THE LIVED EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS: A CASE STUDY IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

This qualitative case study explored the school experiences of six juvenile offenders between the ages of 13-17 who were incarcerated in a juvenile school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  The purpose of this study was to examine the school factors, from a causal perspective, that have in some way contributed towards their antisocial behaviour. The purposive sampling strategy was used to select the participants of this study from a population of 99 juvenile offenders in the juvenile school. The data generation methods used in this study were interviews, observations, and document analysis. Data analysis revealed that the school factors that have contributed negatively towards the juvenile offenders’ behavioural outcomes include academic incompetence, poor teacher-student relationship, ineffective teaching strategies and neglectful teachers, as well as harsh and irrational disciplinary methods.