Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

DISCUSSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS 1519.3Implicationsfor PolicyThe findings outlined above point to the need for further discussionabout the LCA programme and its role in senior cycle generally. Thissection outlines key policy questions which have been identified in thisstudy. The discussion centres on two sets of issues: first, the relationshipbetween the LCA programme and other parts of the second-level system;and second, issues arising in relation to the content and outcomes of theLCA programme.9.3.1 THE LCA PROGRAMME IN CONTEXTFindings from the study raise a number of issues around the nature of LCAas an educationally distinct or ring-fenced programme and its relationshipwith other parts of the second-level system. In the remainder of thissection, we look at how LCA entry is influenced by junior cycleexperiences, at the unintended consequences of providing a ring-fencedprogramme for social inequality, at the issue of ring-fencing as opposed toflexibility, and at what lessons can be learnt from the LCA experience forother educational programmes.9.3.2 HOW IMPORTANT ARE STUDENT EXPERIENCES INJUNIOR CYCLE TO ENTRY INTO LCA?This study highlights how negative school experiences during junior cyclecan influence the decision to enter the LCA programme. LCA entrants aredisproportionately those who have struggled with their schoolwork duringjunior cycle, who have experienced negative interaction with teachers, andwho have been allocated to lower stream classes. Our findings are,therefore, consistent with previous research on student disengagement inthe Irish educational system. Student experiences at junior cycle haveemerged as key in shaping young people’s subsequent engagement withschool life (Smyth et al., 2007). School climate has a crucial influence onstudent disengagement, with students in some school contexts being caughtup in a cycle of ‘being given out to’ by their teachers and ‘acting out’ inresponse. Their resulting disengagement manifests itself in academicunderperformance (Smyth et al., 2007) and, for many, a gradual withdrawalfrom schooling (Byrne and Smyth, forthcoming). The approach to teachingand learning at junior cycle level is also found to set the tone for seniorcycle experiences. More active teaching methodologies tend to fosterstudent engagement, while differentiated teaching approaches have thepotential to avoid the significant level of student dissatisfaction with thepace of instruction evident in junior cycle classrooms (Smyth et al., 2006;2007).Entry processes into LCA must therefore be seen in the context ofstudent experiences at junior cycle. The necessity for a differentiatedprogramme at senior cycle may, perhaps, be lessened if these issues aretackled in a more appropriate manner at an earlier stage in junior cycle.9.3.3 DOES THE LCA REPRODUCE SOCIAL INEQUALITIES ORPROVIDE A ‘SAFETY NET’ FOR STUDENTS AT RISK?International research has indicated that the provision of differentpathways or tracks within the educational system can often haveunintended consequences (Shavit, 1990; Shavit and Muller, 2000; Hallinan,2007). Thus, programmes which are intended to assist disadvantaged youngpeople may, in fact, contribute to their exclusion. The findings of this