Knowing What to Do: School Focus, Teacher Morale, and Teacher Turnover

This study explored how schools’ focus – the collective perception among teachers of clarity and consistency regarding school goals, expectations, and priorities – related to schoolwide morale and school turnover rates. I examined the hypothesis that focus attenuates the deleterious effects of student misconduct on teacher morale and the contributory role of student misconduct leading to teacher turnover. In addition, I examined climate strength regarding perceptions school focus as an indicator of focus itself, as well a potential moderating effect of climate strength on the magnitude of school focus-school morale and school focus-turnover relationships. Data from a national sample of middle and high schools (N schools = 348, N teachers = 11,376) were analyzed using school-level multiple regression models. Schools with higher focus had significantly higher morale, independent of related perceptions of administrative leadership. No significant relationship was found between school focus and school turnover rates. The hypothesized moderating effect of focus on student misconduct and morale was not supported, though there was a significant indication that focus attenuated the positive relationship between student misconduct and turnover. Climate strength of school focus ratings significantly correlated with focus scores, but did not moderate relationships between focus and predicted outcomes. Findings suggest that school-level focus does represent a characteristic of schools that has a meaningful positive relationship with teacher morale but do not necessarily clarify how that relationship manifests in schools or if that relationship presents an avenue for intervention.

Prática de ensino supervisionada em educação pré-escolar e 1º ciclo do ensino básico: ensinar para aprender - gerindo a heterogeneidade, o currículo e rumando à diferenciação pedagógica

O presente relatório surge no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-escolar e Ensino do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico e visa a obtenção do grau de mestre nos níveis de escolaridade referidos. Neste descrevo o projeto de investigação-ação desenvolvido nos contextos da Prática de Ensino Supervisionado (PES) em Educação Pré-escolar e 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (CEB). A investigação-ação realizada visava, sobretudo, ajudar-me a compreender quais as condições que deveria reunir de modo a responder de forma adequada às necessidades das crianças e a perceber como poderia melhorar a minha ação e intervenção promovendo aprendizagens significativas e de qualidade, salientando que o propósito não era fornecer o mesmo a todas as crianças, mas sim, a cada uma aquilo de que necessitava. A minha aposta na Diferenciação Pedagógica e numa gestão flexível do currículo surge orientada pelo princípio do direito de todos à aprendizagem e como resposta intencional à heterogeneidade dos grupos de crianças que frequentam atualmente as instituições. Assim, de modo a atingir os objetivos propostos, planeei algumas sugestões de interação que permitiam a utilização de estratégias diversificadas e a observação das crianças durante a utilização das mesmas. A metodologia utilizada contemplou uma pesquisa bibliográfica com base em vários referenciais teóricos e a recolha e análise de dados. Esta investigação possibilitou constatar que a Diferenciação Pedagógica subjacente às propostas apresentadas proporciona o desenvolvimento das crianças tanto a nível social como cognitivo; ABSTRACT: The present report reflects the research develop in the context of the Master Degree in Preschool Education and Teaching of the Primary School at University of Évora, and aims to obtain the degree of master in the levels mention above. This research was held in two different contexts, the first one in a pre-school classroom, and later in a classroom of fourth year of Primary School. The research performed aimed mainly to help me to understand what conditions must be gathered in order to respond appropriately to children's needs and to see how it could improve my actions and intervention by promoting meaningful and quality learnings, stressing that the purpose was not to provide the same for all children, but to each one what they needed. My bet on Pedagogical Differentiation and a flexible management of the curriculum comes to the principle of the right of all to learning and as an intentional response to the heterogeneity of the groups of children who currently attend institutions. Thus, in order to achieve the proposed objectives, I planned some suggestions for interacting with groups of children’s which allowed me to use multiple strategies and to do observation of the individuals while they were being applied. The methodology included a literature search based on various theoretical frameworks and data collection and the respective analysis. This research led us to confirm that the proposals based on pedagogical differentiation provide children's development both socially and cognitive and it is essential to ensure it since the earliest years of school, in order to build a rich differentiated pedagogical action and to promote learning for all students in pre-school and 1st cycle contexts by using diverse strategies.

