Top Girls: middle class privilege and agentic practice
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Childhood, Families and Health
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
Maxwell C
(2016)
Schools, schooling and elite status in English education - changing configurations?
in L'Année sociologique
Maxwell C
(2015)
Researching elite education: affectively inferred belongings, desires and exclusions
in International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
Maxwell C
(2015)
Creating Cosmopolitan Subjects: The Role of Families and Private Schools in England
in Sociology
Maxwell C
(2013)
Becoming accomplished: concerted cultivation among privately educated young women 1
in Pedagogy, Culture & Society
Maxwell C
(2014)
Agentic Practice and Privileging Orientations Among Privately Educated Young Women
in The Sociological Review
Maxwell C
(2013)
Middle-class young women: agentic sexual subjects?
in International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
Maxwell C
(2014)
The reproduction of privilege: young women, the family and private education
in International Studies in Sociology of Education
Maxwell, C
(2014)
Top Girls. Young women in independent schools
Maxwell, C.
(2013)
Top Girls. Young women and independent schools.
| Description | A three-year, longitudinal study was conducted in four private schools in England. The aim of the research was to examine how social location, measured in terms of social class and being educated in the private sector, shapes possibilities for agentic practice among young women. Ninety-one young women aged 14-18 years were interviewed, with 56 being re-interviewed 12-24 months later. Eleven interviews were also conducted with senior members of staff across the four schools. Focusing on young women attending private schools, who portray the ideal subject described by 'top girl' discourses (McRobbie, 2009), the study sought to examine how participants position themselves in relation to educational success, and the development of a confident sense of self (Maxwell & Aggleton, 2013b). Findings point to the centrality of 'privilege' (here understood as a set of material, cultural and ideological resources connected both to the person, as a set of attributes or an identity, but also embedded within particular spaces) in understanding young women's social position and responses. The study reveals how different forms of privilege are produced within the family and through education. Findings highlight the role played by the 'nurturant cultivation' of the school in extending the prior 'surety' of young women, creating opportunities for reproduction of different forms of privilege (Maxwell & Aggleton, 2013a). Significantly, study findings also enable the development of a conceptual framework which describes how three domains - the family, the school, and the individual young women's projects of the self - together shape meanings and orientations driving 'privileging practices', both within each of these domains and beyond. These practices (of self-identification, or self-naming vis-à-vis 'others' and of social and cultural differentiation) in turn lay the foundations for processes of cultural reproduction. However, even for the elite and upper middle classes, the outcomes of such processes are not always clear-cut, with study findings pointing to an indeterminacy of outcome, both for individuals and for more general processes of social reproduction. Not all young women from 'privileged' backgrounds subscribe to and enact the commitments of their parents and the schools they have attended; not all will contribute to the uninterrupted cross-generational reproduction of social, economic and educational privilege. The role played by affect in determining the 'smoothness' or otherwise of the transition from home to school, and from school to the wider worlds, is also highlighted by findings from the study. In particular, our data suggest that the degree of affective alignment between a young woman's family and the school holds the potential to drive different forms of 'internal conversation' (Archer, 2003). These conversations, in turn, link to different 'projects of the self' which drive agentic practices. Ultimately, it is the interaction between these three spheres - the home, the school, and a young woman's project of the self - that is of importance in influencing what privileged young women take from their education, and the extent to which their actions - both at school and beyond - contribute to ongoing reproduction of class, gender and other forms of inequality. |
| Exploitation Route | Four main routes have been used to ensure the study has scientific and social impact. 1. Publications - in high impact, international, peer-reviewed journals. Within the field of sociology, these have included The Sociological Review and, within education, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education; and Pedagogy, Culture & Society. Papers have also been invited for submission to special issues of journals focusing on elite education. 2. Development of an international network of scholars working on elite education through convening (i) a themed symposium on elite and private education at the Australian Association for Research in Education (Sydney, December 2012); (ii) an international, invitation-only 2-day conference on private and elite education (London, November 2013); (iii) a future double symposium on elite education in Europe at the European Educational Research Association (Porto, September 2014); and (iv) a 2-day international conference on elite education (Paris, October 2014). 3. Conference and seminar papers - beyond papers given at the above events, we have presented findings from the project at the Gender & Education Association conference (London, April 2013), the IOE Sociology of Education annual conferences (London, July 2013; June 2014); the International Sociology of Education conference (London, November 2013), and the 'Desiring Bodies' ESRC-funded seminar series (London, November 2013). A paper will also be given at an invitation 2-day conference on elites and international mobility (Paris, June 2014), and keynote papers will be given at Halle, Germany (July, 2014) and Paris (October, 2014). 4. Engaging with the private/elite education schools sector - details provided below. Potential use in non-academic contexts There are been three main forms of engagement with non-academic users. 1. The PI and Co-I organised a Roundtable Discussion in December 2013 attended by representatives of key private education sector organisations. The project report was launched and discussion took place on future research needs. Follow-up discussion has taken place with the Girls' Day Schools Trust, and a small follow-up research study is being developed. 