Pupil Voice Research Articles

Reviewing the role of the physics curriculum and its assessment in post-16 gender disparities

ABSTRACT Physics drives innovation, addressing humanity’s problems. Learning physics should be an entitlement for all, but access to the physics curriculum is currently inequitable, frequently being perceived as androcentric and Eurocentric. The proportion of girls taking Advanced Level Physics in England has remained low over the last 30 years. We describe changes to the secondary curriculum and its assessment in England from the 1980s onwards, reviewing research about how these changes might affect girls’ physics uptake. Arguably, curriculum and assessment decisions have a gatekeeping effect, locking many students out of physics. Research indicates that the science curriculum and its assessment create challenges for girls in accessing physics and identifying as physicists. Whilst introducing balanced science (including biology, chemistry, and physics) to age 16 prevented stereotypical choices at age 14, curriculum content was viewed by young people and teachers as inflexible, irrelevant, lacking debate, and repetitive. Consequently, changes were made. However, the desired improvement in girls’ physics uptake did not happen and subsequent curriculum changes restored the status quo. Policymakers should work more closely with practitioners, including experts from underrepresented groups, when making changes, using research and pupil voice to inform them, to improve inclusion and diversity.

‘Everyone needs to be educated’: pupils’ voices on menstrual education

BackgroundPhysical, affective and behavioural symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle are commonplace. Adolescents with problematic symptoms have reported a negative impact on school attendance, behaviour and participation in physical activity. In the United Kingdom, evidence suggests that menstrual health education delivered by teachers focusses on menstrual cycle biology as opposed to management of menstruation and menstrual cycle related symptoms. Through obtaining the pupil voice, this study aimed to understand young people’s perceptions and experiences of menstrual education in schools and their experiences of menstruating whilst at school, including within Physical Education.MethodsTo address the aims, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Nine focus groups with female pupils (n = 48; ages 10–15 years) were completed across six school locations in England and Wales, including primary and secondary schools. A range of elements relating to the menstrual cycle, education at school and PE were discussed by pupils.ResultsFour main themes were developed (a) Education preferences, (b) Period positive environments, (c) Personal experiences and (d) Impact on school. Similarities were reflected across focus groups in terms of current (lacking) education, lesson style and preferences, comfort of conversations, lack of school support and impact on school and PE.ConclusionThe findings highlight the lack of menstrual education received and subsequent impact of menstruation and menstrual-related symptoms in school and PE. The abundance of information requested by pupils highlights the deficit in understanding about how to manage periods in school and remain engaged in physical activity. Schools can utilise information from the current study to; create period positive environments; consider lesson content and format; and explore how to support girls to stay physically active in PE.

Pupil voice in physical education and the desire for (in)visibility

ABSTRACT The importance of children is a universally accepted concept in schools. However, do we actually listen to what children have to say? Rudduck and Fielding [2002. The transformative potential of student voice: Confronting the power issues. Paper presented at BERA Annual Conference, University of Exeter, p. 2] argue that the voices of pupils are ‘silent’ or ‘silenced’. The aim of this study was to listen to the voice of pupils, concerning their experiences in Physical Education (PE) in schools, with the direction of the study being driven (although not co-designed) by pupils and thereafter following the issues that they raised. It involved 154, 14–16-year-old pupils across the two schools, one an independent school and the other a state academy. A focus group in each school (6 pupils per study) drove the direction of the study which then sort breadth through a questionnaire to the whole year group in both schools (154 respondents) and finally depth through 12 individual interviews. A theoretical framework (Social Field Theory) was selected post findings to ensure that it best represented the emergent data. Through this Pupil voice method, five themes emerged, those being Participation, Choice, Pressure, Ability and Development, and Health. These indicated that pupils have vastly different experiences in the PE lesson, in particular, if they are at either end of the ability spectrum. For some it is that of humiliation and censure, and for others it is about success and achievement. The uniqueness of the lesson with regard to physique and the exposure of both skill and body can affect this duality, negatively and positively. This can lead to the desire for, or coerced, (in)visibility for many pupils. Solutions from pupils, at both ends of the ability spectrum, to counter issues in PE involved giving choice of activity and having ability setting for classes.

