The Influence of Student Perceptions of School Climate on Socioemotional and Academic Adjustment: A Comparison of Chinese and American Adolescents

This study explored students' perceptions of 3 dimensions of school climate (teacher support, student–student support, and opportunities for autonomy in the classroom) and the associations between these dimensions and adolescent psychological and academic adjustment in China and the United States. Data were drawn from 2 studies involving 706 middle school students ( M  = 12.26) from Nanjing, China, and 709 middle school students ( M  = 12.36) from New York City. Findings revealed that students in China perceived higher levels of teacher support, student–student support, and opportunities for autonomy in the classroom than students in the United States. Furthermore, students' perceptions of teacher support and student–student support were positively associated with adolescents' self-esteem and grade point average but negatively associated with depressive symptoms for both Chinese and American adolescents.     

Empowerment or impediment? School governance in the school-based management era in Hong Kong

Following the international trend in education towards democracy and decentralization, the Hong Kong government introduced a school-based management (SBM) system about two decades ago. It is widely recognized in the literature that decentralization, empowering school level management and marginalizing the influence of the intermediate level of governance, can result in better deployment of school resources and better meet the demands of various stakeholders. However, in the unique historical and cultural context of Hong Kong, the advantages of decentralization claimed in the literature have yet to be fully realized. This paper discusses the contextual factors affecting the implementation of SBM in Hong Kong, and examines their impact on four major stakeholders, namely the government, the principals, the teachers, and the parents in the wake of reform.     

Teacher–student power relations as a reflection of multileveled intertwined interactions

This paper examines the factors shaping teacher–student power relations, based on observations, interviews and document analysis from a Hong Kong study. It identifies and examines six factors: China’s traditional culture of respect, examination-oriented teaching and religious culture were found to encourage imbalanced teacher–student power relations, whereas curriculum reform, values education and some school cultures facilitated relatively balanced teacher–student power relations. The paper depicts teacher–student power relations in Hong Kong as a reflection of multileveled intertwined interactions, and as affected by the interplay of various factors. It provides empirical evidence to supplement existing understandings of the nature of teacher–student power relations, especially in a non-western context with varied socio-cultural, educational, school and classroom levels.     

School Autonomy: A Comparison between China and the United States

Abstract

This study examined and compared school autonomy in China and the United States. Based on the international PISA 2012 school data, the authors examined three aspects of school autonomy. We found that in comparison with the United States, (1) principals from China were less likely to have responsibility over eleven school decisions (hiring teachers, firing teachers, salary increase, budget formulation, budget allocation, disciplinary policies, assessment policies, student admittance, textbook selection, course content, and courses offered) and were similar in having responsibility over teacher start salaries, and (2) teachers from China were less likely to have responsibility over six school decisions (hiring teachers, budget formulation, disciplinary policies, textbook selection, course content, and courses offered), were more likely to have responsibility over two decisions (firing teachers, student admittance), and were similar in having responsibility over four decisions (teacher start salaries, salary increase, budget allocation, and assessment policies). We also found that schools in China had (1) lower responsibility for curriculum/assessment and lower responsibility for resource allocation and (2) a lower level of teacher participation/autonomy. The findings have implications for educational policy in China and the United States.     

School decentralization as a process of differentiation,hierarchization and selection

The Austrian ‘school autonomy policy’, which allowed schools to develop specific ‘curricular profiles’, is taken as an example for discussing processes and effects of school decentralization policies. Data from school case studies (based on qualitative interviews and document analysis) are used to analyse and interpret the processes by which schools and teachers take up policy innovations and translate it into action and structures on school and classroom level. These policy changes and the resulting governance regimes are examined from a perspective on changing modes of ‘action coordination’ between actors on different levels of a school system and from an attention to processes of ‘re-contextualization’ in multi-level governance systems. The main result is that the Austrian decentralization policy – although not explicitly based on a market approach – boosted principles of competitive coordination between schools. In consequence, it resulted in processes of differentiation and hierarchization of schools and classes and offered new legitimatory and practical opportunities for student selection.     

An Outlier Study of Multilevel Self-Management and School Performance

The assumption that increased autonomy and responsibility at the school site-level will result in enhanced performance of schools is often problematic. Cheung and Cheng (1996) suggested that in order to ensure school effectiveness, self-management practices at the individual teacher, group, and school levels are necessary. This article reports the findings of a case study of multilevel self-management in 3 Hong Kong primary schools. It revealed that the practices of multilevel self-management were associated with enhanced school performance at multilevels. Further, teachers' self-management practices determined largely the success of the school's self-management and demonstrated significant influence on the practices of work groups and the school.     