2. The PI has worked closely with the four schools involved in the study - providing regular feedback and updates throughout the research phase. • In one school, the research team fed back on a number of case studies of young women to illustrate the kinds of skills and knowledge interviewees felt the school had supported them in gaining, preparing them for life beyond school. • In a second school, the PI supported members of the senior leadership team to consider the ways their co-educational environment might inadvertently restrict young women's experiences of learning through the reinforcement of particular modes of femininity. • In yet another school, the PI has worked closely with their Pastoral Care lead to develop ways of identifying why particular young women may be experiencing difficulties with learning, peer group relations and aspirations for the future. These meetings helped shape the personal, social, health and emotional development curriculum. 3. An information booklet for young women has been professionally produced - and disseminated via hard copy and html email to all study participants and other students across the four study schools. |
| Sectors | Education |
| Description | The Top Girls study was first and foremost an academic endeavour, concerned with developing new theoretical insights into the ways privilege and affect shape possibilities for agentic practice among a group of privately educated young women. The work included seeking to understand what factors shaped young women's views of themselves, their education and their futures. A secondary focus of the research was to develop a picture of the independent schooling market in one area of England - to understand how schools might be understood to differ from one another and the kinds of factors that shape school choice for those families choosing a fee-paying education for their children. Throughout the three-year study, the PI remained in close contact with the member of the senior leadership team who acted as the research link for each of the four participating schools. This meant there was a continual dialogue about the purpose of the research and emerging findings, and discussion about the ways the young women interviewed and the culture of their particular schools were similar or different to those found in the other schools in the sample. Such an on-going dialogue was critical to supporting the development of a close relationship between the project and each school. The PI also visited each school at the end of the study, reported on key findings and providing copies of the project summary report for policy-makers and practitioners, as well as disseminating the leaflet developed for participants. Furthermore, the PI and Co-I organised a Roundtable Discussion in London in December 2013 for key representatives of the independent schooling sector. Prior to writing this narrative impact report, the PI contacted each school, a sub-sample of participants and key representatives of the independent schooling sector to explore with them the 'impact' had by the research . For participants Experience of 'the research' for participants was limited to two moments in time when they participated in an in-depth interview with the PI; the first being face-to-face and the second either in person again or over the telephone. The lasting impression of being involved in the study for the young women was a vivid one. As one young woman explained, 'I remember our last conversation, it was I think while I was walking my dog. It was really good to get it off my chest [problems she was having with her boyfriend], nice to have someone to talk to'. Another young woman echoed this - 'I remember it with clarity [the two times we met face-to-face] feels like it was something'. She continued, 'I don't really like to talk about me when I see my friends, so it was quite nice from a selfish point of view to speak about yourself, it helps you to reflect, better to say things out loud. I remember our conversation being about a range of things, and I hadn't realised I thought that about my friends, university, myself'. This same young woman went on to say, 'thinking about whether 'women can have it all' [one of the initial drivers behind the research], my friend recently had this experience of being attacked for talking back to a guy who said she had nice legs. That really brings that home, that women are not really equal'. While it is not possible to argue that because of this young woman's involvement in the study she was better able to reflect on such an attack as being indicative of broader gender relations, study participation may have played a small part in supporting the development of such an awareness. Given the relatively brief encounters participants had with the research team, especially since the majority of them had left school by the time the findings were disseminated and acted upon by the schools, the main 'impact' for participants is likely to have been the positive experience of engaging in research. This may, in some way, be beneficial to the broader research community as a group of young people (and schools) who participated in the study felt this was a productive and worthwhile experience, and may encourage them to agree to participate in research in the future. For schools The 'impact' of the research for each individual school has been more significant. In one of the coeducational schools, the PI had previously discussed with the deputy head the impact of gender relations on the experiences of the young women attending the school. This led to some changes in the structure of the school day to reduce the spaces and opportunities in which negative and sexualised interactions between young women and men could potentially occur. In this same school, the PI was invited to present some key findings to the team responsible for pastoral care and the development of personal, social and health education, so that they might understand how current gender relations were affecting the educational and social experiences of their female students. Since the end of the study, the PI has been asked to support the implementation and evaluation of an intervention programme to promote positive masculinities run by a group of postgraduates at the local university. The school is committed to running this programme over the next two years and this may have a significant impact on the way it understands gender relations and seeks to educate students and staff about positive and equal relationships. In a second school, the deputy head teacher explained that the main impact of the research had been on her own practice, but also on the way the school viewed its purpose. She commented in particular on how she now understood more clearly the role of extra-curricular activities in supporting young women to develop a sense of themselves. Engaging in activities outside the academic curriculum was seen as important