Private tutoring in a high socio-economic secondary school in Israel and pupils’ attitudes towards school learning: A double-edged sword phenomenon

Private tutoring (PT) is a widespread educational phenomenon that blurs the conceptual boundaries of public and private education and can affect the formal school system and teachers’ work. This study examined whether participation in PT and the estimation of private tutors’ contributions are related to pupils’ attitudes towards teachers’ effectiveness. Based on a questionnaire administered to all pupils (n = 855) from Grades 7 to 10 from one secondary school located in an affluent area at the centre of Israel (respondence rate, 83.2%), it was found that overall, there were few differences in students’ attitudes between participants in PT compared to those who did not participate in PT. However, among those who participate in PT, their attitudes towards school teachers are related to the distinction between the academic and social-affective contribution of private tutors. When PT is related to academic spheres, it enhances positive attitudes towards school teachers and when PT is related to socio-affective aspects, it increases criticism. The findings highlight the complex interactions of PT with mainstream education and emphasise the challenges school teachers face in view of the trend for more personalised learning approaches.     

Peer and self‐assessment in the first year of university

This paper reviews the literature about peer and self‐assessment in university courses from the point of view of their use, and the suitability of their use, in the first year of university study. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part argues that although first‐year students are involved in many of the studies that report on the use of peer and self‐assessment in higher education, the proportion of these studies that do so is somewhat less than in other year levels. In addition, relatively little of this work directly and explicitly discusses the suitability of peer and self‐assessment for students and courses at this year level. The second part of the paper provides an introductory exploration of the relationship between peer and self‐assessment, and specific features of first‐year assessment, learning and teaching. Three issues relating directly to the suitability of peer and self‐assessment in the first year are explored. In the third part, the paper briefly discusses the desirability of implementing peer and self‐assessment, in general, before seeking to extend this specifically to the first year. The paper concludes by recommending that greater use can and should be made of peer and self‐assessment in the first year of university study.     

Promoting pro‐environmental behaviour: collection of used batteries by secondary school pupils

This research is based on Kollmuss and Agyeman’s mode, and aims to determine if the prerequisites for pro‐environmental behaviour, such as the collection of used batteries at school, are ethical, cognitive and environmental. A questionnaire/opinionnaire was given to 102, 14–17‐year‐olds to gather data on: (1) their current recycling habits, (2) their environmental values, (3) their level of knowledge about the harmful effect of used batteries on the environment, (4) their attitude towards collecting used batteries, (5) their attachment to the neighbourhood, (6) their perceived behavioural control and finally (7) their intention to act. The number of used batteries brought by each school child was recorded over a four‐month period. Results show that young people’s behaviour of collecting used batteries can be predicted by ethical (pro‐environmental values), affective (neighbourhood attachment) and cognitive (perceived behavioural control) variables (R ² = .38; p > .01).     

Dimensions of teacher self‐efficacy among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

This article reports the development of a teacher self‐efficacy scale that aims to accommodate the complexity of teacher functioning in secondary schools in times of education reforms in Hong Kong. The scale was designed to assess six domains of teacher self‐efficacy: teaching highly able learners, classroom management, guidance and counselling, student engagement, teaching to accommodate diversity, and teaching for enriched learning. The total scale and the six subscales were evaluated based on the responses of 159 Hong Kong Chinese prospective and in‐service teachers for internal consistency and construct validity, and for convergent and discriminant validation with external measures.     

First‐year secondary school mathematics students’ conceptions of mathematical proofs and proving

The aim of this study is to investigate students’ conceptions about proof in mathematics and mathematics teaching. A five‐point Likert‐type questionnaire was administered in order to gather data. The sample of the study included 33 first‐year secondary school mathematics students (at the same time student teachers). The data collected were analysed and interpreted using the methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The results have revealed that the students think that mathematical proof has an important place in mathematics and mathematics education. The students’ studying methods for exams based on imitative reasoning which can be described as a type of reasoning built on copying proof, for example, by looking at a textbook or course notes proof or through remembering a proof algorithm. Moreover, they addressed to the differences between mathematics taught in high school and university as the main cause of their difficulties in proof and proving.     

Hong Kong secondary school students’ attitudes towards science: a study of structural models and gender differences

This paper is concerned with children's conceptions of the structure and function of the human digestive system. It is based on data from an investigation carried out with 45 children between the ages of four and ten. The results indicated that (1) children possess biological knowledge as an independent knowledge domain from the age of 4; (2) the acquisition of the concept of digestion leads to a conceptual revision and enrichment; (3) the concept of transformation can constitute an obstacle to comprehension of the scientific model of the functions of the digestive system.     