Children’s Lived Experiences of Wellbeing at School in England: a Phenomenological Inquiry

This phenomenological inquiry investigated children’s wellbeing experiences at school, including their hedonic (feeling good) and eudaimonic (doing good) accounts, a distinction often overlooked. Further, while phenomenological inquiries of children’s mental ill-health exist, wellbeing, a fundamental part of mental health, is neglected. This is at odds with positive psychology which favours strengths-based approaches to studying human development. Phenomenology provides rich detail, facilitating deeper understanding of why and how certain factors affect wellbeing, as described by children themselves. A sample of 15 children (aged 9–11), attending one English primary school broadly representative of the national socio-demographic, engaged in interviews. Children’s experiences of ‘feeling good’ at school were characterised by: an interdependence on peers’ emotional states (described as ‘a domino effect’), a need to feel cared for by, and trust, adults, and desire for autonomy over their time. Children attributed mistrust in adults to adults disregarding seemingly incidental events which felt significant to children. Children experienced ‘doing well’ as equating to academic attainment, conveying a fixation with test scores, using language of ‘correctness’ and efficiency. Shame pervaded when ‘correctness’ was not achieved, with children describing being ridiculed for poor test scores. Recommendations for schools to support children’s hedonia include prioritising wellbeing curricula and emotional literacy, greater staff reflexivity, and prioritisation of pupil voice. To foster children’s eudaimonia, recommendations include the need for teachers to provide formative, personalised feedback for pupils focused on the learning process, and the need for Government to embrace a range of ways pupils can feel successful beyond academic attainment.

Pupil Voice Groups: The Impact on Schools and Students

Over 30 years ago, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child passed legislation allowing children under the age of 18 to express their concerns in circumstances and decisions that affect them. Because one impact on children under the age of 18 is the educational system, Scotland education has integrated opportunities for students to be involved in the educational process. Pupil voice groups are one of the techniques that have been implemented in Scotland and throughout Europe. These groups allow students to have a voice in their education that may impact development. Researchers sought to identify the impacts of pupil voice groups on student development, the surrounding community, and the school. Researchers identified primary school students from years P-3 to P-6 (7 to 12 years of age) involved in pupil voice groups. Data were collected through focus group interviews, in which themes surrounding benefits, drawbacks, and impacts on the school and community emerged. Results indicated that these groups improve the school and community, and students believe these opportunities allow them to share their opinions on their education. The researchers recommend that further research should examine the perceptions of previously interviewed students towards involvement in pupil voice groups, and the use of pupil voice groups outside of the United Kingdom.

‘Hearing their voice’: the experiences of physical education with pupils diagnosed with severe learning disabilities

ABSTRACT The number of children educated within maintained Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools, known as special schools, in England has continued to rise since 2006, yet the ‘pupil voice’ of children and young people with severe learning difficulties and those attending special schools remains limited in current research. Drawing on Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony (see Jones, 2006), this study aimed to provide an under-represented group with the opportunity to express attitudes and opinions towards their physical education (PE) lessons. The research adopted a participant-focused methodology and used a task-based approach, where participants could complete a series of activities suitable to individual needs. The tasks included a drawing activity, a PE likes and dislikes activity and a storyboard with the following sentence starters: ‘I like’, ‘I don’t like’, ‘I feel’, ‘I want to’ and ‘I think’. PE took on multiple forms, including therapy sessions and team games, thus suggesting that PE was not narrowly defined as one specific form of education for the pupils. Participants were able to express strong opinions towards the type of activities they liked and disliked and were able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the benefits of PE in relation to health. Results indicate that team-based sports were popular and culturally valued. However, participants were often bored of repetitive PE lessons and well-liked therapy-related exercise often replaced PE classes. Older participants (16 years +) attending sixth form were frustrated that PE or the ability to be physically active during the school day was no longer part of their education, suggesting that perhaps PE lessons were not always culturally valued within the school. Finally, due to the lack of opportunities for adults with special education needs in the wider community, participants no longer had access to the types of physical activity they had enjoyed in school.

