Towards A Deeper Understanding Of Marginalisation

Author(s):

Joan Gaynor Mowat(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

04. Inclusive Education

Format:

Research Workshop

Session Information

04 SES 03 C, Marginalisation

Research Workshop

Time:

2014-09-02

17:15-18:45

Room:

B026 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Eva Hjorne

Contribution

At a global level, at the heart of inclusion is the identification and removal of barriers to participation and learning (UNESCO, 1994; Booth and Ainscow, 2011; Scottish Government, 2010). Issues pertaining to marginalisation as it pertains to children and young people are universal and require a global perspective. The paper from which this workshop derives is largely conceptual and is drawn from an international literature, examining the different ways in which children and young people experience marginalisation in their wider life but also in relation to schooling. Drawing from both sociological and psychological theory it examines marginalisation through the lens of resilience as a means of exploring how children in similar sets of circumstances experience their lives differently and have different educational outcomes (Kolar, 2011; Brann-Barrett, 2011). The paper forwards a new theoretical framework through which marginalisation can be understood and interrogated which is illustrated through a case study of a pupil who participated within an intervention to support pupils experiencing, or at risk of developing, (social), emotional and behavioural difficulties which had been developed by the author and which formed the basis of a previous evaluative, action-research case study within a single setting in the West of Scotland (Mowat, 2010).

The paper poses a series of questions amongst which are:

Does one come to be considered marginalised through identification with a specific group?
What is a marginalised group?
Marginalised from what?

The paper upon which the workshop is based explores the multiple effects of poverty upon children’s lives (Ridge, 2011) including those who are looked after and accommodated (Scottish Government, 2012). It highlights the centrality of a sense of belonging in children’s and young people’s wellbeing (particularly those with SEN) and the impact which this has upon their lives, if lacking (Prince and Hadwin, 2013; Bossaert, 2013). It explores the wide range of ways in which marginalisation can manifest itself in society and the role which schools can inadvertently play in marginalising children (Razer et al., 2013). It questions the assumption that children and young people are their own agents in marginalisation, examining issues around agency and identity and the seeking of affirmation through alternative sub-cultures that, whilst also having a positive aspect, serves to marginalise children and young people even further (Botrrell, 2007; Deuchar, 2009).

Through examining the concept of resilience and the interplay between risk and protective factors in people’s lives, the hypothesis is forwarded that the degree to which an individual will experience their lives as marginalised may be dependent upon how individuals interpret their life experiences (which in itself is framed through their past experience) and how they perceive their lives in relation to others and the ‘ideals’ which are a representation of cultural norms, expectations and values, shaped by and through political forces and the systems and structures (including legal systems) of society which are mediated by and situated within time, place and the culture of that society.

The workshop will consist of the following elements:

An outline of the theoretical model, drawing from an international literature [20 mins]
Questions [10 mins]
An examination of a case study through the lens of the theoretical model [15 mins]
An opportunity for people to work together with the framework in analysing a different case study [15 mins]
An opportunity for people to critique the theoretical framework and offer alternative perspectives. [30 mins]

Method

The study is an evaluative case study of a group work intervention to support pupils experiencing or at risk of developing (social), emotional and behavioural difficulties. It was funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and was carried out in two Scottish local authorities across six clusters of Secondary and Primary schools. Sixty-three pupils (aged 10 – 14) participated within the intervention and these pupils were matched with comparator pupils who were regarded by their class teachers as progressing well at school. The study was principally qualitative in nature, founded upon an interpretivist paradigm (Denscombe, 2010). However, quantitative data were gathered on all pupils pertaining to attendance and school discipline and pupils completed a Semantic Differential scale both pre- and post-intervention to examine their self-perceptions on a wide range of indicators such as relationships. The focus of the study was to examine how the intervention was experienced by pupils; to evaluate pupil outcomes and identify the variables which impacted upon them; and to evaluate the efficacy of the approach. In addition, there was a specific focus upon inclusion, pedagogy, transitions and leadership, the first of which is the focus of this workshop. The study was guided by ethical principles as set out in SERA, 2005 and informed consent was sought of all participants within the study. Open-questionnaires were issued to a sample of pupils (N = 17), their parent(s)/guardian(s), a purposive sample of their class teachers, Pastoral Care Teachers and their Support Group Leaders. In-depth interviews, using a semi-structured interview schedule, were conducted with six pupils (one from each cluster) and their related stakeholders (as identified above) at the end of the intervention and followed up one or two years later. Sampling was conducted via a stratified, multi-phase sampling method and the research tools were piloted with pupils (and their stakeholders) in schools which had opted to run additional groups. Thirty two Support Group Leaders participated within a Focus Group discussion based upon a semi-structured interview schedule and completed a closed questionnaires evaluating the approach. The interview responses were verified during the interview process itself by paraphrasing the responses and asking whether this was a true representation of what had been said. The data were analysed using a grounded theory approach (Corbin and Strauss, 2008) with descriptive and analytical codes, and over-arching themes being derived from the transcripts. The Focus Group discussions were returned for verification to each Cluster.

