Primary School Students’ Conflict Resolution Strategies in Turkey

This study examined conflict resolution strategies (CRSs) resorted to by sixth, seventh, and eighth grade primary school pupils in Turkey and identified gender differences in the resolution strategies typically resorted to. In addition, the study aimed to find out what actual conflicts students asked assistance for from teachers and what strategies students thought teachers used in dealing with their conflicts. The data for this research were collected via a questionnaire involving mostly open-ended items. Results supported the notion that three main groups of strategies (problem-solving, avoiding and aggressive) typically get implemented in solving conflicts. Problem-solving strategies were observed to be most frequently employed by the participants. There was a significant gender difference in terms of the use of CRSs, in that girls were more likely to use problem-solving strategies than boys. The majority of the participants tended not to ask for assistance from teachers in resolving their conflicts. However, students from low SES schools were more likely to ask for teacher assistance than students from middle and high SES schools. The participants also stated that teachers typically used two main strategies in helping them resolve their conflicts: problem-solving and aggressive strategies.     

A cross‐cultural study of pre‐adolescents’ moral,religious and spiritual questions

This study investigated differences across four countries in the amount and nature of above‐average ability and average‐ability pre‐adolescents’ everyday life, scientific, moral, spiritual and religious questions. The participants (N?=?975) of this study were fifth‐and sixth‐grade elementary school students from different schools in Finland (N?=?367), the USA (N?=?164), Hong Kong (N?=?169) and Bahrain (N?=?275). Approximately half of the students in each country came from special programmes or schools serving above‐average‐ability students. The results showed that above‐average‐ability students from each participating country asked more scientific and moral questions than their average‐ability peers. This finding was not found to be gender‐related. Furthermore, in each country the average‐ability students asked more everyday life questions than their gifted peers. The Christian influence in the Finnish and US data, and Muslim influence in the Bahrain data were seen in the spiritual and religious questions asked by pre‐adolescents. Additionally, in all the data sets girls asked more spiritual and religious questions than boys. The results point to the need for teachers to discuss moral, religious and spiritual questions influencing pre‐adolescents’ futures.     

Student self-concept and effort: gender and grade differences

Students’ self-concept and effort in schoolwork are known to have significant influences on essential academic outcomes, but self-concept and effort may decline as students grow up. Students from 16 schools in Sydney (N?=?2200) were asked to rate on two self-concept components (competency and affect) and effort in schoolwork. Based on measures established in confirmatory factor analysis, a 5 (grade: 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th) × 2 (gender: boys, girls) × 3 (measure: competency, affect, effort) repeated-measures ANOVA found that: (a) for all variables, scores were lower for higher grade levels; (b) boys were lower in affect and effort; (c) particularly for effort, gender differences favouring girls in primary became negligible in higher secondary; and (d) differences between primary and secondary tended to be greater for girls. Educators and curriculum designers need to consider the self-concept and effort of boys in the primary and girls in the secondary.     

Finnish secondary school students’ interreligious sensitivity

The aim of this study was to assess the self-evaluations of Finnish secondary school students’ (N?=?549) interreligious sensitivity. The data were collected from 12–16-year-old young people with a 15-item Interreligious Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire (IRRSSQ). The IRRSSQ is based on Abu-Nimer’s Developmental Model of Interreligious Sensitivity, which is based on the Developmental Model of Interreligious Sensitivity by Bennett. The IRRSS measures the orientations towards religious differences in five categories: Denial, Defence, Minimisation, Acceptance and Adaptation, of which the first three are religiocentric orientations and the last two religiorelative. Three research questions were examined: Are there any differences in the interreligious sensitivity between (1) girls and boys, (2) students who study religious education and (religion-free) ethics education in school, and (3) students who differ in academic achievement, measured with the grade point average (GPA)? The results showed that the girls assessed their interreligious sensitivity higher than did the boys. Further, no statistically significant differences were found between the students attending religious education in school and the students attending ethics education. However, the low GPA scores were related to a religiocentric framework and the high GPA scores to a religiorelative framework.     

