School Experiences of Secondary School Students A Study Proposal in Tenerife, Spain

Silencing (Homo)Sexualities in School ... A Very Bad Idea

THE INFLUENCE OF RACE/ETHNICITY AND GENDER ON THE STRUCTURE AND CONTEXT OF SCHOOLING How schools structure students' opportunities to learn has been shown to influence academic achievement (Epstein & MacIver, 1992; Lee & Bryk, 1988). Educational experiences often serve as antecedents to many of the social and economic ills students face later in life. Thus, inequities in schooling experiences have potentially broad consequences for students' future educational attainment, employment, and family relations. Access to academic experiences through the curriculum, teachers, and other school activities is of particular importance for students such as African American males, who are already marginalized in school settings (Finn & Cox, 1992; Irvine, 1990; Sanders & Reed, 1995). The evidence points to several unique academic and social challenges faced by African American males-namely, their disproportionate numbers of suspensions and expulsions, relatively poor scholastic performance, tendency to avoid academic engagement and competition, and decreasing college attendance rates (Carter & Wilson, 1992; Garibaldi, 1992; Polite, 1993a). One revealing study reports that only 2% of African American males enrolled in the public secondary school system of a large midwestern city achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale, while more than three-fourths of Black males in that system were performing below average (Leake & Leake, 1992). These lags in academic performance are seen by some researchers as a function of Black males' inability or disinterest in fulfilling their roles as conventional learners in school settings (Holland, 1989). Furthermore, many scholars believe that negative school experiences and outcomes for students are often products of school contextual and structural factors that limit learning opportunities, especially for Black males (Ferguson, 1991; Polite, 1993b). In schooling environments, students develop a sense of order, place, and expectations determined in part by the schools' structure and curriculum and by students' interactions with peers, teachers, and parents (Adler, Kless, & Adler, 1992). While most researchers agree that teachers and peers are especially influential in shaping the school-related behaviors of African American males, little attention has been given to explaining their academic performance and social behavior relative to other structural and contextual influences in school settings. Delineating the role of curriculum, teachers, peers, and other school factors would constitute a major effort in addressing the poor academic performance and social alienation of many Black males in schools. Because schooling contexts are often cited as important sources for gendered learning and development, considerable attention has been directed toward understanding gender differences in schooling. Central to this effort has been the investigation of the effects of gender on schooling experiences and achievement (Adler, Kless, & Adler, 1992; Kessler, Ashenden, Connell, & Dowsett, 1985; Thorne, 1986). However, as Delpit (1988), Fordham and Ogbu (1986), and Mickelson (1991) note, school experiences and opportunities are also circumscribed by race and ethnicity, yet the intersection between gender and race in these contexts is often overlooked in the educational research literature. Typically, schools have been conceived as having two primary functions: (1) promoting and structuring the intellectual development of students; and (2) socializing young people for their roles and responsibilities in society. However, current thinking is that schools are falling short of these goals, especially for African American males. One reason commonly mentioned for the alienation and poor academic performance of some Black males is that they perceive most schooling activities as feminine and irrelevant to their masculine identity and development (Holland, 1989). …

