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Positive schooling

Developing a positive attitude to life and learning in young people may be as simple as asking the right questions, writes DIANE SQUIRES.

A program that changes the way troubled youngsters respond to adults has been the focus of a new study by Monash University's Faculty of Education.

The study looks at the work of former builder and non-academic Mr Randall Clinch, who learnt from his own experience that by rephrasing questions, people could be encouraged to view the world in a more positive way.

Since 1995, Mr Clinch has taken his program into schools, juvenile justice centres and the workplace, working with young people experiencing problems associated with drug dependency, depression or school performance. He believes about two out of three of those he has worked with have adopted a more positive approach to life.

The technique used in the program is based on the assumption that asking people specific questions can unlock either positive or negative emotions. Mr Clinch was originally inspired to develop the technique as a way of helping his 12-year-old son create positive thoughts after his son was diagnosed with cancer.

As part of the Monash study, Mr Clinch introduced his program into Mount Burr Primary School, near Mt Gambier on the South Australian­Victorian border, and a secondary school in the Latrobe Valley in Gippsland, Victoria.

Researcher in the Faculty of Education Associate Professor Tony Townsend said the study, 'The impact of radical intervention on the attitude and achievement of school refusers', was the first academic assessment of Mr Clinch's work.

Funded by grants from the Myer Foundation and the Faculty of Education, the study aimed to determine whether Mr Clinch's method could be used to help improve the attitude of students who were not interested in school. It also sought to determine whether the technique could be passed on to teachers to help in the classroom.

Dr Townsend explained the theory more broadly. "Sometimes teachers focus on questions that bring up unhappy experiences, particularly for those students who have already been identified as being 'poor' or 'bad'. We try to use fear and guilt to change things, but this approach doesn't work," he said.

"And for some students, seeing a particular teacher will trigger memories of past experiences with that teacher, or of teachers in general. It may also bring up fears of future negative interactions with that teacher."

At Mt Burr Primary school, which had a history of difficulties, Mr Clinch trained one of the teachers in the use of his technique. Each day, the pupils were asked questions that would induce positive responses, for example 'what do you like to do?', 'what are your natural talents?', 'what do you like about yourself?'. The children were also encouraged to ask their parents what they had enjoyed about their day.

Dr Townsend said a significant outcome of the program had been an improvement in relationships between the students, their parents and the school.

"The school had a history of parental complaints and concerns. This has been turned around in the past few years," he said.

"The whole district has seen the value of the program, not only to the students but also to their families and the whole community."

Mr Clinch's work also had an impact at the secondary school in the Latrobe Valley, where, according to Dr Townsend, the behaviour of some of the students improved dramatically after the intervention.

"In the secondary school, we found that the attitude of some students who rarely attended class and hardly ever handed in work had improved dramatically after just a couple of hours with Mr Clinch," he said.

Dr Townsend said the program worked because it encouraged people to recall happy memories instead of sad ones and focused on support, enjoyment, reward and satisfaction.

As a result of the study, eight schools in the Mt Gambier area, ranging from early learning centres to secondary schools, as well as several other local organisations, including the police force, council and foster parents association, have agreed to take part in a wider initiative.

For more information on the study, contact Dr Tony Townsend on +61 3 9904 4230 or email tony.townsend@education.monash.edu.au

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