Geeks, Boffins, Swots and Nerds: a Social Constructionist Analysis of ‘Gifted and Talented’ Identities in Post-16 Education
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Institute of Education University of London Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Geeks, Boffins, Swots and Nerds: A Social Constructionist Analysis Of ‘Gifted and Talented’ Identities in Post-16 Education Denise Jackson Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 JAC07053892 1 I hereby declare that, except where explicit attribution is made, the work presented in this thesis is entirely my own. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the proper acknowledgement of the author. Word count: 99,813 (exclusive of 21,878 words of appendices and bibliography). Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... 6 Abstract ........................................................................................................... 7 Abbreviations ................................................................................................... 9 Tables ........................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................. 13 1.1 Key Issues and Researcher Positioning ............................................... 13 1.2 Research Questions ............................................................................ 17 1.3 Thesis Structure ................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: ‘G&T’ Policies ............................................................................... 20 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 20 2.2 Problematizing ‘Inclusion’ and ‘Inclusive Education’ ............................ 23 2.3 The Neoliberal Framework for ‘G&T’ Policies ...................................... 29 2.4 ‘G&T’ Policy Developments ................................................................. 38 First Phase ‘G&T’ Policies (1997-2002): ‘Excellence in Cities’ (EiC) ......... 38 Second Phase ‘G&T’ Policies (2002-2007): NAGTY ................................. 40 Third Phase ‘G&T’ Policies (2007-2010): The Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) and YGT ......................................................................................... 43 Fourth Phase ‘G&T’ Policies (2010-2013): National Strategies and Quality Standards .................................................................................................. 45 2.5 ‘G&T’ and the Middle-Classes ............................................................. 50 2.6 Conclusions ......................................................................................... 54 Chapter 3: ‘Gifted’ and ‘Talented’ Research Literature .................................. 57 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 57 3.2 Contestation of ‘G&T’ Definitions ......................................................... 59 Personalisation of Learning ....................................................................... 67 3.3 ‘G&T’ Identity Constructions within School Cultures ............................ 69 3.4 ‘G&T’ Labelling and Identity Constructions .......................................... 75 3.5 Conclusions ......................................................................................... 84 2 Chapter 4: A Social Constructionist Analysis of ‘Gifted and Talented’ Identities in Post-16 Education ...................................................................................... 87 4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 87 4.2 ‘Analytic Tools’ ..................................................................................... 88 A Social Constructionist Analysis ............................................................... 88 Constructing Identities ............................................................................... 90 4.3 ‘G&T’ ‘Identity Work’ and Subcultural Formations ................................ 92 4.4 Bourdieusian Scholarship Applied to the ‘G&T’ Arena ......................... 96 The Distribution of Opportunities and Identities: ‘Habitus’ ......................... 99 Resources Deployed in Struggles for Positions in ‘G&T’ Structures: ‘Capitals’ .................................................................................................. 102 ‘Symbolic Violence’ and the Structuring of ‘G&T’ ‘Fields’ ......................... 105 Institutional Habitus ................................................................................. 108 4.5 Conclusions ....................................................................................... 110 Chapter 5: Methodology ............................................................................... 111 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 111 Grounded Theory Research .................................................................... 113 5.2 Epistemological/Ontological Foundations .......................................... 113 Epistemological/Hermeneutic Constructionism ........................................ 118 5.3 Methodology ...................................................................................... 119 5.4 Pilot Studies ....................................................................................... 121 5.5 Selecting Samples ............................................................................. 123 5.6 Sample Composition .......................................................................... 125 The Schools ............................................................................................. 125 Appleton Students ................................................................................... 127 Barratt Students ....................................................................................... 128 Castle Students ....................................................................................... 130 5.7 Conducting the Interviews and Questionnaires .................................. 133 Interviewing ‘G&T’-Students and Parents ................................................ 135 5.8 Ethical Issues ..................................................................................... 140 Reflexivity and Positionality ..................................................................... 142 5.9 Presentation and Analysis of the Data ............................................... 144 Personal Construct Repertory Grid .......................................................... 149 5.10 Research Limitations ......................................................................... 151 5.11 Conclusions ....................................................................................... 153 3 Chapter 6: Processes Involved in the Identification of ‘G&T’-Students in Post-16 Education ..................................................................................................... 155 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 155 6.2 School ‘Institutional Habitus’ .............................................................. 157 6.3 School ‘G&T’-Identification Practices and Provision .......................... 164 Appleton’s Institutional-Habitus: ‘Academic Capital’ ................................ 164 Barratt’s Institutional-Habitus: ‘Confidence Capital’ ................................. 171 Castle’s Institutional-Habitus: ‘Identity Capital’ ........................................ 175 6.4 Comparing School Institutional–Habituses ........................................ 180 6.5 ‘G&T’ Identification Inequity ............................................................... 188 Political Awareness of Inequities in ‘G&T’ Identification ........................... 188 Middle-Class Colonization of Schools with ‘Good’ ‘G&T-Provision .......... 192 Equal Opportunities and Inclusion ........................................................... 196 6.6 Conclusions ....................................................................................... 198 Chapter 7: How Students’ Identities are Affected by Being Identified as ‘G&T’ ..................................................................................................................... 200 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 200 7.2 ‘G&T’ ‘Ability’ Identity Constructions: Being Labelled ‘G&T’ ............... 201 ‘G&T’ Self-Perceptions ............................................................................ 203 ‘G&T’ Labelling Cultures .......................................................................... 216 7.3 Consequences of ‘G&T’ Labelling ...................................................... 220 Perfectionism and Perceived Pressures .................................................. 220 Perceptions of Stress ............................................................................... 224 ‘Confidence Capital’ ................................................................................. 231 7.4 ‘G&T’-Students as Bullied .................................................................. 235 7.5 Conclusions ...................................................................................... 237 Chapter 8: Strategies