Young offenders, school and learning
Martin Hugo
Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy
Malmö - Friday September 27th
• Approximately 1000 individuals, aged 11 to 20, are
annually committed to SiS Rehabilitation Institutions
designated for young offenders in Sweden
• There are 25 institutions in Sweden of that kind
• 2/3 are boys, 1/3 are girls
• Nearly all of them have failed at school before in the
Swedish school system
• Rehabilitation work also includes school and
education-related activities
• 91% of these youngsters are going to school every
week
• One of the aims of this study was to
understand how these young individuals
experience school, their motivation for
studying and possible future goals in terms
of learning
• The research was based on a
phenomenological worldview. Within this
framework the notion of Life Worlds was of
significant importance.
The life-world researcher has to be in the place
where the experiences, the opinions and the doings
are materialized in real situations where the
researcher participates in the activity that is done
and then even in a natural way in the speeches. By
using natural speeches in the research the
possibility is diminished of beeing put in a situation
that discourse analysts have pointed to: that the
interview creates its own social reality which is not
reaching outside the interview situation
(Bengtsson, 1999, p. 37).
Eight groups of pupils and their teachers
were observed by a researcher for a
period of three years.
Data collection methods used in this study are:
• Close observation in school activities
• Casual conversation
• 49 Research interviews
Van Manen (1990) – Researching Lived
Experience:
• Close observation involves an attitude of assuming
a relation that is as close as possible while
retaining a hermeneutic alertness to situations
that allows us to constantly step back and reflect
on the meaning of those situations (p. 69).
• The method of close observation requires that one
be a participant and an observer at the same time.
(p. 69).
As I and Natasha arrive in the morning the ward is in chaos. There have
been two suicide attempts. One girl has swallowed a razor blade and
another has gulped a bottle of bleach. Both girls survived the attempts
and are doing reasonably well after having received intensive care at
hospital. We participated in a crisis staff meeting focussing on the ward
situation. Every pupil’s situation is scrutinised. Apart from the two
suicide attempts there have been many conflicts and two of the other
girls refuse to get out of bed.
As we enter the common room of the ward we ran into one of the girls
returnig from the hospital. She looks knackered and apprehensive. She
is sitting in front of the telly, next to one of the orderlies, without
looking up. On our continued way towards the school room we pass
the exercise room. ”Hello Martin … how are things today?” someone
calls out. It is Emmie sweating it out on a stationary exercise bike. I
stop for a moment to exchange a few words with her; to ask how she
is. She then tells me:
Martin!…. XXXX’s Hospital seems to be a popular place to visit right
now … XXXX has swallowed a razor blade and XXXX has drunk
something nasty … Fuck, this place is horrible … I just want to get
out of here.
- This will be great (Teacher)
- Hell, yeah! (Pupil)
- You’re soon done with the course (Teacher)
- What bloody course?! … there can’t be courses for this!
(Pupil)
- Of course there is … See! … (Teacher shows the
syllabus)
- Oh shit! … I had no idea (Pupil)
- You are almost done with the entire course in casting
(Teacher)
- Are you serious?! (Pupil)
• Many of them have a dark and negative feeling about
school and teachers. Experiences of meaninglessness
are frequent among participants. Whatever the
school was all about, it was simply not intended for
them.
• Their negative experiences had generated negative
attitudes towards school in general and everything
associated with it. The accounts tell of
meaninglessness, truancy, failures, incomplete
grades and for many also difficulties in relating to
teachers.
• Many of the pupils think that that they are “bad
pupils”. As a consequence they could not see
themselves as individuals in school to learn useful
stuff.
“From year one to six I went to school every day
… but then I moved to XXXX for year seven
and this ended in a disaster after two months.
I stopped going … I had to do year seven all
over again. Then I moved to … XXXX for year
eight, and to my foster family. I stayed there
half of year seven and all of year eight … Then
I returned to XXXX to start year nine, but after
two months I was sentenced to this place”
(Pupil 21)
I have seen a different Sweden; a Sweden I
didn’t know existed. Sometimes I wish that
I didn’t know of its existence […] In this
place they are treated with respect. I guess
they have been badly treated before … in
school and outside school […] (Karin)
I have many a time stood by the door to
greet new pupils who told me … Just so
you know, David, I hate this bloody shit, so
just don’t you try anything. And just to let
you know … we are decided on this even
before entering the classroom. (David)
It is essential that they acquire self-confidence
and that they understand that they are actually
able to achieve something. They need a more
positive outlook. Many are quite sombre after
too many previous failures. They simply cannot
believe that they are capable of something
successful … Self-confidence is important; to
know that they are good enough (Kerstin)
“They sort of get you … you can tell if a teacher
is there to want to help you or if a teacher is
just ‘present’ to do a job. You can easily tell
[…] At least I notice it at once, if they actually
care or not … It’s important …in a place like
this they have to patient like hell. Most pupils
here have not been much to any school
before." (Pupil 5)
“The best thing is that the teacher … she is not
at this ward … when you come here you feel
free somehow … It’s nice when someone new
arrives and you have school to go to”
(Pupil 13)
“School is the best, I think … because it means
having something to do … in the ward there is
nothing … nothing …just the telly and the staff …
so it is much better here” (Pupil 3)
“School is better because we can think and focus on
things, and teachers allow us to listen to music …
there is more going on here than on the ward …
more action, you know” (Pupil 9)
“ School is great … mostly to get away from the
ward … you feel so confined in the ward, but here
you can move around and you get to think on
other things than being locked up” (Pupil 25)
”I make music … reggae mostly … it’s fun … it
makes me happy … I play the bass and the
guitar, and I could not play before coming
here” (Pupil 22).
“I left school with 70 merit points […] I think I
have almost 200 now since coming here. The
exams I took here […] they sort of gave me 100
merit points more, almost twice that which I had
before. I have done a lot since coming here and I
have put in lots of effort” (Pupil 15)
When I started here, they told me—being a
young woman—that I had to be extra strict,
structured and tough towards the pupils; be
very clear on everything and decisive. And so
this is what I did: I was strict and decisive.
Structure was prioritised and my relationship
with the pupils came second. However, I have
now learnt how it actually works … it is much
more important to create a relationship first and
gain their confidence, then add the structure.
Having established a relationship they will listen
and trust you (Kicki)
As a pupil is occupied with something and
is really focussed … not to interrupt this
and disturb … I usually say ”is it OK for me
to tell you to start working in about five
minutes?” They often respond ”Yes, but
give me ten minutes” … I then give them
this extra time. You have to. It is far too
easy as a teacher to make demands and
expect obedience. However, such an
authoritarian attitude rarely works.
(Teacher 17)
Many pupils find it difficult to focus. They have
previously been diagnosed with concentration
difficulties such as ADHD … So you have to work
with including distractions into your strategy …
small breaks or something else entirely. In my
experience it takes a bit of time to get these
pupils along when introducing another part of
your teaching. Strategy usually means being
clear, allowing time and allowing distractions –
just to help pupils transfer from one task and to
the next.
(Jesper)
Some important conclusions
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You must like them!
Teachers’ expectations will invariably impact
the outcome.
Always focus on the positive.
Pupils who strongly resist school often learn
both practice and theory by hands-on
experience.
Pupils must experience belonging and
engagement through active participation