Understanding the value of parental engagement through pupil voice in a Scottish Primary School

ABSTRACT Schools strive to respond compassionately to disadvantaged families. However, barriers to authentic home-school relationships persist because the concept of parental engagement at home is not well enough understood. Socio-cultural stereotyping still contributes to schools’ fixed impressions of what parental engagement should consist of, and the abilities of disadvantaged parents to support their children’s learning. This qualitative case study provides new and unique insights into learning at home. A child-centred study was undertaken in a small Primary school, in a deprived area of Scotland, exploring the importance of home learning with young children. The findings indicate the young participants had an acute understanding of the significance of home learning for their ongoing and future development.

Identifying solutions to overcome the barriers to pupil participation; a Delphi study of the SEND professional perspective

Professionals who elicit the voice of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have a commitment to ensure a person‐centred approach to assessment, as per the Children and Families Act (2014). However, there are recognised barriers to eliciting voice that inhibit meaningful pupil participation within assessments for an Education, Health and Care Plan and in Annual Reviews. A three‐round Delphi method was carried out with eight professionals from one local authority and a local specialist school, in order to develop consensus on the characteristics of meaningful participation and provide solutions to the perceived barriers when eliciting voice. Findings show that the most significant barriers to eliciting pupil's voice include the child or young person's language and cognitive ability, along with their anxieties and fears of meeting professionals. Professionals felt the limits to participation can be overcome by prioritising a child or young person's views within an assessment and using creative methods to elicit their voice. A document of good practice was produced from the findings based on the professionals' feedback. The resulting document could inform training and professional development for SEND professionals when eliciting pupil's voice.

We may be listening but are we ready to hear? A reflection of the challenges encountered when seeking to hear the educational experiences of excluded young people within the confines of the English education system

ABSTRACT When undertaking research with young people in educational contexts researchers are likely to encounter many challenges. This paper is a discussion of the barriers encountered by a researcher who sought to capture the educational journeys of excluded young people. The study aimed to move beyond young people simply participating in research to develop innovative and creative research methods to empower them to share their stories. Whilst there is increased recognition of the need to listen to the voices of young people, adults need to be willing to hear. This paper will include a reflection of the role adults can play in silencing the voices of young people. There will be a particular focus on the ethical dilemma’s encountered specifically the role of gatekeepers, location of the study, whose voices are being heard and the role of the researcher. Young people have a desire to be heard, although researchers can seek to provide space for stories to be shared, they need to acknowledge the ‘messiness’ that comes with voice research and to be reflexive in their accounts of the research process. This paper will offer a reflection of the lessons learnt on a journey into the realm of pupil voice.

Barriers faced when eliciting the voice of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities for their Education, Health and Care Plans and Annual Reviews

Eliciting the views, wishes and feelings of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been a primary element of the Children and Families Act 2014. Despite professional rhetoric that aims to ensure the voice of children and young people remains at the centre of assessments, SEND professionals often experience difficulties in ensuring meaningful participation during assessments for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and subsequent Annual Reviews. In this study, 36 SEND professionals from local authorities and 16 SEND professionals from specialist schools within England were asked their views on eliciting pupil voice through an online‐based questionnaire, with a particular focus on the barriers they experience. This was then followed up with six in‐depth semi‐structured interviews. The findings identify two distinct categories of barriers; the barriers relating to children and young people that inhibit their ability to express their views meaningfully, and the barriers relating to professionals that impede on their ability to elicit views meaningfully within their role. The implications of the analysis for a person‐centred approach during EHCP assessments and Annual Reviews are discussed.

