scholarly journals Under the skin of truancy in Aotearoa (New Zealand): A grounded theory study of young people’s perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Delia Baskerville

<p>Truancy is a longstanding, unresolved educational issue in countries where there are compulsory attendance policies. Taking time out from class without permission is illegal and negatively influences future functioning for students who truant in regards to employment, family and community. Truancy represents a long-term cost to society in expenditure on health, well-being and incarceration.  Previous research has focused on key demographic variables related to truancy, causal factors, and a variety of viewpoints. However, there has been a paucity of evidence about truancy from student perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this research was twofold; (1) to investigate how secondary school students who truant constructed meaning about their experiences, and (2) to develop a substantive theory that identified how participants constructed the processes involved in truanting. This thesis used a grounded theory approach, concurrently gathering and analysing data generated through interviews with 13 young people from three schools and an activity centre.  Students in the study referred to truanting as wagging. In respect of this, the study presents a process theory of wagging which identifies four stages: Wagging-in-class; leaving; awakening, and reincluding. The study contributes to truancy scholarship in several ways, which include the experiences and challenges occurring in class and in their personal lives that contribute to youth truanting; how youth reposition themselves when they truant; the nature of their interactions and the group they truant with; what causes them to realise there is no future value in truanting; the conditions that support them to reintegrate in class after truanting; and why they are able to return and attend school regularly after truanting.  Further findings indicate that teacher intentional behaviours and student willingness to change are necessary to support the further development of inclusive practices in schools required to address truancy. The recommendations made for school leaders, teachers, counsellors, teacher educators and policy makers include four suggestions: (1) building teacher-student rapport, links with whānau, and school connectedness; (2) more proactive, sustained and consistent monitoring of student attendance; (3) reviewing school systems to foster inclusiveness and student attendance; and (4) providing a strong focus on inclusiveness within teacher education and professional development programmes. Future research and development opportunities are also identified, for example, the design of an ethnodrama to disseminate the results of this study and to heighten awareness of the dangers of wagging to students and the community. The intention is also to research the audience reactions and responses to the ethnodrama. This thesis also draws attention to the need for further studies to replicate the design features of the present study in other contexts so as to confirm, modify, extend or challenge the process theory of wagging that has emerged from this research.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Delia Baskerville

<p>Truancy is a longstanding, unresolved educational issue in countries where there are compulsory attendance policies. Taking time out from class without permission is illegal and negatively influences future functioning for students who truant in regards to employment, family and community. Truancy represents a long-term cost to society in expenditure on health, well-being and incarceration.  Previous research has focused on key demographic variables related to truancy, causal factors, and a variety of viewpoints. However, there has been a paucity of evidence about truancy from student perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this research was twofold; (1) to investigate how secondary school students who truant constructed meaning about their experiences, and (2) to develop a substantive theory that identified how participants constructed the processes involved in truanting. This thesis used a grounded theory approach, concurrently gathering and analysing data generated through interviews with 13 young people from three schools and an activity centre.  Students in the study referred to truanting as wagging. In respect of this, the study presents a process theory of wagging which identifies four stages: Wagging-in-class; leaving; awakening, and reincluding. The study contributes to truancy scholarship in several ways, which include the experiences and challenges occurring in class and in their personal lives that contribute to youth truanting; how youth reposition themselves when they truant; the nature of their interactions and the group they truant with; what causes them to realise there is no future value in truanting; the conditions that support them to reintegrate in class after truanting; and why they are able to return and attend school regularly after truanting.  Further findings indicate that teacher intentional behaviours and student willingness to change are necessary to support the further development of inclusive practices in schools required to address truancy. The recommendations made for school leaders, teachers, counsellors, teacher educators and policy makers include four suggestions: (1) building teacher-student rapport, links with whānau, and school connectedness; (2) more proactive, sustained and consistent monitoring of student attendance; (3) reviewing school systems to foster inclusiveness and student attendance; and (4) providing a strong focus on inclusiveness within teacher education and professional development programmes. Future research and development opportunities are also identified, for example, the design of an ethnodrama to disseminate the results of this study and to heighten awareness of the dangers of wagging to students and the community. The intention is also to research the audience reactions and responses to the ethnodrama. This thesis also draws attention to the need for further studies to replicate the design features of the present study in other contexts so as to confirm, modify, extend or challenge the process theory of wagging that has emerged from this research.</p>


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1095-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li li Tian ◽  
Rich Gilman

