Lifelong Learning Project - School Inclusion - Preventing Early School Leaving

Listening to the Early Leavers - June 1998

Diarmuid Leonard but based on an article by Leonard and Walsh (1998) and on a research study by Walsh (1996)

Not published

Ireland June 1998

Article

English

This document links with a problem new teachers may encounter on Teaching Practise - how to deal with disruptive students and contests the view that such disruptive students are bound to be unsuccessful learners and certain to become early leavers.

A sample of 20 early school leavers were interviewed and these were followed up by interviews with teachers, nominated by the young people, as 'ok teachers'.

The document summarises the main findings of the interviews and then goes on to discuss their significance and to suggest actions which might help with the problem, which teachers might like to put into practise.

Although, rather frustratingly, I could not find the original research documents by Leonard and Walsh (1998), and even bearing in mind that the article is now somewhat old, nevertheless I did find the doument both interesting and highly relevant to this project.

I found the sections on 'What early leavers say about school' and 'What 'ok teachers' say about early leaving' to be both interesting and useful and the 'Discussion' and 'Reflection' sections were thought provoking.

www.ul.ie/epsresources/biblio/dlarticle.htm

Roger Murfin

Wilsthorpe Business & Enterprise College

Business Manager