Prática de ensino supervisionada em educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1º ciclo do ensino básico - A hora do conto: relato de práticas

O presente relatório da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada surge no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico da Universidade de Évora e é o resultado de uma investigação sustentada pela ação educativa desenvolvida ao longo da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, no Pré-Escolar e no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Esta investigação tem como principais objetivos compreender de que forma se processa a hora do conto nos dois contextos onde realizei a minha prática, nomeadamente compreender qual a sua importância na promoção da leitura. Para isso, pretendi responder às seguintes questões: Que práticas devo realizar para promover a leitura, para formar leitores competentes, autónomos, e para desenvolver a capacidade linguística das crianças? E como dinamizar a hora do conto no ambiente educativo? Neste sentido, procedeu-se à construção do quadro teórico que sustenta a investigação do tema “A hora do conto: Relato de práticas”, onde procuro compreender a importância e a dinamização da hora do conto, nomeadamente na promoção da leitura. Para além da fundamentação teórica, a metodologia adotada foi a investigação-ação, onde propus uma prática de dinamização e promoção da leitura. Importa também realçar a importância dos instrumentos de investigação utilizados durante a PES, que contribuíram para a recolha de dados, nomeadamente a entrevista semiestruturada realizada à educadora e professora cooperante, possibilitando assim o alcance dos objetivos acima enunciados. Assim, a investigação permitiu contribuir de forma significativa para a ampliação dos estudos acerca da importância da Hora do Conto como um importante veículo para a formação de leitores, uma vez que o gosto pelas histórias começa na voz dos pais, passa pelos contadores, educadores, professores, os quais assumem uma grande responsabilidade de introduzir a criança no mundo da literatura; ABSTRACT: This report of the Supervised Teaching Practice comes under the Master’s Degree in Pre-school Teaching and Primary Education of the University of Évora and is the result research supported by the education developed throughout Supervised Teaching Practice in Preschool and in Primary Education. The main objectives of this inquiry are to understand how story time is processed in two contexts where I did my practice, in particular to understand what is the importance in promoting reading. For this reason, I wanted to answer the following questions: What practices should I take to promote reading, to form competent readers, autonomous, and to develop the linguistic ability of children? And how to encourage story time within the educational environment? In this sense, a theoretical framework was designed which supports the inquiry of the theme "The Story Time: Reporting practices", where I try to understand the importance and the encouragement of story time, particularly in the promotion of reading. In addition to the theoretical foundation, the methodology adopted was research-action, where I proposed a practice of stimulation and promotion of reading. It is also important to emphasize the importance of the research tools used during the PES, which contributed to the collection of data, in particular structured interviews held with the teacher and teacher’s assistant, thus enabling to achieve the objectives set out above. This way the investigation significantly contributed to the expansion of the studies about the importance of story time as as an important vehicle for the formation of readers, since the taste for stories begins in the parental voice, passes by storytellers, educators , teachers who take on a great responsibility to introduce the child in the world of literature.

Work engagement among school directors and teachers' behavior at work

Using data from a representative sample of public primary schools in Madagascar, this paper analyzes engagement at work among school directors and investigates the impact of school heads' supervisory roles on teachers' behavior at work. The results show clear signs of weak management within public primary schools. We find that school heads' engagement at work is positively associated with their employment conditions, job satisfaction, and overall working environment. The results also indicate that principals' management styles have a positive effect on teachers’ commitment at work, but no significant impact on absenteeism.

Friendships of High-Achieving African American Adolescents: Relation to Ethnic Identity and Achievement Values

