Mainstream Secondary Schools Research Articles

Leadership and curriculum: embedding teaching and learning about the holocaust in schools in Scotland

ABSTRACT Unlike in England, where the Holocaust has been a compulsory part of the history curriculum for Key Stage 3 since 1991, the Holocaust is not mandatory in the Scottish curriculum. Therefore, Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust (TLH) in Scotland relies on the commitment of individual teachers and/or schools. Factors that impact TLH in Scotland are the Citizenship and Equalities priorities within its flexible curriculum that encourages Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL), annual commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day, and teacher and pupil participation (since 2007) in the Lessons from Auschwitz Project (LFA). This paper identifies approaches to embedding TLH in mainstream secondary schools in Scotland accredited by the Vision School Scotland (VSS) programme and presents evidence drawn from online application documentation from successful schools in this programme which were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings were that leadership from staff and pupils is significant to its delivery and that while Nazi antisemitism is included in TLH programmes, contemporary antisemitism is largely not taught or discussed at a class or school level. This has practical implications for schools aiming to develop ‘best practices’ in delivering TLH.

How can we do authentic co-construction with autistic secondary pupils?

Purpose of the research: Co-constructed digital storytelling methods have the potential to provide authentic children’s perspectives for planning health and education support. The Our Stories project investigated how this method can be applied with autistic children and young people (CYP). A year-long sub-project supported four autistic CYP in a mainstream secondary school in the UK to create short videos illustrating how they manage their sensory and emotional experiences during the school day. The CYP were supported by a member of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities team, a specialist autism teacher, a researcher, and filmmakers from a disability-led community interest company. This paper reflects on how we can authentically co-construct digital stories with autistic secondary pupils. Major findings: We identified two broad messages for genuinely participatory research. The first was how the structure of sessions changed, from an initial assumption of imposing structure to achieve the research aims to the negotiation of a messy, more fluid means of working to suit the CYP’s needs and wishes. Second was a change in the intended purpose of the stories, from a product to support reflection and understanding about emotional regulation, to each CYP’s own unfolding of purpose. Conclusion: We draw out general implications for co-construction in participatory research in terms of awareness of how to work with power relations in ways that keep the young person at the centre of analysis, and which recognise the need for space for CYP to construct their own meanings.

Barriers to teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms in mainstream secondary schools

Purpose The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore barriers to cultural and linguistic diversity teaching in mainstream secondary schools in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study was underpinned by the culturally responsive pedagogy theory as a framework. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to explore the barriers to teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) classrooms. Findings The authors found that teachers experience a plethora of challenges in teaching CLD learners. The findings show that culturally responsive practices, collaboration with relevant stakeholders and seeking professional development opportunities may advance the productive engagement of CLD learners in secondary schools. Practical implications Pre-service and in-service teachers should be conscientious about CLD teaching and learning through professional development. Teachers should be trained and retrained to accommodate CLD learners. Originality/value This study highlights significant aspects that hinder the inclusion of CLD learners and encourages the Department of Higher Education (tertiary institutions) and the Department of Basic Education Curriculum Developers to reconsider aspects of CLD in curriculum planning.

A systematic review: Which psycho-social-environmental factors do autistic students identify as being important for positive experiences in mainstream secondary school?

Research has shown that many autistic students do not thrive in mainstream secondary schools. Often studies focus on the challenges autistic people face rather than what supports thriving. We reviewed published articles, exploring what factors helped autistic people create a positive experience in school from their own perspective. We identified 36 studies and analysed the direct quotes made by autistic adolescents and adults in these studies. Factors important for positive experience included the autistic student feeling understood and accepted by adults and peers in school, being able to shape sensory and social environments in ways that suited them and accessing engaging activities. This review highlighted ways in which schools can become more inclusive and positive environments for autistic students.

Agonistic freedoms: enabling disaffected working-class students to turn-back-around to mainstream school

ABSTRACT The sifting and sorting mechanisms of Australia’s education system continue to work to the detriment of groups put at a disadvantage. For mainstream schools serving working-class communities in particular, the rejection of the offers and advantages of schooling continue to result in differential class consequences and inequalities for working-class young people. In response, this paper pursues a more hopeful project of schooling by considering how schools can work to circumvent the alienation of working-class students from the mainstream secondary school system. Foucault’s conceptualisations of ‘power relations’, ‘agonistic freedom’ and ‘technologies of the self’ are used alongside Kamler and Comber’s notion of ‘turn-around pedagogies’ to draw attention to the complex relationships between students’ subjectivities, their shifting dispositions towards school and eventual enticement to turn-back-around to mainstream school.

