What school means to senior students: an exploratory study

Abstract

Official policies in New Zealand education are generally aimed at catering for 'everybody' and the needs of schooling assessed on a 'National' level. This raises the question of suitability when regions, districts and communities vary so greatly in terms of socio-economic status, employment opportunities and cohesion. This study explores the attitudes of senior students towards school in terms of meeting their needs whilst part of the education system and in equipping them for their future roles. The research targeted students in a rural district where there was high unemployment and limited options for higher education. Using questionnaires and interviews I explored the perceived areas of value and limitation within the current system and looked at the students attitudes towards change and the proposed National Framework. It was anticipated the findings would be useful not only to the schools themselves in terms of acknowledging where the interests of their students lay, but also to the community. Four hundred and forty four Fifth and Sixth Form students from two rural secondary schools completed the questionnaire and twenty three students took part in group interviews. A major theme was the disjunction between school and the "outside world". This gave pointers to issues that will be of importance to workers in the field.