English Assignment

Does every child know they matter? Pupils' views of one alternative to exclusion BELINDA HARRIS, KERRY VINCENT, PAT THOMSON and RICHARD TOALSTER, University of Nottingham, UK Critical Review

1. Article summary - what this research is about • Topic of the paper One of the key points in the guide for those with legal responsibilities for exclusion (DfE, 2012) states that permanent exclusion should be used as a last resort where a pupils' disruptive behaviour would seriously harm the education of others in the school. But what does ‘serious harm' exactly mean? It is worth exploring this phrase in depth and relate to

• Where does this topic ?t in the broader research ?eld? (Use the information the article gives on the research literature or key concepts to answer the question)

• Main research aims and speci?c research questions

2. Methods - what the researchers did • Sample - who was involved in the study? what kind of sampling approach is this? All students involved in the study were in secondary education ranged from year 7 up to year 11. Some pupils were living in a single parent family, with relatives with legal guardianship, one pupil was adopted and another one in public care. The sample included eleven boys and three girls all of which being previously excluded. The history of behavioural problems varied from one pupil to another. Some

children had history of bad behaviour from primary school and others had relatively short history of poor behaviour. One of the students was moved to another school due to experiencing bullying in previous setting.

• What methods did the researchers use to collect the data; and in what form?

• What was the process of involving participants?

• What ethical issues did the study raise and how did the researchers deal with them?

• Why is this research design appropriate for the research questions being asked? 3. Contribution of the research: • How were the data analysed and presented in the article? • What conclusions did the researcher(s) draw from the analysis? • What contribution might the ?ndings make: - to the academic ?eld within which the research is situated - do they challenge existing thinking or extend it in some way? - to inform policy and/or practice? • How do you assess the strengths and weaknesses of the approach adopted in this study?

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DfE (2012) Exclusion from maintained schools, Academies and pupils referral units in England, A guide for those with legal responsibilities in relation to exclusion.