The professionalization of Hong Kong teachers: Dilemma between technical rationality and individual autonomy

This article studies the dilemma between professionalization and professionalism in the development of teaching into a bureaucratic organization in Hong Kong. Professionalization and bureucractization are simultaneous processes. Teaching as an occupation has grown from a state of idiosyncrasy to a profession with defined boundaries. However, achieving system efficiency and technical rationality, both features of bureaucracy, could undermine or suppress teachers’ individual autonomy. Thus, bureaucratization supports professionalization by raising the status of teaching, but undermines professionalism by constraining teachers’ autonomy. The article examines the changing pattern of stratification and how it shaped the relationship between the professionalization, bureaucratization and professionalism of teaching in Hong Kong. It argues that teaching cannot be a true profession without realizing professionalism, and that teacher education has a central role in the drive towards it. Key Words: Hong Kong teachers, teacher education, professionalization, professionalism, stratification     

School support and teacher motivation to implement project-based learning

The present study investigated how school support was related to teachers' motivation and willingness to persist in project-based learning. The participants were 182 Hong Kong teachers who completed a questionnaire about their school's support and their motivation to implement project-based learning. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that when teachers perceived their schools as being stronger in collegiality and more supportive of teacher competence and autonomy, they had higher motivation in project-based learning and stronger willingness to persist in this educational innovation. Perceived school support predicted teachers' attitude for future persistence both directly and indirectly through its influence on teacher motivation. The results suggest that social-contextual factors are important for teacher motivation in the implementation of educational innovations.     

Teaching critical thinking skills in a Hong Kong secondary school

Hong Kong education has always been regarded as examination-oriented and students were taught only to memorize and not to think. This paper gives an account of a school project in teaching critical thinking in the junior classes of a secondary school. This project is a collaboration between lecturers in teacher education and teachers working in the frontline. As a first attempt, the topic “fact and opinion” was chosen. In this paper, both the teaching approach and the teaching materials used are presented. Teachers ’ feedback was obtained through informal sharing of information and student ’s evaluation were obtained through a simple student survey. Through this process, a number of problems and insights related to this issue were revealed. This experience had implications for ways in which critical thinking in a cultural context like Hong Kong where memorization of facts is the norm can be developed and promoted.     

School climate: perceptual differences between students,parents, and school staff

Research suggests that school climate can have a great impact on student, teacher, and school outcomes. However, it is often assessed as a summary measure, without taking into account multiple perspectives (student, teacher, parent) or examining subdimensions within the broader construct. In this study, we assessed school climate from the perspective of students, staff, and parents within a large, urban school district using multilevel modeling techniques to examine within- and between-school variance. After adjusting for school-level demographic characteristics, students reported worse perceptions of safety and connectedness compared to both parent and staff ratings (all p < 0.05). Parents gave the lowest ratings of parental involvement, and staff gave the lowest ratings of academic emphasis (ps < 0.05). Findings demonstrate the importance of considering the type of informant when evaluating climate ratings within a school. Understanding how perceptions differ between informants can inform interventions to improve perceptions and prevent adverse outcomes.     

学校改进中的学生参与问题研究

学生参与学校改进具有重要的理论和实践意义,然而学生却往往成为学校改进的被动接受者.为了保证学生基本权利的实现,为了学校改进最终目标的达成,学生参与学校改进就成了不可忽视的问题.基于对学生参与学校改进原因的分析,本文探讨了学生参与学校改进的三种方式,即给学生赋权、在改进的不同阶段配合不同层次的学生参与、采用灵活多样的形式加强学生和成人之间的对话.     

高二学生参与数学课堂教学交互的调查研究

高二学生参与数学课堂教学交互的情况不理想.主要问题是:教师没有给学生参与数学课堂教学交互提供良好平台,学生对数学课堂教学交互的认识不准确,主动参与数学课堂教学交互的积极性不高.建议是:数学教师应该注意激发学生学习数学的兴趣和参与课堂教学交互的积极性,同时应该教给学生参与数学课堂教学交互的方法;学生应该树立对数学课堂教学交互的正确认识,积极参与到数学课堂教学交互之中.     

Relationship between teacher knowledge of concepts and connections, teaching practice, and student achievement in middle grades mathematics

The mixed method sequential nested study examines whether and how the cognitive type of teachers’ content knowledge is associated with student achievement, and correlated with teaching practice. In the context of this study, the cognitive type refers to the kind of teacher content knowledge and thinking processes required to accomplish a task successfully, in terms of knowledge of facts and procedures (Type 1), knowledge of concepts and connections (Type 2), and/or knowledge of models and generalizations (Type 3). A sample of 102 middle school mathematics teachers (grades 6–8) was assigned to the study from a number of school districts in an urban area in the Southwestern US. Teachers were tested using the Teacher Content Knowledge Survey. Student level data of about 2,400 middle grades students’ standardized test passing rates including percentage of students meeting the state standards by objectives were collected. The type of teachers’ content knowledge was assessed and tested for association with student achievement on the state-mandated standardized test using multivariate methods including tests for variance and independence. The nested research consisted of three phases. Substudy-1 focused on quantitative analysis of the association between cognitive type of teacher content knowledge and student achievement. Substudy-2 aimed at the correlation between cognitive type of teacher content knowledge and teaching practice. Finally, substudy-3 was a case study on examining middle grades mathematics teachers’ knowledge and understanding of fraction division.     

