Evaluation of an intervention for student disaffection using motivational interviewing techniques

This study considers the impact of Motivational Interviewing (MI) as an intervention for working with disaffected secondary school pupils. Three mainstream secondary students identified by schools as disaffected were each offered a series of MI sessions. Outcomes were considered through qualitative analysis of discussions and through the use of questionnaires.Results suggest that in some cases a MI approach may help to promote students' motivation and a general positive attitude towards school. The question of whether it remains an effective and valuable intervention for schools requires further investigation, possibly in view of a newly defined role for Educational Psychologists (EPs) and the way in which time for such interventions might be allocated.The implications for the practice of EPs in working with both individual students and at a systems level are deliberated.