“Double-Dose” Algebra as an Alternative Strategy to Remediation: Effects on Students' Academic Outcomes

Abstract

Expanded instructional time has become increasingly popular as a strategy to improve the academic outcomes of low-skilled students, particularly in the 9th grade. We evaluate the efficacy of a double-period algebra policy initiated in the Chicago Public Schools in 2003. This policy required all students with 8th-grade test scores below the national median to enroll in a support algebra course in addition to regular algebra in the 9th grade. Using regression discontinuity combined with interrupted time series designs, and instrumental variable models, we show the effects of the policy on students' grades, failure rates and test scores in 9th-grade algebra and 10th-grade geometry. Providing support courses improved algebra test scores for the target population but only modestly affected grades and failure rates. Students with very low initial abilities benefited less than students close to the national median. The policy also led schools to track algebra classes by students' entering math skills. As a result, it affected academic outcomes among students not targeted by the policy; test scores among high-ability students improved whereas their grades declined.     

Primary and secondary students’ motivation in learning English: Grade and gender differences

Student motivation may have significant influences on essential academic outcomes. However, students’ motivation may decline as they grow older. This study examined six motivation constructs (self-efficacy, interest, mastery goal orientation, engagement, avoidance coping, and effort withdrawal) of students from 78 schools in Singapore (N = 4214) in learning English. Using a large and diverse sample of primary 5 (5th grade) and secondary 3 (9th grade) students, grade and gender differences in these constructs were examined. Applying a MIMIC approach to structural equation modeling, the paths from grade and gender as well as the grade × gender interaction variable were found to be significant. That is, (a) the scores for self-efficacy, interest, mastery goal orientation, and engagement tended to be lower whereas avoidance coping and effort withdrawal tended to be higher for the secondary students, (b) boys tended to have lower scores; and (c) the gap in motivation between primary and secondary tended to be greater for girls. Since motivation may have important influences on subsequent learning outcomes, we need to seriously consider the implications of these grade- and gender-related patterns and pay attention particularly to boys in primary schools and girls in secondary schools.     

伊犁州三地区九年义务教育阶段教师对学生的校园暴力现状、原因及对策研究

在伊犁州三地区九年义务教育阶段,教师对学生的校园暴力的现象十分普遍.随机抽样调查认为:受暴力行为伤害的学生比例,农村大于城市、汉族大于少数民族、差生大于优生、男生大于女生,其中受隐性暴力行为伤害的学生比例远大于显性暴力,而且初中大于小学,初三尤为严重;受显性暴力行为伤害的学生比例小学大于初中,小学高段比例更大.教师对学生施暴的主要原因是工作方法欠缺,法制观念淡薄,尤其是升学竞争压力大和学生被教师施暴后的沉默态度.要想制止校园暴力行为,必须改革我国现行的教育考试制度,树立对教师、学生新的评价观,全面提高教师、学生的素质,使每个学生在儿童、青少年时期健康而全面的发展,真正落实素质教育.     

Gender and science achievement: A case study

Upon completion of a science unit on heat and temperature, the students in a Canadian 9th grade science class wrote two different achievement tests. On a unit test which required students to answer questions that were based on facts students had studied, grades obtained by girls and boys were not significantly different. Conversely, on a post‐test, which required that students apply their knowledge to novel situations, boys achievement was significantly greater than that of the girls, particularly on higher level questions. Classroom observations revealed that few girls contributed to class discussions, whereas most of the boys participated in discussions. It is suggested that the more active class participation by boys may have contributed to their making greater gains in the understanding of heat and temperature concepts.     

Human Rights Education through the ‘Facing History and Ourselves’ Program

Abstract

This study examined the effects of the Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO) human rights program on moral development and psychological functioning. The FHAO curriculum significantly increased 8th grade students’ moral reasoning (Rest's 1979 Defining Issues Test) without adversely impacting on their psychological well‐being (scores on depression, hopelessness or self‐worth inventories). Girls were more empathic and had higher levels of social interest; boys had higher global self‐worth scores; there were no differences between boys and girls in their moral reasoning scores and no gender differences in the psychological impact of the course. This study adds to the literature which suggests that human rights education positively affects students’ moral development.     

Towards a Dynamic Systems Approach to moral development and moral education: a response to the JME Special Issue,September 2008

Abstract

This essay tells my story of using the moral orientations of justice and care to help me think about an incident of cheating in a seminar I taught. My story takes as a starting point the idea that teaching is a relational activity and that morality fundamentally concerns relations among people. These moral orientations gave me options to think about exploring, with my students, what it means to make moral choices in our everyday life. This narrative is about my own moral choice‐making in this dilemma and it reveals how using these psychological constructs helped me in my reflective practice of teaching. It also reveals the conflicts I faced in attempting to solve this dilemma and the questions and conflicts which still remain.     

