Student Voice: How can it help us to understand students' experiences of school?

Abstract

Background: There has been a mismatch between the relatively high reading achievement of students on the West Coast of the South Island at the beginning of Year 9, and their low levels of achievement in NCEA. Aim: The aim of the research is to use student voice to understand the pattern of achievement in West Coast secondary schools. Sample: Year 10 students from five of the seven West Coast secondary schools. Method: Questionnaires (n=93 students) and in-depth interviews on a sample of students (n=19) provided data on the factors identified from local and international research that could influence achievement (e.g., student aspirations, parental expectations). Achievement data on reading comprehension were also collected. Results:Factors identified from the literature such as parental support for education, the influence of peer groups and student’s future aspirations were not strong predictors of the mismatch in achievement. In contrast, the use of student voice suggested that being unsure how to improve their work and the lack of interesting content and pedagogy may have impacted to some extent on student achievement. Conclusions: The implications of this research reinforce the importance of testing assumptions and highlight the value of using student voice to improve teaching and learning.