The academic achievement of African American adolescents is a national concern for educators and researchers especially since current reports depict the underachievement of African American students as continuing to lag behind their European American peers. Determining what factors within the school environment that contributes to the achievement gap and how it can be reduced remains an important issue in alleviating disparities seen in educational achievement and attainment. This study examined the relation between characteristics of the close friendships of high-achieving African American adolescents and students’ identity development and motivation in school. Data were collected from 217 high-achieving African American students within 10th to 12th grade from 5 public and private high schools. Each student self-reported on their ethnicity, gender, parents’ education level, grade, FARMs, GPA, perceived teacher support (emotional, academic, and instrumental support), their perception of their ethnic identity, and their perception of their achievement values. Through the use of nomination procedures, students also identified their close friends and responded to questions concerning how supportive (emotional, academic, and instrumental support) they each were. Results from multiple regression analyses showed that the provision of instrumental support from close friends related to the exploration process of the high-achieving students’ ethnic identity. In addition, there was a strong relation between the ethnic identity of close friends and that of the individual. Furthermore, although friend support was not a significant predictor of achievement values, demographic (mother’s education level, grade, and FARMS) and control (teacher support) variables predicted students’ importance and utility of school respectively. These findings add to the literature on age and socioeconomic status as they relate to student’s motivation to achieve. Overall, this study provides some evidence highlighting ways in which close friendships might relate to the self-development of high-achieving African American adolescents. This study provides a starting point for additional ways in which to explore how peer processes relate to the academic behaviors of high-achieving African American adolescents.

Motivação para a leitura: Hábitos de leitura e desempenho em leitura, que relações?

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Educacional.

Tensões e contradições do processo de construção das diretrizes para a politica pública de educação infantil do campo

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Educação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação, 2016.

Sexualidade na adolescência

O presente relatório, foi elaborado, no âmbito do III Mestrado em Enfermagem com área de especialização de saúde comunitária. Neste documento, pretendemos descrever, analisar e reflectir, sobre as actividades desenvolvidas durante o estágio, que teve por objectivo desenvolver competências técnicas, científicas e relacionais, através da interacção da teoria e da prática na construção do nosso perfil de enfermeiro especialista em saúde comunitária. O trabalho de campo foi realizado numa escola secundaria do distrito de Portalegre, junto dos alunos do 8.º e 11.º ano de escolaridade. Foram assim realizadas sessões de educação para a saúde no âmbito da educação sexual a 214 alunos, que relativamente ao grau de satisfação geral, 60,5% dos jovens s dis-seram muito satisfeitos e 37,6% satisfeitos, sendo que este critério teve uma avaliação posi-tiva de 98,1%.

Sexualidade na adolescência

O presente relatório, surge no âmbito, do 3.º Curso de Mestrado em Enfermagem com Área de Especialização em Enfermagem Comunitária realizado na Escola Superior de Saúde de Portalegre – Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre. A partir da Metodologia de Planeamento em Saúde, descrevemos, analisamos e re-flectimos com base nas competências definidas para o enfermeiro especialista de saúde comunitária sobre um conjunto de acções de educação para a saúde, relacionadas com a sexualidade na adolescência e implementadas em contexto escolar. Deste modo, com base nos problemas e necessidades identificadas, interviemos jun-to de 205 alunos a frequentar o 8.º e o 11.º de Escolaridade e com idades compreendidas entre os 13 e os 20 anos. Foram realizadas nove sessões de educação para a saúde, que tiveram uma avalia-ção positiva de 98,1%.

Geographical literacy, attitudes, and experiences of freshman students: A qualitative study at Florida International University

The purpose of the study was to explore the geography literacy, attitudes and experiences of Florida International University (FIU) freshman students scoring at the low and high ends of a geography literacy survey. The Geography Literacy and ABC Models formed the conceptual framework. Participants were freshman students enrolled in the Finite Math course at FIU. Since it is assumed that students who perform poorly on geography assessments do not have an interest in the subject, testing and interviewing students allowed the researcher to explore the assumption. ^ In Phase I, participants completed the Geography Literacy Survey (GLS) with items taken from the 2010 NAEP Geography Subject Area Assessment. The low 35% and high 20% performers were invited for Phase II, which consisted of semi-structured interviews. A total of 187 students participated in Phase I and 12 in Phase II. ^ The primary research question asked was what are the geography attitudes and experiences of freshman students scoring at the low and high ends of a geographical literacy survey? The students had positive attitudes regardless of how they performed on the GLS. ^ The study included a quantitative sub-question regarding the performance of the students on the GLS. The students’ performance on the GLS was equivalent to the performance of 12th grade students from the NAEP Assessment. There were three qualitative sub-questions from which the following themes were identified: the students’ definition of geography is limited, students recall more out of school experiences with geography, and students find geography valuable. In addition, there were five emergent themes: there is a concern regarding a lack of geographical knowledge, rote memorization of geographical content is overemphasized, geographical concepts are related to other subjects, taking the high school level AP Human Geography course is powerful, and there is a need for real-world applications of geographical knowledge. ^ The researcher offered as suggestions for practice to reposition geography in our schools to avoid misunderstandings, highlight its interconnectedness to other fields, connect the material to real world events/daily decision-making, make research projects meaningful, partner with local geographers, and offer a mandatory geography courses at all educational levels.^

