“Exploring the barriers to achievement amongst working-class white British students in science at GCSE.”

Anwana, Eno and Jackson, Carolyn (2026) “Exploring the barriers to achievement amongst working-class white British students in science at GCSE.”. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the science experiences of twenty working-class white British students over two years. White British students typically account for 76.5% of secondary school students in the United Kingdom, of whom 20% are working-class students (DFE, 2019) However, the performance of these working-class students in science has gone under the radar because their underachievement is not prototypical of the larger White British group, whose GCSE academic attainment is often above the national average (ONS, 2021) The data were generated from 28 participants (20 students and 8 teachers) mainly through semi-structured interviews. The study employed a qualitative longitudinal design, drawing on Bourdieu's theory of reproduction (1987, 1992), Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory (1990, 1992), and Butler's theory of gender performativity (2002) to frame the discussions. The study's findings reveal that working-class white British students have distinct science experiences that affect their academic outcomes due to unequal access to cultural, social, and scientific capital required for success in GCSE science. These findings also reveal that working-class white British girls have more layers of disadvantage and marginalisation than do working-class boys in their science studies. I conclude that working-class white British students may face several disadvantages that hinder their scientific achievement, including limited social capital, family background, and future career prospects. I recommend a review of policy and practice to increase opportunities that embed the enhancement of science capital in schools with large working-class communities, and to enable all students to access the triple science course at GCSE, thereby improving students’ prospects for a prosperous future in STEM-related professions.