Teacher self‐efficacy and successful intelligence among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong

This study assessed perceptions of self‐efficacy and successful intelligence among 220 Chinese prospective and in‐service secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Teacher self‐efficacy in six domains – teaching highly able learners, classroom management, guidance and counselling, student engagement, teaching to accommodate diversity, and teaching for enriched learning – was related to the three triarchic dimensions (analytical, creative, and practical) of successful intelligence. Each of the three triarchic abilities was found to contribute independently and in combination to the prediction of the six domains of teacher self‐efficacy. Practical abilities were the most significant predictor of self‐efficacy beliefs in five domains. Teaching teachers for successful intelligence, in strategies to enhance teacher self‐efficacy, is discussed.     

Pupils’ attitudes to school and music at the start of secondary school

This study aims to explore pupils’ affective engagement with school and music during their transition to secondary school. A gender comparison is also being made to ascertain any differences that may exist between boys and girls during this time. A sample of 182 pupils completed two questionnaires (attitudes to school and attitudes to music) three times (at the end of Year 6, at the beginning and end of Year 7). A series of one-way repeated measures analysis of variance tests showed that pupils’ overall attitudes to school dropped significantly from the end of Year 6 to the end of Year 7 with their enjoyment towards school and their satisfaction with the work environment declining. Pupils’ attitudes to music presented a significant fall at the end of Year 7 after a slight improvement at the beginning of secondary school. Girls held consistently more positive attitudes towards school and music than boys. It is suggested that pupils’ attitudes are malleable and responsive to environmental change and, therefore, this problem can be remedied if appropriate interventions are put into place particularly regarding the teacher-pupil relationship and pupils’ perceived autonomy in their learning.     

Primary teachers’ changing attitudes and cognition during a two‐year science in‐service programme and their effect on pupils

Changes in 70 teachers’ confidence, attitudes and science understanding were tested before and after a major in‐service programme. Attitudes were assessed using a 49‐item Likert‐scale test that probed attitudes to practical science teaching and in‐service training. Multi‐choice and open‐ended questions measured understanding of electricity; melting, dissolving and evaporation; forces; and investigations. Data on pupils’ attitudes and cognition were also collected. After in‐service, teachers’ confidence about science teaching had improved significantly. The majority, but not all, had developed satisfactory levels of understanding and more positive attitudes. Four broad types of response were identified: high attainers who improved attitudes and confidence; teachers with limited science knowledge who found the course difficult but made improvements; unaffected professionals who were already working well and for whom the course had little effect; and disaffected teachers who showed low levels of confidence and competence throughout. Pupil cognition and attitudinal differences related to these types were also found.     

Mentoring and target‐setting in a secondary school in England: an evaluation of aims and benefits

This paper reflects upon the nature of a target‐setting and mentoring scheme in an 11–16 school in England, through a series of retrospective interviews with students who continued into further education. It considers the extent to which the initiative impacted both upon students’ formal academic achievement at 16+ and upon the subsequent longer‐term aspirations of these students. Interviews with students who achieved considerable ‘value‐added’ in their GCSE examinations suggested that the impact of mentoring was strongest amongst those students who came from homes where there was less expectation of them participating in further and higher education, and that this effect was not differentiated according to gender. The paper suggests that longer‐term transformation of students’ aspirations, and the challenging of gendered course and career stereotypes, will only be achieved if schools adopt a more holistic and proactive approach to careers education and to widening participation for their students, and that the absence of such proactivity will limit the longer‐term gains initiated by successful mentoring activities.     

Transfer to and study at secondary school in Finnish school culture: developing schools on the basis of pupils’ experiences

This chapter is a based on a study that examined, first, Finnish comprehensive school pupils’ transfer to secondary school and, second, the ways in which pupils’ experiences of schooling can contribute to the development and planning of an undivided comprehensive school system. Traditionally, Finnish discourse on the flexibility of the transfer has concentrated on the teacher's role as the central transformative force in bridging the gap between primary and secondary school. The voice of the pupils, who experience the changes, has tended to be regarded as of minor importance. When moving towards a fuller understanding of the transfer experience, it is important not only to include the pupils’ perspective but to examine, first, the school community and the factors promoting and/or preventing its functioning and, second, the learning environment of the adolescent. The results of the study clearly show that the pupils are able to assess the qualities of their school as a learning environment and to cope with the changes that result from the transfer to secondary school. Pupils were also ready to participate in developing a more unified comprehensive school system, but expressed their school experiences in a manner reflecting their developmental stage of adolescence and the prevailing school cultures. Thus, it remains the professional task of the teacher to analyse and interpret these messages in order to identify the key ingredients needed for developing such a system.     

The structure and function of academic self‐concept in gifted and general education students

Using structural equation modeling techniques, this exploratory study investigated the differences in the factor structure of academic self‐perceptions in a sample of gifted students and within a general population of students. The factor structure exhibited partial measurement invariance, suggesting that two of the items on the factor work differently in the gifted sample than in the sample from the general population. The gifted sample demonstrated higher academic self‐perceptions than the general school sample and higher self‐reported GPAs than the general school sample. However, the relationship between academic self‐perceptions and self‐reported GPA was invariant across groups. For both gifted students and the general population of high school students, GPA and academic self‐perceptions were moderately and positively related. Therefore, although there are large mean differences between gifted students and the general population of students on the academic self‐perceptions scale, the structure of the relationship between academic self‐perceptions and GPA was similar.     