Assessing the Relationship Between Teacher Inclusive Beliefs, Behaviors, and Competences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

This study examined the associations between teachers' beliefs and behaviors related to inclusive education (IE) and their evaluations of social and academic competences in students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - important indicators of IE. Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research investigated how teachers' intentions to implement IE and their supportive practices affected the social and academic competences of students with ASD. The study involved 267 teachers from 78 mainstream secondary schools in Hong Kong. Teachers completed a questionnaire assessing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to implement IE. Information on teachers' practices supporting students with ASD and their evaluations of social and academic competences of these students was also collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the relationships between these variables. Correlation analysis revealed positive and significant associations between teachers' beliefs, inclusive practices, and their evaluations of social and academic competences of students with ASD. SEM indicated that perceived behavioral control significantly and positively influenced the social and academic competences of students with ASD through teachers' inclusive practices. This study highlights the vital role of teachers' control beliefs and inclusive practices in fostering the social and academic competences of students with ASD. By applying the TPB and SEM, the research contributes to understanding how teachers' intentions and behaviors in implementing IE impact students' outcomes. The findings offer practical implications for enhancing inclusive education practices for supporting students with ASD in mainstream schools.

‘There is no barrier when it comes to your deafness’: participatory research exploring the views of deaf and hard-of-hearing students being educated in a resource provision

ABSTRACT Resource provisions (or bases) are a form of educational provision in England intended to allow the inclusion of students with special educational needs and disabilities within a mainstream setting. Current research around the educational experiences of students within resource provision is limited. This small-scale study sought to explore the school experiences of a convenience sample of six deaf and hard-of-hearing students, aged between 12–18 years, educated in a resource provision within a mainstream secondary school. The study used a participatory approach in which all six students took on the role of co-researchers. Interviews and diary entries were used to collect the data and thematic analysis was carried out by the co-researchers to identify five themes. The themes highlight the complex interplay between individual agency, peer influence and societal barriers for this minoritised group. The co-researchers’ findings led to implications for action for themselves and for their immediate educational provision. The findings suggest implications for educational settings more widely in enabling the inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing students educated in resource provision.

Exploring the implementation of whole school emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSN) guidance in a secondary school

Aim:This research aims to explore the implementation of whole school guidance for Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSN).Method/Rationale:School attendance is an area of increasing concern and many local authorities have produced guidance to support schools and others in their practice. How such guidance is implemented is likely to have a key influence on improving outcomes however, available implementation frameworks tend to focus on time-limited, specific universal or group programmes with little guidance on the implementation of more complex multi-component whole school approaches. Action research within a mainstream secondary school in the Northwest of England was used to explore the implementation of EBSN guidance through the following research question: What do school staff perceive as key factors (facilitators and barriers) influencing implementation of EBSN guidance in their school context?Findings:Key factors identified as influencing implementation in the school context were leadership and compatibility of practice and expectations; staff knowledge, perceptions and attitudes; and resources. These themes require communication, cohesion and consistency, and they sit within the current context and its internal and external systems, including parents and the community.Limitations:Initial stages of implementation are explored but timescales did not allow for exploration of how implementation of the guidance would be sustained.Conclusions:Key reflections are explored, and findings are used to further delineate a recently developed framework relating to facilitators and barriers to implementing whole school approaches. Implications for practice and future research are outlined.

‘I get in before they do’: the impact of voice and visibility on girls’ experience of being at risk of permanent exclusion from School

ABSTRACT This paper explores the experiences of a small sample of girls in English schools at risk of permanent exclusion. A range of visual methods were used to collect data from girls in mainstream secondary schools and an alternative provision setting which formed the basis of subsequent interviews. Through an examination of extant research and the data from this study, it is argued that issues of visibility and voice continue to be prevalent for girls at the margins of education. This paper contends that within the current educational climate in England, girls’ experiences appear to have remained the same as, or deteriorated compared to their contemporaries 20 years ago. It concludes by suggesting some possible next steps and implications for schools and those supporting girls in educational settings.

Has the explicit teaching of emotions a place in the secondary school curriculum? a small-scale PE-based study

ABSTRACT The secondary school curriculum largely aims to prepare students academically, often overlooking the holistic development of the learner. The benefits of socio-emotional learning (SEL) to student behaviour and academic attainment are gradually acknowledged and discussed, but teachers may find it hard to integrate SEL into their subject knowledge. This paper draws on the findings of a novel pilot project that aimed to integrate socioemotional-oriented teaching into the secondary school curriculum. It employs a lesson study (LS) approach to actively involve teacher trainees in curriculum development that introduces SEL in the context of physical education (PE). The project was conducted in partnership with one mainstream secondary school in the Southwest of England for a period of 2 months during the summer term 2021–2022. Two teacher trainees and one qualified PE teacher designed, evaluated, and planned a sequence of four research lessons focusing on integrating socioemotional-oriented teaching in PE. Data collection involved four focus groups and six in-depth evaluation interviews. Our findings provide insights into the tensions, challenges and significance of explicitly introducing socioemotional-oriented teaching into a secondary curriculum subject raising questions about the place of emotions in education. It also highlights the potential of a lesson study approach in empowering teachers’ involvement in curriculum development. Evidence suggests that teacher trainees might be more motivated to draw on SEL teaching when it is integrated in their subject topic. Practical implications for teacher training and professional development are discussed.

Qualitative Study Examining Attendance for Secondary School Pupils With Long-Term Physical Health Conditions.

For some children and young people (CYP) with long-term physical health conditions (LTPHCs) attending school can be difficult. There is a lack of evidence documenting their school attendance experiences, how schools manage absence for these children, and subsequent effects. This study utilised an existing dataset from eighty-nine 11-18-year-olds in mainstream secondary schools in the United Kingdom across 11 LTPHCs that provided first-hand accounts about the children's experiences of school. Data pre-coded "attendance" were subject to thematic analysis to explore issues emerging. Findings showed attendance patterns varied, with some CYP missing little and others significant amounts of education. Children with LTPHCs wanted to attend school and did their best to navigate education alongside health. School systems for attendance were inconsistent and adversarial. Remedial and supportive action emerged as lacking, and children felt it was their personal responsibility to make up for lost time and missed work when absent. Decisions on whether they attended school, coupled with practices promoting high attendance had detrimental consequences for CYP with LTPHCs educationally, emotionally and socially. Overall, children with LTPHCs felt punished, stigmatised, unfairly treated, unequal and excluded. Results have implications for education, health, and policy practitioners to better plan and target attention so that the LTPHC cohort are treated sensitively and equitably and afforded their entitlement to education when they cannot go to school for health reasons often outside of their control.

Nothing for us without us: Student-identified approaches that can support the inclusion of deaf students in South African secondary schools

ABSTRACT Since 1994, the South African government has committed itself to transforming its entire education system with global initiatives related to inclusive education. One of these changes has seen increased support for deaf students in inclusive education settings, as deaf students are increasingly being educated in mainstream classrooms along with their hearing peers. Establishing learning environments that address the unique needs of deaf students is essential for their success but to date little research has included their voices. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of four deaf students, educated in mainstream secondary schools in one South African province, to understand the unique features of their learning needs. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews focused on the generation of information regarding the students’ beliefs, knowledge and feelings about their educational experiences. Participants’ responses are presented in terms of how mainstream teachers might adapt their teaching strategies, teaching materials and assessment tasks, not to dilute educational standards but to give deaf students equal opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge. Our work offers insights into how teachers and schools could implement classroom-level changes, that could perhaps contribute to systems-wide transformation in South African mainstream schools.

The Outcomes of Collaborative Whole-School Professional Development on Teachers' Inclusive Practices in a Mainstream Secondary School

The outcomes of a collaborative whole-school model of professional development on teachers' learning to enact an inclusive education initiative, in a mainstream post-primary school explores the outcomes of whole school collaborative professional development on teachers' learning in terms of the degree and quality of teacher change in relation to inclusive practices, in this instance specific to level two learning programmes (L2LPs) and what factors facilitated or hindered teachers' learning for enacting inclusive practices. The findings of this paper highlight the potential of facilitated PD to empower teachers to develop greater levels of knowledge, skills, and experience of inclusive practice to enable collective decision-making and enhanced planning and teaching for all learners. Though aimed at a specific programme (L2LPs), the authors believe this research has wider implications for supporting mainstream teachers build capacity in their inclusive practices generally.