能动者的思索——香港学校改进协作模式的再造与更新

教育改革是以一系列行动改变教育制度的"结构"、过程和行为习惯的过程.香港中文大学的成员利用教改的机会,在香港的学校内进行改进工作,让一系列学校改进计划成功地开展.本文试图总结大学与学校协作的经验,并分析大学成员如何面对学校教育庞大而牢固的"结构"而试图改变之.文章以"结构化"理论为探讨脉络,展现大学成员如何与政府和学校教师结为伙伴,让学校改进的协作模式得以更新.     

What aspects of schooling are important? School effects on tertiary entrance performance

The purpose of this paper is to identify school effects on student performance for tertiary entrance in Australia, taking into account student-level predictors using longitudinal data from the 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study. It finds that aspects of schooling, such as positive attitudes to school and disciplinary climate, affect student performance at the student level but not generally at the school level. The socioeconomic context of schools has no effect on student performance when taking into account schools' academic context. Apart from academic context, teacher shortage, academic press, and teacher efficacy were the only school factors that had positive significant effects on student performance. The policy implications are that school-based policies are unlikely to improve performance or promote equity, but, instead, policies should focus more on students falling behind, who are found across the school system, not limited to a small proportion of schools with particular characteristics.     

Student ratings of teaching quality in primary school: Dimensions and prediction of student outcomes

The contribution examines theoretical foundations, factorial structure, and predictive power of student ratings of teaching quality. Three basic dimensions of teaching quality have previously been described: classroom management, cognitive activation, and supportive climate. However, student ratings, especially those provided by primary school students, have been criticised for being biased by factors such as teacher popularity. The present study examines ratings of teaching quality and science learning among third graders. Results of multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (N = 1556 students, 89 classes) indicate that the three-dimensional model of teaching quality can be replicated in ratings of third graders. In a longitudinal study (N = 1070 students, 54 classes), we found ratings of classroom management to predict student achievement, and ratings of cognitive activation and supportive climate to predict students' development of subject-related interest after teacher popularity is controlled for. The analyses show that student ratings can be useful measures of teaching quality in primary school.     

WHEN IS A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT PERCEIVED AS SUPPORTIVE BY BEGINNING MATHEMATICS TEACHERS? EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP, TRUST, AUTONOMY AND APPRAISAL ON TEACHING QUALITY

This study examines the hypothesis that the more support beginning mathematics teachers perceive and the better they evaluate the management of their school, the higher their teaching quality is. Indicators of teaching quality were how the teachers, who were in their third year in the profession, regarded themselves able to cope with the challenges of mathematics instruction and generic tasks like classroom management and how satisfied they were with their job. Indicators of support were the level of appraisal and autonomy the teachers reported. School management indicators were the administrative leadership of the principal and the climate of trust as perceived by the teachers. Our results reveal that teacher support plays an important role in the quality of beginning mathematics teachers. All quality indicators improved significantly if beginning teachers reported more appraisal and autonomy. A climate of trust plays an important role for the extent of autonomy perceived. Administrative leadership was significantly related to the amount of appraisal the teachers reported. Our results provide important information on how to steer a school so that the quality of beginning mathematics teachers is maximized.     

From Opposition to Engagement: Lessons from High Achieving African American Students

Influential research on African American students has examined their school failure in terms of students’ opposition to school achievement. Only a few studies have explored school engagement and success among these students, and even fewer have examined the experiences of high achieving black students. This study illustrates the school context and school processes that high achieving African American students identify as contributing to their academic success. The findings reveal three main school effects impacting the students’ performance: 1) teacher practices, engaging pedagogy versus disengaging pedagogy; 2) participation in extracurricular activities and; 3) the state scholarship as performance incentive. According to the students, teacher practices were the most instrumental school effect benefiting their outcomes. Recognizing the processes that promote high achievement among African American students can help to improve our understanding of student performance, while promoting success among these students. The author wishes to thank Ron DePeter and Tekla Johnson for their comments on a previous draft of this article     

Singapore’s School Excellence Model and student learning: evidence from PISA 2012 and TALIS 2013

This study examines the relationship between key elements of the School Excellence Model (SEM) and student achievement in reading, mathematics and science as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 and the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013, using a sample of 166 schools in Singapore. Strategies, quality and resources are identified as school-level dimensions commonly involved in the SEM to select variables in PISA 2012 and TALIS 2013. A multilevel data analysis was conducted using hierarchical linear modelling. The results indicate that a triangulated school strategy focused on strengthening teacher participation, principal commitment and school responsibility has significant relationships with student performance. In particular, teachers’ instructional improvement contributed to student achievement, while teacher ratio to support teaching staff accounts for the largest variance in student achievement. Finally, school extra-curricular activities promote well-rounded student development that enhances learning achievement. Findings highlight the importance of school-based accountability that empowers teachers, in building school capacity for student achievement.