Insights into Cultural Participation in School and Beyond
Cultural participation within
and outside school:
insights from research
Emer Smyth
Introduction
Exposure of young people to cultural activities,
including music, can take through the formal
curriculum, through school-based extracurricular
activities and/or through out-of-school activities
Use existing research to highlight main issues in
relation to provision and participation within and
outside school
Subject provision
Role of school size in constraining the range of
subjects provided
Type of subjects provided also reflects perceived
suitability for the kinds of students attending the
school: gender mix and ability/social class
Music is part of the primary school curriculum
but time spent on it varies across schools (less in
boys’ schools; more in gaelscoileanna)
Second-level schools vary in provision at junior
and senior cycle level
Junior cycle provision of Music (2011)
Senior cycle provision of Music (2011)
But provision is not enough
Complex processes shape the take-up of subjects
Can be influenced by the school approach to
subject choice:
Timing
Packaging
Subjects can be constructed in terms of gender
(‘for girls’ or ‘for boys’) or in terms of
ability/performance
Junior cycle choices influence senior cycle take-
up
Take-up of Music at junior and senior
cycle (2011)
Who takes Music?
Lack of large-scale research on take-up of Music
Indicative patterns from the Post-Primary
Longitudinal Study:
Individual social class background: higher among
professionals/farmers
Prior achievement: higher among those with
higher reading scores
School social mix: much lower in working-class
schools
Out-of-school activities among 9 year
olds (Growing Up in Ireland data)
Groups of children
1.
‘Cultural activities’: organised music and drama lessons or clubs,
reading for pleasure
2.
‘Sports and computer games’: sports and exercise, videogames
and ICT for fun
3.
‘Social networkers’: varied use of ICT combined with cultural
activities and time with friends
4.
‘Busy lives’: involved in a wide range of activities
5.
‘TV and sports’ (unstructured activities): TV and time with
friends, very low ICT use
Activities by gender
Activities by social class
Other factors influencing participation
in cultural activities
Family income
Mother’s education
Educational resources in the home
Immigrant status
Learning disability
Neighbourhood: children are more involved in
cultural activities where there are local
recreational facilities
Out-of-school activities and reading
scores
Out-of-school activities and maths
scores
Policy implications
Access to music education varies according to the
school attended: implications for gender and
social background differences
Not just an issue of take-up but provision: how is
music constructed as a school subject?
Clear gender and social class differences in out-
of-school participation in cultural activities
Implications for educational achievement but
value of music education is not just instrumental
Young people's exposure to cultural activities, such as music, occurs within formal education, extracurricular programs, and outside of school. Provision and participation in music education vary across schools, influenced by factors like school size, student demographics, and curriculum design. The uptake of music at different educational levels reflects complex processes shaped by school policies and individual backgrounds, highlighting the need for further research on music education uptake patterns.
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Presentation Transcript
Cultural participation within and outside school: insights from research Emer Smyth
Introduction Exposure of young people to cultural activities, including music, can take through the formal curriculum, through school-based extracurricular activities and/or through out-of-school activities Use existing research to highlight main issues in relation to provision and participation within and outside school
Subject provision Role of school size in constraining the range of subjects provided Type of subjects provided also reflects perceived suitability for the kinds of students attending the school: gender mix and ability/social class Music is part of the primary school curriculum but time spent on it varies across schools (less in boys schools; more in gaelscoileanna) Second-level schools vary in provision at junior and senior cycle level
Junior cycle provision of Music (2011) 100 90 80 70 60 50 % 40 30 20 10 0 Boys' sec. Girls' sec. Coed sec. Vocational Comm./comp.
Senior cycle provision of Music (2011) 100 90 80 70 60 50 % 40 30 20 10 0 Boys' sec. Girls' sec. Coed sec. Vocational Comm./Comp.
But provision is not enough Complex processes shape the take-up of subjects Can be influenced by the school approach to subject choice: Timing Packaging Subjects can be constructed in terms of gender ( for girls or for boys ) or in terms of ability/performance Junior cycle choices influence senior cycle take- up
Take-up of Music at junior and senior cycle (2011) 40 35 30 25 Male Female 20 % 15 10 5 0 Junior cycle Senior cycle
Who takes Music? Lack of large-scale research on take-up of Music Indicative patterns from the Post-Primary Longitudinal Study: Individual social class background: higher among professionals/farmers Prior achievement: higher among those with higher reading scores School social mix: much lower in working-class schools
Out-of-school activities among 9 year olds (Growing Up in Ireland data) Activity % participating Of which % paid for Sports / fitness club 75.3 83.1 Cultural activities 47.3 94.2 Youth club 7.0 76.7 Scouts / guides / boys brigade / girls brigade 13.3 95.6 Homework club 7.9 52.1
Groups of children Cultural activities : organised music and drama lessons or clubs, 1. reading for pleasure Sports and computer games : sports and exercise, videogames 2. and ICT for fun Social networkers : varied use of ICT combined with cultural 3. activities and time with friends Busy lives : involved in a wide range of activities 4. TV and sports (unstructured activities): TV and time with 5. friends, very low ICT use
Activities by gender 35 30 25 20 % 15 10 5 0 Cultural activities Sports/games Social Networkers Boys Busy lives TV/sports (unstructured) Girls
Activities by social class 50 45 40 35 30 25 % 20 15 10 5 0 Cultural activities Sports/games Social Networkers Non-employed Busy lives TV/sports (Unstructured) Professional
Other factors influencing participation in cultural activities Family income Mother s education Educational resources in the home Immigrant status Learning disability Neighbourhood: children are more involved in cultural activities where there are local recreational facilities
Out-of-school activities and reading scores 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Cultural activities Sports/games Social Networkers Busy lives Compared to Unstructured activities (TV/Sports)
Out-of-school activities and maths scores 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Cultural activities Sports/games Social Networkers Busy lives Compared to Unstructured activities (TV/Sports)
Policy implications Access to music education varies according to the school attended: implications for gender and social background differences Not just an issue of take-up but provision: how is music constructed as a school subject? Clear gender and social class differences in out- of-school participation in cultural activities Implications for educational achievement but value of music education is not just instrumental
