School Exclusion, Substance Misuse and Possession of Weapons: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Interviews With Children

Conference: The European Conference on Education (ECE2021)
Title: School Exclusion, Substance Misuse and Possession of Weapons: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Interviews With Children
Stream: Education, Sustainability & Society: Social Justice, Development & Political Movements
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Sarah Martin-Denham, University of Sunderland, United Kingdom

Abstract:

The aim of the research was to investigate the risk factors that led to the children misusing drugs, to determine the drivers of drug misuse and the subsequent implications of the children carrying knives into school. The research elicited suggestions from the young people of solutions that could have prevented their fixed period and permanent exclusion from school. Ethical approval was gained from the University of Sunderland Ethics Committee and the NSPCC (2018) and BERA (2018) guidelines for ethical research were adhered to. The interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand how a homogenous sample made sense of their lived experiences (Smith, 2004; Smith et al., 2009). The findings highlight the importance of prompt identification and support for children who are encountering difficulties with learning and for teacher training to support the identification of children who are under the influence of drugs. The research provides further evidence that behaviour sanctions intended to improve behaviour, such as detention and isolation booths compound negative behaviours and increase mental health needs. Original to this research is the finding that children are consuming illegal drugs before school to cope with their inability to access education, to aid their concentration and to medicate themselves as a means of reducing their likelihood of being sanctioned by teachers. The findings highlight the importance of prompt identification, support for children with learning and subsequent mental health needs and drug education for children that begins in primary school and continues into secondary age provision.

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