Profiles of multilingual spelling skills in secondary school students in Germany

Emotional intelligence is a factor that influences one’s assertion in both personal and professional life. Experience shows that in practice, people with the best achievements at school are often not the most successful in professional practice. The issue of developing the emotional intelligence of secondary technical school students is up-to-date in the world and the need for its development in accordance with the above research achievements are confirmed by the results of KEGA project 004DTI-4/2018 “Model of Support for Development of Emotional Intelligence of Secondary Technical School Students”. The paper is focused on presenting the issue in the context of solution and the research results of the above-mentioned project. The main aim of the project is to carry out an analysis of the current situation at secondary technical schools in Slovakia in connection with the development of students’ emotional intelligence and the creation of a proposal of a model for the development of emotional intelligence of secondary school students. Further objectives of the project are: to identify stakeholders’ requirements for the teaching process at secondary technical schools, to propose a model for the support of the development of emotional intelligence of secondary technical school students, to formulate recommendations, to create educational material for secondary technical school teachers, to organize the annual international scientific conference SCHOLA on solved issues with the purpose to present the project achievements. Based on the published opinions as well as our obtained results and according to identification of the need to develop “soft” skills of secondary technical school students, we are in favour of the need to focus on supporting the development of “soft” skills of the students in secondary technical education; it means to develop the emotional intelligence of secondary technical school students in order to improve their ability to succeed in professional practice.

Experimental evidence of effects of instructors’ growth or fixed mindsets has so far been provided only by studies on U.S. university students. Research outside the US and on primary and secondary school students has relied on correlational data. In two preregistered vignette experiments with secondary school and university students in Germany (N = 214 in total), we therefore tested for effects of fictitious instructors’ growth and fixed mindsets. Both studies revealed detrimental effects of fictitious instructors’ fixed mindsets. In Study 1, the fixed mindset teacher elicited lower anticipated positive emotions, stronger anticipated negative emotions, stronger anticipated performance-avoidance goals, and less anticipated help-seeking in fifth-to-seventh graders compared with the growth mindset teacher. In Study 2, the fixed mindset professor elicited lower anticipated positive emotions, stronger anticipated negative emotions, higher anticipated stress, less anticipated help-seeking, lower anticipated success expectancies, and less anticipated motivation in university students than the growth mindset professor did. Moreover, larger effects were found for female than male university students. These findings provide a more fine-grained perspective on the risks of being taught by a fixed mindset teacher or professor and support the idea that growth mindset instructors are an important part of a learning environment that helps every student flourish.

Capturing a nuanced picture of classroom cultural diversity climate: Multigroup and multilevel analyses among secondary school students in Germany

The aims of this study was to investigate attitudes toward physical education and class preferences of Turkish secondary and high school students related to gender and age. The participants were 302 female (Mage = 13.11 ± 0.79) and 332 male (Mage = 13.14 ± 0.69) students from secondary school education aged 12 to 14 and 290 female (Mage = 16.48 ± 0.86) and 316 male (Mage = 16.42 ± 0.90) student from high school aged 15 to 17. A total of 1240 students voluntarily participated in this study. The Attitudes Toward Physical Education Scale (ATPES) was applied. ANOVA was used to determine differences in attitude toward PE between students from secondary and high schools and between girls and boys. In order to test differences in PE class preferences of students with regard to school context and gender, chi square analysis was conducted. Men scores of ATPES for secondary school and high school girl and boy students were determined 3.95 point, 4.01 point, 3.40 point and 3.77 point, respectively. Generally of secondary school students (%66.6) preferred coed physical education class, while generally of high school students (%69) preferred single-sex physical education class. This research verifies that attitudes towards physical education and PE class preferences change according to gender and age. SUMMARY Purpose and significance: The aims of this study was to investigate attitudes toward physical education and class preferences in Turkish secondary and high school students related to gender and age. In spite of the growth in the studies on the effectiveness of PE, sport science literature that have investigated students' attitudes toward PE and on PE class preferences according to age and gender are limited. Methods: The study was conducted during the 2006-2007 fall semester. Participants consisted of 1240 students from seven secondary and six high general schools of Bursa/Turkey. In this study, coeducational secondary and high schools were selected. The participants were 302 girls (Mage = 13.11 ± 0.79) and 332 boys (Mage = 13.14 ± 0.69) aged 12 to 14 from secondary education schools and 290 girls (Mage = 16.48 ± 0.86) and 316 boys (Mage = 16.42 ± 0.90) aged 15 to 17 from high schools. Two data collection instruments were administered. In the first section of the first personnel information, participants provide demographic related information such as age, grade, and gender. In the second section participants were asked: Which PE class do you prefer? Coed PE or Single sex The second instrument is the Attitude Toward PE Scale for Turkish students. Results: Findings of this study indicated a significant gender difference in high school students attitudes toward PE (F = 29.361; p 0.05 . The attitude scores of secondary school boys and girls respectively was (M = 4.01) and (M = 3.95). In addition, the attitude scores of secondary school boys (M = 4.01) were significantly higher (F = 26.245; p<0.05) than those of high school boys (M = 3.77), and the attitude scores of secondary school girls (M = 3.95) were significantly higher (F = 33.752; p<0.05) than those of high school girls (M = 3.40). In order to test differences in PE class preferences of students with regard to school context and gender, chi square analysis was conducted. Significant differences in PE class preferences were found between students from secondary and high schools (E 2 = 62.634; p <0.05). Most of the students from secondary schools (66.6%) preferred single-sex PE, whereas nearly most of the students from high schools (69%) preferred coed PE. Discussion and Conclusions: This research verifies that attitudes towards physical education and PE class preferences change according to gender and age. Secondary school students show more positive attitudes towards physical education than high school students. Boys show more positive attitudes than girls. In addition secondary school students preferred single-sex PE, whereas high school students preferred coed PE. In order to improve the attitudes of girls towards physical education, Ministry of National Education have to make some changes in physical education course curriculum. This change has to be from competitive physical education course model to a model that encompasses life-time sport, health, physical fitness, and well-being. Physical education course curriculums should be re-arranged to enable students to obtain necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes for a healthy and happy daily life. Moreover, all students must have the confidence and skills to continue physical activities in their future lives.

