Papers by Gurpinder Lalli
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2020
This paper presents a theoretically influenced discussion of methodological issues in carrying ou... more This paper presents a theoretically influenced discussion of methodological issues in carrying out ethnographic work at Peartree Academy. Food is central to our sense of identity. It draws on notions of the school restaurant and presents an account of the complexities surrounding the disorderliness of fieldwork in researching children’s food space. The aim of this paper is to explore how researcher identity needs to be considered within the relationship between discipline and social learning spaces for eating. Foucault’s concept of discipline is introduced in conceptualising the study. Key reflections place emphasis on the messiness of researching such spaces and offer recommendations for navigation.
British Journal of Sociology of Education, 2020
Policy makers in the UK are trying to improve school meals, by focusing on eating well. This arti... more Policy makers in the UK are trying to improve school meals, by focusing on eating well. This article explores the way policies are framed by academic performance and health as a reason for providing school lunches. Using Nussbaum’s capability approach we argue that the purpose of schooling should be to provide young people with the ability to lead a life of choice. We argue that school meals are an important social good, which allow young people to develop critical skills around food which they can then use throughout their lives. We draw on evidence from two ethnographic research projects on food in schools, conducted in England. We question whether the collocation between healthy eating and learning should be the focus of school food reform and contemplate the role of society and government to provide children with healthy meals, irrespective of learning outcomes. School meals are more than good exam results.
Cambridge Journal of Education, 2019
This paper presents an ethnographic account of the culture of school meal time at Peartree Academ... more This paper presents an ethnographic account of the culture of school meal time at Peartree Academy, with a specific focus on notions of social learning. This qualitative study is focused on a collection of interviews, observations, field notes and analyses what happens when the school organises its canteen as a restaurant. The focus moves away from the traditional realms of nutrition and explicitly introduces the notion of social learning in its informal sense through which a conceptual framework of a skills model is applied. The paper argues how the school dining hall known as the restaurant can foster opportunities for a form of social competence which is not necessarily seen but can be experienced in the social reproduction of its actors. The findings highlight tensions of control within the environment, which are said to impinge upon these social learning opportunities from occurring.
British Society for Literature and Science, 2017
Daniel Dor - The instruction of imagination
This article questions whether we need to reconsider school meals as social events, communal gath... more This article questions whether we need to reconsider school meals as social events, communal gatherings and an educative space rather than just as a space to provide pupils with health and nutrition. Therefore, this article does not consider the nutritional elements of the school meal but commensality and the notion of eating together. The primary aim of the paper is to make an attempt to theorise the school meal situation drawing specifically on the notion of commensality; the practice of eating together, which is said to signify unity and sharing in a given cultural context (Tuomainen, 2014). A focus is placed on the interaction between pupils and staff in the school restaurant. This paper reports on a case study from a Midlands School in the UK and investigates the significance of commensality during school meals. It draws on reflections from narratives taken from the case study and employs ethnographic techniques in the school dining hall to argue that the school restaurant has developed as a space for fostering social skills development. Moreover, it was also a forum for acquiring appropriate etiquette and decorum. A detailed discussion on the act of commensality is interwoven throughout this article and Lave and Wenger (1991) and their notion of Communities of Practice (COP) is used to support the discussion of the influence of the restaurant on social practices.
A social meal could be just what elementary and secondary schools need in order to promote learni... more A social meal could be just what elementary and secondary schools need in order to promote learning opportunities during lunch. Globally, policymakers are increasingly concerned 1 about school meals. It is also often said that 'a family that eats together, stays together', therefore the social aspects of dining cannot be ignored 2. A recent study at the University of Leicester 3 conducted between 2012 and 2015 followed the dining environment of a school for three years. The case study involved conducting interviews and observations to explore the interactions that take place in school dining halls. In order to unpack the sociocultural element of the school restaurant, this research questioned the following: 1) To what extent have food environments challenged learning in schools 2) Do children's eating habits affect their attitudes towards learning in schools? 3) How do eating behaviors impact on social skills development in schools? 4) How do teachers promote social skills within a food environment? Research continues, but several vital themes have already stood out among the findings. The analysis highlights how influential power relations are within interactions in the school dining hall. More specifically, the idea of surveillance is discussed, as teachers minimize behavioral issues by policing the children's interactions. Power dynamics are also apparent between the children themselves; certain behaviors are being modeled in the school dining hall in order for older pupils to set an example for younger pupils. Through this modeling system, the school meal is being utilized as a learning space for promoting educational opportunities and, in this case, developing social cues and skills. Another key theme that has emerged is this idea of the pedagogic and social meal. The school dining space is viewed as part of a hidden curriculum in which learning opportunities are presented to pupils who use this space to interact with one another and converse at a time of day which is commonly associated with behavioral difficulties 4. The following quotes have been extracted from the interviews, with three specific examples on the school restaurant taken from a teacher, parent, and pupil.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2015
Management in Education, 2015
An insight into the methdological challenges and outputs of adopting ethnographic techniques.
