Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

The structure and implications of children's attitudes to school

Croll, Paul; Attwood, Gaynor; Last, Kate; Fuller, Carol

Authors

Paul Croll

Carol Fuller



Abstract

The paper reports a study of children's attitudes to school based on a questionnaire survey of 845 pupils in their first year of secondary school in England, together with interviews with a sample of the children. A clearly structured set of attitudes emerged from a factor analysis which showed a distinction between instrumental and affective aspects of attitudes but also dimensions within these, including a sense of teacher commitment and school as a difficult environment. Virtually all children had a strong sense of the importance of doing well at school. However, a substantial minority were not sure that they would stay on after 16. There were few differences between boys and girls or between children from different socio-economic backgrounds but children planning to leave at 16 enjoyed school less and were less sure that it had anything to offer them. There was an almost universal commitment to the value of education but, for a minority, an ambivalence about the experience and relevance of schooling for them. © 2008 SES.

Citation

Croll, P., Attwood, G., Last, K., & Fuller, C. (2008). The structure and implications of children's attitudes to school. British Journal of Educational Studies, 56(4), 382-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8527.2008.00420.x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Dec 1, 2008
Deposit Date Nov 9, 2010
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal British Journal of Educational Studies
Print ISSN 0007-1005
Electronic ISSN 1467-8527
Publisher Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 56
Issue 4
Pages 382-399
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8527.2008.00420.x
Keywords children, education, school
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1006965
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8527.2008.00420.x