“I have no clue how I survived school let alone done well”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of young people in care who have achieved educational success

Gaffney, Rowan Annie (2020). “I have no clue how I survived school let alone done well”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of young people in care who have achieved educational success. University of Birmingham. Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

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Abstract

Very little is known about the educational experiences of young people in care (Benbenishty, Siegel and Astor, 2018), with even less attention given to the minority of children in care who are educationally successful (Jackson and Cameron, 2011). This research is a small-scale study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) that sought to explore the lived experiences of young people in care who were considered by professionals as having achieved educational success. Five school-aged young people attending mainstream secondary schools were interviewed. Unlike previous qualitative studies, IPA was used as the method of data analysis to address the individuality of each participant’s lived experiences. Despite the uniqueness of their experiences, there were a number of common themes including: connectedness, support and coping, stability vs instability, the future and self. Findings highlighted the importance of connectedness, with supportive caring relationships with others seen as crucial. These young people appeared to experience more facilitative factors from their perspective. However, the barriers they did experience were significant for some and consistent with previous research. This study highlights that it appears to be the dynamic interplay of personal and environmental factors that is crucial in the drive towards educational success. The unique contribution of this study and implication for practice are discussed. Future research could build on the current findings by conducting research in different settings, exploring more specific aspects of their school experiences in detail, such as their social, emotional and mental health or increasing child participation so that young people themselves can define educational success and be even more actively involved in the research design.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

Supervisor(s):