Chapter 8 Pupil Attitudes

This study examined the influence of two widely used instructional programs on first-grade-level pupil achievement in economics. A total student population of 116 was studied. Six intact groups from four elementary schools in West Springfield, Massachusetts, were divided into three groups of two each. One group was assigned the Science Research Associates (SRA) materials for a full year, one group was assigned the use of the Follett materials for a full year, and the third group spent a semester using each of these programs. Data were gathered through the administration of the Spear’s Test For Achievement In Economics in a pretest-posttest fashion. The data collected were submitted to both analysis of variance and covariance techniques. The results of this study indicate that pupils taught with a full year of SRA materials achieved significantly higher than pupils taught with a full year of Follett. When intelligence and pretest scores were held constant the combination SRA and Follett group scored significantly higher in pupil achievement than the Follett group alone. When teacher understanding of economics concepts was held constant, the combination group did not score significantly higher than the Follett group on pupil achievement.     

Teachers,schools and using evidence: Considerations of preparedness

Despite assessment being viewed as integral to practice, there are questions about schools’ preparedness to engage in this process. Data from three studies conducted in New Zealand primary schools explore whether use of student achievement data is part of the professional canon or skill set. (1) When implementing new literacy materials, evidence of need did not necessarily inform choice nor was achievement data used to make decisions about effectiveness of materials or use. (2) When a classroom initiative designed to achieve literacy goals was implemented, few schools collected evidence adequate for its evaluation. In both cases, practitioners appeared to hold a theory about acceptable evidence at variance with current policy expectations. Further, they may have lacked necessary skills. (3) Teachers, with practice, learned to interpret data accurately but this skill did not relate to student progress. A high level of pedagogical content knowledge may be needed to relate achievement information to teaching practice.     

Teachers on perceived traits and academic achievements of regular pupils and pupils with special needs in mainstream primary schools

When looking for answers to the question of academic (non)achievement of regular pupils and pupils with special needs, it is necessary to take into account the extraordinary complexity of factors, ranging from psychological across instructional to home environment variables. The academic achievement is not only a reflection of the pupil’s knowledge, but is also influenced by the pupil’s behaviour, the teacher’s expectations and finally the relationship established between the teacher and the pupil. This paper contributes answers to the question which of the traits, perceived by teachers, explain the academic achievements of regular pupils and pupils with special needs. Our analysis shows that perceived traits that explain the academic achievement of regular pupils refer to academic as well as social behaviour, disruptive behaviour and self-regulatory behaviour; therefore, they cover all areas of perceived traits we studied. In pupils with special needs as a whole and in particular groups of pupils with special needs, the factor which presents disruptive social behaviour proved as insignificant, which consequently means that the academic achievement of pupils with special needs depends more on academic and self-regulatory behaviour, task activity and social inclusion.     

Technology Assessment Study in The Netherlands

The Technology Assessment Study was aimed at describing the achievement of 14/15‐year‐old pupils who either did or did not take technology, with reference to the objectives for the subject technology, as stated in the (revised) Curriculum Guideline for Technology of the Foundation for Curriculum Development (SLO). The pupils’ achievement has been, among other things, assessed by means of a written test (the Technology Achievement Test) developed by the project team. This test was administered to 1805 pupils in 86 schools covering various types of secondary education. For the condition ‘technology’ the highest mean total score belongs to pupils of schools for junior technical training, immediately followed by pupils of schools for junior agricultural training and middle schools. This study shows that the boys’ mean total score is significantly higher than that of the girls. Furthermore, it becomes evident that no relationship exists between either father's level of education or profession and the children's test scores.     

Effects of cooperation and feedback by fellow-pupils on spelling-achievement

In a field experiment among third grade pupils from 15 primary schools, three instruction methods were compared. At five schools (control condition) pupils did spelling exercises as usual, i. e. individually; at five other schools the pupils also worked individually, but checked each other’s work after which they had the opportunity to correct their own mistakes. At another five schools pupils worked in pairs. Each pupil had to check the other pupil’s work and discuss the mistakes. For the low achievers cooperation led to higher achievement than the individual working method. Pupils who checked each other’s work but did not cooperate did not show any more improvement than pupils who worked individually.     

