As a teacher, realising a pupil has disengaged from learning can be painful because most probably your lessons or the curriculum you are delivering can be part of the problem, at least though, that means you can be part of the solution too. As a parent however, if your child becomes disengaged from learning it can feel as if there is no way back. Many families feel powerless as they have no control over what is taught or how it’s delivered. And watching your child ‘fade’ from being actively curious and part of the school community can be frightening and upsetting. Since the Pandemic more children have struggled with their attendance and the statistics from the Centre for Social Justice study (2021) confirm schools and parents need to be more vigilant than ever to spot the signs of disengagement and if necessary, take action to rekindle healthy and happy connections with school.
What is disengagement from learning?
This is the term used to describe pupils’ attitudes and practices that prevent learning or gaining other benefits from school. It is best viewed as a collection of behaviours which may include everything from not paying attention in class, failing to produce homework and not participating in extra-curricular activities to more extreme forms of disengagement such as not turning up at school or engaging in disruptive forms of behaviour (The Careers & Enterprise Company Report, July 2016). Pupils appear disinterested, uninvested and unmotivated by learning. For some children it can be associated with certain subjects and for others it is more holistic. It appears to affect boys more than girls (Lingard, Martino and Mills, 2009) and seems most prevalent in the middle years of secondary school, around the ages of 14-16 although it can appear much earlier too.
What are the risks linked to disengagement?
- Poorer levels of achievement: Whether the disengagement comes in the form of lack of attention or physical absence, if a child is not present then learning cannot take place. It is no surprise either that presence in the learning environment is directly linked to achievement. Indeed, in 2009, an in-depth study of 78,106 students across 160 US schools showed that just a 1% increase in student engagement was associated with a 6-point increase in reading achievement and an 8-point score increase in maths scores.
- Longer term outcomes: If disengagement is left unaddressed the chance of longer-term consequences rises. Students not only run the risk of underachieving but also stepping away from school and / or the possibility of higher education. This course of action is strongly linked to lower earning power, and there may also be at greater risk of unemployment.
- Lower levels of social and emotional wellbeing: Most concerning, however, is the connection between low levels of achievement resultant from disengagement and low pupil self-esteem (Martinot et al, 2020). This in turn is associated with a spectrum of mental health problems, ranging from anxiety, to depression, including eating disorders and in the worst-cases, suicidal tendencies (Mann et al, 2004; Nguyen, 2019).
There is no upside to pupil disengagement and the sooner it can be spotted and addressed the better the outcome for the pupil.
What are the signs your child may be disengaging?
It’s important to stress that the behaviours of disengagement present on a spectrum, both in terms of what the pupil is struggling to maintain connection with and the level at which they are disconnected. These factors determine how the disengagement manifests and how it might present. In a typical home environment parents know their children far better than anyone else and are therefore best placed to notice changes in behaviour. Often the signs escalate slowly and many of the signs listed below are absolutely normal from time to time but if the signs persist and gradually worsen it may be time to take supportive action. Behavioural change children may display that may raise concern are:
boredom or shows little interest in school
talks about leaving school
finds learning hard or is disinterested in subjects
low level of literacy /numeracy or general poor attainment
is underconfident in their ability to learn
misses a lot of school or refuses to go to school
repeated exclusions, isolations or the school reports lots of negative behaviour
starts behaving in an aggressive way at home or at school
How can parents support their child to re-engage with learning?
There are four main reasons why children disengage from learning and luckily, they are all changeable with family support.
The first and the most common reason is a poor sense of autonomy. When children feel like they have little or no control over what happens to them or around them they sensibly give up the fight and move themselves to the side lines. Of course, they do have strands of control and make decisions all the time but, in most environments, designed to protect children, there is a sense for them that adults make all their choices. And although they can’t choose all that goes on at school, they do have some control and as a parent we can help them, through conversation, to identify where they have made choices and evaluate if those choices worked well for them or not. For example, simply asking questions such as, what did you have for lunch, who did you hang out with at breaktime, how did your maths test go – what did you learn from it? Can help them see where they have been powerful.
