Exploring the Effect of Expulsion on Student’s Psycho-Social Development

Expulsion from school is a life changing event and can leave a big scar in students’ lives making them feel lost or miserable. This incident might change the direction of a student’s life and whether the outcome is good or bad, will largely depend on the student. However, without keen intercession especially from parents, this interference in the students' lives might have an unsalvageable effect. This narrative case study aims to find out about an expelled girl’s life once she left her old school where she was expelled from. The intention of this study is to understand how the respondent recognizes and overcomes her negative perception and emotions as an expelled student in the new school in regards to her psychosocial development. Results from the findings using qualitative interviewing, journal writing, and document analysis show four notable areas. The expelled student (1) expresses deep feeling of contrition after expulsion, (2) managed her emotions by surrounding herself in the company of people who gave her moral support like her parents, teachers and friends (3) parents, particularly mother, was the most pivotal in helping through her emotions, (4) feels the expulsion was unfair, but supports zero tolerance policies for serious offenses. This research provides valuable information regarding the expulsion experience of a student and addresses the effect on the student’s psychosocial development. The analysis concludes that expulsion can be coped by the student with proper guidance and leads the expulsion experience in a positive way.