Study into how adolescent illness disrupts schooling
[ UniNews Vol. 16, No. 3
5 - 19 March 2007 ]
Young people whose schooling is disrupted by illness or accident are the focus of a new collaborative study by the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education, the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Education Institute and the Centre for Adolescent Health.
Adolescents will be studied over a two-year period to chart their experiences, identity-making and social connectedness.
The RCH Education Institute is sponsoring a PhD scholarship for $75 000 over three years to complement the work of the University’s project team. The scholarship will support a doctoral student in developing a project related to the research study.
Professor Lyn Yates, Faculty of Education Associate Dean of Research and Research Training, welcoming the RCH Education Institute’s support, said she foresees the project having an impact on children, parents and professionals working with youths.
“A long-term illness or a traumatic experience can severely impact a child’s experience of schooling, not just academically, but in ways related to social connection and disconnection.
“We want to draw out the stories behind young people’s illnesses, not purely focus on their health. The work of the PhD will underpin this information gathering,” she said.
Professor Yates said the project is unique in that it will not only capture the experience of the young person, but also study the perspectives of parents, education and health professionals.
“We plan to use a range of methods to capture perspectives, including visual, narrative and video materials, to discover how education and health professionals and parents interact with young people in this situation.
“We want to understand the perspectives these groups bring to bear, and how these facilitate or work against young people’s ability to maintain connection with schools and community outside the hospital,” she said.
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