云南边疆哈尼族中学生自我价值感研究

为了研究云南省边疆地区哈尼族中学生自我价值感的特点,为边疆少数民族的心理健康和教育提供依据,采用黄希庭、杨雄编制的青少年自我价值感量表对三所中学的656名哈尼族中学生进行调查研究。结果显示:哈尼族中学生自我价值感许多方面显著高于全国常模;哈尼族中学男生的总体自我价值感和个人取向生理自我价值感显著高于女生;哈尼族女生的人际自我价值感和个人取向道德自我价值感显著高于男生;初二学生自我价值感的各个方面都显著高于初一和初三学生;初一学生个人取向的一般自我价值感、社会取向的人际自我价值感和社会取向的道德自我价值感显著高于初三学生;初三学生的总体自我价值感、个人取向的特殊自我价值感、社会取向的心理自我价值感、社会取向的家庭自我价值感显著高于初一学生;杂居地区哈尼族中学生的总体自我价值感和特殊价值感均显著高于聚居地区的哈尼族中学生。     

Relationships among Selected Jamaican Ninth-Graders' Variables and Knowledge of Matter

This study investigated Jamaican 9th graders' attitudes towards science and if there were statistically significant differences in their conceptual knowledge of matter linked to their gender, attitudes towards science, school-type, and socio-economic background (SEB). The 216 participating students comprised 109 males and 107 females; 65, 98 and 53 (25%) students had highly favourable, moderate and low attitudes towards science respectively; 73 boys were from two all-boys' schools, 71 girls from two all-girls' schools, 36 boys and 36 girls were from two coeducational schools; 108 students each were from a high and a low SEB, all in Kingston. Attitudes to science questionnaire and the knowledge of matter test were used to collect data. The results showed that most of the students exhibited favourable attitudes to science; there were statistically significant differences in the students' knowledge of matter linked to attitudes to science, and school-type in favour of the boys, students with highly favourable attitudes to science, and students in all-boys' schools respectively. There was a positive, statistically significant but weak relationship between the students' (a) attitudes to science, and (b) school-type and their knowledge of matter, while there was no relationship between their (c) gender, and (d) SEB and their knowledge of matter.     

Preschoolers' Ability to Adopt Justice and Care Orientations to Moral Dilemmas

This study examined the moral reasoning that preschoolers use in resolving moral dilemmas. Children's resolutions and justifications were examined with regard to their care orientation and their justice orientation. Thirty-one preschool children participated in the study (18 girls, 13 boys). Children were each read 4 stone containing moral dilemmas and were asked to resolve these dilemmas. The results indicated that children's answers revealed a care orientation or a justice orientation with equal frequency. At times, children could even accept both orientations to the same dilemma. The data analysis also revealed no gender differences in moral orientation. Results are discussed in terms of children's social-cognitive abilities. Educational implications are also raised.     

Gender differences among students undertaking iSTEM projects in multidisciplinary vs unidisciplinary STEM classrooms in government vs nongovermnment schools: Classroom emotional climate and attitudes

In response to the leaky STEM pipeline, particularly for girls, many schools have introduced integrated STEM (iSTEM) programs to enable students to solve problems using skills from each STEM area and hopefully enhance their interest in continuing with STEM subjects in senior-high school and university. We investigated whether gender differences in students’ perceptions of classroom emotional climate and attitudes to STEM depend on whether students are undertaking iSTEM projects as part of a multidisciplinary curriculum (S, T, E and M) or unidisciplinary curriculum (S, T, E or M) and also whether they attend a government or nongovernment coeducational school. The sample consisted of 256 students in 24 coeducational grade 7–9 classes in 8 government schools and 157 students in 12 coeducational grade 7–10 classes in 6 nongovernment schools. Whereas boys were significantly more positive than girls in perceptions of clarity, motivation, consolidation and attitudes to iSTEM in coeducational government schools, there were no significant gender differences in coeducational nongovernment schools. Students of both genders in government schools were significantly more positive about all aspects of classroom emotional climate and attitudes than students of both genders in nongovernment schools, even after controlling for socioeconomic status. Also, females were slightly more positive about classroom emotional climate and in their attitudes in multidisciplinary STEM classes in government schools. This study suggests that multidisciplinary STEM classes could motivate girls to pursue STEM subjects in senior-high school and at university.

