Positive Impacts of Trust-Based Leadership and Governance on School Outcomes. A Literature-Based Impact Study

BackgroundParticipation in physical activities provides students with opportunities for social interaction and social skills development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of students’ recess physical activity with school-related social factors.MethodsData were collected in 19 schools countrywide in autumn 2010, and 1463 students from grades 4 and 5 (primary school) and from grades 7 and 8 (lower secondary school) completed an anonymous questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate whether self-reported physical activity at recess was associated with peer relationships at school, relatedness to school and school climate. Analyses were adjusted for self-reported overall physical activity and conducted for primary and lower secondary schools. Multi-group analysis was used to test sex differences among the associations.ResultsIn primary school, physical activity at recess was positively associated with peer relationships at school (boys: b = 0.17, p = 0.007 and girls: b = 0.21, p <0.001), relatedness to school (boys: b = 0.18, p = 0.002 and girls: b = 0.24, p <0.001) and school climate (girls: b = 0.17, p = 0.001), after adjusting for overall physical activity. In lower secondary school, physical activity at recess was positively associated with peer relationships at school (boys: b = 0.09, p = 0.006 and girls: b = 0.12, p = 0.010) but not with other school-related social factors. No sex differences were observed in these associations.ConclusionsOur results suggest that students’ participation in physical activities during school recess is positively associated with students’ school-related social factors. In the future, it would be worthwhile to study how physical activity at recess should be organised in order to support the development of school-related social factors.

This research was carried out according to the Italian Consensus Conference on Specific Learning Disability guidelines for screening initiatives. It describes a three-year screening project involving 2.469 students, aged 8-15 years, from various classes of primary, lower and upper secondary schools of Sicily. Students were assessed for reading and spelling skills. Overall, 4.9% met the risk criteria for suspected reading disorder, 6.1% for spelling disorder, while 8.5% for both conditions. Results showed that out of 932 pupils in the primary school, 4.6% met the risk criteria for reading disorder and 6.5% for spelling disorder; out of 855 pupils of the lower secondary school, 5.3% for reading disorder and 5.5% for spelling disorder; out of 652 pupils of the upper secondary school, 4.9% for reading disorder and 6.1% for spelling disorder. No significant difference in the prevalence of students at risk of reading disorder or spelling disorder, within the three grade-levels over 3 years, was found. At project conclusion further clinical investigation to verify the screening results on student sub-sample (57%) was carried out. The percentage of students with SLD was equal to 3.15%, in the primary school, 3.76% in the lower secondary school and 2.51%, in the upper secondary school.

Children of immigrants are generally disadvantaged in terms of educational outcomes in most European countries and this remains true even after controlling for their socioeconomic status. Factors affecting the long‐term educational careers among children of immigrants and natives have been broadly investigated in the literature, although limited attention has been paid so far to the role of subjective well‐being in this context. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing how subjective well‐being in the school and family context is related to objective school outcomes of immigrant and native children residing in Italy, after controlling for several relevant socio‐demographic factors. We use rich and unique data from the ‘Integration of the Second Generation’ survey carried out by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) in 2015, that has not been used to analyse this relationship so far. The national representative sample includes 68,127 students interviewed in both lower and upper secondary schools. Around 47% of them are immigrant children without Italian citizenship. Our results show that subjective well‐being is positively correlated with school performance, but well‐being at school is much more important for immigrant students’ achievements, as compared to their native peers, especially in the lower secondary school. The same result does not hold for well‐being in the family domain.