Expected Outcomes

With regard to the wider study, it was evident that, whilst pupil outcomes were variable and the intervention had been experienced differentially by pupils (as described by the pupils themselves and their related stakeholders), on the whole, the intervention was perceived as being of value in promoting an inclusive approach towards supporting children experiencing (or at risk of developing) (S)EBD. Many positive outcomes were in evidence such as improvements in the pupil’s capacity to regulate their behaviour and in their interpersonal relationships. A minority of pupils had not responded so positively and a few pupils had experienced the intervention as stigmatising – they didn’t like being singled out from other pupils for support. In relation to this, issues emerged about the quality of communication between the school, pupil and family and the need to promote an inclusive ethos more generally within the school such that there was respect for diversity. With regard to the specific case study, it was evident that participation within the intervention had served as a protective factor, serving to promote resilience and acting as a counter to the risk factors which made the child more vulnerable to harm. Key aspects of this were the quality of relationships formed; the ethos of the support group and the opportunity it afforded for being listened to; the development of a sense of agency and self-efficacy within the pupil leading to positive outcomes, such as the capacity to regulate behaviour; and the sense of being affirmed within the school environment. Desired Outcomes for those participating within the workshop It is hoped that this workshop will provide an opportunity to critique the proposed theoretical model and that the discussion thereof will promote deeper understanding of marginalisation and its corollary, inclusion. The theoretical model could act as a foundation for further study.

References

Booth, T., & Ainscow, M. (2011). The Index for Inclusion: developing learning and participation in schools (3rd ed.). Bristol: CSIE. Bossaert, G., Colpin, H., Pijl, S. J., & Petry, K. (2013). Truly included? A literature study focusing on the social dimension of inclusion in education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(1), 60-79. Bottrell, D. (2007). Resistance, Resilience and Social Identities: Reframing ‘Problem Youth’ and the Problem of Schooling. Journal of Youth Studies, 10(5), 597-616. Brann-Barrett, M. T. (2011). Same landscape, different lens: variations in young people's socio-economic experiences and perceptions in their disadvantaged working-class community. Journal of Youth Studies, 14(3), 261-278. Corbin, J., M., & Strauss, A., L. (2008). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for developing Grounded Theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE. Denscombe, Martyn. 2010. Ground Rules for Social Research: Guidelines for Good Practice. 2nd ed. Berkshire: Open University Press. Deuchar, R. (2009). Gangs, marginalised youth and social capital. Edinburgh: Dunedin Press Kolar, K. (2011). Resilience: Revisiting the Concept and its Utility for Social Research. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 9, 421-433. Mowat, J.G. 2010. The inclusion of pupils perceived as having SEBD: Affordances and Constraints. International Journal of Inclusive Education 14 (6):631-648. Prince, E. J., & Hadwin, J. (2013). The role of a sense of school belonging in understanding the effectiveness of inclusion of children with special educational needs. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(3), 238-262. Razer, M., Friedman, V. J., & Warshofsky, B. (2013). Schools as agents of social exclusion and inclusion. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(11), 1152-1170. Ridge, T. (2011). The Everyday Costs of Poverty in Childhood: A Review of Qualitative Research Exploring the Lives and Experiences of Low-Income Children in the UK. CHILDREN & SOCIETY, 25, 73-84. Scottish Government. (2010). Supporting children’s learning: Code of practice. Retrieved from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/348208/0116022.pdf. Scottish Government. (2012). Getting it Right for Children and Families Retrieved from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0038/00389959.pdf. UNESCO, 1994. The Salamanca Statement. Bristol: CSIE.

Author Information

Joan Gaynor Mowat (presenting / submitting)

University of Strathclyde

School of Education

Helensburgh

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