Changes in Children’s Agency Beliefs and Control Expectancy in Classes With and Without a Special Emphasis in Finland from Grade Four to Grade Six

This study examined changes in pupils’ agency beliefs and control expectancy from grade four to grade six, and whether they were associated with studying in a class with a special emphasis on a subject as compared to studying in a class without emphasis. After controlling for the effects of mother’s education, prior school achievement, and gender, we found that the average pattern of change varied for different action-control beliefs, and that class membership did not moderate these changes. Mother’s education, pupils’ prior school achievement, and gender all predicted class membership, but their effects on action-control beliefs varied depending on the type of belief. Implications for educational policy will be discussed.     

Occurrence and pattern of impaired reading and written language in children with attention deficit disorders

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence and severity of reading, spelling, and written language impairment in children clinically referred for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Specific questions involved 1) whether ADD subgroups with and without hyperactivity differ in reading, spelling, and written language achievement, 2) whether age and gender interact with ADD sub-group class to affect reading/written language achievement, and 3) whether prevalence of impaired reading/written language in these subgroups is consistent with previous reports in heterogeneous samples. Subjects were 115 ADD children aged 6-12 who were subclassified as ADD + H(72 percent) and ADD - H(28 percent) by objective teacher ratings. Dependent measures included tests of single word recognition and vocabulary, word attack, contextual comprehension, written spelling, written sentence construction, and writing fluency, in addition to a structured behavioral observation, during which aspects of inattention and motor activity were coded. A large fraction of this sample met public school LD criteria (54 percent), and achievement on most measures was globally poorer than the respective test normative groups. The ADD + H subgroup showed significantly poorer word attack skills, while the subgroups did not significantly differ from each other on other reading/written language measures. However, 17 percent of the total ADD sample were ≥ 1.5 SD below the mean in total reading achievement, and 29 percent were ≥ 1.5 SD below the mean on measures of written spelling/language. Gender X age interactions, indicating poorer performance in the middle age group of females, were likely related to lower IQ.     

Upgraded curriculum? An analysis of knowledge boundaries in teaching under the Swedish subject-based curriculum*

This article offers a contribution to the current debate about knowledge and the curriculum, especially initiated by social realist writers. The enacted Swedish subject-based curriculum for compulsory schooling is examined and is also used as a significant case with the aim of discussing practical implications of social realist claims regarding knowledge and the curriculum. Video-recorded lessons from grade six in six different Swedish schools, in combination with teacher interviews, are explored within the scope of a curriculum theory framework with the purpose of illuminating dominant patterns of knowledge boundaries and knowledge conceptions. The study shows how the Swedish subject-based curriculum frames teaching in a direction where a disciplinary knowledge conception with fixed knowledge boundaries predominates over other knowledge forms. The subject-based curriculum also appears to produce an ‘overloading’ of content, which implies that pupils’ questions and experiences are avoided and dismissed in the teaching practice.     

Analysis of factors affecting pupil performance in Malawi’s primary schools based on SACMEQ survey results

The paper employs techniques of multilevel modelling and geographical information systems (GIS) on Malawi’s SACMEQ¹ I, II and III data to identify factors affecting pupil performance in primary education of Malawi. The study reveals that in some districts pupils performed much better than others. Whilst in majority of cases the achievement levels of pupils were closely associated with the levels of inputs and services, there were some districts that did not demonstrate a positive correlation. The analysis further shows that pupils’ low socio-economic status, high pupil-teacher ratios and the more time head teachers spent in teaching other than on school management were more significant factors that negatively affected pupil performance.     

关于“苏教版”小学数学实验教科书学生学业成就的研究报告

以学生的数学能力（数学成绩,数学认知水平,数学学习态度）来衡量、评价数学教材是一种有效的方法。在广泛调查的基础上．本文对不同城市学校使用苏教版小学数学教材和非苏教版小学数学教材的学生的数学能力以及国外相应学龄段学生的数学能力作了深入比较。阐述了使用苏教版小学数学教材的学生数学学习情况。结果显示。使用苏教版教材的学生的数学成就整体水平高于使用非苏教版教材的学生和国外（地区）学生的平均水平。但这些学生在数学推理能力上较差。同时。调查表明使用苏教版教材学生在数学学习的信心和态度等方面较为积极。学生对数学的认识趋于正向,认为数学贴近生活。从而喜欢数学,消除了对数学的畏惧心理。研究建议,建立经常性的教材评价制度,以提高教材和教学的品质。     