Children with atopic dermatitis (AD) may have disturbed sleep, affected self-esteem and decreased quality of life, likely interfering with performance in school. To examine the association between hospital-managed paediatric AD, school performance and cognitive function. In this cross-sectional study we linked data from the Danish national registers and identified three populations between 2001 and 2019. Population 1 comprised children with graduation grades registered from lower secondary school, population 2 comprised adolescents with registration of an upper secondary graduation mean, and population 3 comprised male conscripts with registration of an IQ test score. AD was defined as a hospital diagnostic code (inpatient or outpatient) prior to the exam or conscription date, and was stratified according to severity, activity and atopic comorbidity. Outcomes included graduation mean from lower and upper secondary school, special educational assistance in primary and lower secondary school, and IQ at conscription. In total, 770 611 (12 137 with AD), 394 193 (6261 with AD) and 366 182 (4539 with AD) children and adolescents were included in populations 1 (lower secondary graduation), 2 (upper secondary graduation) and 3 (conscription), respectively. In lower secondary school, children with severe AD had significantly lower overall, written and oral graduation grade means compared with children with mild AD: respectively, difference -0.29 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.45 to -0.13, P < 0.001], difference -0.26 (95% CI -0.42 to -0.10, P = 0.0016) and difference -0.30 (95% CI -0.49 to -0.11, P = 0.0018). In upper secondary school, adolescents with AD performed similarly to their peers without AD. Young men with AD scored significantly lower IQ test means at conscription examination than male conscripts without AD: difference -0.60 (95% CI -0.87 to -0.32, P < 0.001). AD, in particular when severe, is associated with lower school performance in childhood and IQ in young men, which can interfere with academic achievements in life. Optimization of treatment of children with AD and specific educational support to children with severe AD could be needed.

Leadership management refers to leading and managing a team or an organization. It involves developing a vision, setting goals, and providing guidance and support to employees to achieve those goals. Effective leadership management is crucial for organizations to achieve their objectives, as it helps build a positive work environment, encourage innovation, and promote teamwork. Leadership plays a vital role in enhancing the performance of private holding organizations and driving quantitative and qualitative success in a nation’s public sector comprised of a range of services offered to the public. This paper aims to investigate the financial impact of leadership management on the Greek public sector using empirical data and analysis extracted from the dissertation under the title “Leadership and organizational change in the financial decision making in Greek public sector in a time of financial and humanitarian crises”, also written by the paper’s author. The study employs fixed OLS regression and UQR models to examine the effects of leadership on the systematic, idiosyncratic, and total risk as well as the value of the public sector, i.e., governance and corruption levels, during the aftermath of the financial crisis that hit the country between the years 2015 and 2019. Additionally, it explores the potential benefits of team leadership on public services’ quality. The results indicate that leadership demonstrates a statistically significant impact on all public sector risk components. Furthermore, increasing team leadership across public sector divisions may enhance the public sector’s overall value. While verifying the positive impact of leadership on value, and despite the confirmation of a risk-reducing effect of leadership only regarding idiosyncratic risk, this impact appears not only to be of low magnitude but also to account for minor statistical significance.

This article compares the effectiveness of the administrative subculture of public and private sector employees by comparing the efficacy of their organizational processes. The paper provides some evidence that assumptions about the superiority of private sector administrative subculture (as measured by comparing the effectiveness of organizational communication processes in reducing task ambiguity) are probably not warranted. The perception that private sector administrative subculture is more results-orientated than public sector practices appears not to have been substantiated in this study. In contrast, ambiguity with respect to customers, promotion, superiors, and ethical situations was evident across both public and private groups however; the impact on job satisfaction outcomes was greater for public sector employees in general.

BackgroundTo allow for normal school attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic, regular testing of students was introduced in the autumn 2021 in Norway to manage COVID-19 transmission. We mapped the experiences of five stakeholders (parents, students, school staff and administration, contact tracing teams) regarding the implementation of regular testing in primary and secondary schools in Oslo and Viken counties, to assess the acceptability through different indicators and improve future guidelines.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and November 2021 to explore experiences of implementation, compliance, satisfaction, difficulties, concerns, confidence in regular testing, quality of teaching and school attendance. Five stakeholder groups were invited to participate: contact tracing teams; school administrators and employees in primary, lower secondary, and upper-secondary school; students in upper-secondary school and parents of primary and lower secondary students. Bivariate analyses were performed for students, parents, and school employees groups. Descriptive analyses were done for contact tracing teams and school administrators.ResultsFour thousand five hundred sixty-five participants were included in our study. School attendance increased for most of the students in primary and lower secondary schools in Oslo and Viken after the implementation of regular testing. Students across all school levels reported high testing compliance and satisfaction with the implementation. Compliance was significantly associated with an increasing number of weekly tests across all school levels up to two weekly tests. Contact tracing teams were less satisfied with the cooperation with the educational authorities compared to the school employees. Higher educational level of parents was significantly associated with decreased concern of their children getting infected at school after regular testing implementation. Concerned parents were more likely to keep children at home from school, to protect all household members from becoming infected. Lack of time and communication were reported as challenging factors to implementation.ConclusionCompliance, satisfaction, and confidence in regular testing of COVID-19 were high among stakeholders. An acceptable testing regime for a future regular testing implementation would be a home-based, bi-weekly test. Increased awareness of the importance of school attendance, safety of regular testing along with good communication and role clarification should be prioritized for stakeholders involved in regular testing.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of transformational leadership on organizational performance in public sector agencies in Somalia.&#x0D; Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.&#x0D; Findings: Several studies have investigated the impact of transformational leadership on organizational performance within public sector agencies, revealing significant insights. Transformational leadership, characterized by inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and idealized influence, has been found to positively influence various aspects of organizational performance. These include improved employee job satisfaction, increased employee commitment, enhanced organizational citizenship behavior, and greater organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, transformational leaders in public sector agencies tend to foster innovation and creativity among employees, leading to improved service delivery and better outcomes for stakeholders. Additionally, transformational leadership has been linked to higher levels of employee engagement and motivation, resulting in increased productivity and performance within these organizations.&#x0D; Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social exchange theory, agency theory and social learning theory may be use to anchor future studies on assessing the impact of transformational leadership on organizational performance in public sector agencies in Somalia. Public sector agencies should invest in leadership development programs that focus on cultivating transformational leadership competencies among managers and executives. Public sector agencies should revise hiring and promotion criteria to prioritize candidates with demonstrated transformational leadership qualities.

The Polish Architectural Policy’s vision of a systematic promotion of spatial culture has made its way into the national curriculum for 2009 – 2016 designed for various stages of child and teenager education. The objective of this effort was to furnish a basis for a system of architectural education which allows teaching society to be more conscious in their decisions as to spatial order with the effect of improving the quality of our living space. Educating individuals to engage consciously in activities related to the protection of space and transformations taking place within that space requires an understanding of basic issues connected with space, the nature of space and the interrelations of various elements which form it. The “Shaping space” programme under the patronage of the Chamber of Polish Architects is one of the tools dedicated to students of lower and higher secondary schools, designed to assist teachers as architectural educators. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a survey related to the implementation of the programme in Lower Secondary School 3 in Malbork in the years 2013-2016. The programme involved observation of students (of grades 1 to 3) in architecture-oriented classes, assistance for the teacher in the class rooms well as an evaluation of the usefulness of educational materials. A number of problems became evident during the implementation of the “Shaping space” programme which is now available in book form. The size of the book is large enough to discourage any potential readers. The subject matter of the book is not suitable for the intended age group (age: 13-16). Another issue was the teacher’s suitability to conduct this type of class. Class observation in grades 1-3 of the lower secondary school and discussions with teachers in charge of that programme served as a basis for developing our own tools and materials in the form of multimedia presentations, templates and lesson scenarios designed to convey and put in order the knowledge related to spatial planning. The conclusions drawn based on these observations have been used in classes at the Faculty of Architecture of the Gdansk University of Technology with a group of students in the 3rd semester of their MA studies, who have helped to prepare auxiliary materials for teachers conducting this type of programmes in primary schools. The joint effort has produced a dictionary entitled Pomeranian ABC of Space, which is designed as a tool for teachers in their own work related to architectural education.

