‘What Kind of Education System are We Offering’: The Views of Education Professionals on School Refusal

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the issue of school refusal, particularly given the adverse effects on young people’s social, emotional and educational development. School refusal is understood differently within contemporary literature; as a symptom of an underlying mental illness or disorder, or alternatively, as a signal that all is not well in the young person’s world. These varying construal’s have important implications for education responses to school refusal. This study explores education professionals' views and experiences of school refusal within second level schools in Ireland. The findings from seventeen in-depth interviews highlight the complex nature of school refusal and unique challenges it presents for professionals, young people and parents. Key themes include emotional and psychological distress experienced by young people and their exposure to adverse childhood experiences and trauma; the influence of family socio economic status and unequal access to support services and resources; the pressures for academic achievement and resulting conflictual relationships within the school environment and between home and school. This study highlights the need for trauma-informed approaches in schools and urges future research to consider school refusal within wider debates on social justice and the goals and purposes of education.

What Contributes to the Development and Maintenance of School Refusal in Chinese Adolescents: A Qualitative Study

“…Our results indicated that the anxiety and helplessness caused by high societal expectations were important factors that contributed to the adolescents' school refusal. This finding is consistent with reports from previous research showing that anxiety related to social expectations and school burnout were correlated with children's school absenteeism ( 8 – 10 ). Our analysis suggested that the emergence of this phenomenon may be related to fierce occupational competition and survival stress within the adult system.…”

“…The fourth theme regarded mental health diagnoses that both benefited and limited the adolescents. Our analysis verified the findings from previous research that mental health complaints such as depression were barriers preventing teenagers from going back to school ( 8 , 14 ). Additionally, our analysis suggested that adolescents might have secondary gains from a psychiatric diagnosis.…”

“…Previous research has implied links between children's school refusal and various individual psychological factors, such as emotional distress, feelings of burnout, dysfunctional emotion regulation and childhood trauma. For example, Devenney and O'Toole's ( 8 ) study found that children's school refusal could be predicted by adverse childhood experience, anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A study on 1,842 Spanish adolescents suggested that students who rejected school were at a higher risk of developing social anxiety problems ( 9 ).…”

“…Devenney and O'Toole explored education professionals' views and experiences of school refusal within second-level schools in Ireland. Key themes included the influence of family socioeconomic status, unequal access to support services and pressures for academic achievement ( 8 ).…”

Same storm, different boats! The impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing of school communities

“…In relation to educational equality, this means developing educational policies in which values of participation, inclusion, community and trust are prioritised over individualism, accountability and competition. In the Irish context, COVID-19 has shed light on how certain groups of children are placed at risk of neglect, abuse and other harm due to structural inequalities; it has also revealed educational incongruities, such as the dangers of relying on high stakes, summative examinations that generate high levels of stress and anxiety for students and their families (Smyth et al , 2019) and increasingly for teachers as well (Devenney and O'Toole, 2021).…”