Promoting resilience through adversity: increasing positive outcomes for expelled students

Abstract

This article endeavours to increase educators’ understanding of the experiences of students who have been expelled from school in order to represent this critical stakeholder group in future policy development and programme implementation. Students’ perspectives are presented through thick description in this narrative case study. Findings indicate that expulsion from school can alter the trajectory of a student’s life – for better or for worse. Without thoughtful intervention from caring educators, this interruption in students’ education may have an irreparable destructive impact on students’ futures. Educators must develop interventions focused on bringing forth protective factors that are documented to increase resilience, thus making students less susceptible to the risks inherent in removing them from school.

Keywords:

• expelled students
• expulsion
• school exclusion
• resilience
• students’ experiences
• exclusionary discipline