"The Gate for Success" – Learning From Educational Success of Youth at Risk in Residential-Care

What can lead to success of youth at risk in school? Both "student based learner" methods focusing on fitting a private “suit”, as well as special regularity made by management, achieved the same goals. Yet the current study focuses on "in class" teaching/learning methods leading to success.

The objectives of this study are:

1) Reveal the successful “in class” teaching for youth at risk according to a school in youth village.

2) Conceptualize and map these methods into an educational model.

Our research is based on interviews of educational staff (21 interviewees), from schools of youth at risk, of which eligibility for graduation rates were successful. These interviews were divided into pieces of information and sorted by common grounds to groups which were given a title. Using this data analysis, we found categories for a summarizing table. The field data was cross referenced with data and theories from a large range of studies, and finally, the findings were returned to the field interviewees for validation.

The model arranges the methods in a summarizing table between emotional aims:

1) Clearing emotions to enable learning.

2) Establishing internal motivation for learning.

3) Establishing learning intentions.

and "in class" methods used to realize these goals:

1) Class climate.

2) Teaching focused on students` needs.

3) Learning strategies.

Learning from success in youth at risk, enabled us to build a stable model for successful "in class" methods.