A study of students referred to Rotorua Activity Centre

The research was based on the students and the parents of the students attending Awhina High School (Rotorua Activity Centre) and had the aims of describing the students who attended this school and comparing them with a sample of students from two activity centres studied by Galloway and Barrett in 1982. The present study also sought to confirm or disconfirm the findings from the 1982 study, specifically that students who attended activity centres were multiply disadvantaged in that they were educationally and constitutionally vulnerable and came from stressful and disadvantaged home circumstances. The results suggested that Maori and less able students are over- represented in the activity centre with the majority of students having reading ages at least three years behind their chrono­ logical age and that students are coming into conflict with the education system at an earlier age than was previously the case. Furthermore these students are in poor physical and mental health and report a great number of problems in their everyday life. Less than a quarter live in two parent families and the majority of parents are not employed, while one third of families are in receipt of a welfare benefit. The results of the present study confirm the findings of the 1982 study that students who attend activity centres are multiply disadvantaged. Furthermore the data indicates that with the exception of physical health and reported problems facing students, the situation has deteriorated markedly in respect of the areas under study since 1982. The present study discusses possible reasons for these findings and makes recommendations regarding possible changes or adaptations that should be made to alleviate the problems faced by these students