This survey investigates teacher and student perceptions and beliefs relating to the use of digital translation tools and online dictionaries (e. g. Google Translate, DeepL, Leo, Pons) in the foreign language classroom. Over the past few years, these tools have become increasingly popular, a development that has given rise to questions about their benefits for foreign language learning and teaching. A total of 1187 participants (985 students and 202 teachers) took part in the study. They came from primary schools, lower and upper secondary schools (Gymnasium and Fachmatura, vocational schools), as well as tertiary education and professional development classes. The survey was conducted in French (n=834) and German (n=353) in the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel and Solothurn. Participation was voluntary. Results show that regardless of language background and educational context, participants perceive of the tools as a normal and largely established part of their everyday practices. Compared to their teachers, students are more optimistic about the tools’ potential contribution to foreign language learning and less concerned about possible pitfalls linked to using the tools. Students in lower secondary school use digital translation aids less frequently and rate their contribution to language learning and motivation less favourably than the other learner groups. Many teachers would like to use digital translators and online dictionaries in their classroom, but they express uncertainty about how to do so meaningfully. Teachers voice concerns over certain student practices, namely the lack of cognitive involvement when simply translating text without considering the output. Teachers also highlight the gap between curricular/institutional prescriptions and the way the tools are commonly used, a mismatch that can affect their teaching. Overall, our findings emphasize the need for a) empirical evidence on the effects of digital translation tools on foreign language acquisition, b) pedagogical scenarios for implementing the tools, and 3) alignment of policy with practice.

Family planning programs have caused a substantial decline in fertility in Thailand in the last 20 years. At the same time a steady increase in the educational level of children has occurred. Recent surveys were taken to gain information on family size in relation to the educational level of the children focussing on attendance of lower and upper secondary schools. Results show that males were more likely to continue to secondary schools which is in agreement with the educational desires of the parents. The strongest factors determining the educational level of children is the socioeconomic and educational status of the parents. The surveys show that as family size increases especially over 5 children the likelihood of the children staying is school drops dramatically. Parents educational level seems to be the next most important factor with a positive correlation to the childs educational level. The cost of education is the responsibility of the parents which is why family size is important; while most parents surveyed feel advanced education is necessary for the children to make a better living they may not be in an economic situation to provide it. The data shows that the number of children continuing from lower secondary school to upper secondary school is in agreement with the number expected to continue by the parents. About 33% were expected to continue and 35% actually did continue to lower secondary school from primary school; 17% were expected to go on to upper secondary school and 24% did continue.

Innovation in public sector institutions is critical to enhancing service quality and meeting the evolving demands of society. This study examines the impact of transformational leadership and public service motivation on psychological empowerment and innovative work behavior among employees of the Directorate General of Immigration in Indonesia. Utilizing a quantitative approach, data were collected from 200 civil servants through structured questionnaires and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that transformational leadership and public service motivation significantly influence psychological empowerment, which in turn positively affects innovative work behavior. Additionally, both transformational leadership and public service motivation have direct positive effects on innovative work behavior. This study highlights the importance of empowering employees through effective leadership and fostering motivation to drive innovation in public sector organizations. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and managers aiming to improve innovation and performance in government services.

School burnout symptoms are prevalent among upper secondary education students, but thus far, very little is known about the background of these symptoms. The present study examined the extent to which school burnout symptoms (i.e., exhaustion and cynicism) among upper secondary education students have their roots in primary and lower secondary school and whether early antecedents of school burnout symptoms could be identified. The sample consisted of 1544 Finnish students followed up four times (Time1–Time 4) from the end of primary school (T1; mean age 12.74 and range 11.71–14.20) to the first year of upper secondary education (T4; mean age 16.66 and range 15.55–18.39). The results of latent growth curve modeling showed that school burnout symptoms in upper secondary education were predicted by the level of school burnout symptoms at the end of primary school and by an increase in these symptoms across the transition from primary school through lower secondary school. In addition, psychological well-being, academic skills, and gender were found to contribute to the prediction of school burnout symptoms. Overall, the present study suggest that potential warning signs of school burnout should not be ignored and attention should be directed to earlier education phases.

