Educating ‘Discouraged Workers’: Cultural diversity in the upper secondary school

(1996) - Andy Biggart, Andy Furlong

Journal: British Journal of Sociology of Education
Link:: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0142569960170301
DOI:: 10.1080/0142569960170301
Links::
Tags:: #paper #SocialClass #Attainment #LabourMarket
Cite Key:: [@Biggart1996]

Abstract

Through a qualitative study of the experiences of young people in the second year of post-compulsory education in schools in four contrasting Scottish labour markets, we investigate the existence of a 'discouraged worker' effect. We argue that in the modem upper secondary school, which contains pupils with a range of attainment levels, it is possible to identify a number of distinct orientations to school life and suggest that the types of opportunities available within local labour markets affect young people's decisions to remain at school. We suggest that cultural responses to the school have become more individualised and that 'discouraged workers' can be identified in both the middle and the lower attainment bands.

Notes

“hat the types of opportunities available within local labour markets affect young people's decisions to remain at school” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 253) Similar suggestion made in Macleod's famous book

“The number of 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in England, for example, has increased from 48%in 1983to 73% in 1993 (DFE, 1993)” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 253)

“sorts of young people who previously left school at the earliest opportunity to enter the lower-skilled segments of the labour market now frequently experience post-compulsory education (Banks et al., 1992; Hammer & Furlong, 1995)” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 253)

“Moreover, in areas where rates of post-scheme unemployment are high, training schemes may lack credibility in the eyes of young people who often remain sceptical about their likely benefits (Raffe, 1989).” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 253)

“Raffe and Willms (1989) identified a 'discouraged worker' effect, arguing that in labour markets with above-average rates of unemployment, fewer young people leave school at the minimum age” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 254) Interesting

“an attempt at replicating this study in England failed to show a significant labour market effect on leaving patterns (Gray et al., 1992) and subsequent analysis of later Scottish surveys arrived at the conclusion that the 'pull' of the labour market on young people had weakened in a general sense as job opportunities for minimum-aged school-leavers continued to decline (Paterson & Raffe, 1995).” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 254) Possibility to attempt to replicate this?

“With a decline in manual employment and changing labour market experiences among working-class families, young people in the 1990s tend to develop different responses towards education and the labour market to those held by members of earlier generations” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 256) VITAL

“the world of work was perceived as providing a welcome opportunity to verify working-class identity through participating in factory-floor cultures (Willis, 1977; Hall & Jefferson, 1976)” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 257)

“In the 1990s, young people's subjective orientations towards the transition can be characterised by a growing individualisation (Beck, 1992)” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 257)

“Whereas the majority of post-compulsory school pupils used to share the social background and cultural values of their teachers, members of the new upper school are a more diverse group both culturally and academically” (Biggart and Furlong, 1996, p. 264)