Within the home, of course, there are many opportunities to empower our children. I am not suggesting for a moment we mould a mini dictator, but we can set up space for choices (with attached responsibilities) and opportunity to evaluate the choices made. For example, asking, when will you do your homework, straight after school or have a break first? Which shoes do you think you should wear? Do you want rice or pasta? Allowing children the space to make choices enables then to feel in control and that spills over into managing homework, revising for tests and so on and once they feel they have leverage in the game they will engage. And the added spin off is that the sense of control reduces anxiety and so a positive trajectory is formed.
The second reason for disengagement is a poor sense of competence, a feeling of not being good enough. Again, for a parent this can be difficult around school/class-based skills - at arm’s length it’s difficult for a parent to know the curriculum content, although most teachers are usually happy to talk this through if you make an appointment. At home though, parents can foster a greater sense of confidence. The aim here is to promote perseverance linked to achievement. Through a hobby or activity that your child really likes, it’s easy to show that practise equals achievement and by helping your child to identify the skills and attitudes that bring rewards it’s easier to talk about how to use those transferable skills which provides confidence. Just a word of warning here, for some parents, out of love and a huge desire to help, can find themselves selling or selecting a hobby of their choice or recommendation to their child. Although this is meant well, it only further serves to disempower the child. Equally, over praising as an encouragement can also be more damaging than helpful. Children often sense when adults are being less than genuine with them, it would be more useful to make a statement like, ‘you seem to be getting hang of this, what do you think?’. It’s important to be honest and positive so your child can rely on what you say as part of their evidence they are headed towards mastery. In fact, a lack of bond or trust can lead to the third reason children disengage.
If a child feels unaccepted or unliked they withdraw from interaction and respond similarly if they feel a lack of respect or connection socially or emotionally. Within school there are many ways these feelings can manifest, at the obvious end of the spectrum this may be through racism, cultural difference, specific learning needs, feeling bullied and so forth but less obvious situations like persistent teasing can also be equally damaging. As a parent of course, this needs to be discussed and manage with the school. But there are several actions that can be taken at home that raise a child’s self-respect and increases their sense of responsibility. Giving children home chores that allows them to feel involved and vital which works well to raise their sense of self. By offering children the opportunity to hold the responsibility for chores can encourage a sense of pride in their undertakings, especially if it's backed up with family appreciation – both verbally and practically, i.e., as a bonus for excellent effort. This type of home activity allows the child to recognise when they are making a conscious effort and if their efforts are recognised. This in turn helps them to apportion responsibility for theirs and others’ behaviours, an important social skill that helps children understand that they can only be responsible for their own actions and not for others’ reactions. This empowers children to evaluate their own behaviour, recognise when an issue lies with others.
The final reason for children’s disengagement is when they see no relevance or value in what is being taught. Maths and science are good examples of this. I have worked with many children who think maths is boring, confusing and pointless but bring them into the kitchen and get cooking with them; fractions, weights, measures, ratios, time calculations all start to make real-life sense. I’ve also known other children who have flourished in maths once they were involved in mending motorbikes, working on cars and planning exploration trips. Most of the subjects in the curriculum interface with the real world and if your child is disengaging due to lack of relevance, spend some time involving them in hobbies or activities that just might change their perspective.
Disengagement for pupils is a serious concern and if you think your child may be struggling talk to their teacher or head if year and see what can be done jointly to help. If you can try some of the above suggestions, share your intentions with school staff and keep them up to date on the outcomes.
As always, your thoughts and comments are most welcome and if you have any questions regarding supporting your child, please do drop me a line at nicolab662@gmail.com.
Until next month, very best wishes
Nicola
Useful links for wider reading:
Kids can’t catch up if they don’t show up. Driving school attendance through the National Tutoring Programme. Centre for Social Justice, 2021 https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Cant_Catch_Up_FULL-REPORT.pdf
Mapping Disengagement. The Careers & Enterprise Company Report
Boys and schooling: Beyond structural reform. Lingard, Bob, Martino, Wayne, and Mills, Martin (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582767
Links between psychological disengagement from school and different forms of self-esteem in the crucial period of early and mid-adolescence. Martinot, D., Beaton, A., Tougas, F. et al. Soc Psychol Educ 23, 1539–1564 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-020-09592-w
Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health promotion. Michal (Michelle) Mann,Clemens M. H. Hosman,Herman P. Schaalma,Nanne K. de VriesHealth Education Research, Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2004, 357-372 https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg041