3. • Eoin ó Seanachián
• Graduate from NUIG
• Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree In Community and Family Studies
• Worked in Youth Work with Y.M.C.A. South Area Youth Services,
Charlemont Resource Centre, Donore Avenue Youth and Community
Centre and with Foróige
Who I Am
4. • Case study design was chosen
• A triangulation method was chosen using
both qualitative and quantitative methods to
gather secondary and primary date
• Questionnaires were used using open ended
questions in a number of focus groups
How the Research was
conducted
5. Ban Ki-moon once stated that “ sustainable development is the pathway to the
future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve
social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance ” in
other words if we are to have a maintainable future in which all are willing
participants that will take personal responsibility for their own actions we must
begin with the youth and the contribution that society places on their personal
development and social consciousness when they are forming into adults during
their adolescence (BrainyQuotes, 2015).
6. • What Part Social Justice plays in secondary education
• How social class differences affects the educational impact on youths
• How does secondary education impact on the Youths of Ireland
• Gender and class gender perceptions on the secondary school
educational experience within the Irish context
What will be presented
7. • Education should act as a agent to produce social
change in society.
• Education should help people become well rounded
members of society.
• A more student centred approach.
• Department of Education and Strategic planning for
secondary school education.
• Ignoring Centre; Statistics Office.
Social Justice and Secondary
Education within the Irish context
8. • Political correct terminology
• Byod stated
• “ family background, personal characteristics of the child, the
school context and the social behaviour of children interact
to create conditions that place children at risk of falling to
achieve their academic potential ’’ (quoted in Tompkins and
Delony, 1995).
Social Class Difference and
Secondary Education
9. • The welfare needs of the children/Youths,
• Cost of education,
• Family tradition in education,
• validate of education within the cultural background of the social
grouping,
• The education system meeting the cultural expectations of the youths
attending school,
• Advantages/barriers of parents and their child/youths educational
attainment and success.
Social Class Difference and
Secondary
10. • Youths from working class backgrounds
• Youths from upper middle to upper, upper class
backgrounds
• Various different educational pathways
• Continuation of societal cycles from secondary school
education
Secondary school and the impact it
has on Youths in Ireland
11. • Class expectations
• Educational costs is more
• Parents give help
• On a sub conscious level
• Unsure
• Stereotypical
Males and Secondary Education
from more upper class families
12. • Better atmosphere
• Encouragement
• For Future
• Exam preparation
• Yes
Females and Secondary Education
from more upper class families
13. • Move from traditional forms of education
• On average female youths outperform their male counterparts
• On average youths from working class families dropout of main
stream education
• In comparison to youths from more affluent families that remain
in main stream education
Social Class Gender perspectives and
Future education
14. • Investment into educational marginalised communities
• Alternative methods of education are a positive
• More mixed schools from a culturally class perspective to
bridge the divide between social classes for better
understanding
• Department of education to make more long term, medium
term strategic plans for secondary school education.
Solutions to bridge the gaps
15. I will open the floor to
Q and A Questions and
Answers
Hope you Enjoyed the
Presentation
Editor's Notes
Education should act as a agent of change to counter balance the inequalities that exist in society however the social justice community in Ireland sees that the Irish secondary school system produces the opposite affect.
Instead of producing well rounded members of society the Irish secondary school system according to social justice Ireland reproduces the same inequalities that existed all along continuing, stigma’s, forcing youths to drop out of the school system, marginalises youths in their own peer system, and further perpetuates inter-generational inequalities for Irish families.
Social justice Ireland has welcomed the recent changes to the Irish secondary school system were they see that the secondary school education system has been transformed from a teacher centred teaching method that focuses mainly on grade obtainment. With a student centred approach that concentrates on the learning and development of the student rather than the grade ratio that a teacher can produce.
Social justice Ireland states that the department of education does have strategic plans for the educational system in Ireland: however the strategic plans put in places are short term plans and no medium term or long term plans are put in place for the educational system in Ireland according to social justice Ireland.
Furthermore social justice Ireland sees that the department of education are ignoring the Central statistics office and the forecasted population increases in secondary school students attending secondary schools and in the coming years, saying that their will be a secondary school population in surge of 31% to 34%.
There are six main points that most academics and child/adolescence development agents agree on when discussing the topic of educationally disadvantaged Youths or educationally advantaged.
Welfare needs: The Youths in question from a educational disadvantaged background do not receive enough sleep and be able to focus properly, may not receive enough nutrition which will affect concentration. Or if educational advantaged receive a required amount of sleep and the proper nutrition and be fully alert and aware during school hours.
