'This is a beautiful school.' 'This school is useless!' Explaining disengagement in a Greek vocational school through the examination of teacher ideologies

This multimethod case study of a Greek vocational school explored teachers’ culture (including beliefs about education, teachers’ role, and students’ nature) using the concept of Pupil Control Ideology to explain problems of disengagement and low morale among staff and students, as well as tensions in relationships. A prominent custodial culture was identified in the school using a functional/apolitical pedagogy to transmit ‘legitimate’ knowledge to students whose working-class background did not produce desired outcomes. This generated deficit views of students, teachers’ sympathy, and a seemingly caring school ethos which was, nevertheless, oppressive. Students’ failings were naturalised and vocational education misinterpreted as merely a streaming device in a system honouring academic achievement and middle-class ways. Teachers were blind to these cultural subtleties, believing they acted ‘rationally’ and altruistically. A humanistic subculture emphasising student empowerment and social transformation consisted of a minority of teachers and was rather marginalised. This disallowed meaningful dialogue and the identification of an alternative rationale for the sector, generating strong feelings of futility. Positive change in this school necessitated the deconstruction and (subsequent) reconstruction of custodial teachers’ worldview as embedded in their practice.

Determinants of uptake and maintenance of active commuting to school

The objective was to identify determinants of uptake and maintenance of active school travel (AST) over 4 years in children aged 9 at baseline. Data from wave 1 (n=8502) and 2 (n=7479) of the Growing Up in Ireland study were analysed. At 9- and 13-years 25% and 20% engaged in AST. Children were more likely to maintain or take-up AST if they lived in an urban area. Change in distance to school influenced both maintenance and adoption of AST, with a negative impact seen for increased distance between 9 and 13 years and a positive impact seen for decreased distance. Some factors which predict uptake and maintenance of AST are modifiable and can inform intervention development.

STUDENT’ S ENGAGEMENT IN SCHOOL: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Students’ Engagement in School has been the focus of debate concerning academic success and school dropout, and pointed out as a mean to address the problems affecting our schools and their students, not only for having value in itself, but also for being an important mediator between several academic variables. This paper reviews the research and literature on this concept and its relations with personal and contextual variables, as well as with academic performance, with the aim of summarizing the main relationships found. Literature presents a significant number of studies which sustain that personal variables, such as self-efficacy and self-concept, as well as contextual - peers, school, family- are related with school engagement. The adoption of mastery goals, for instance, has a positive impact on school, as they are related with the use of cognitive and self-regulatory strategies by students. Positive relationships with peers, teachers support and the quality of family relations are associated with higher levels of engagement and academic performance, while negative experiences, such as bullying, are related with educational difficulties. Following this, we reflect about the relevance of studying engagement in school, in the context of widespread financial crisis, and emphasize the need to rethink educational institutions considering the paradigmatic changes that currently occur.

Using VEs to enhance chronological understanding of history in middle school children.

Studies with computer-experienced children in the UK and less experienced in Ukraine explored the potential for VEs in teaching historical chronology to middle-school children aged 10–12 years old. Active fly-through VEs had been previously used successfully with primary school children aged 8–9 years old (given specific training with the environment) when they were subsequently tested for their ability to order events chronologically. All VEs in the present studies included a training element and active challenge, both found previously to enhance learning in other age groups. Ukraine children were trained and tested. UK children here were trained and tested, then retrained and retested to examine savings. Unlike other age groups, no significant benefit was seen for VE training compared with PowerPoint and Text conditions in either study. Possible explanations for the ineffectiveness of VE training for children of middle school age will be discussed. Keywords: timeline, chronographics

Compte rendu: Jannis Androutsopoulos (dir.) (2014), Mediatization and sociolinguistic change, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter, coll. « Linguae & litterae. Publications of the School of Language & Literature Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, 36 », vii-557 p. [ISBN : 978-3-11-034357-1]

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A decade of school progress 1914-1924

This document contains Power W. Bethea’s discussion on South Carolina public schools progress of South Carolina, during the decennium of 1914-1924. It includes purpose of the study, method of study, and information sources. It also provides descriptions of statewide and nationwide accomplishments from 1914 to 1924.

Country school movements and ideals in South Carolina

The bulletin is a report of the State Supervisor of Elementary Rural Schools. It includes field work, rural school progress, and recommendations.

Do Girls and Boys Perceive Themselves as Equally Engaged in School? The Results of an International Study from 12 Countries

This study examined gender differences in student engagement and academic performance in school. Participants included 3420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th graders) from Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results indicated that, compared to boys, girls reported higher levels of engagement in school andwere rated higher by their teachers in academic performance. Student engagement accounted for gender differences in academic performance, but gender did not moderate the associations among student engagement, academic performance, or contextual supports. Analysis of multiple-group structural equation modeling revealed that perceptions of teacher support and parent support, but not peer support, were related indirectly to academic performance through student engagement. This partial mediation model was invariant across gender. The findings from this study enhance the understanding about the contextual and personal factors associated with girls' and boys' academic performance around the world.

Students’ engagement in school, achievement goals and grade level: A literature review

Este E-Book reúne um conjunto de investigações apresentadas no “I Congresso Internacional Envolvimento dos Alunos na Escola: Perspetivas da Psicologia e Educação” (ICIEAE), organizado no âmbito do “Projeto PTDC/CPE-CED/114362/2009 - Envolvimento dos Alunos na Escola: Diferenciação e Promoção” (EAE-DP), financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).