What are the Views of White British Working Class Secondary School Boys on Achievement in School?

This explorative and descriptive study elicited the views of White British
working class secondary school boys on achievement in school, in one Local
Authority where the underachievement of these boys was a significant cause
for concern. The research questions addressed focussed on identifying the
participants' attitudes towards school, self and learning and the factors that
appeared to cause the participants to underachieve within the local context.
Their views on the barriers and facilitators to their learning were also elicited.
This study utilised a mixed methods design involving both quantitative and
qualitative methodologies. The views of fifteen boys were elicited using the
Pupil Attitude to Self and School (PASS) computer based standardised
questionnaire followed by semi-structured interviews. Percentile Factor
Scores from the completed questionnaires and Thematic Analysis were used
to analyse the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the data respectively.
The findings suggested that the participants had a positive attitude towards
self and learning. This included their capabilities and motivation as learners
to potentially achieve their goals and aspirations, when provided with the
appropriate support and optimal learning contexts conducive to their learning
styles and needs.
In addition, the participants presented themselves as having an ambivalent
attitude towards school and were able to identify numerous facilitators and
barriers to their learning. There was also a clear consensus amongst the
participants about what worked for them in terms of the factors that supported
their learning and academic achievement. The majority of them were also
able to identify internal and external motivators to their learning.
One method suggested for supporting the achievement of these participants
so that they are able to reach their potential was to shift thinking from an
education deficit model to a strengths based model underpinned by principles of positive psychology. Educational Psychologists (EPs) have a key role to
play in supporting this shift.

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