An Ethnographic Study of Student Culture In a Girls’Senior High School

[[abstract]]The culture of students has been viewed as a key point to success of education in recent years. There have been a lot of studies about this topic, but there were only a few studied focusing on senior high school students, especially girl students. The study is to inquire the culture of senior high school girl students , particularly focusing on the part of schoolwork. In 1961, Becker, Geer, Hughes and Strauss view student culture as the perspectives which are shared within a group. From the point of view, the main purpose of the study is to explore the perspectives of students. The study adapts the ethnographic approach, and ethnographic study usually collects data by long-term participant observations and interviews. Therefore, A public girls’senior high school in north part of Taiwan was selected and one class for each major participated. Key informant interviews and focus group interviews were conducted and the data from participant observation and interviews were analyzed, interpreted and discussed. Through the field study, I inquire how senior high school girl students act in everyday school life and what they think of their schoolwork and themselves. When focusing on the part of schoolwork, the contents of student culture include perspectives in school, perspectives in curriculum, perspectives in major subjects and ideas about their future. Research results are as follow: 1.The culture of girl students in this senior high school conforms to school. 2.The perspectives in schoolwork of senior high school girl students reflect the gender relationship in society at large. 3.The school maintains and reinforces girl students’ perspctives in gender relationship.