Longitudinal inter-relations between school cultural socialization and school engagement: The mediating role of school climate

The question of whether schools should promote cultural pride and engage students in ethnic traditions is hotly contested. To contribute to this debate, this longitudinal study examined whether school cultural socialization predicted adolescents' engagement in school over time and whether this relation was mediated by school climate. Data were collected in four waves during a two-year period from 254 African American fifth-graders (53.9% males; M_age = 10.95 at Wave 1) enrolled in three public middle schools. Results revealed that African American youth who reported more school cultural socialization also had greater school engagement over time. This longitudinal relation was fully mediated by youth's perceptions of school climate. Implications for how to promote African American youth's perceptions of schools as culturally sensitive and supportive environments are discussed.     

Social capital in the classroom: a study of in-class social capital and school adjustment

Social capital is generally considered beneficial for students’ school adjustment. This paper argues that social relationships among pupils generate social capital at both the individual and the class levels, and that each has its unique effect on pupils’ performance and well-being. The sample in this study consists of 1036 children in 60 first-grade classes in 46 Dutch elementary schools. Multilevel regression results show that a substantial proportion of the variance in school adjustment can be attributed to the class level and that both individual-level and classroom-level social capital have substantial effects on school adjustment. At the individual level, the size of one’s network is more important than its structure. At the collective level, social capital also has a ‘dark side’ because it can have negative effects on adjustment, lowering the academic performance in a class.     

农村中小学布局调整利弊分析

由于农村学校生源减少、税费改革及社会和人民对高质量教育的需求,2001年至2012年我国进行了轰轰烈烈的农村中小学布局工作。农村中小学布局的调整是发展所趋,取得了一定的成效,但也出现了一些问题。本文在分析农村中小学布局调整利弊的基础上,针对不足提出了一些改进措施。     

Perceptions of school and future adjustment to life: A longitudinal study between the ages of 18 and 25

A group of senior high school students, 18 years old, answered a questionnaire about their perceptions of their school situation. Around one-third of the group seemed to like school very much and another third seemed to hate or dislike school very much. This group was followed up until they were 25 years old. Of the original sample 82%, 462 persons, answered a new questionnaire about how they had succeeded in life, what kind of further education they had got, what kind of job they had, how they looked upon their future job and life careers, etc. They were also asked about their memories and feelings about their former school experiences. In the analyses we relate the students' school perceptions at age 18 to their memories of school when 25. A substantial number of the respondents remembered school in the same way as they perceived school when in school. Those who hated school seemed to be more vulnerable when they were adult. We also discuss what could be done to change school so that it does not loose one-third of its students. We introduce the concept of the 'learning centre', the aim of which is to teach the joy of learning and stimulate the students' thirst for knowledge.     

中学生早恋的心理调适

早恋反映了中学生在生理和心理成熟过程中的一种心理需求,对中学生的健康成长既有负面影响,也有积极意义。因此要对中学生的早恋进行心理调适,从开展青春期教育到开展集体活动;从指导学生进行正常的异性交往到对他们进行目标暗示以及有针对的个别疏导等都是有效的措施。     

The peer relationships of primary school pupils with poor attendance records

The research study presented in this article was conducted because of the surprising paucity of research findings on the effect of significant absence from primary school on peer relationships. Participants in the study were Year 6 pupils, 140 of whom had attendance records of 80% or less in both Years 2 and 6. Of the 140, 133 were matched with those with better attendance records in the same class, of the same gender and born in the same season of the year. As revealed by sociometry conducted in 89 classes, the poor attenders were found to make and to receive fewer friendship choices than those with better attendance records. The question as to whether poor attendance is a result or a cause of having fewer friends is discussed and consideration is given to intervention issues.     

Meaningful education for returning-to-school students in a comprehensive upper secondary school in Iceland

Dropout from upper secondary education in Iceland is higher than in the neighboring countries, but varied options to re-enter school have also been on offer. This article focuses on how students, who had returned to a selected upper secondary school after having quit in one or more other schools, benefited from an innovative pedagogical approach used in the school. The article draws upon interviews, in which the interviewees expressed their pleasure with the school, reporting three main assets of its pedagogy: firstly, a supportive school ethos and student–teacher relationships expressed by the ways in which teachers worked, and also in teachers’ views towards students; secondly, an online learning platform, used by all teachers, which the students could use to structure their studies; and thirdly, the use of formative assessment and no final end-of-term examinations. This pedagogy comprises a whole school approach, and the article concludes that such a school culture and practice enables teenagers and young adults to exercise their right to re-enter academic upper secondary education, which prepares for college, rather than directing them to an industry vocational or practical study program they take little or no interest in.     