Investigation of Escape and Negative Student Behaviors Related to Florida State High Stakes Test Preparation in Miami-Dade County Public High Schools, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between pressure to perform on state mandated, high-stakes tests and the rate of student escape behavior defined as the number of school suspensions and absences. The state assigned grade of a school was used as a surrogate measure of pressure with the assumption that pressure increased as the school grade decreased. Student attendance and suspension data were gathered from all 33 of the regular public high schools in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The research questions were: Is the number of suspensions highest in the third quarter, when most FCAT preparation takes place for each of the 3 school years 2007-08 through 2009-10? How accurately does the high school’s grade predict the number of suspensions and number of absences during each of the 4 school years 2005-06 through 2008-09? The research questions were answered using repeated measures analysis of variance for research question #1 and non-linear multiple regression for research question #2. No significant difference could be found between the numbers of suspensions in each of the grading periods nor was there a relationship between the number of suspensions and school grade. A statistically significant relationship was found between student attendance and school grade. When plotted, this relationship was found to be quadratic in nature and formed a loose inverted U for each of the four years during which data were collected. This indicated that students in very high and very low performing schools had low levels of absences while those in the midlevel of the distribution of school performance (C schools) had the greatest rates of absence. Identifying a relationship between the pressures associated with high stakes testing and student escape behavior suggests that it might be useful for building administrators to reevaluate test preparation activities and procedures being used in their building and to include anxiety reducing strategies. As a relationship was found, it sets the foundation for future studies to identify whether testing related activities are impacting some students emotionally and are causing unintended consequences of testing mandates.

The Relationships between Elementary School Principals' Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style and School Culture

The role of the principal in school settings and the principal’s perceived effect on student achievement have frequently been considered vital factors in school reform. The relationships between emotional intelligence, leadership style and school culture have been widely studied. The literature reveals agreement among scholars regarding the principal’s vital role in developing and fostering a positive school culture. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between elementary school principals’ emotional intelligence, leadership style and school culture. The researcher implemented a non-experimental ex post facto research design to investigate four specific research hypotheses. Utilizing the Qualtrics Survey Software, 57 elementary school principals within a large urban school district in southeast Florida completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), and 850 of their faculty members completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Form 5X). Faculty responses to the school district’s School Climate Survey retrieved from the district’s web site were used as the measure of school culture. Linear regression analyses revealed significant positive associations between emotional intelligence and the following leadership measures: Idealized Influence-Attributes (β = .23, p = < .05), Idealized Influence-Behaviors (β = .34, p = < .01), Inspirational Motivation (β = .39, p = < .01) and Contingent Reward (β = .33, p = < .01). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed positive associations between school culture and both transformational and transactional leadership measures, and negative associations between school culture and passive-avoidant leadership measures. Significant positive associations were found between school culture and the principals’ emotional intelligence over and above leadership style. Hierarchical linear regressions to test the statistical hypothesis developed to account for alternative explanations revealed significant associations between leadership style and school culture over and above school grade. These results suggest that emotional intelligence merits consideration in the development of leadership theory. Practical implications include suggestions that principals employ both transformational and transactional leadership strategies, and focus on developing their level of emotional intelligence. The associations between emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, Contingent Reward and school culture found in this study validate the role of the principal as the leader of school reform.