     

中小学生道德判断和道德行为发展关系研究

目的：探讨云南中小学生道德判断和道德行为的发展关系。方法：用团体施测方法对410名学生的道德判断和行为进行评定。结果：小五、初二学生及哈尼族学生的道德发展得分有一致性，男、女学生的道德发展也具有一致性；昆明学生的道德发展相关程度明显高于元江学生。讨论：中小学生的道德判断与道德行为相关非常显著，学生对道德认知的内化是影响其道德发展的关键。     

The Early Childhood Mathematics Education Revolution

This study examined the moral reasoning that preschoolers use in resolving moral dilemmas. Children's resolutions and justifications were examined with regard to their care orientation and their justice orientation. Thirty-one preschool children participated in the study (18 girls, 13 boys). Children were each read 4 stone containing moral dilemmas and were asked to resolve these dilemmas. The results indicated that children's answers revealed a care orientation or a justice orientation with equal frequency. At times, children could even accept both orientations to the same dilemma. The data analysis also revealed no gender differences in moral orientation. Results are discussed in terms of children's social-cognitive abilities. Educational implications are also raised.     

Cinderella in the Classroom. Children's Responses to Gender Roles in Fairy‐tales

The project described in this paper was designed to test the feminist hypothesis that the Cinderella‐style fairy‐tales promoted by Anglo‐American society harmfully reinforce restrictive images of girlhood and womanhood. The research was based on work with over 100 boys and girls aged 9‐11 in five Cornish primary schools. Responses came from the children through group discussion, drawing pictures and writing stories. Although the figure of the pretty princess predominated in the girls’ pictures, it was apparent through the children's discussion and stories that few girls identified with this image. The girls favoured ‘upside‐down’ fairy‐tale scenarios that gave their heroines independence, while the boys clung to the traditional image of the prince for the same reason. These results indicate that girls of this age are ‘resisting readers’, able to criticise and manipulate — as well as enjoy — the gender images presented to them in the dominant fairy‐tales of our culture.     

Staying with the text: the contribution of gender,achievement orientations,and interest to students’ performance on a literacy task

This study addresses concerns about boys’ underperformance on literacy tasks compared to girls, by investigating male and females students’ responses to narrative texts. Participants were 142 Grade 9 and 10 students. Achievement orientations, including goals, self‐efficacy, and self‐handicapping, were measured and approach and avoidance factors identified. Boys scored higher than girls on the avoidance factor. The task presented to participants involved reading sections from two narrative texts representing typically male or typically female reading interests. Interest ratings for the narrative text topics and interest levels while reading the texts were monitored, and students’ answers to multiple‐choice questions on text content recorded. Regression analyses confirmed that the influence of gender, achievement orientation, and on‐task text interest on reading performance varied with different patterns of task interest. The findings suggest that students’ achievement orientations and task interests are both important for understanding gender differences in students’ response to narrative texts.     

职业中学学生亲子依恋、自尊与问题行为的关系

该研究采用青少年与父母和同伴依恋问卷(IPPA)、自尊量表(SES)、问题行为早期发现量表(PPCT)对北京市三所职业中学的学生进行调查,目的是测查亲子依恋、自尊对问题行为的影响。结果发现:高三年级女生的自尊水平高于男生,其他年级男生和女生的自尊水平没有差异;母子依恋的信任与问题行为有负相关,母子疏离与问题行为有正相关;父子依恋与问题行为有负相关;自尊与问题行为有负相关。     

Sexual harassment in Jewish and Arab public schools in Israel

OBJECTIVE: Current empirical literature on sexual harassment in schools is mostly based on nonrepresentative samples of middle-class high-school Caucasian female students. Thus the scope of research regarding gender, age, and cultural differences is very limited. This article reports on findings on sexual harassment in Jewish and Arab schools in Israel with regard to gender, age, and cultural differences. METHOD: The study is part of the first national survey on school violence in Israel. The representative sample includes 10,400 students in grades 7 through 11 attending public schools in Israel. Students were asked to report whether they were victims of specific acts of sexual harassment in school during the month before the survey. RESULTS: Overall, 29.1% of the students were victims of at least one act of harassment. The more common acts were to show offensive pictures or to send obscene letters, to take off or to try to take off part of the student's clothing, and to try to kiss a student. The most vulnerable groups are the Arab boys and 8th grade students. Report rates were the lowest among Arab girls. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual harassment is prevalent in Israeli schools. The pattern of victimization is different for boys and girls and for students in Jewish and Arab schools. These patterns are a complex phenomenon that must be considered in the intervention and policy measures addressing sexual harassment at school.