"What school means to me"

Junior secondary school coincides with the process of identity formation for young adolescents. But school can have a profound effect on this process. Alienation of students during these years is common & consequently, students are more likely to leave school early, adversely affecting their future opportunities. The study presented in this book engaged the student voice through conversational interviews to gain insight into junior secondary students'' experiences within & outside of school, ‘cultural mismatch'' between student & school, and how alienation at school leads to student disempowerment and problems with identity formation. This book provides valuable information for further research into student voice and alienation in the junior secondary school. School administrators, teachers, parents and those involved in educational reform have the opportunity to listen to the student voice to gain a greater appreciation of the problem of alienation and how adolescents'' lives may be in conflict with school. By utilising ‘practical intersubjectivity'' between students and teachers, students are encouraged to be responsible for creating positive change in their own schools.