It makes me feel a sense of belonging:
Using person centred approaches to elicit and promote the voices of young women placed in a specialist SEMH provision. Author: Sophie Martin (UCL Institute of Education)
Evidence has indicated that pupils with social emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs are more likely to be excluded from mainstream school and placed in alternative provision (AP). Young women are a minority within this cohort and due to the differential prevalence rates, research exploring their experiences is restricted. Consequently, there is a paucity of knowledge on the impact SEMH and placement in AP has on young women's educational experiences, identities, lives and futures.
Without such knowledge, opportunities to improve educational outcomes for this group of pupils is limited. This study adopted a longitudinal, participatory and person-centred approach, to elicit the voices and views of six young women placed within a specialist alternative provision (Riverford). Three sets of interviews were conducted with each young woman, to gain a rich and comprehensive understanding of their experiences in and out of school.
Narrative analysis using Gilligan's listening guide (1982) enabled a dynamic exploration of each young woman's sense of self and identity. A thematic analysis was also used to extrapolate the commonalities in the young women's experiences.
The findings drawn from the young women's narratives highlighted the complexity of their identities and self-concept. The longitudinal nature of the study allowed the temporality of their experiences to be explored.
Relationships and self-concept were identified as integral to all the young women's stories. Riverford was presented as providing a distinctly different educational experience to mainstream school.
Within this setting, the young women described a sense of belonging and the opportunity to see visions of 'hope for' future selves.
Through a co-construction of knowledge, the current study offers new insight into young women placed in AP. The voices of the young women were integral to the research process and findings, and through their narrative's implications for professional educational practice and further research have been identified.