From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

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From Leaving Certificate to Leaving School
on their progress, familiarising them with the exam layout and acting as a
‘wake-up call’ to those who had not been studying. The presence of the
impending exam also prompted significant numbers of students to take
private tuition outside school. Students generally feel that they learn most
from student-led, interactive learning which they consider makes subjects
more interesting and helps them to think independently. However, there is
a tension between this view and an increased instrumentality emerging
among students, especially those in more middle-class schools and in more
academically-oriented mixed intake schools. These latter students prefer
teachers who focus on the exam and provide regular tests and revision exercises,
expressing impatience with teachers who provided a broader perspective
or went ‘off message’.
At the same time, students were clear that positive interaction with
their teachers was key to effective learning. Thus, students respond best
to teachers who are patient with them, have an interest in the subject and
care about them. Most sixth year students felt that they had been given
greater responsibility for their own learning and felt that teachers treated
differently in light of their maturity. Negative interaction in the form of
reprimands or ‘being given out to’ was less prevalent in sixth year than
in fifth year. However, some students, particularly those in working-class
schools, highlighted the lack of mutual respect between teachers and students,
which contributed to a cycle of being reprimanded and, in turn,
students acting out.
In talking about teaching and learning in sixth year, the presence of
the Leaving Certificate exam looms large. In the following chapter, we
explore the workload associated with exam preparation and the potential
consequences for students in the form of stress.