The school experiences of young people with a chronic health condition: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

It has been proposed that anywhere up to 28 per cent of young people in England have some form of chronic health condition (CHC) (National Health Service, 2019) with most expected to attend a mainstream educational setting (Peters, Hopkins & Barnett, 2016). There is a wealth of research that identifies the “many, complex and varied” challenges that young people with a CHC face, including the potential impact on their education (Jackson, 2013). Yet there is little research that provides these young people with the opportunity to share their experiences of attending school. Adopting a critical realist positionality, I aim to explore the lived experiences of secondary-aged young people with a CHC who attend a mainstream secondary school. The secondary aim is to understand what professionals working with these young people could learn from hearing these experiences. Five young people with a CHC between the ages of 13 and 16 were recruited to take part in the research. Participants were given the option of completing a creative task before engaging in an online semi-structured interview. The interviews were then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Five superordinate themes were identified in the analysis: autonomy, relationships & belonging, navigating the school day: the functional impact of a CHC, the impact of a CHC on emotional well-being at school and planning for the future. Additionally, I employed a secondary process where the superordinate themes were related to self-determination theory (SDT) and basic psychological needs theory (BPNT), (Ryan & Deci, 2017). A reflective framework, based around the key tenets of SDT, BPNT and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) was developed. This reflective SDT framework was used to consider and reflect the participants’ experiences in relation to the satisfaction or frustration of the three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness and competence. Possible implications of the study, specifically relating to the potential use of the reflective SDT framework, are then discussed and potential future research and recommendations for professionals working in schools with young people with a CHC are also explored