The present paper provides a small–scale exploratory analysis of L2 English pronunciation and accent aims among secondary school students in Germany – with a focus on the bath and lot vowels, rhoticity, and T–flapping. The eight learners investigated in the current study show blended use of Standard Southern British English (StSBrE) and Standard American (StAmE) phonological variants with relatively high degrees of variation between learners. StSBrE–oriented productions were dominant overall. Agreement of accent aim and L2 pronunciation was largely feature–dependent and limited overall but varied between learners.

Aims: In this study, the 21st century skills of secondary school students were examined according to gender, grade level, educational status of parents and Internet variables.&#x0D; Study Design: The survey method was used as the method of the research.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The study group of the research consists of 421 secondary school students studying in six schools in Salihli district of Manisa province in the 2021-2022 academic year.&#x0D; Methodology: “Secondary School Students' 21st Century Skills Scale” was used to collect data and descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U Test, Kruskal Wallis H-Test were used in the analysis of the data.&#x0D; Results: According to the data obtained as a result of the study, it has been determined that the 21st century skills of secondary school students are at a high level. Secondary school students' 21st century skills did not differentiate in a statistically significant way depending on the gender and educational status of parents while it was determined that there was a significant difference in terms of the grade level and the internet connection variable.&#x0D; Conclusion: It was determined that the students' 21st century skills levels were at a high level. It was determined that gender and parents’ educational status did not make a significant difference in the 21st century skills of secondary school students while grade level and internet connection at home did.

Incidence of NSSI rises during adolescence and peaks in young adulthood. Secondary school and university students, representing these age groups, have been the focus of research on how emotion regulation strategies impact NSSI. However, a comprehensive study of the interrelations among different symptoms is needed. Research based on network analysis, a questionnaire survey on emotion regulation strategies and NSSI was conducted with 378 secondary school students and 593 first-year university students, all of whom reported a history of engagement in NSSI. The results indicated that Cognitive reappraisal symptoms showed a positive or no correlation with NSSI, while expressive suppression symptoms demonstrated a negative or no correlation. Secondary school and university students using cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression also tended to use the other type of emotion regulation strategy simultaneously. In secondary school NSSI groups, core symptoms were linked to cognitive reappraisal, while in university groups, they were linked to expressive suppression. Intervention targets for NSSI in secondary school students included “I keep my emotions to myself”, and for university students, “I control my emotions by not expressing them.” Research reveals a complex mechanism underlying the link between NSSI and emotion regulation strategies in university and secondary school students, offering valuable insights for promoting the psychological health of adolescents and youths.

