideas about conceived, perceived, and lived space to explore what outcomes are valued and to consider how success is measured in these programs. The paper shows that FLP staff and students valued a diverse range of academic, social, and personal outcomes that support a more expansive vision of education and monitoring student success than dominant perspectives. The paper also suggests that these FLPs are both a counter‐space and a space that connects back to the mainstream, optimally understood as third space, a hybrid place, bringing together the conventional and the alternative to create a valued and valuable education for marginalised young people.

‘It’s the best thing I’ve done in a long while’: teenage mothers’ experiences of educational alternatives

Pregnant and mothering schoolgirls have been identified as an educationally vulnerable group. Many are not welcomed in their mainstream schools and as a consequence, access a range of educational alternatives. This article presents the views and experiences of 14 young women in the English Midlands, who became pregnant while still of statutory school age, 12 of whom spent time in alternative educational settings. It is based on data gathered from repeat interviews over an 18-month period and shows that all who attended the educational alternatives rated them highly and benefitted from what they had to offer. Using the concept of ‘difference’ as a central analytic theme, the article examines how and why this was the case. The analysis shows that it was through recognising some differences but not others that the educational alternatives were successful in supporting young women’s learning and well-being. Importantly, those that were recognised were done so in non-stigmatising ways. The research also highlights some limitations of the alternatives, alongside the ways in which gender and class continue to impact the educational outcomes and career trajectories of this particular group of students.

Factors Associated With Student Resilience: Perspectives of Graduates of Alternative Education Programs

Many students with emotional and behavioral disorders placed in alternative education settings lack resilience and are likely to experience failure in school and beyond without carefully designed intervention programs. Although researchers have examined both resilience in children and youth and their placement in alternative education settings, there is little research regarding resilience among students who have graduated from alternative education settings. Using semistructured interviews in the present interpretive and descriptive qualitative study, we sought to explore factors of resilience in individuals who graduated from alternative education settings. Further, we wanted to identify elements specific to alternative education settings that may contribute to resilience in young adulthood and to further our understanding of how alternative education placements have contributed to the participants' current life status. Finally, we discuss the participants' perspectives of their school experiences and the major themes that emerged.

Exposing young people to cooking and new foods: findings from a feasibility study in an alternative education setting.

The current study describes a feasibility study of an experiential cooking program for alternative education students. The aims were to identify potential areas for measuring impact (beyond nutrition) and to identify issues threatening the feasibility and evaluation of the program. Weekly cooking sessions were conducted in one alternative education center over a school term. Data were collected through weekly observations, a youth focus group, and staff interview. Observational data confirmed high levels of participation by students, willingness to try new foods, and enjoyment of foods prepared. Comments from the teacher and students emphasized the wider impact of the cooking sessions on positive youth development and cultural engagement, including opportunities for socio-emotional learning, team work, socializing with peers, and cultural blessings of food. Future studies should consider measures of positive youth development along with cooking skills and eating behaviors as potential outcomes.

A Literature Review of Alternative School Academic Interventions for Students With and Without Disabilities

The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 has drawn greater attention to the academic achievement of students considered at risk who attend alternative schools. Due to problems both inside and outside of schools, students in alternative education settings may struggle with academic content and require a different educational approach. This comprehensive literature review critically examined experimental intervention studies that were conducted in alternative schools published between 1990 and 2013. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Academic intervention studies conducted in alternative educational settings, limitations, practical implications, and future directions are discussed.

Towards a Critically Conscious Approach to Social and Emotional Learning in Urban Alternative Education: School Staff Members’ Perspectives

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been well researched and validated as an important component of youth education (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Elias et. al., 1997). However, much of the literature implies a very monolithic approach to SEL interventions (Watts, Griffith, & Abdul-Adil, 1999). The current study examines a predominately African-American urban alternative school’s unique approach to reaching students’ SEL needs. Utilizing Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, 2012), researchers interviewed 15 staff members at the school, ranging from teachers to mental health professionals to community educators, to obtain a thorough understanding of the unique approaches to SEL within urban alternative education. Implications for educators and mental health professionals working in alternative educational settings are discussed

‘We matter just the same’: students and pre-service teachers working together in an alternative educational setting

This paper examines how a clinical experience in an alternative educational setting impacted both pre-service secondary teachers and the students with whom they worked. The participants were pre-service secondary teachers completing a clinical experience at a local agency that served a population of students for whom traditional school settings were not effective, as well as students at the agency. The results indicate that for the pre-service teachers, the experience allowed them to develop a deeper understanding of learner diversity and the importance of connecting to students. For the agency students, the interactions with the pre-service teachers provided them with additional academic support, as well as resources for post-secondary education. The agency students also recognized that they had the power to show pre-service teachers how to work effectively with students for whom traditional school settings are a challenge. The authors conclude with implications for pre-service teachers, agency students, and university and clinical site instructors, as well as practical considerations for developing such partnerships.