The major goals in this exploratory study were to investigate the absolute levels of school satisfaction, and clarify the relationship between school satisfaction and gender/grade among Chinese mainland adolescents. Participants were 1,339 middle school students from grades 7, 8, 10, and 11 who completed the Adolescents' School Satisfaction Scale, a subscale of the Adolescents' School Well-being Scale (Tian, 2008). Results show that the highest school satisfaction domains are peer relationship and teacher-student relationship and that male and female students and students from different grades report different levels of school satisfaction. Implications for future research and educational practices are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 238008442110144
Author(s):  
N.R. Paul ◽  
S.R. Baker ◽  
B.J. Gibson

Introduction: Patients’ decisions to undergo major surgery such as orthognathic treatment are not just about how the decision is made but what influences the decision. Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to identify the key processes involved in patients’ experience of decision making for orthognathic treatment. Methods: This study reports some of the findings of a larger grounded theory study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews of patients who were seen for orthognathic treatment at a teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Twenty-two participants were recruited (age range 18–66 y), of whom 12 (male = 2, female = 10) were 6 to 8 wk postsurgery, 6 (male = 2, female = 4) were in the decision-making stage, and 4 (male = 0, female = 4) were 1 to 2 y postsurgery. Additional data were also collected from online blogs and forums on jaw surgery. The data analysis stages of grounded theory methodology were undertaken, including open and selective coding. Results: The study identified the central role of dental care professionals (DCPs) in several underlying processes associated with decision making, including legitimating, mediating, scheduling, projecting, and supporting patients’ decisions. Six categories were related to key aspects of decision making. These were awareness about their underlying dentofacial problems and treatment options available, the information available about the treatment, the temporality of when surgery would be undertaken, the motivations and expectation of patients, social support, and fear of the surgery, hospitalization, and potentially disliking their new face. Conclusion: The decision-making process for orthognathic treatment is complex, multifactorial, and heavily influenced by the role of DCPs in patient care. Understanding the magnitude of this role will enable DCPs to more clearly participate in improving patients’ decision-making process. The findings of this study can inform future quantitative studies. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study can be used both for informing clinical practice around enabling decision making for orthognathic treatment and also for designing future research. The findings can better inform clinicians about the importance of their role in the patients’ decision-making process for orthognathic treatment and the means to improve the patient experience. It is suggested that further research could be conducted to measure some of the key constructs identified within our grounded theory and assess how these change during the treatment process.


2021 ◽  
pp. 016235322110235
Author(s):  
Claudia A. Cornejo-Araya ◽  
Leonie Kronborg

Adopting a constructivist grounded theory approach, 91 students from Years 9 to 11, in gifted educational programs from three schools in Melbourne, nominated their inspiring teachers. Eleven teachers, who received the highest number of nominations, were invited to an interview and an observation of their teaching. The emerged theoretical construct was identified as “Opening new possibilities: Inspiring teachers of gifted and highly able students,” which is further explained through three main categories: Being a knowledgeable and passionate teacher, creating an academically safe learning environment, and teaching beyond and above the regular curriculum. In addition, the theoretical process was explained through three phases: Expanding knowledge and understanding, Fostering positive attitudes, and Encouraging students to take action. Contextual determinants were considered to analyze and report the findings: students’ developmental characteristics, school culture, curriculum, and gifted educational provisions. Findings are discussed in the light of existing literature, as well as study limitations and ideas for future research.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Kihl ◽  
Tim Richardson ◽  
Charles Campisi

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explain how student-athletes are affected by an instance of academic corruption. Using a grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998), multiple sources of data were collected and analyzed using the constant comparison method leading to theory generation. Findings revealed that student-athletes suffer three main consequences (negative treatment, sanctions, and a sense of loss) that lead to various harmful outcomes (e.g., distrust, embarrassment, dysfunctional relationships, stakeholder separation, anger, stress, and conflict). However, the consequences also created a positive outcome displayed through a dual consciousness of corruption (resiliency and empowerment). The results are compared with existing theoretical concepts and previous research associated with the outcomes of corruption. This theory adds to our knowledge of the nature of suffering experienced by student-athletes as a result of corruption and provides direction for future research and practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1&2) ◽  
pp. 110-138
Author(s):  
Charlotte Shaw ◽  
Janelle Levesque ◽  
Katrina McKie

