Thesis
What agency do students with complex additional support needs have in educational subject choice in Scotland and what are the factors that determine this?
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2023
- Thesis identifier
- T16474
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201455347
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Under the overarching concept of Additional Support Needs (ASN) there are many different categorisations of presentation. Students with Complex Additional Support Needs (CASN) are a small and exceptional group with multiple, overlapping and significant disabilities who are hard to characterise due to the heterogeneous nature of their presentation. Students with CASN have been noted to be marginalised in many ways including omission from policy, lack of research participation and restriction of access to certain educational subjects, as a result of restriction of agency. Attitudes of others have played a huge part in this restriction of agency because there has been a historical focus on remediating perceived deficits for this group, with adults often making decisions on behalf of pupils. My research aimed to uncover the factors that influence the educational experiences of pupils with CASN and illuminate ways forward in order to reduce marginalisation. The voices of these wonderful and unique learners are rarely heard in research and policy related to Scottish education. This research gives students a voice and proposes how exclusion and restriction of agency can begin to be rectified. Six pupils from a large ASN school in Scotland took part in a semi-structured interview on their experiences. Significant consideration was given to ethical aspects of the study and communication supports were used. Ten teachers from the CASN department of the same school also took part in a semi-structured interview to uncover their views on the education of pupils with CASN. In addition to the interviews, 124 teachers with CASN experience took part in an online questionnaire about their views and experiences. Following transcription of data, thematic analysis was conducted which revealed key findings. The key findings from the study were that pupils’ experiences are influenced by a variety of factors, including the attitudes of others. The ways that teachers think about education in the field of CASN can be hugely influential, this research found that most teachers had views that tallied with Social and Capability models of education. In addition, teachers’ experience of and commitment to inclusive pedagogy where the learning is tailored to each pupil as an individual was clear. Lack of experienced staff in the field of CASN was an issue that teachers felt very strongly about. Newer staff benefitted from the expertise of more experienced staff, and little was available in terms of more formal training to meet the needs of this diverse group. Teachers indicated that awareness raising around CASN and of the issues and challenges within the field must be carried out in order to improve pupils’ experiences. In the school studied, pupils could make choices and a sense of agency was evident. However, this was based on their experiences in that particular setting hence, this research comes from a relativist position. In conclusion, I found that there were many different factors that influenced pupils’ experiences and impacted on their agency to make choices across the curriculum. However, awareness raising in the form of a professional learning package for all staff, specific inclusion in policy and a charter of ‘educational rights’ could serve to improve the picture of education in Scotland for pupils with CASN.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Essex, Jane
- Wang, Yuchen
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Date Created
- 2021
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PDF of thesis T16474 | 2023-02-14 | Public | Download |