Born in Bradford's Age of Wonder cohort: protocol for adolescent data collection.

Adolescence and transition into adulthood are periods shaping life-long mental health, cardiometabolic risk, and inequalities. However, they are poorly studied and understood. By extending and expanding the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study through this period using innovative, co-produced approaches to collect and analyse data, we aim to understand better the interplay of factors that influence health and wellbeing, and inform/evaluate interventions to improve them and reduce inequalities. BiB Age of Wonder (AoW) is a large, whole city cohort that will capture the contemporary lived experience amongst multi-ethnic adolescents progressing into young adulthood. We will collect repeated data from existing BiB participants and their peers (N~30,000 adolescents). The protocol for the first phase of the quantitative methods, involving survey measurements and health assessments in mainstream secondary schools is described here. We describe the co-production behind these methods, and lessons learned from the first year of data collection.

The impact of a school ability banding system on white, working-class males

As part of a wider study into the educational attitudes and experiences of white, working-class male pupils in the north of England, this paper explored the ways that male pupils in years 10 and 11 navigated and experienced the six-level (A-F) academic banding system present in their British mainstream secondary school (Ayrefield Community school – ACS). Following an initial four-week period of both covert and overt observations (including guided conversations), three distinct groups of male pupils emerged. Influenced in part by Paul Willis’ seminal study (1977) of males in a working-class school environment, these three ‘lads’ groups were representative of pupils in the top, middle, and bottom academic bands and were subsequently named Performers, Participants and Problematics respectively by the researcher. Following this initial phase of observations, a total of 74 male pupils from these top (n = 29), middle (n = 26) and lower (n = 19) academic bands were specifically selected to take part in a total of 14 group interviews with the aim being to explore the lads’ experiences of, and attitudes towards, being taught in academic bands, as well as their views on education and qualifications more generally. Passages from these group interviews are combined with guided conversation responses to make up the findings presented in this paper which are then explored and explained using some key concepts from Norbert Elias’s field of figurational sociology alongside key academic literature linked to the use of academic banding in schools. The paper suggests that despite the fact that all male pupils at ACS were exposed to very similar working-class upbringings and social pressures as part of their wider social figuartions, members of each of the three lads’ groups became part of, and were subsequently influenced by, the specific, school-based figuartions that emerged as a result of their allocation to their respective academic group. Influenced by the increasingly diverse and complex social relations within these school-based figuartions, the lads from the three different groups seemed set to achieve relative ‘success’ at school, albeit on route to different destinations, for different reasons, and towards quite starkly different end goals – all whilst still being very much aware of, and influenced by, the wider social figuration of which they were inextricably a part.

Lessons Learnt From Conducting an Instrumental Ethno-Case Study in a Mainstream Secondary School

The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into the lessons learnt as the primary researcher during an instrumental ethno-case study research project that took place in a mainstream secondary academy that set out to examine the physical education (PE) experiences of adolescent, white, pupils in a ‘typical’ working-class secondary school (Ayrefield Community School – ACS). With the term instrumental ethno-case study used to reflect the non-continuous nature of the 34 days spent in the school over a 16-month period, the structure and content of the paper aims to provide a greater theoretical and practical understanding of this relatively nuanced and contemporary approach to qualitative research in education. Determined that the study design remained based in ethnography, consideration is also given to the impact of professional and personal time constraints on an ability to engage in a truly immersive ethnographical study. In this regard, the paper also aims to provide additional guidance on the design and implementation of the study and the recording and interpretation of the data for any researcher with similar aims and/or time constraints. In addition, the paper also utilises Norbert Elias’ sociological concept of involvement and detachment as the lens through which the juxtaposition between objective researcher and experienced mainstream secondary school teacher was explored and managed throughout the duration of the study. Overall, therefore, the paper aims to provide a theoretical justification for the use of the term instrumental ethno-case study design, additional guidance and lessons learnt on the design and implementation of this approach, and further detail on the extent to which the potential conflict between objective researcher and former school teacher was acknowledged and managed. The project itself primarily set out to examine the physical education (PE) experiences of adolescent, white, pupils in a ‘typical’ mainstream working-class secondary school (Ayrefield Community School – ACS) and in doing so also sought to explore the attitudes of the pupils in relation to their views on qualifications and education generally, how they spent their leisure time, and more specifically, how their own actions and relationships with their male PE staff came to influence the content and delivery of their PE provision. Therefore, reflecting on the use of the traditional case study methodologies of covert and overt observations, informal guided conversations, and focus group interviews with male pupils and school staff, the paper highlights and examines the practicalities and considerations associated with the selection of, and access to, a ‘typical’ white, working-class school, how care was taken to encourage ‘natural’ behaviour during covert and overt observations, the specific nature of informal guided conversations with pupils and staff, and the techniques utilised in order to facilitate focus group interviews with these male adolescent pupils.

