The Role of the Pupil

Although the role of the teacher has been extensively explored, the role of the pupil has received very little attention in the sociology of education. This authoritative study, The Role of the Pupil (first published in 1975), is about what it means to be a school pupil, exposed to the often-conflicting expectations of teachers, parents and peers.

The author has drawn on a wide range of sociological literature to focus not only on the basic role of pupil as learner but also on other important but neglected facets of the pupil role. The pupil appears as child-to-be-socialised, as teacher’s adversary, as savage-to-be-civilised, as customer, as wrong-doer. These viewpoints provide a fresh perspective on pupil relationships within and beyond the classroom. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of education and sociology.

Professor Barbara Calvert (1918-2008) was a New Zealand educational sociologist, accountant, and Professor Emerita at the University of Otago. In 1976 she became the first female head of a New Zealand university education department. Her research interests included early education, lifelong learning, health education, and theories of intelligence testing. She researched the latter as an Imperial Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of London. Beyond academia, Calvert worked extensively in the community to improve early childhood education, marriage guidance services, public health and nutrition, and increase women’s access to education.