SCHOOL LIFE AND COMMUNITY ECONOMIC CHALLENGE: A NEWFOUNDLAND CASE STUDY

This study explored changes in student attitudes toward school life following the 1992 Newfoundland groundfishery closure. Using data extracted from a provincial quality of school life (QSL) survey, means associated with students from a sample of fishing communities were compared with provincial means. Although community students had poorer perceptions of school life both before and during the fishery closure, more positive attitudes were evident after the closure, suggesting that parental job loss may have motivated children to aspire beyond their parents’ vocational achievements. However, not all communities demonstrated such a positive change. Plausible explanations for the community variability are discussed. Key words: economic crisis, quality of school life, student attitudes, fishing communities Cette etude porte sur les attitudes des eleves a l’endroit de la vie a l’ecole apres la fermeture de la peche de fond a Terre ‐ Neuve en 1992. A l’aide de donnees tirees d’un sondage provincial sur la qualite de la vie a l’ecole, des moyennes associees a des eleves provenant d’un echantillon de villages de pecheurs ont ete comparees a des moyennes provinciales. Malgre le fait que les eleves de ces villages avaient de moins bonnes perceptions de la vie a l’ecole avant et pendant la fermeture de la peche de fond, des attitudes plus positives etaient manifestes apres la fermeture, ce qui donne a penser que la perte d’emploi de leurs parents peut avoir inciter les enfants a vouloir faire autre chose dans la vie que leurs parents. Le changement n’a pas ete vecu d’une maniere aussi positive par toutes les collectivites. L’auteur fournit des explications plausibles a ces variations. Mots cles : crise economique, qualite de la vie a l’ecole, attitudes des eleves, villages de pecheurs