This case study is aimed at postgraduate and early career researchers who wish to embark on using... more This case study is aimed at postgraduate and early career researchers who wish to embark on using ethnographic techniques in educational research. The topic in question is school food and its impact upon learning. In this case, it is the social aspect which is being addressed.
This article aims to provide a snapshot of my overall doctoral research study and highlights some... more This article aims to provide a snapshot of my overall doctoral research study and highlights some of the key methodological concerns raised. The study involved carrying out an ethnographic investigation in to the school meal situation at one particular school, which for reasons of confidentiality was name Peartree Academy. The study involved collecting data through interviews, observations, documentary evidence and field notes. The underlying aim of the study was to re-establish the Sociology of Food (Murcott, 2011) as a research area, with a particular focus on interactions that take place between pupils, parents and staff in the school dining hall at Peartree, which is known as the school ‘restaurant’. It begins with a background into the study with a description of the research design and details some of the key methodological studies used to influence the overall make-up of the methodological stance.
This literature review provides an insight into some of the key findings from an investigation ca... more This literature review provides an insight into some of the key findings from an investigation carried out for a PhD thesis, to explore the impact of the food environment and the potential of the school dining hall (known as the “restaurant”) as a place which may support learning opportunities, specifically learning how to behave appropriately and exercise etiquette in sharing
food, at a school that was called the Peartree Academy.
The impact of food on learning.
The impact of food on learning.
Book Reviews by Gurpinder Lalli
Schools and Food in 21st Century (2018) - Book Review, 2018
Book Review - Schools and Food in 21st Century (2018)
Book review on a reflection of life working in Higher Education by Pat O'Connor
Taylor and Francis
Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements shows why we can’t understand our world at a... more Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements shows why we can’t understand our world at all without grasping the profound impact of protest. Gurpinder Lalli thinks this book is particularly suited to activists who appreciate the dedication towards social movements and also those who are involved in policymaking
This volume aims to strengthen ties between organisation studies and contemporary sociological wo... more This volume aims to strengthen ties between organisation studies and contemporary sociological work at a time when there are increasing institutional barriers to such cooperation, potentially generating a myopia that constricts new developments. Gurpinder Lalli recommends this book to scholars and students whom either design specific courses or study anthropology and culture.
Education in South-East Asia, Lorraine Pe Symaco, Bloomsbury, London, 2013, 369 pages, ISBN 978-1... more Education in South-East Asia, Lorraine Pe Symaco, Bloomsbury, London, 2013, 369 pages, ISBN 978-1-4411-0141-9 (forthcoming)
Books by Gurpinder Lalli
Routledge, 2019
Schools, Food and Social Learning highlights the neglect of school dining halls in sociological r... more Schools, Food and Social Learning highlights the neglect of school dining halls in sociological research and the fact that so much can be gained from fostering interpersonal relations with other students and the school staff over meals. The book focuses primarily on social and life skills that students develop during lunch-hour meetings, modelling behaviors while eating and conversing in the school space known as the ‘restaurant’. With case studies based in the UK, the book takes a social constructivist approach to dealing with the tensions and challenges between the aims of the school – creating an eating space that promotes social values and encourages the development of social skills, and the activities of teachers and catering assistants of managing and providing food for many students daily.
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Papers by Gurpinder Lalli
food, at a school that was called the Peartree Academy.
Book Reviews by Gurpinder Lalli
Books by Gurpinder Lalli
food, at a school that was called the Peartree Academy.