Cost of Education: If educational disadvantaged the cost of education may be too much for the youths household and not be able to provide the proper school equipment needed for the youths to fulfil their proper academic potential within the secondary school system. Conversely if educational advantaged the household will most likely spend it’s surplus income on extra tutoring, grinds, or sports clubs so the Youth has a overall well rounded secondary school experience, while keeping their academic studies at their peek abilities.
Family Tradition: If a Youth comes from a family background where academic achievement is normalised within the family structure the Youth will strive to perform well academically in secondary school to keep up the family tradition. However if a Youth comes for a family background were academic achievement is not normalised by the family structure then the Youths may deem academic achievement in secondary school as inconsequential for their future endeavours.
Cultural Background: If the Youth comes from an educational advantaged cultural background were the Youth’s own peers deem academic aspirations in secondary school as important for the future then most likely the Youth will have the same outlook or a similar one. Nonetheless if a Youth comes from a disadvantaged educational culture then more than likely their peer group will view academic achievement in secondary school as insignificant for their future ambitions and not see academic achievement in secondary school as viable or relevant.
Cultural Expectations: The cultural expectations of Youths from educational advantaged cultures for the most part will have their secondary school educational expectations met by teachers, peer groups, extra curriculum activities, and socially within the secondary school system: whereas the Youth’s for the most part from educational disadvantaged cultures will not have their secondary school expectations met by teachers, peer groups, through extra curriculum activities or through social interactions.
Youths from working class families either go on to do apprentships or beauty therapy, hairdressing and so on if they drop out of mainstream secondary school education that wish to enter into the labour force straight away. As a result of the secondary school system not putting enough resources or cultural exchange into the secondary school system. Such as employing teachers that can relate more to the attitudes, beliefs, and world view of their students. Making working class Youths feel marginalised within the secondary school system.
In contrast to this the Youths from upper middle to upper, upper class backgrounds have more in common with their teachers will be able to form easier bonds with them and generate a more cohesive class room were student and teacher work together rather than clashing causing friction due to culture miscommunication.
On a positive note for those youths that do for out of mainstream education their are a number of different educational pathways for them to take such as the FAI soccer programme, a range of computer programmes, and a wide range of courses in the social fields such as childcare through Solas formerly known as FAS. Which can lead on to further education such as third level.
However as a result of youths from working class families dropping out of secondary school education the Irish educational system still reproduces a system of exclusion that is intergenerational in certain families excluding certain Irish citizens to areas of Irish society that is seen as privileged due to the low intergenerational achievement at the secondary school academic level.
Class expectations: expected to do better because your from a higher social class and your private education costs more.
Parents give help: Parents offer some assistance with homework and study but is restricted.
On a sub conscious level: You are programmed on a subconscious level by teachers, parents, and peers to do well for future employment and college.
Unsure: When asking did the secondary school system meet their expectations they were unsure because they had no n other experience to draw on to be able to answer.
Stereotypical: When asked did their female peers see the secondary school educational experience as different they said yes but could not elaborate however they took the stereotypical view that girls would be a distraction in school for them.
Better atmosphere: The cost of education impacted on them because they were in private secondary school they were in a better learning atmosphere to be able to learn and progress social and educational.
Encouragement: They saw that their parents gave them encouragement to study and do homework; plus afterschool programmes that the school put in place for homework or extra study.
For Future: They saw to do academically well in secondary school was a must for future employment and to gain entrance into college.
Exam prep: They saw that the secondary school system did not meet their needs because all the teaching environment done was prepare them for exams and grades through a number of multi-purpose programmes that has stigma attached to it for both the teacher and student.
Yes: They saw that their male peers pretended to have a negative viewpoing towards education and would ridicule then if they showed any kind of interest.
In the Irish secondary school system currently it can be suggested that there is a bigger move from traditional single sex secular education that is homogenous in youth gender toward heterogeneous private education that is mixed gender; however this type of education is private and only accessible to the more middle class or upper class Youths.
Statistical speaking female youths out perform their male counterparts; but the performs level of the youth gender fluxyouates in relation to the type of subjects that males and female youths gravitate toward in regard to their academic students at secondary school level.
On average the youths that dropout out of mainstream education come from working class backgrounds, opting for alternative methods of education through solas programmes or entering the work force under apprentships schemes; during the celtic tiger era entering the building sector was a viable option for many work class youths in comparisent to today’s labour market.
While the youths from more prosperous families remain in the secondary school education system and completing their tributary academic studies many go on to third level education
