This study draws on the perspectives of Year Twelve students in boys' schools to
examine school-wide factors that both enhance and hinder student academic
engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 boys from three
state boys' schools in the North Island of New Zealand. During these interviews,
boys talked about the things that determine and impact upon their engagement,
and they identified school wide changes that they believe would assist them to
focus on their academic studies. The qualitative data provided shows that these
boys are observing and thinking about the manner in which school structures and
systems impact on their engagement in their learning. The findings clearly show
that Year Twelve is challenging for many boys. They report a marked increase in
the level of difficulty of the work from NCEA Level One to Level Two, and a
corresponding increase in workload.
Their engagement in their studies, which they maintain varies significantly across
subjects, is influenced by their enjoyment of the subject and its perceived
relevance and usefulness to their future goals. The school-wide factors which the
boys suggest impact most significantly on their academic engagement are:
whether or not they are given the subjects of their choice, the career education
programmes they have access to, the number of students in their classes, their
access to computers in their regular classes and after school for study purposes,
the manner in which the school sets and articulates its expectations, the structure
of the school day and timetable, and how the school responds to disruptive
students in class. The majority of the boys report that NCEA enhances their
academic engagement, however, some of the strategies the boys report using to
manage NCEA workload can hinder their focus in the classroom. These include
skipping internal standards and not attempting standards in external
examinations, a decision that is sometimes made well before the event itself.
The students in this study offer educators fresh insight into the factors that affect
their academic engagement and suggest school wide strategies that will
potentially enhance this. This study recommends that quality career education be
made accessible to all students; that schools consider employing a full-time
specialist careers advisor; that class size, course selection processes and school
wide computer access be addressed; and that schools clearly articulate academic
expectations in ways that include and inspire all students.