Comprehensive support for peer relationships at secondary transition

Peer relationships represent a major source of concern to children transitioning to secondary school. They also offer a potentially important source of support to adjustment and academic progress. However, strategies to support peer relationships at secondary transition have received little attention in previous research. This semi-structured interview study obtained accounts of current practice from staff in a small but nationally representative sample of English secondary schools. A theoretical approach to thematic analysis indicated substantial use of evidence-based strategy types, while a complementary inductive analysis highlighted issues in work with parents. There were many similarities across schools in the content of their support for peer relations at transition, however important process differences were found between high and low support schools in the quality of strategy implementation. A framework is presented to support this aspect of educational psychologists’ work with schools in promoting successful transition to secondary school.     

Exposure to bullying,reactions and psychological adjustment of secondary school students

A sample of 575 secondary school students aged 11–15 years was administered a checklist on experiences of bullying, then divided into groups of victims, witnesses and not exposed, and by gender. Participants completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire on psychosocial adjustment. Victims and witnesses completed another questionnaire on the extent to which they would endorse retaliation/vengeance and avoidance towards the perpetrator. Girls reported being victimised significantly more than boys. Amongst victims, boys scored higher than girls on desire for retaliation/vengeance and on externalising behaviours; girls scored higher on internalising behaviour. Experience of bullying victimisation, rather than merely witnessing it or not being exposed to it, was associated with internalising behaviours for both boys and girls. These measures of psychosocial adjustment were associated with the desire for retaliation/vengeance. Implications are discussed of the links between gender, exposure to bullying, reactions and psychosocial adjustment of secondary school children.     

More like real life-Motivational methods of teaching in upper secondary school

Motivational methods of teaching are topical subjects and much discussed issues regarding schools and education. The first question of our study covers student motivation and students＇ perception of their own schools＇ teaching methods. The second question reflects on how upper secondary school teachers perceive their roles as teachers, their thoughts on acquirement of knowledge and how learning takes place. The third question treats the subject of how school and education is organized. The upper secondary school the authors chose for the case study is a school that recruits students on a national basis and is directed towards the education of fire and rescue service personnel. The programme follows the national science curriculum and gives qualification for further studies at most universities. The school started in the autumn of 1998 and is known for being successful at working with student involvement, responsibility and subject integration. The study which was conducted during the autumn of 2007 included 32 students from two of the learning groups from the same year and started on the day of introduction of a new theme and finished with their presentation of results. The authors made observations, interviewed and through questionnaires studied how students comprehended the schools＇ working methods. We also interviewed their teachers and headmaster. The theoretic standpoint is Activity Theory （Chaiklin, S. ＆ Lave, J. 1996; Knutagard, H., 2002; Vygotsky, L. S., 1986）. The conclusions are that the students are encuitured into a school＇s activities that are similar to what students perceive as that of real life. It gives meaning and motivation to learning and makes it meaningful. They identify their own responsibility and cooperative learning as the most important parts. The teachers＇ own learning process and planning work is parallel to the work forms applicable to the students. They are all interdependent of each other since all the work areas are thematic. The school can be seen as an activity system where members interplay and communication develops a common culture.     

Problem solving in Swedish mathematics textbooks for upper secondary school

The aim of this study is to analyse how mathematical problem solving is represented in mathematical textbooks for Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis comprises dominating Swedish textbook series, and relates to uncovering (a) the quantity of tasks that are actually mathematical problems, (b) their location in the chapter, (c) their difficulty level, and (d) their context. Based on an analysis of 5,722 tasks from the area of calculus, it is concluded that the textbooks themselves contain very few tasks that can be defined as mathematical problems, and that those that are mathematical problems are found at the end of a chapter at the most difficult level, and are presented in a pure mathematical context. Implications are discussed.     

Peers and academic achievement: A longitudinal study on selection and socialization effects of in-class friends

The present study was conducted to analyze whether in-class friends influence each other's grades, and whether adolescents tend to select friends that are similar to them in terms of academic achievement. During 1 academic year, 542 eighth-grade students (M age = 13.3 years) reported on 3 different occasions on their in-class friendship networks. At these occasions their report card grades for 3 subjects were copied from their files. We tested whether academic achievement functions as a selection criterion for friendship, and whether academic achievement is influenced by in-class friends, using social network analytic techniques. Socialization effects for Dutch and English language grades, but not for mathematics grades, were found. We found no support for selection effects of grades.     