L’influence de la perte d’un parent et du deuil chez l’élève de niveau primaire sur sa réussite scolaire

La réussite scolaire au primaire est déterminante pour la réussite scolaire future de l’enfant. Certains éléments jouent un rôle important dans cette réussite comme la santé psychologique de l’élève et l’implication parentale. Ces dernières peuvent être ébranlées par certaines situations de la vie telle que le décès d’un parent. Ce mémoire porte sur une recherche qualitative effectuée auprès de trois élèves de niveau primaire régulier ayant perdu un parent au cours des deux dernières années. L’objectif de cette recherche est de connaître l’influence que peuvent avoir la perte parentale et le deuil chez l’élève sur sa réussite scolaire. Il existe peu de recherches qui ont été réalisées sur ce sujet et la plupart se sont principalement intéressées à l’influence des conséquences psychologiques du deuil sur la réussite scolaire. Dans le cadre de ce mémoire, nous avons décidé d’adopter une vision plus globale du développement de l’élève. Le projet de recherche s’intéresse non seulement à l’élève, mais aussi à ses parents et à son environnement scolaire. La recherche s’articule autour de trois concepts : le deuil, la réussite scolaire et l’implication scolaire. La méthodologie utilisée repose sur une approche qualitative exploratoire et une analyse de contenu. Les participants étaient composés de trois élèves endeuillés et non-immigrants, âgés entre 7 et 10 ans, de leurs parents survivants (deux) et de leurs enseignants titulaires (trois). Les données ont été recueillies à travers des entrevues semi-dirigées avec tous les participants, les bulletins scolaires des enfants et les plans d’intervention scolaire. Les résultats indiquent que les conséquences psychologiques du deuil peuvent avoir une influence négative sur la réussite scolaire des élèves du primaire. De plus, la perte parentale semble influer négativement sur le niveau socio-économique de la famille et sur tous les types d’implication parentale, que ce soit la supervision des leçons, la communication école-famille ou la collaboration du parent avec la communauté. Ces éléments peuvent à leur tour avoir une influence négative sur la réussite scolaire.

Sleep and academic performance of Portuguese teenagers

Abstract: Sleep has numerous important functions in the body, such as consolidation of memory, concentration and learning. Changes in sleep cycles in adolescents lead to sleep deprivation with consequences to academic performance. Our research question was What are the sleep habits that influence school performance (study environment, study planning, study method, reading skills, motivation to study, overall school performance) in adolescents? We aimed to identify sleep habits predictors of the quality of school performance in adolescents. Research Methods: Crosssectional analytical study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with socio-demographic questions, sleep habits and school performance scale. The sample consisted of 380 students between 7th and 9th grade, with an average age of 13.56 ± 1.23 years in the school year 2011/2012, from a 2nd and 3rd Cycle Basic School of the municipality of Viseu, Portugal. Findings: School performance in adolescents was associated with better subjective quality of sleep (p=0.000), with longer sleep duration (p=0.000), with watching tv/video before sleep (p=0.000), with the habit of studying before bedtime (p=0.012), with no computer use (p=0.013) and with reading habits before bed (p=0.000). School performance was also associated with adolescents who reported not feeling sleepy during class. The teenagers who sleep more and better, and who watch tv/video, study, do not use computers, and who read before going to bed, have a better school performance.

School belongingness and mental health functioning across the primary-secondary transition in a mainstream sample: Multi-group cross-lagged analyses

The relationship between school belongingness and mental health functioning before and after the primary-secondary school transition has not been previously investigated in students with and without disabilities. This study used a prospective longitudinal design to test the bi-directional relationships between these constructs, by surveying 266 students with and without disabilities and their parents, 6-months before and after the transition to secondary school. Cross-lagged multi-group analyses found student perception of belongingness in the final year of primary school to contribute to change in their mental health functioning a year later. The beneficial longitudinal effects of school belongingness on subsequent mental health functioning were evident in all student subgroups; even after accounting for prior mental health scores and the cross-time stability in mental health functioning and school belongingness scores. Findings of the current study substantiate the role of school contextual influences on early adolescent mental health functioning. They highlight the importance for primary and secondary schools to assess students' school belongingness and mental health functioning and transfer these records as part of the transition process, so that appropriate scaffolds are in place to support those in need. Longer term longitudinal studies are needed to increase the understanding of the temporal sequencing between school belongingness and mental health functioning of all mainstream students.