Voices of the excluded!

Abstract

The experiences of ten girls in a mainstream school who are excluded or frequently punished due to their social, emotional and behavioural difficulties are conveyed in this research. Participants were asked to discuss their educational journey and their perceptions about the curriculum offered at school. The data collected was analysed against the literature available on the subject using a narrative inquiry. Five themes are discussed here; a) The incomprehensible differences between primary and secondary schooling, b) Relationships: the exacerbation or alleviation of difficulties in accessing the curriculum, c) The curriculum: what is important, what is acceptable and what needs to be changed, d) The vices and virtues of academic assessments e) Discipline and Good Behaviour Systems: what is fair and just, and what is an outright counterproductive provocation. In a bid to transform for the better the education of students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, this study strives to look for answers in a source which is mostly ignored, the voices of the students themselves. The voices of the excluded!