Boys Outperforming Girls: an 8‐year cross‐sectional study of attainment and self‐esteem in Year 6

This 8‐year cross‐sectional study measured the self‐esteem, reading and mathematical attainments of eight cohorts of Year 6 children. A total of 1488 children (737 boys, 751 girls) in five randomly selected primary schools within one Local Education Authority (LEA) comprised the sample to which the Lawseq questionnaire (Lawrence, 1982), Mathematics 11 (NFER, 1985) and the Primary Reading Test Level 2 (France, 1981) were administered. Differences in attainment related to gender were found in mathematics, but not in reading, with boys significantly outperforming girls (at the 5% level). The percentage of boys who scored significantly above the mean in mathematics and significantly below the mean in reading contrasted with the girls’ more compressed scores in the middle range. The national test data for Cohorts 7 and 8 followed the national pattern with girls outperforming boys. Boys had significantly higher self‐esteem than the girls (at the 0.1% level). Correlation coefficients between Lawseq and mathematics and reading mean scores for boys and girls were all significant at the 0.1% level. The findings are discussed in relation to the current debate concerning the low performance of boys.     

The relationship between first‐year achievement and the pedagogical‐didactical fit between secondary school and university

Central in this study is the degree to which the pedagogical‐didactical approach in undergraduate programmes aligns with the pedagogical‐didactical approach in secondary schools, and how this is related to first‐year achievement. Approaches to teaching at secondary schools and in first‐year university programmes were examined by interviewing school management, school teachers and university lecturers. The teaching approaches found within the schools were contrasted against the academic teaching approaches, resulting in four types of fit. With multiple regression analysis the relationships between these four types of fit, gender, prior achievement and first‐year achievement were examined. The results showed that prior performance is positively related to first‐year achievement, as well as a fit characterised by more student‐centred teaching in the first year compared to the approach to teaching at secondary school.     

Gender,popularity and notions of in/authenticity amongst 12‐year‐old to 13‐year‐old school girls

This paper draws on data from a research project investigating gendered identities and interactions of high‐achieving students in Year Eight in England (12–13 years old), particularly in relation to students’ ‘popularity’ amongst their peers. As part of this study 71 students were interviewed from nine different schools in urban, rural and small town locations. From an analysis of participants’ conceptions of the characteristics of ‘popular’ and ‘unpopular’ students, this paper looks in depth at notions of in/authenticity and how it is perceived and judged in relation to the self and others. In particular, the paper focuses on the genderedness of such discourses of in/authenticity as constructed by these students, and relates such concerns to theorizations of ‘impossible’ femininity.     

Toward an understanding of academic self‐concept in distance education

Abstract

Academic self‐concept has been demonstrated to influence student success in distance education. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of academic self‐concept in distance education and to determine its enhancers and detractors. It was determined that this construct is dynamic and multi‐faceted: the process of both learning as an adult and learning at a distance, as well as the content studied, influences academic self‐concept. Implications for both practice and further research are discussed.     

Task Involvement and Ego Involvement: relations with academic achievement,academic self‐concept and self‐esteem

Relations between academic achievement, self‐perceptions, task involvement and defensive ego involvement (self‐presentation concerns) were explored among 349 sixth grade and 350 ninth grade Norwegian students. Task involvement was defined as general interest in working with school subjects, whereas defensive ego involvement was defined as students’ preoccupation with the impression they make on their classmates emphasizing the concern of not looking stupid. The results showed that task involvement and defensive ego involvement are independent but correlated motivational states. The concepts are negatively, but weakly correlated and are affected by different processes. Task involvement was affected directly by academic self‐concept, whereas defensive ego involvement was strongly associated with self‐esteem and was affected indirectly by academic self‐concept through self‐esteem.     

Sex differences in secondary school achievement – The contribution of self-perceived abilities and fear of failure

While previous studies demonstrated the existence of a ‘gender gap’, according to which girls outperform boys in their scholastic achievement, the reason for these differences is yet unclear. We used structural equation analyses and multiple-group comparisons to determine sex-specific influences of self-reported motivational variables (domain-specific self-perceived abilities, fear of failure) on teacher-reported mid-term school grades of 140 boys (M_age = 10.9) and 185 girls (M_age = 10.8) from Germany. Our results suggest that the gender gap derives at least partly from sex differences in the contribution of these motivational variables to children's performance in school: Regarding German, girls' level of self-perceived abilities was higher and also more relevant for their performance. Moreover, higher levels of fear of failure led to worse Math grades only for girls, suggesting the presence of gender-stereotypic beliefs. Further research should investigate the impact of additional constructs, e.g., gender-stereotype awareness, self-regulation.