Ethnocentrism is the evaluation of other people’s cultures based on ones’ skewed standards, customs and beliefs and seeking to assert one’s own inherent superiority and prejudice on others. Ethnocentrism has been linked to sustained protracted inter- community conflicts. It has also been the foundation of construction of tribal identities, social isolation, out-group hostilities and creation of inter- social boundaries. The pastoralist communities in Baringo county have had a long history of armed conflicts which revolve around natural resources such as water, land boundaries and pasture. The limited resources, proliferation of small arms, feeling of marginalization and values attached to successful raids has made the situation more complex. The government in an effort to address these conflicts has established more day secondary schools to enhance access to education and reduce the raiding culture among the communities in Baringo County. However, as much as this is encouraged students in these secondary schools still suffer psychosocial instability emanating from school and home environments. While at home the students are frequently exposed to hostilities from raiding neighboring communities, some have lost their livelihoods, lost their parents and their schools have been closed due to frequent raids and fear of attacks from cattle rustlers and bandits. They have also been victims of displacement and trauma caused by witnessing incidences of violence and at times death. Therefore, this study sought to establish the influence of ethnocentric culture as a raiding motif on psycho-social stability of students in day secondary schools in Baringo county, Kenya. The study utilized the descriptive survey design. The research was conducted on a sample of 360 students from eighteen sampled day secondary schools. The data collection methods were students’ questionnaire. To validate the instruments, piloting was conducted on two (2) day secondary schools with similar characteristics to the sampled schools but which were not included in the actual study. Data was analyzed with the aid of a computer programme which is the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 for windows. ANOVA and t-test were used to test if there was a statistically significant mean difference in the students’ response on the influence of ethnocentrism as a raiding motif on psychosocial stability of students in day secondary schools and to determine whether to reject or accept the study hypothesis. All analysis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study found out that ethnocentric elements such as the feeling of marginalization, proliferation of small arms, and social praises related to successful raids, helped sustain protracted raiding motif and contributed to students’ psychosocial instability in day secondary schools in Baringo county. The study recommends a more robust inter-community peace sensitization programmes

The purpose of the study was to examine the assessment of the learning environment and its impact on the teaching and learning process of students in secondary schools in the Mpigi district of central Uganda. Based on systems theory, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The study involved 15 secondary schools in the Mpigi district, whereby5 secondary schools were purposively sampled to participate in the study because the schools had a better learning environment; however, stakeholders complain about their teaching and learning process. The study used a purposive sampling technique to choose 5 headteachers, 5 directors of studies, 44 teachers, and 64 students to participate in the study. Interviews, focused group discussions, and observation guides were used for data collection. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study concluded that learning environment resources are inadequate in Mpigi secondary schools; however, the few available resources are effectively used by teachers and students. The teaching and learning process of students in secondary schools of the Mpigi district is below the expectations of the stakeholders. Learning environments positively impact the teaching and learning process of students in Mpigi district secondary schools. The study recommended that the government of Uganda should aid secondary schools with adequate learning environment resources to improve on the teaching and learning process of students. School administrators should organize training sessions and workshops for the teachers to equip them with skills and knowledge required to use the available learning environment resources in order to elevate the teaching and learning process of students in schools.

Research on assessing English as a foreign language (EFL) development has been growing recently. However, empirical evidence from longitudinal analyses based on substantial samples is still needed. In such settings, tests for measuring language development must meet high standards of test quality such as validity, reliability, and objectivity, as well as allow for valid interpretations of change scores, requiring longitudinal measurement invariance. The current study has a methodological focus and aims to examine the measurement invariance of a C-test used to assess EFL development in monolingual and bilingual secondary school students ( n = 1956) in Germany. We apply longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis to test invariance hypotheses and obtain proficiency estimates comparable over time. As a result, we achieve residual longitudinal measurement invariance. Furthermore, our analyses support the appropriateness of altering texts in a longitudinal C-test design, which allows for the anchoring of texts between waves to establish comparability of the measurements over time using the information of the repeated texts to estimate the change in the test scores. If used in such a design, a C-test provides reliable, valid, and efficient measures for EFL development in secondary education in bilingual and monolingual students in Germany.

Research has shown that students’ science capital has a large impact on their science aspirations and their development of science identities. In this study, we apply the notion of science capital to chemistry education in order to investigate how students make use of science capital in the field of chemistry. We define chemistry capital as a person's resources that help him or her to succeed in the field of chemistry (e.g., parents know chemistry content, sharing chemistry-related activities at home,…). We interviewed 48 secondary school students in Germany and conducted a thematic analysis. It reveals the following. (i) Chemistry capital in the home environment is unevenly distributed. Students who do not have family members who can connect with the mainstream conception of chemistry tend to be concentrated in schools with the lowest entry requirements (Hauptschulen, lower secondary education). Chemistry capital, therefore, tends to be reproduced. (ii) In most cases, families’ chemistry capital translates into students’ individual chemistry capital. This shows up in a multitude of links between families’ chemistry capital and students’ individual chemistry capital. (iii) The German school structures tend to aggravate the existing inequalities: this tends to deprive the students from Hauptschulen of qualified chemistry teachers. (iv) In some exceptional cases, students acquire chemistry capital independently from their families’ capital. They do so either by following chemistry-related YouTube channels or by developing a chemistry identity as part of a general learner identity. In order to reduce the existing inequalities, there is an urgent need to provide Hauptschulen in Germany with qualified teaching staff for chemistry. If this precondition is met, teaching approaches that focus on identity building and engaging students and their parents in a dialogue about chemistry could potentially be fruitful.

IntroductionThe increasing prevalence of myopia worldwide is problematic because myopia can result in severe secondary pathologies, and is associated with considerable financial burden. With plenty of prevalence data available for some regions, current data for Europe remain sparse. Yet, information on myopia prevalence and associations is essential for monitoring, preventive and interventive purposes. Likewise, uncorrected refractive errors are also critical, as they can, e.g., affect educational outcomes, making information on uncorrected myopia valuable for diagnostics and health education.MethodsWe performed non-cycloplegic autorefraction on two samples in Germany. The younger sample included 489 primary school students (grades 3–4, mean age: 9.30 ± 0.78 years), the older sample 1,032 secondary school students (grades 8–10, mean age 14.99 ± 1.12 years). These samples mark the limits of the age range during which school myopia usually emerges.ResultsMyopia (spherical equivalent ≤ −0.75D) prevalence was 8.4% in the younger sample and 19.5% in the older sample. The prevalence was generally higher in higher grade levels, with the most notable difference between grades 8 and 9. Females were more myopic than males in all grades except grade 3, with the largest gender difference in grade 10. The older sample also exhibited a more myopic spherical equivalent than the younger sample. In the older sample, spherical equivalent was more myopic in females than in males, and in grade 9 and 10 participants more than in grade 8 participants. Rates of uncorrected myopia were extremely high: 51.2% in the younger sample and 43.3% in the older sample.DiscussionThe obtained myopia prevalence rates are generally consistent with other European studies, as is the higher prevalence in female than male adolescents, accelerating with age. The high rates of uncorrected myopia warrant further investigation and should inform public health policies, including the implementation of regular refractive screenings.

Young people are generally assumed to be less prejudiced toward people with schizophrenia than are adults. This article presents findings from a survey of 293 secondary school students in Germany, exploring their associations with the word schizophrenia and sources of information. Results indicate that the majority of young people appear either rather well informed or totally lacking information about schizophrenia. Findings are discussed in view of their implications for effective antistigma interventions and mental health education.

The present study aims at finding out students’ intelligence and describing teacher’s strategy in English teaching. The sample of this study is taken from two Islamic secondary schools and one public junior secondary school in Makassar, Indonesia. The total sample of this research is 120 students. Interview and inventory were employed to obtain the data. The result of the study showed that three students of the secondary schools have different dominant intelligence The students of Islamic junior secondary school (Pesantren IMMIM) have linguistic intelligence (56%), the students of public junior secondary school (SMP Neg.I) have interpersonal intelligence (25%), and the students of Islamic junior secondary school (SMP Wahdah) have interpersonal intelligence (20%). The teachers’ present teaching strategies which were used by teachers of Islamic junior secondary school (Pesantren IMMIM Putra) was explanation, dialogue, simulation, reading and writing, English teacher of public junior secondary school (SMP Negeri I) applied explanation, reading, writing, mind mapping. English teacher of Islamic junior secondary school (SMP Wahdah) applied explanation, presentation, identification strategy.

This study assessed the effects of self-efficacy on the academic achievement of biology students in secondary schools in Delta State. The study population comprised all biology students in public senior secondary schools in Delta State. The sample was 245 biology students drawn from six (6) schools using stratified random sampling technique. The pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and self-efficacy questionnaire were used as instruments for data gathering. The data collected were analysed using the mean, standard deviation, and t-test. Findings revealed that, although there is a significant difference between the post-test scores of biology students taught with the self-efficacy strategy and those taught with the lecture method, there is no significant difference between the post-test scores of male and female biology students taught with the self-efficacy strategy. The study concludes that self-efficacy is a major variable that affects the academic achievement of biology students in secondary schools in Delta State. The study recommends that the government, through the Ministry of Education, train teachers to acquire self-efficacy skills to help them teach more effectively, efficiently, and make the teaching-learning process more meaningful in order to improve the academic achievement of biology students, boost students’ confidence in their ability to perform a task efficaciously, and not give up while facing difficulties.