Life in School: The Sociology of Pupil Culture

There can be little doubt that pupils’ own interpretations of what happens in their schools represent a crucial link in the educational chain. We need to understand how pupils respond to different forms of pedagogy and school organization, and why they respond in the ways they do, in order to increase the effectiveness of our schooling.

In the ten years prior to first publication ethnographic studies of pupils in schools had increased in number and importance. They had come to represent a le...