Children’s perceptions of themselves as learner inside and outside school

Abstract

This exploratory study set out to investigate how a group of children, who were identified as underachieving in school, constructed understandings of themselves as learners inside and outside school. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and image-based methods with the children. Interviews were also conducted with their parents and teachers. Findings of this study highlight the centrality of the children's relational world and the richness of their learning experiences and capacity for learning outside school. Significant differences were evident in their descriptions of learning processes inside the classroom and outside the formal school setting. Outside school learning experiences, both structured and less formalised were perceived by the children as being more active, collaborative and challenging. Knowledge and understanding in these contexts seemed to be located within the children. In contrast, learning inside school was characterised by dependence on the teacher. Knowledge and understanding in this context appeared to be located within the teacher.

Bystanders to bullying: fourth- to seventh-grade students’ perspectives on their reactions

“…Thus, the current study continues a growing tradition of listening to the views of children (cf., Bosacki et al, 2006;Knipe, Reynolds & Milner, 2007;Mayall, 2008;Ravet, 2007;Singal & Swann, 2011).…”

Using meta-ethnographic analysis to understand and represent youth’s notions and experiences of learning in and out of secondary school

“…This premise was based on the impressive development of digital technologies (Wong, Milrad, and Specht 2015) that has increased the interest and need of paying attention not only to what goes on inside and outside school (Bennett, Maton, and Kervin 2008;Skinner et al 2008;Tan 2010). We also sought students perspectives and visions as a possible alternative to the challenges faced by education (Fielding 2001(Fielding , 2010Hadfield and Haw 2001;Riley and Docking 2004;Singala and Swanna 2011), in particular the growing disengagement and disaffection among students (Linnakyläa and Malina 2008).…”

‘I'm a completely different person at home’: using digital technologies to connect learning between home and school

“…Funds of knowledge constitute cultural resources on which children draw to make sense of the world around them, and support their learning. When home funds of knowledge are different to those of school, children's successful experiences of learning at home may not facilitate learning at school and greater discontinuity between the cultures of home and school means children have to work harder in order to adapt between the two spaces (Lam & Pollard 2006;Singal & Swann 2009).…”

“…Children also did not think that their out-of-school activities could inform their school learning; even the girl writing a novel saw no connections between this activity and her English lessons. These children were learning in informal and 'quazi-formal' ways in the home environment, often using digital technologies (see Davies 2009), yet as Lareau and Shumar (1996) found, this learning was 'invisible'to school, and successful out-of-school learning experiences were not necessarily repeated in the school context (Singal & Swann 2009).…”