Selective education research has demonstrated that students are aware of the low status of being allocated to a low-ability school. Recent data in Guyana has shown that low-ability school attendance is associated with low rates of student attendance, retention, and graduation. This study aims to understand the effects of ability grouping on students by comparing the psychosocial well-being of students from different ability schools. Data was collected from a sample of 193 adolescents (70 males and 123 females) aged 13-18 from four secondary schools; representing the four school ability rankings. It was hypothesised that student psychosocial well-being would be significantly lower in low-ability schools compared to high-ability schools. Unexpectedly, the results indicated that the highest ability school had significantly lower psychosocial well-being than the other lower ability schools. The results may be potentially explained by the theory of Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect, however confirmation in future research is warranted.


Sexual Abuse ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 908-929
Author(s):  
Miriam Ryan ◽  
Mathew McCauley ◽  
Davina Walsh

Sexual offenses evoke strong emotional responses and frequently elicit demands from society that offenders be indefinitely incarcerated or treated until they are deemed safe, which may impact the provision of therapeutic treatment for offenders. However, in recent years, there has been a proposal to move toward a positive, strengths-based treatment approach, namely the Good Lives Model (GLM). The present study used semi-structured interviews and a constructivist grounded theory approach to examine the experience of 13 men who were voluntarily engaging in or had completed a GLM community-based treatment program. A conceptual model emerged which outlines the process the men underwent, the factors they identified as crucial for change, and the perceived gains. The model extends previous work by exploring the process from the clients’ perspective. Implications for future research, prevention, and treatment are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denice Kopchak Sheehan ◽  
M. Murray Mayo ◽  
Grace H. Christ ◽  
Kim Heim ◽  
Stephanie Parish ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjective:This study aimed to generate an explanatory model of the coping strategies that adolescents employ to manage the stressors they experience in the final months of their ill parent's life and shortly after their death.Method:The sample included 26 families of adolescents with a parent receiving care in a large hospice program in northeastern Ohio. A semistructured interview was conducted with 14 ill parents, 17 well parents/guardians, and 30 of their adolescent children before the parent's death and, additionally, with 6 of these families after the death. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a grounded-theory approach.Results:The participants described two worlds that constituted the lives of the adolescents: the well world of normal adolescence and the ill world of having a parent near the end of life. The adolescents experienced a common challenge of living in two worlds and responded to the challenge with a process we labeled “managing two worlds.” Five stages through which adolescents manage their worlds were identified: keeping the ill world and the well world separate; having the ill world intrude into the well world; moving between the ill world and the well world; being immersed in the ill world; and returning to the well world having been changed by the ill world.Significance of results:The explanatory model of “managing two worlds” outlines a complex and nuanced process that changes over time. The model can be used by health professionals who seek to help adolescents navigate this critical time when their parents are dying or have recently died. These results can also be used to inform the development of interventions that assist families with strategies tailored to an adolescent's specific needs. Future research should investigate associations among the process of “managing two worlds” and outcomes related to adolescent bereavement.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Smith-Carrier ◽  
Theo Koffler ◽  
Faye Mishna ◽  
Anna Wallwork ◽  
Joanne Daciuk ◽  
...  

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain understanding of the benefits and limitations of mindfulness training among secondary school students and teachers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Design/methodology/approach – Using a case study methodology, the authors analysed programme evaluation forms and conducted thematic analyses of focus groups with Catholic secondary school teachers and students that participated in the Mindfulness Ambassador Council programme. Findings – The findings suggest that mindfulness training may provide participants with opportunities for personal growth, specifically in the areas of stress reduction, relaxation, social awareness, self-discovery and relationship building. Research limitations/implications – This study confirms existing literature that training in mindfulness practice may be beneficial in strengthening relationships, reducing stress and anxiety and promoting inner well-being and social-emotional learning in youth. To test these findings empirically, future research should examine mindfulness training in schools using a robust randomised controlled trial design. Practical implications – Given the current state of research on mindfulness-based interventions specifically with the adolescent population, the study provides useful and timely data on participants ' experiences with mindfulness training, and discusses how such training can be effectively harnessed within secondary school settings. Originality/value – There is growing evidence that the regular practice of mindfulness has myriad psychological, therapeutic and health benefits, and contributes to heightened emotional intelligence and improved performance in a host of activities. Relatively little is known, however, about the effects of mindfulness interventions on child and adolescent populations. The study contributes to the emerging evidence on mindfulness practice with students in school settings.


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