IntroductionFrom looking at research literature is possible to see that research on design, implementation and analysis of mathematical tasks is an actual theme: there is special issue of Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (2007) with Anne Watson, John Mason and Orit Zaslavsky as editors (Watson and Mason, 2007), book published by Clarke, Grevholm and Millman (2009) concerning Tasks in primary mathematics teacher education and under ICME 11 in Mexico (2008) title of one of Topic Study Groups was Research and development in task design and analysis. In addition several substantial research projects conducted in United States focus on this issue. For example QUASAR project (Quantitative Understanding: Amplifying Student Achievement and Reasoning), involving group of researchers (Stein, Smith, Henningsen & Silver, 2000), aimed at improving mathematics instruction for students by emphasising thinking, reasoning, problem solving and communication of mathematical ideas. One of central aspects of their research was to focus on use of instructional tasks in project classroom and they proposed elaboration of the mathematical tasks framework where kinds of thinking needed to solve tasks were referred to as demands. They reported on observations concerning change of cognitive demands during lesson where a task that starts out challenging ... might not induce high-level thinking and reasoning that was intended as students actually go about working on it (Stein et al., 2009, p.xviii). This aspect is also address by Artigue (1994) arguing that might be tempting to implement too quickly development products arising from research into products for teaching. She characterises processes related to transmission of products from didactic engineering in terms of distortions and she emphasises distinction between activities of conducting research and of engaging in teaching. My aim, in this article, is to follow Artigue's argumentation and to investigate, trace and characterise distortions of specific mathematical task (the T-shirt task) from its design by group of didacticians at University of Adger (UiA) to its implementation by two different teachers. This research is situated in larger research project conducted at (UiA), Teaching Better Mathematics project (TBM).The structure of article is as follows: First I present central aspects of TBM project and emphasise theoretical constructs of didactical aim and pedagogical means. I also introduce methodological approach adopted in project. Then I turn to an example and explain how T-shirt task was designed by didacticians at UiA and how was implemented by teacher from primary school and by teacher from lower secondary school. Finally, I discuss results and present implications for further collaboration between didacticians and researchers.Central aspects of TBMprojectCo-leaning agreement with teachersThe aims of TBM project are reflected in title: Teaching Better Mathematics. First promotes to develop better understanding and competency in mathematics for pupils in schools (Better Mathematics), and second to explore and develop better teaching approaches (Teaching Better) as means to achieve first aim. The nature of project is developmental research and we collaborate with in-service teachers from 4 kindergarten, 6 primary and lower secondary schools and 3 upper secondary schools. Our collaboration with teachers is organised around workshops, approximately 4-5 per year, and school visits during which didactician get opportunity to observe nature of impact project had on participating schools. In project we see teachers and didacticians as working together as co-learners (Wagner, 1997). This implies that both teachers and didacticians are engaged in action and reflection, and by working together, each has opportunity to develop further understandings of world of other and of his/her own world. …

The article substantiates the importance of future teacher training for the use of augmented reality (AR) in the educational process of a preschool education institution (PEI). Scientific sources on the problem of AR application in the field of education are analysed. The aspects of the research of the problem of AR application are defined in the field of education done by modern foreign and national scientists, in particular, the use of AR applications in education; introduction of 3D technologies, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality in the educational process of preschool and primary school; application of 3d technology, virtual and augmented reality in a higher education institution; increasing the efficiency of training and motivation of students on the basis of using AR applications in smartphones; the formation of reading culture by means of augmented reality technology; prospects for the use of augmented reality within the linguistic and literary field of preschool and primary education. The specifics of publications of fiction works with AR applications are analysed that are appropriate to use in work with preschool children; the possibilities of books for preschool children created with the help of augmented reality technology are demonstrated. The possibilities of using AR in work with preschoolers are considered. The urgency of the use of AR for the effective education and development of preschoolers is determined. The problems of application of AR in the educational process of modern national PEI are outlined. A method of diagnostic research of the level and features of readiness of future teachers to use AR in the educational process of PEI has been developed. Criteria and indicators are defined, the levels of development of the main components of the studied readiness (cognitive and active) and the indicated readiness as a whole are characterized. The following points are proved: insufficiency and deficit of its formation of future teachers of the field of preschool education; inconsistency between the peculiarities of future teacher training to use AR in professional activities and modern requirements for the quality of educational process in PEI; the need to develop and implement a model for the formation of the studied readiness of future teachers of the institution of higher pedagogical education. A step-by-step model of formation of readiness of future teachers to use AR in the educational process of PEI has been developed.