Exploring the Challenges of Special Needs Students at Secondary School of Bangladesh

This study aims to identify common challenges faced by students with special needs in Bangladesh’s mainstream secondary schools. Data was collected from 30 students with special needs, 30 general students, 30 mainstream teachers, 30 parents, and 12 school administrators using FGD and interviews. The study reveals that inclusive education is acceptable and seen as a means to reduce social discrimination. However, there are unsettling findings regarding the provision of quality education and physical facilities for inclusive classrooms. Despite a lack of physical facilities, schools accept a variety of students, but teachers are not always prepared to support students with special needs. Despite initiatives to train teachers, there is a lack of trained teachers in schools to care for special needs students. The findings are expected to influence policies and policymakers to ensure quality education and physical facilities in mainstream classrooms, reducing the challenges faced by special needs students.

Voices from the edge: Girls' experiences of being at risk of permanent exclusion

AbstractThis paper considers the experiences of education for girls at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream secondary schools in England. The number of girls being permanently excluded from school is a growing issue, and data suggests that girls are being excluded at a percentage rate which exceeds boys, yet they have continued to receive comparatively little attention, either in policy, research or the media. This study uses ecomapping and semi‐structured interviews to examine the challenges girls face and the resources they use to address or ameliorate them. The paper provides an overview of the data collected, considers how the prevalent challenges reported by girls compare to existing research and suggests a number of approaches which could be taken to support girls. It reflects on girls' lack of visibility and voice in policy and research on school exclusions, how this has continued to affect the services and support available to them, and schools' responses to their behaviour. It concludes by reviewing the recommendations previous studies have advocated to support girls at risk of exclusion and reflects on the progress made towards these, noting how current issues of school funding, teacher recruitment and attrition, performativity and accountability have impacted on the scope of action it is possible for individual schools to take.

The INSCHOOL project:Young people with long-term physical health conditions: An in-depth qualitative study of their needs at school.

The INSCHOOL project aimed to understand the school experiences and unmet needs of young people across a diversity of long-term physical health conditions. Young people aged 11-18 years, in mainstream secondary school in the United Kingdom, with one of 11physical health conditions were invited to unique participant-driven interviews, focus groups, or written activities. Creative preparation activities were provided to give participants increased control over the data collection and prioritize their voices. A needs analysis, in combination with participatory analysis sessions with young people, identified the common needs of participants in relation to their school lives. Eighty-nine young people participated from April 2022 to2023. Analysis of their transcripts defined six common needs across all the health conditions: Need to safely manage my health at school; need for a flexible education pathway; need to be acknowledged and listened to in the right way; need to be included in and supported by the school community; need to build towardmy future; need to develop attitudes and approaches to help me cope in school. This study has generated new, actionable knowledge by identifying six major needs that young people have in relation to the intersection of their health condition and their school life. This paper shows that a commonalities approach to research and policy development is warranted given the similarities in experiences and needs. The common needs identified in the INSCHOOL project highlight six areas where future interventions could be targeted to begin making meaningful changes for all young people with long-term health conditions.

Enablers and barriers to equitable participation for students with blindness or low vision in Australian mainstream secondary schools

ABSTRACT A global commitment to inclusive education through policies and legislation has been espoused to provide equitable access to the curriculum for students with disability. Recent evidence suggests, however, that for students with blindness or low vision (BLV), the visual nature of the curriculum means that content can be inaccessible. This study explored the barriers and enablers that students with BLV encounter when engaging with the curriculum. Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six students with BLV in Australian mainstream secondary schools. The interviews were analysed to determine the factors that influenced equitable access and participation. The analysis uncovered a number of themes, including access to curriculum materials, support from classroom teachers, support from specialist educators and familiarity with, and use of assistive technologies. The results of this study demonstrated that more professional development is needed for teachers and other stakeholders to prepare students with BLV to participate in learning ‘on the same basis’ as their peers without disability.