WHITE WORKING-CLASS BOYS’ NEGOTIATIONS OF SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AND ENGAGEMENT Garth Stahl Jesus College This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Cambridge Faculty of Education November 2012 Contents Tables ............................................................................................................................. 6 Pictures ........................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 8 Declaration ................................................................................................................... 10 Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 11 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 12 Purpose of the study ..................................................................................................... 12 Gender, class and ethnicity in the schooling context ................................................... 15 Wider societal influence and the ‘crisis of masculinity’ .............................................. 17 White working-class male identity work, the self and engagement with education .... 18 Research questions: ...................................................................................................... 23 Thesis structure and organization ................................................................................ 24 Part I - White Working-Class Boys and Schooling .................................................... 27 Chapter 1: The study of white working-class boys ..................................................... 27 1.1 The historical phenomenon and current national context .................................... 28 1.2 Problematising the academic discourse ............................................................... 36 1.2.1 White working-class boys as a problematic construct and an argument for heterogeneity ................................................................................................................ 36 1.2.2 Disaffection as a problematic construct ............................................................. 37 1.3 White working-class boys’ classed, gendered and ethnic identity work, the school and the self ........................................................................................................ 39 1.3.1 Construction(s) of classed identities through schooling ..................................... 39 1.3.2 Construction(s) of masculine identities through schooling ................................ 41 1.3.3 Construction(s) of an ethnic identity through schooling .................................... 45 1.4 Fixed and fluid: schooling and the (elusive) successful learner identity ............. 48 1.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 2: Social reproduction and the school ............................................................ 51 2.1 Critiques of subculture theory and the current education climate ........................ 51 2.2 Defining engagement: the continuum of engagement and dis-engagement ........ 53 2.3 Identity construction and engagement ................................................................. 55 2.3.1 Engagement, masculinity and social power ....................................................... 56 2.3.2 Institutionalized identities and fear of failure ..................................................... 57 2.4 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 59 Chapter 3 – Establishing an identity framework .......................................................... 60 3.1 An argument for Bourdieusian analysis of identity in educational contexts ......... 60 3.2 Bourdieu’s framework for analysis ...................................................................... 62 3.3 Bourdieu’s tools of capitals, field, habitus ........................................................... 64 3.4 Institutional habitus, gendered habitus, and the creation of the ‘self’ .................. 69 3.5 Bourdieu’s reflexivity .......................................................................................... 73 3.6 Limitations, criticisms and critiques of Bourdieu ................................................ 74 3.7 Approaches to understanding educational experience ......................................... 78 3.8 Considering intersectional theorizing .................................................................. 79 3.9 Advantages and weaknesses of intersectionality ................................................. 82 3.10 Fixed and fluid, belonging and status, push and pull factors .............................. 84 3.11 Understanding educational experience: the intertwining of social and learner identities ....................................................................................................................... 88 Part II Epistemology and Methodology in Research ................................................... 91 Chapter 4 – Epistemology and methodology ............................................................... 91 4.1 Epistemological perspectives: foundation of the research methodology and methods ........................................................................................................................ 91 4.1.2 Objectivism and subjectivism ........................................................................... 93 4.1.3 Constructionism / constructivism ...................................................................... 95 4.2 The theoretical perspective of interpretivism/interactionism and its limitations . 99 4.3 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 103 Chapter 5 – Listening to Young Men’s Voices: Methods ......................................... 104 5.1 Research Strategy ................................................................................................. 104 5.1.1 Qualitative methodological rationale .............................................................. 104 5.1.2 Ethnography ...................................................................................................... 108 5.1.3 School-based ethnography .............................................................................. 109 5.1.4 Limitations of school-based ethnography ....................................................... 111 5.2 Research settings ................................................................................................ 112 5.2.1 Community and schools ................................................................................. 113 5.3 Research Method ............................................................................................... 120 5.3.1 Sample ......................................................................................................... 120 5.3.2 Negotiating Access ....................................................................................... 123 5.4 Methods for data collection .............................................................................. 123 5.4.1 Observation ...................................................................................................... 123 5.4.2 Focus Groups ................................................................................................... 125 5.4.3 Interviewing .................................................................................................. 126 5.4.4 Life history approach ...................................................................................... 129 5.4.5 Use of Visual Imagery, Music, Film ................................................................ 130 5.5 Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 134 5.5.1 Transcription and coding analysis ................................................................ 134 5.5.2 Management of the data ................................................................................... 134 5.5.3 Hermeneutical Concerns in Data Analysis ...................................................... 135 5.5.4 Reflexivity ........................................................................................................ 136 5.6 Trustworthiness of the data ............................................................................... 138 5.7 Ethical considerations ...................................................................................... 139 5.8 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 140 Part III: Analysis: Themes and Subjectivities ............................................................ 142 Chapter 6 – Egalitarianism and the achievement ideology ........................................ 142 6.1 Egalitarianism and the habitus ....................................................................... 144 6.2 Loyalty to self: ‘I don’t try to act like something I’m not’ ............................... 152 6.3 Parental involvement and experiences with education .......................................