Halligan, Cathleen Margaret Hannah;
(2019)
An investigation into the practices teachers use to engage students in the lowest attaining GCSE English sets.
Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Grouping students at secondary school based on prior attainment remains a prevalent practice in England despite research that has found differences in academic progress between high and low sets. There have also been findings to suggest that pedagogical approaches differ between sets and it has therefore been suggested that the practice of setting disadvantages those placed in low attaining groups. Little research has considered the nature of student engagement in low attaining groups however, particularly in light of significant changes to the GCSE curriculum. There is also limited research that provides a detailed depiction of teaching practices in the lowest attaining groups. The current study aimed to present a detailed account of student engagement, teacher interactions and pedagogical approaches employed by English teachers of low attaining groups in schools where students have previously made a high level of academic progress. The study used a mixed method, multiple case study design to report classroom practices and student engagement in three case study classes. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from: semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, qualitative lesson observation notes and systematic lesson observation schedules which were used to explore student engagement and teacher interactions. Themes were generated across student and teacher interviews and lesson observations. The main findings suggested that teachers of the case study classes attempted to engage their students by fostering positive student-teacher relationships, using verbal praise and rewards to promote learning, minimising negative reprimands and adapting teaching to respond to their students’ needs. Student engagement in case study classes was also considered in relation to behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in learning. The research highlights the importance of student-teacher relationships and the promotion of student competence. The difficulty of developing student autonomy in the context of the current GCSE curriculum is also discussed.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Ed.Psy |
| Title: | An investigation into the practices teachers use to engage students in the lowest attaining GCSE English sets |
| Event: | UCL |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2019. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10081457 |
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