Parents’ reading history as an indicator of risk for reading difficulties

Children from families whose members have reading impairments are found to be poorer performers, take less advantage of instruction, and require more time to reach the reading level of children whose relatives are good readers. As a family’s reading history may not be available, a self-report of reading abilities is used to identify children’s background. In this paper, we explored the contribution of phonological, literacy, and linguistic abilities and reported parental reading abilities to predict reading achievement at the end of the school year in a Spanish sample. Children who were starting to read were assessed in a variety of oral language, phonological, and literacy tasks at the beginning and end of the school year. Parents filled out a self-report questionnaire about their reading abilities. Their answers were used to assign children to good or poor reader parent groups (GRP vs PRP). A logistic and ROC analysis were used to assess the variables’ discriminative capability, considering literacy scores at the end of the year as a measure of reading achievement. GRP children obtained higher scores than PRP children did. Performance on tasks of rapid naming assessment (RAN) letters (78.6%), Word Reading (75.7%), and Deletion (75.6%) were the most accurate predictors of children’s reading achievement. IPRA showed slightly lower accuracy (73.8) than did the behavioral measures and as high specificity as RAN letters (96.2%), similarly to the percentages found in previous studies. Although behavioral measures were shown as the best predictors, parents’ self-reports could also provide a quick estimation of family risk of difficulties in literacy acquisition.     

Effects of cooperation on spelling achievement at three age levels (Grades 2, 4, and 6)

In a field experiment among second, fourth and sixth grade pupils from 27 primary schools, two instruction methods were compared. At 13 schools (control condition) pupils did spelling exercises as usual, i.e. individually. At 14 schools pupils worked in pairs; each pupil was asked to check a partners’ work and discuss mistakes. At grade 2 cooperation led to less off-task behaviour when pupils did spelling assignments of a more complex type. Nevertheless we found a negative effect on achievement. At grade 4 cooperation led to less off-task behaviour for complex assignments and an increase in pupil’s effort as rated by their teachers as well. These findings were accompanied by a weak effect on achievement. Cooperation did not affect effort nor achievement of pupils from grade 6. At none of three grade levels we found indications of better reasoning strategies as a consequence of pair learning. The differential effect of cooperation at the three age levels may be explained in terms of complexity of learning subject and of lesson type.     

An Experiment in Developing Critical Thinking in Children

A three week experiment was conducted comparing the academic achievement of pupils in five classrooms (N = 108) taught in small cooperative groups against that of pupils from five classes (N = 109) taught in the traditional whole-class approach. Special achievement tests were prepared for each grade level, two through six. These tests were constructed with items requiring responses at low and high levels of cognitive functioning. Pupils in grades two, four, and six from small-group classrooms excelled on high level items as predicted. Pupils in the fifth grade produced superior answers on questions requiring original contributions. Achievement scores of both groups did not differ on items measuring low level cognitive functioning.     

Learning from learning logs: A case study of metacognition in the primary school classroom

Structured thinking activities (STAs) are pedagogical tools used to support metacognition in classrooms. Despite their popularity, little is known about how pupils use STAs as platforms to think about and manage their own thinking (i.e. as metacognitive tools). This case study investigated pupils’ use of STAs in relation to metacognition throughout a school year. We focus on two 8-year-old pupils, Amy and Laura, as they completed two specific STAs through weekly class meets and termly achievement logs. Data were triangulated through participant observation, qualitative interviews and analysis of written texts. We found clear differences between Laura's and Amy's written STAs, however observation and interviews revealed that engagement with STAs was similar beyond that suggested by the written evidence alone. Whereas Amy used easily spelt ‘stock’ responses, Laura used ‘bare minimum’ responses to meet teacher expectations. As such, neither Amy nor Laura used STAs as metacognitive tools, however in negotiating STAs, both exhibited strategic regulatory skills indicative of metacognition. Whilst our findings highlight that pupils may still be developing explicit metacognitive knowledge necessary to take full advantage of STAs, we highlight the clear value of persistent approaches to using STAs as tools to support developing metacognition, particularly in association with teacher–pupil interactions.     

