The Identities and Practices of High Achieving Pupils: Negotiating Achievement and Peer Cultures

How do some students manage to excel in their studies and be popular while other high achievers are treated as social outcasts? This lively and accessible text looks at the relationships between gender, race and social class, and attainment and popularity, for high-achieving pupils. The internationally renowned authors present a lucid theoretical framework that reflects the complexity of these issues, placing them within the broader context of the policies that cause and constrain particular behaviours among teachers and pupils. The authors draw together empirical data, bringing the realities of young people to life and presenting the lessons that can be learnt to enhance the educational achievement of all students. It is an engaging text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students exploring the debates on identity and achievement.

Table of Contents:
Introduction \ 1. The Policy Context: Educational 'Standards' and Human Capital \ 2. Conceptualizing Gender and Achievement \ 3. Facilitating High Achievement and the Issue of 'Balance' \ 4. 'Boffins and Geeks': The Social Consequences for Young People Constructed as 'Too Hardworking' \ 5. High Achieving and Popular: The Ideal Neoliberal Subject \ 6. High Achieving and Popular: How Do They Do It? \ 7. Implications for Schools \ References \ Index

About the Author :
Becky Francis is Professor of Education at King's College, London, UK. Christine Skelton is Professor of Gender Equality in Education at University of Birmingham, UK. Barbara Read is Reader in Education at the University of Glasgow, UK.

Review :
Winner of the Society for Educational Studies Annual Book Prize 2013 'Written by leading researchers in the field of gender and education, this excellent book draws upon a wealth of sources, including rich and fascinating data from the authors' recent research, to explore how high achieving pupils construct and negotiate their identities. Its accessible style, nuanced arguments and relevance for practice make it invaluable for researchers, students, teachers and policy makers.' Carolyn Jackson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, UK 'Given current obsessions with school achievement, The Identities and Practices of High Achieving Pupils makes compelling reading. In providing a much needed sociological study of high achieving students and sociability, this wonderfully theorised book troubles the notion of 'achievement', challenges many of the assumptions relating to gender and achievement, and provokes questions about the very purposes of schooling. The richness of the student voices, the nuanced analyses of these voices and the attention given to the practical implications of the research will ensure that this book appeals to a wide-ranging audience.' Martin Mills, Professor of Education, University of Queensland, Australia 'This important and illuminating book will be invaluable to anyone working with high-attaining students. The elucidation of the complexities of these students' social worlds, and of how they balance social acceptance with educational attainment, makes for fascinating reading.' Carrie Paechter, Professor of Education, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK