Stories girls tell: a narrative inquiry about girls in alternative provision

Dance, Dawn (2022). Stories girls tell: a narrative inquiry about girls in alternative provision. University of Birmingham. Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

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Abstract

Successive governments in England have sought to reduce the number of young people who are being educated in alternative provision settings. This has had limited success, as numbers have continued to rise, particularly among secondary school aged pupils. Government data and some research has presented young people who attend alternative provision settings as if they are a homogenous group, with little consideration for their distinctive characteristics. Girls are less likely to attend alternative provision than boys, however, the number of girls attending alternative provision is rising, yet there is a lack of research that explores their experiences once they have left mainstream education. In this study, participants were recruited from two educational alternative provision settings and semi-structured interviews were used to explore the girls’ stories. Narrative inquiry was used to analyse the meaning making that the girls made about their experiences of being in alternative provision. The analysis of their stories found that the reasons for the girls being moved to alternative provision, was related to a set of complex factors, which remained unexplored by staff in their schools. This was due to lack of resources and school policies that were inflexible, contributing to the vulnerability of the girls. Schools may not always be aware of the challenges that young people face, at school and home, but the findings in this research can be used to inform educationalists’ practice and the systems in which they operate.

Video abstract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d0mI5qdEPc

Type of Work:

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

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

Supervisor(s):