Learning in lockdown: A small-scale qualitative study exploring the experiences of autistic young people in Scotland

Aim:This study aims to hear the voices of autistic learners to investigate the meaning they made of their learning experiences during the lockdown period of school closures necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly, what were the factors that contributed to positive engagement in remote digital learning, and were there any challenges?Method/Rationale:Three mainstream secondary schools in Scotland were asked to identify pupils who they perceived to have demonstrated increased engagement with learning via virtual means. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven pupils, ranging from S1 – S3 (Years 8 - 10 in England and Wales) during lockdown, to ask about their experiences of learning at home.Findings:Thematic analysis identified six key themes – life at home, technology, working independently, curriculum, adult support and peer support – involving key elements that supported the young people’s engagement. Although all the participants identified supportive elements, aspects of remote learning that presented challenge to engagement were also expressed. These emerged under the same themes.Limitations:The sample size was small and allowed exploration rather than generalisation. The research is based on pupil voice and not triangulated with additional quantitative or qualitative measures.Conclusions:The study explored autistic young people’s experiences of learning during lockdown and found, consistent with prior literature, how tasks are mediated online and the nature of adult contact to support this, were key to supporting engagement in learning. Flexibility and control over a goal-directed timetable was also important. Reflections suggest planning implications for schools and educational psychologists, particularly as remote learning remains a key tenet for curricular delivery and development.

In need of review: Developing Sensory Provision in Northern Ireland’s Mainstream Primary classrooms

The impact of Sensory Processing Difficulties across a range of Special Educational Needs is well researched. More recently, the impact on children’s mental health and well‐being, linked with anxiety, depression and self‐injurious behaviours, have redirected international research to consider the holistic benefits of sensory provision, for those with special educational provision and the wider classroom population. A SMART SURVEY was designed to collate empirical evidence regarding current sensory awareness and provision in mainstream primary schools throughout Northern Ireland, in a time efficient manner. Out of 809 schools, 164 (20.27%) fully completed the online survey. Findings indicate that Special Educational Needs Coordinator confidence in developing practice, supporting staff and children was limited and impaired by insufficient and inconsistent training opportunities. While healthcare research recommends provision by trained professionals, Occupational Therapy input was limited (n = 34; 24.8%), resulting in practice that could be detrimental rather than beneficial to children’s progress. Respondents identified a need for sensory training for teachers (n = 124; 93.94%) to ensure that the impact of Sensory Processing Difficulties on the holistic development of all children is understood. Pupil voice was undervalued (n = 5; 3.6%). Active involvement of children in the process of evaluation and intervention is recommended to enhance pupil autonomy and well‐being.

Give them wings to fly: critiquing the Special Needs Assistant scheme through the lens of pupil independence

ABSTRACT A significant increase in the paraprofessional workforce has occurred internationally, aimed at facilitating inclusive education. Within Ireland, this is evidenced in the SNA scheme for pupils with significant care needs. This paper focuses on the constructs of SNA support and pupil independence, as based on large-scale research across 20 Irish mainstream primary classes. The study was modelled on Strand 2 Wave 1 of the UK’s ‘Deployment and Impact of Support Staff’ project, involving systematic observations and case studies. Following qualitative and quantitative analysis, findings serve to expand the construct of pupil independence beyond adaptive behaviour to include themes of pupil voice and psychological empowerment. The research also highlights both positive and negative educational practices to support pupil independence including SNA rotation, SNA–pupil proximity and prompting. Results are discussed in light of previous national and international research. Future directions of the SNA scheme are presented, including the potential of scaffolding theory to advance applied practices. Limitations of the research are acknowledged, including implications for research, theory, policy and practice. This research presents as the first Irish study to examine the SNA role using systematic observations, serving to extend existing research on the complex relationship between paraprofessional support and pupil independence.

Pupils’ voices in teachers’ collaborative professional learning in Lesson Study

The aim of this study is to contribute to efforts to reduce the gap between rhetoric and practice in the field of pupil voice by illustrating how teachers’ recognition of pupils’ responses can meet the needs for voice, space, audience, and influence. Through a close analysis of teacher conversations in the context of Lesson Study, the results provide different scenarios that represent how pupil voice is acknowledged. The scenarios also illustrate different dimensions of teachers’ collaborative learning. In conclusion, the arrangements for pupil voice at the classroom level have the potential to meet the needs for listening to and recognising students’ points of view as well as expanding the concept of teachers’ professional learning, which can be considered as a fortunate coincidence.

How two English Primary Schools Promote Wellbeing

This article is about how two English primary schools promote the wellbeing of primary-aged children and their teachers. No longer a privileged space for adults, wellbeing is increasingly a concern for children who, today, are subject to considerable stress. We currently inhabit a landscape of worry and pressure, often emanating from messages from news and social media that impact on children’s lives. Schools in the UK have excellent pastoral arrangements and have embraced the challenge of ensuring the wellbeing of their pupils and teachers as a fundamental right. The Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) national arrangements for schools in England that I describe give details of the requirements for promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of pupils. Against this policy backdrop, I undertook to observe life in each of two schools and to interview their head teachers and the class teachers of 6-7-year-olds to understand how each school enacted wellbeing measures. The research question was simply “How do these schools understand and enact wellbeing for the children, and their teachers?” The schools were chosen as they were contextually very different but well-known in the community for the excellence of their pastoral and PSHE provision. I matched my data to the core theme of ‘Health and Wellbeing’ in the PSHE programme of study. The findings show how wellbeing is both readily identifiable as a “subject” in the primary curriculum and also embedded into the school culture and across the curriculum. The findings also emphasise the importance of the teacher as the one with daily contact and in prime position to observe and come to know and understand each child. The teachers emphasised the need to help children to build resilience and confidence to enable them to take advantage of opportunities and cope constructively with challenges in their exercise of life choices. I conclude that it is the whole school culture of wellbeing that foregrounds the conditions in which children can learn and develop their wellbeing in school and in the wider community. Keywords: wellbeing, mental health, primary curriculum, pupil voice, school culture

From employee voice to pupil voice: taking the ‘high road’ from the factory to the classroom

ABSTRACT This paper explores the issue of how children come to be treated as workers in schools that are run as though they were businesses. It describes how the ‘soft’ form of human resource management provides a useful model for school reform, since it seeks to increase the productivity of the worker through ‘humanistic’ means, treating the worker as a full person rather than merely a cog-in-the-machine. As an example of how soft HRM can be directed towards pupils in schools, the paper shows that the politically persuasive arguments for pupil voice were based on the practice of employee voice, a soft HRM practice designed to improve the commitment and efficiency of workers. In the discussion, I look at how pupil voice serves as a demonstration of how soft HRM could combine a broad curriculum with managerialist logics to form a seductive, ‘balanced’ approach to school reform.

To be seen and heard: Enhancing student engagement to support university aspirations and expectations for students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds

An important goal for educators is to foster student engagement in order to support a sense of valuing and aspiring to higher levels of education. To value education, students need to perceive that they are welcome, express their ideas and engage meaningfully in each education space they enter. Therefore, ‘pupil voice’ has the potential to become an important influencing factor regarding the degree to which students become self‐regulated learners, value educationand consequently support their aspirations and build their expectations to go on to university. This study examines the role pupil voice plays in building cognitive and emotional engagement, and whether this, in turn, builds desire for further study and expectations for university entry. Pupil voice is operationalised as the extent to which the student feels heard, involved and supported by the school community. Student survey data was collected (N = 542) from a low socioeconomic status region of the southwest corridor of metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Structural equation modelling substantiated our serial mediation hypothesis. For students, a discernible pupil voice significantly and positively increased cognitive engagement (self‐regulated learning), which increased emotional engagement (valuing education) that, in turn, increased university desires, which led to increased university expectations. The results of this study underscore the importance of policies and practical interventions designed to develop strong student–teacher relationships, where students feel they are both seen and heard.

Breaking the silence: working with pupil voice in Iranian primary schools

ABSTRACT The paper provides analysis of findings from research on “pupil voice” collected from 88 Iranian pupils within five primary classrooms. No previous research has been carried out in Iran on “pupil voice” emphasising children’s right to a say about different matters in their school lives. Two methods of data collection were applied: a) participant observation where the observer facilitated workshops within each classroom enabling children to reflect on issues that matter to them; b) individual interviews with pupils, teachers and headteachers aimed at gathering information regarding school participants’ insights into their experiences in schools, including the role of teachers, school regulations and pupil voice activities. Our data reports on the preoccupation teachers and children had with our workshop as an alternative pedagogic form in their schools. While both pupils and teachers saw the advantages of a participatory approach to classroom interactions, national, educational and pedagogic cultural factors provided substantial challenges.

Children’s perspectives on reading, agency and their environment: what can we learn about reading for pleasure from an East London primary school?

ABSTRACT This paper examines the perspectives of Year 5 pupils from a school in East London on reading for pleasure. Sixty children initially completed a questionnaire and their responses were used to identify two groups: children whose responses suggested a positive attitude towards reading for pleasure and those who did not. Two focus group interviews were conducted, and a thematic analysis identified the most prevalent children’s perspectives on reading for pleasure; focusing on ways in which reading for pleasure is obstructed in educational settings and how it could be supported through the actions of educational professionals. Results concluded that, amongst other themes, children’s agency and choice in reading material and setting is a dominant factor in their enjoyment of reading. This paper then suggests practical ways in which engagement in reading for pleasure can be supported, including an example of the creation of a library based on pupil voice suggestions.

Supporting the mental wellbeing of children and young people in the school environment: a qualitative study

BackgroundOne in ten children and young people have a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder or emotional and behavioural problems. Children and young people with poor mental health are at increased risk of short-term and long-term poor social and economic outcomes. Improving the wellbeing of children is one of the key goals of the Well-being of Future Generations Act in Wales. The aim of this study was to understand children's views about what is important to mental wellbeing in the school setting. MethodsBetween Nov 29, 2017, and May 28, 2018, six focus groups, which included 62 pupils (33 girls and 29 boys) aged 5–18 years, were invited to discuss what matters to children to support their mental wellbeing. Five of the focus groups were held at schools identified by the Healthy Schools Coordinators across Wales, and one was held at the Children in Wales office for children who were excluded or not in mainstream schools. The schools were located in a mixture of urban and rural settings in south Wales. We did a thematic analysis of all the qualitative data gathered from the focus groups. FindingsThematic analysis identified fourteen themes: understanding the mental wellbeing needs of children who attend each school; fostering good working relationships with clear respect between pupils and staff; being able to raise issues without fear of judgement; dealing quickly and effectively with bullying; having enough free time in school for unstructured activities and lunch; feeling prepared for tests and exams; having a strong and effective pupil voice; staff enabling a calm classroom environment; prioritising pupil well-being; prioritising staff well-being; monitoring the reasons for staff turnover and acting on this; using support services to best effect to benefit well-being; celebrating diversity; and helping pupils cope at predictable transition periods. The most frequently raised themes were fostering good working relationships with clear respect between pupils and staff; having a strong and effective pupil voice; prioritising staff wellbeing; monitoring the reasons for staff turnover and acting on this; celebrating diversity; and helping pupils cope at predictable transition periods. InterpretationThe themes identified by the children were used as a basis for the new Wales Healthy School Scheme criteria. The outcomes of the thematic analysis directly influenced the criteria associated with mental wellbeing, giving children a clear voice in the process. FundingNone.