The achievement ideology of Reading Wonders: a critical content analysis of success and failure in a core reading programme

In the early 1960s, researchers began to conduct content analyses of core reading programmes/basal readers. Although these researchers often adopted a critical perspective, and examined the ideological underpinnings of the texts, they failed to make an explicit connection between ideologies and reader access to the text. The study described here is a critical content analysis of texts contained within the core reading programme Reading Wonders. It addresses these research questions: What vision of success and failure is exemplified by selections in the fourth-grade Reading Wonders textbook?—and—To what extent are selections in this programme accessible to readers? Mobilizing MacLeod’s notion of achievement ideology, the study explores the contrast between the programme’s emphasis on individual success and the inaccessibility of the selections included in it. The analysis demonstrates that the achievement ideology is the foundation for most of the selections. It also shows that the complexity and unengaging quality of the basal reader interferes with the reader’s ability to access the included texts. I argue the Reading Wonders textbook serves to convince readers that personal and professional success is the norm in contemporary society, while failing to allow them to construct more than a surface-level meaning of the included selections.     

School Finance in Iowa

Abstract

This study examined the effect of pupil reading miscues and achievement levels on the prompting decisions of their tutors. Tutors were randomly assigned to high, medium, and low level readers. Subsequent analyses of tutor prompts revealed that the poorer readers received disproportionately more prompts than the better readers. Furthermore, teachers differentially responded to pupil errors on the basis of each miscue’s semantic acceptability. These results suggest that teachers were actively engaged in the process of decision making, and that pupil traits affected teacher behavior and teacher prompting decisions.     

Peer tutoring in reading in Scotland: thinking big

A large‐scale randomised‐controlled trial of reading tutoring in 80 schools in Scotland used the Paired Reading (PR) technique. On long‐term evaluation, cross‐age PR was significantly better than regular teaching, but same‐age was not. On short‐term evaluation, PR pupils did significantly better than control pupils in both years, and cross‐age and same‐age were similarly effective. Low socio‐economic pupils, lower reading ability pupils, girls and reading with maths tutoring groups did significantly better. Implementation was good in parts, but some important aspects of technique were rare. Reading gains were significantly greater for those with mistakes about every 2 minutes and those who stopped reading to talk every 5 to 7 minutes. Significant gains in self‐esteem were seen in same‐age and cross‐age groups, and for tutees and tutors, but not for controls. The relationship of achievement gain to quality of technique and socio‐emotional gains is discussed, with implications for practice.     

School engagement and rights‐respecting schools

Disengagement in school is associated with behavioral problems and decreased academic achievement. In contrast, pupils who are engaged in school develop the academic and social efficacies that underlie successful adulthood. Moreover, engagement promotes educational resilience. This study examines pupils’ self‐reported level of engagement in schools that are explicitly respecting of children’s rights compared with pupils in traditional schools. The Young Students’ Engagement in School Scale was developed and used with 1289 9‐ to 11‐year‐olds from 18 schools, six of which had fully implemented the Hampshire Education Authority’s Rights Respect and Responsibility (RRR) Initiative. Factor analysis indicated four dimensions of engagement: rights‐respecting climate; interpersonal harmony; academic orientation; and participation. Pupils in RRR schools had higher scores on all but the academic dimension. The findings suggest the potential of rights‐respecting schools in promoting engagement and the potential utility of the measure in identifying areas in which pupils’ engagement may need intervention.     

The Relationship of Locus of Control and Metacognitive Knowledge of Math with Math Achievements

The purpose of the research was to examine the correlation between locus of control and metacognitive knowledge in math and math achievement among students with learning disabilities. We examined 30 eighth grade pupils with learning disabilities and 30 other pupils all of whom studied in a heterogeneous class in a public school in order to better understand the extent to which the variables: metacognitive knowledge, locus of control and achievement in math differed in the two populations. The pupils answered three questionnaires: the first was designed to study the locus of control, the second, to investigate metacognitive knowledge and the third, to measure math achievement. The findings of this study indicate that the higher the level of the internal locus of control, the higher the use of metacognitive knowledge. Furthermore, higher levels of internal locus of control and higher use of metacognitive knowledge resulted in increased math achievement.