论社会化与继续社会化--兼析继续社会化与成人教育

成人教育的首要意义在于促进人到成年持续不断的社会化过程。因此,在成人教育社会学研究视野中,应关注继续社会化及其与成人教育之间的关系。     

Preschool children's school adjustment: indicators of behaviour problems,gender, and peer victimisation

The relationships among school adjustment, victimisation, and gender were investigated with 284 Turkish children aged between five and six years. Teacher Rating Scale of School Adjustment, The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire, and Peer Victimisation Scale were used in this study. Analyses indicated that children's behaviour problems and victimisation variables were significant predictors of the school adjustment of children while controlling for gender.     

Pedagogic identities for sale! Segregation and homogenization in Swedish upper secondary school

The aim of this article is to illustrate how Swedish schools construct different pedagogic identities in the way they marketize themselves. We examine through a Bernsteinian lens how upper secondary schools promote themselves; what identities are being called for by the schools and how these identities are expressed. Moreover, the article intends to study how these identities are reflected in studied school actors and how they can be understood in relation to the labour market. We have analysed texts from various kinds of marketing materials, including websites and prospectuses of the schools. The empirical data also include interviews with various school actors. In addition, we attended and recorded observations at open houses and school fairs. Our findings indicate a strong differentiated market-oriented education system, mediated not only through distinctions in courses and programmes, but also through schools creating highly specific niches and targeting specific students as valuable commodities.     

Associations between different forms of peer victimization and school absences: The moderating role of teacher attachment and perceived school safety

Given the significant negative impacts of peer victimization on youth development, studies have sought to understand what buffers against these consequences. To that end, the present study examined whether teacher attachment and perceptions of school safety moderated the associations between different forms of victimization and school absences over the course of an academic year among a sample of 272 high school students. Findings indicated that teacher attachment moderated the associations between relational and cyber victimization and absences, while perceived school safety moderated associations between relational victimization and absences. However, findings pertaining to cyber victimization were not as anticipated. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts in high schools are discussed.     

Intervening to improve the transfer to secondary school

Evaluation data are reported on a Transfer Support Team (TST) intervention which supports pupils identified as vulnerable during secondary school transfer. Information about school concerns and broader adjustment measures were collected from TST supported pupils on three occasions and from a “typical benchmark group” on two occasions. Factors known to confer additional vulnerability around school transfer were also analysed: English as an additional language, free school meals eligibility and special educational needs. Findings indicate that this relatively brief transfer support programme impacts positively on targeted pupils’ levels of school concerns and illustrates the importance of differentiated monitoring of intervention outcomes.     

中小学生受欺负与其社会行为、同伴关系之间的关系

利用张文新修订的Olweus欺负问卷、陈欣银等人修订的儿童社会行为量表、社会提名法等对827名中小学生进行测查,考察中小学生受欺负的状况,及与其行为表现、同伴关系之间关系.结果发现:(1)总体而言,中小学生受欺负的发生率比较高,且相当稳定;(2)中小学生受欺负与同伴接纳显著负相关,与同伴拒绝显著正相关,即儿童受欺负频次越高,其同伴接纳越少,同伴拒绝越多;(3)在中小学中,儿童的社会行为在儿童受欺负对同伴关系的影响中起部分中介作用.受欺负频次通过社会行为中的攻击行为和羞怯-退缩行为间接地影响同伴关系.     

Name-calling and Peer Beliefs among Primary School Children in Turkey

Name-calling is a common problem among primary school children in Turkey as in other countries. The Name-Calling Survey and Peer Beliefs Inventory were used to determine the relationships between name-calling and peer beliefs amongst a group of 319 primary school children in Turkey. Name-calling was found to be more common amongst boys than girls. A negative relationship was found between name-calling and peer beliefs, so that the greater experience of name-calling, the more children disliked their peers. Gender and grade level were found to have a significant negative relationship. The name-calling experiences of students affected their friendship relationships negatively, which contributed to violence in schools. School counsellors must be aware of name-calling victims and perpetrators, as well as organizing educational programmes aimed at helping students to cope with these problems.     

The school cluster system as an innovation: Perceptions of Zimbabwean teachers and school heads

Abstract

School clusters, that is, the grouping of schools within the same geographical location, for economic, pedagogic, administrative and political purposes (Bray, 1987), have arisen as one possible solution to developing countries’ battles to achieve both quantitative and qualitative advances in their education systems within the framework of financial austerity. However, there remain questions regarding how those tasked to implement this innovation perceive it. Through a multi-site case study of five schools using a questionnaire and interviews with teachers and school heads, findings suggest that both macro and micro problems prevented the cluster from achieving its capacity building goals. Key threats included the nature of the cluster model adopted, the centralisation tendency of the education system, the dual ownership of schools, resistance to change and the under-utilisation of resources.