The grass ceiling: science participation in rural English schools

Abstract

The grass ceiling: Science participation in rural English schools This thesis investigates teachers’ and pupils’ experiences in rural schools by looking specifically at science subjects at secondary school in the South West of England. It contributes to and builds on a larger body of research on socio- economic disadvantage and participation in science education. While the focus is on secondary education, the thesis also considers post-secondary educational pathways and the role of HEIs in widening participation. The research is mixed methods and includes three principal features. Analysis of longitudinal DfE data to investigate the patterns in rural pupils’ GCSE exam performance (age 16), an analysis of rural school-level GCSE data and interpretive interviews using a Bourdieusian framework with teachers and pupils in rural schools. It presents an analysis of GCSE data at a national and local level and situates this in relation to rural pupils and teacher views of science education. The findings indicate that not only is rurality an influencing factor in educational disadvantage, but this influence has been largely hidden. Both socio-economic disadvantage (SED) and rurality impact on participation in science in rural secondary schools (age 11-16). Rurality is found to be a factor in science teachers’ assessments of pupils’ potential academic performance, a difference which is particularly significant for rural pupils from more remote settings. Additionally, rural pupils and teachers offer important insights that highlight key barriers to educational participation, including the lack of local quality science provision, transport, and family and community pressures. In conclusion it is proposed that rurality provides an important analytic lens through which to understand educational participation and disadvantage. The importance of integrating rurality into understandings of educational inequalities and widening participation is asserted. Key recommendations are made at national and local levels. The inconsistent use of key terms helps to hide rural educational disadvantage. Existing mechanisms to support SED pupils have less traction in rural areas, and educational transitions (to and within secondary, post-16 and HE) are more fragile and precarious for rural pupils. Exploring the intersection between rurality and SED, it calls on schools, HEPs and government to identify the short falls in existing educational support mechanisms and recognise that the existing mechanisms do not sufficiently raise the grass ceiling for rural science pupils. The thesis draws on Bourdieusian notions of capital traditionally deployed in urban settings and develops them to identify the limiting effect of education in rural South West England. It reconceptualises rurality in the education discourse and presents emerging ideas around rural and urban education performance.