in the 'identity work' young women engaged in. In the research study itself, participants drew on understandings of themselves as good at this and less good at other things, when asked to describe themselves and when seeking to make choices about how to present themselves in the university application process. The deputy head explained that she had drawn on the findings of the study in discussions with staff to emphasise the importance of the school providing a strong extra-curricular focus. The senior leadership team - in part because of the focus of the research - was now fully committed to such an approach through the education their school sought to offer. In fact, the deputy head teacher explained they promoted extra-curricular work in their marketing strategy. The same deputy head teacher explained that a second consequence of being involved in the study was, that staff were reminded that other factors beyond the school needed to be understood as shaping young women's engagement in school life. She commented that staff sometimes forgot that broader family dynamics were significant in shaping orientations to education and the future - which the research findings had highlighted. She concluded, 'I might feel it [some of the main research findings presented] as an experienced teacher, but having been given those insights through your interviews with the girls, was the evidence base we needed to draw on to inform our practice'. In reviewing the 'impact' the study had had on participating schools, it is interesting to note the quite different ways schools engaged with and focused on particular aspects of the findings. Thus, the deputy head teacher at the second co-educational school, wrote to the PI, explaining: Taking part in the research came at a very fortuitous time as the role of Senior Mistress had been created at the school. The project provided a focus for the development of the provision for girls within the school. The findings from our students confirmed what we hoped to be the case, that the girls felt that they had made the right choice of school and felt that they were flourishing. But it also gave food for thought as regards the elements that made for a successful school career for girls. The concept of a 'project of the self' was one that we drew upon heavily when putting together elements of our new Wellbeing and Integrity Toolkit (WIT). We devised modules that enabled students to examine their emotions, look at their futures and to learn to be reflective about their and others' experiences. The project also enabled us to examine the relationships between school, pupil and parent. The findings suggested that we were on the whole on the right track but areas such as the importance of the feeling of connectedness resonated as we are a rural school with a very large catchment area and some girls did feel isolated by their location. This led to our developing a scheme of connecting parents and girls with others in their area. It also influenced the direction that some of the Parent Evening conversations took, staff were more aware of the need to ensure that where necessary parental, pupil and school expectations were in line. From the account provided by this deputy head teacher, it is possible to suggest that participating in the study had had an impact on organisational practices and the development of initiatives aimed to promote wellbeing and engagement in education. This respondent has also asked that the PI stay in touch and conversations continue about the ways the school can continue to provide an environment which meets the needs of their female students. Thus, in at least two of the schools, the PI intends to remain involved in some way, which in the longer term may mean that not only are particular initiatives developed that seek to engage with the ideas developed through the Top Girls study, but that it may have a deeper impact on the lives of the young women and men attending these schools. For sector representatives Seeking to engage the independent schooling sector representatives was a little more challenging. Initially the PI met with the Chief Executive of one of the peak organisations nationally, to explore the development of a resource that might engage with the priorities of this organisation and which built upon findings from the research itself. The goal was to develop a resource that explored young women's outlooks for their futures and the ways in which their experiences in schools had helped to shape these. Unfortunately, however, despite the organisation expressing real interest in such a collaboration, it was possible to fully commit to it within the timeframe of the research funding available to the project. Following the Roundtable event, which was very well attended and well received, the Co-I and PI sought to engage the various organisations in further dialogue. While initially interested, none went so far as to commit to a further meeting. The organisation with which the PI had previously held discussions, did ask that a research proposal be developed by the PI to consider further the dynamics shaping school choices for families in one part of London where one of their affiliated schools was losing pupils to another fee-paying school which now had a coeducational Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13). However, despite a detailed research proposal being developed, once again, the organisation did not respond in a timely enough manner to allow the study to go ahead. There are likely to be a number of reasons for the greater challenge of encouraging national organisations to engage with a study such as this - lack of time, different priorities, and being more interested in other kinds of research (perhaps more quantitatively-informed analyses of future destinations and/or the benefits of single-sex versus coeducational schooling). Future research will however continue to seek engagement with these representative bodies, so as to extend the impact of research into the broader fee-paying education sector. Becoming a known and trusted figure in the world of private and elite education may take time, especially at a moment when schools are feeling the need to become ever more competitive. Broader public engagement The study has resulted in at least two opportunities for engaging a much broader audience in the findings of the study. The first is a discussion of the study with Laurie Taylor on Radio 4's Thinking Allowed programme to be aired on Wednesday 4 February 2015. The second is an interview for a larger public engagement project focused on ways of introducing a focus on notions of pleasure with young people through sexuality and relationships education: https://goodsexproject.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/interviewing-the-pleasure-experts/ |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic |