Towards a more telling way of understanding early school leaving
Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
Australia's Institutes for Educational Research in NSW, SA & WA
Faculty
Faculty of Regional Professional Studies
School
Regional Professional Studies Deans Office
RAS ID
4591
Abstract
This paper is concerned with research into early school leaving. A narrative interview approach was used to document and analyse the experiences, processes and decisions that a small sample of boys made prior to leaving school, in this case, before completing year 10 and 11. Data collected in 2004 indicate that schools along with students co-construct the decisions and educational pathways that many students find themselves on, pathways which sometimes lead to withdrawal, disengagement, and, finally, leaving school. On the surface, it can appear as though early school leaving is an individualised and rational phenomenon, associated perhaps with easy-to-define events that precipitate the action of leaving school. This paper suggests that early school leaving has contradictory and institutionalised histories, and that 'winnowing' may be an apt metaphor to describe this process.
Access Rights
free_to_read
Comments
Hodgson, D. (2007). Towards a more telling way of understanding early school leaving. Issues in Educational Research, 17(1), 40-61. Available here