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

Academic Stress and the Leaving Certificate 73
About the same as last year. Yeah, then you do study on top of that.
(Argyle Street, coed school, mixed intake)
Similarly, students in Barrack Street noted the greater challenge in balancing
schoolwork, homework and studying in sixth year:
Interviewer: How do you feel this year compares with last year?
Harder.
Interviewer: In what way?
Like study wise you have to study more and learn more things. Do
more homework. Do more. (Barrack Street, girls’ school, workingclass
intake)
One student in Belmore Street put it simply: ‘Too much homework, too
much everything. We are wrecked’ (Belmore Street, girls’ school, mixed
intake). The overall workload appeared to overwhelm these students who
noted the lack of time to get everything done:
Interviewer: What’s the main source of pressure do you think?
The work load, I think. And the study, like it’s trying to fit in study
after your home work because you have so much like… There’s
hardly any time. (Belmore Street, girls’ school, mixed intake)
For students in Dawson Street taking the LCA programme, however, a
different pattern emerged with many suggesting it was ‘easier’ this year
with less homework than in junior cycle:
Don’t get much homework.
Interviewer: Do you not?
No.
We don’t get none at all really.
Just like learning, revising.
Just learn whatever you do. (Dawson Street, coed school, mixed intake)