Introduction In this article we describe and demonstrate a phenomenological method for researching students' school experiences. Within this method, students are asked to imagine and design an ideal school and to illustrate it both visually and verbally. Their proposals are examined in relation to their current actual school context regarding the characteristics of the physical environment and educational vision. The method is applicable for the use of high school students. It offers them an opportunity to express their feelings and wishes in this regard. Through the designs of their ideal school we receive a subjective portrayal of the way they conceptualize Projects in which students are asked to design a school are mentioned in the literature in the context of accomplishing two main goals: First, to produce an architectural design of the environment tailored to the students' needs; second, to offer a challenging task that ignites the students' creative imaginations and increases their involvement in school life (Burke & Grosvenor, 2003; Burke, 2007; Flutter, 2006; Koralek & Mitchell, 2005; Sorrell & Sorrell, 2005). Our method proposed in this article serves to accomplish both these goals. Its uniqueness is expressed in two aspects: First, it is based on a solid rationale that is grounded in the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty; second, it outlines a process of analysis that enables a comparison between the students' school experiences, which leads to general insights into the nature of learning environments. To illustrate our method, we will demonstrate an analysis of the ideal school proposed by two Israeli students: Eli, 17 years old, who attended a democratic school, and Tom, 18, who attended a regular public school. Eli and Tom prepared their proposals as part of a comprehensive study that took place in Israel in 2008 (Zur, 2008). Twenty high school students--ten from a democratic and ten from a public high school--participated in it. Since we cannot present here the entire corpus of our findings, we decided to focus on two proposals based on the fact that these two students expressed a common idea--to design a school for the arts. Paradoxically, their common purpose served as grounds for exploring the difference in their school experience and its linkage to their respective educational environments. The article has three main aims: 1. To present the method that we have developed and the rationale on which it is based. 2. To characterize basic components of students' school experience. 3. To present ways in which students' school experience is interwoven with the characteristics of their school environment, and discuss implications for school choice. The article is composed of five sections: In the first section, we present the philosophical infrastructure of our research method; in the second, we describe the tools and processes on which the method is based; in the third section, we illustrate the democratic and public school contexts; in the fourth, we present an analysis of two students' proposals for an ideal school--one from a democratic school and one from a regular public school. In the last section, we discuss the results and the theoretical and practical implications of our findings. The Philosophical Underpinnings of the Research This study is anchored in the phenomenological paradigm which incorporates the description, analysis, and interpretation of the structure of consciousness as it is experienced from a first-person perspective (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009). A key concept in phenomenology is the lifeworld, which is considered as the fundamental layer of consciousness--the everyday, covert, primordial, self-evident, and pre-reflective stratum, from which people's overt and explicit thinking originates (Husserl, 1970). The lifeworld expresses the idea that people are immersed in the world. …

Autistic students are more likely to experience mental health difficulties and have poorer academic outcomes than their non-autistic peers. However, most research into school experiences has focussed on secondary-aged students, or parents and school staff's perceptions of the primary school experiences of autistic students. The current systematic literature review explores the experiences of autistic students in primary school. Databases (PsycInfo, ERIC, SCOPUS and CINAHL) and hand searching were utilised to identify qualitative research. The research was included if it explored current and retrospective accounts of autistic people, internationally. Studies were excluded if they did not include the voice of at least one autistic person. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using thematic synthesis. Four analytical themes (‘We all have different experiences of school’, ‘We don’t do things wrong we do them differently, and I need you to understand’, ‘Good relationships make it better’ and ‘Success matters but the environment is key’) were generated. There were both positive and negative accounts, with some students detailing the long-term negative effects of primary schooling on their mental health. Overall, students in the review felt everybody needed to learn more about autism, as well as provide specific and subtle support based on individual needs. Strengths, limitations and implications for practice are discussed. Lay abstract The school environment can be a difficult place for autistic children which impacts their well-being and academic performance. Most research into school experiences has looked at the experiences of students at secondary schools or at adults who support autistic students. In this research we used a set of keywords to search for studies that included the voices of autistic students (both current and past) about what primary school was like for them. After a detailed search process, 22 studies from a range of countries were located. The results from each of these studies were analysed and sorted into themes: ‘We all have different experiences of school’, ‘We don’t do things wrong we do them differently, and I need you to understand, ‘Good relationships make it better’, and ‘Success matters but the environment is key’. The results highlighted that although primary school was a positive for some students, for many it was a time of stress, with the negative impact lasting a long time. The participants felt that everybody needs to learn more about autism and that school staff should provide support that is based on their needs but does not make them stand out as different.

International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships, investigated as part of a larger study examining the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People’s Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students and 10 teachers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Because there is a paucity of information about the experiences of international secondary school students, this was an exploratory study that has contributed understanding of the lived experiences of a small group of international students from mainland China. The study identified that expectations regarding the establishment of friendships are not being met, and that international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build peer relationships.

The article reports on some key findings of a major research project which examines the relationship between national educational values as these are mediated by the school context, teacher beliefs and classroom processes, and eventually translated into pupil perspectives on learning and schooling. These findings are drawn from questionnaires to 1,800 secondary school pupils in England, France and Denmark, and from individual and group interviews with a smaller sample of pupils in each country. Through an examination of pupil perspectives on the purposes of schooling and on themselves as learners, the article explores the significance of the cultural context in which learning occurs. It considers the extent to which there are significant differences related to the national context, or whether pupils' experience of schooling is becoming more similar as they try to construct their identities as learners and as adolescents and to negotiate pathways which lead to success on the dimensions of academic achievement, peer status and social conformity. 'Constants' and 'contexts' of pupil experience in the three countries are identified, together with some of the factors which influence the development of a learner identity.

The article reports on some key findings of a major research project which examines the relationship between national educational values as these are mediated by the school context, teacher beliefs and classroom processes, and eventually translated into pupil perspectives on learning and schooling. These findings are drawn from questionnaires to 1,800 secondary school pupils in England, France and Denmark, and from individual and group interviews with a smaller sample of pupils in each country. Through an examination of pupil perspectives on the purposes of schooling and on themselves as learners, the article explores the significance of the cultural context in which learning occurs. It considers the extent to which there are significant differences related to the national context, or whether pupils' experience of schooling is becoming more similar as they try to construct their identities as learners and as adolescents and to negotiate pathways which lead to success on the dimensions of academic achievement, peer status and social conformity. 'Constants' and 'contexts' of pupil experience in the three countries are identified, together with some of the factors which influence the development of a learner identity.

Young people’s perspectives on social and educational inequalities got little attention from broader social theory and have not been prioritised by childhood and youth studies. Similarly, secondary school students’ voices and qualitative experiences with education and education inequality have been missing, particularly in an Irish context. Educational inequality has persisted in Irish education since the state’s independence. The Irish government has partially addressed the issue by introducing the Delivering of Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Plan. Despite some positive outcomes of this policy, students attending DEIS schools still experience lower educational outcomes than their peers from non-DEIS schools. DEIS schools encounter different levels of disadvantage, and they cater for a higher percentage of people with intellectual disabilities and often rely on the support provided by charities and philanthropies [Cahill, K. (2021). Intersections of social class and special educational needs in a DEIS post-primary school: School choice and identity. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28, 7, 977–991; Fleming, B., & Harford, J. (2023). The DEIS programme as a policy aimed at combating educational disadvantage: Fit for purpose? Irish Educational Studies, 42(42), 381–399]. The context of this study is set as an all-girl post-primary school in the wider Cork area, which receives financial and study support from an external alternative education programme exposed to a broader evaluation conducted by UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, University of Galway. Focus groups and photovoice were introduced to seek students’ experiences with the alternative education programme in the post-primary DEIS school context. Common findings emerging from the data are (a) social inequality and educational opportunities, (b)study and financial support provided by the alternative education programme, and (c) enhanced mental health and well-being. These findings contribute to a further understanding of young people’s experiences with educational inequality in an Irish DEIS school context and emphasise the role of external educational support programmes in tackling such challenges. Students' experiences with educational and broader socio-economic inequalities in Ireland, as presented in this paper, call for system change and policy reform in post-primary education.

In Australia, approximately one in 100 people have a diagnosis of autism, with young people on the spectrum less likely to continue education beyond secondary school. Barriers include the school environment, inadequate teacher preparation, a lack of understanding about autism, and the persistence of negative stereotypes that are linked to the deficit-based medical model, which pathologises autism. The under representation of autistic voices in research is well documented. Despite international human rights instruments and Australian federal legislation that obligate educators to listen to and respond to views of children, this is not common. The perspectives of professionals, teachers, and parents dominate the discourse in autism education. A scoping review was conducted to map research that foregrounded the perspectives of students attending regular (mainstream) secondary school to better understand ways in which to support their participation in school. Five online databases identified articles published between 2002–2022, from which 13 articles were selected. All articles focused on the first-hand accounts of autistic students’ experiences in regular (mainstream) secondary school. The findings suggested that the needs of autistic students are not being adequately met. Five themes were identified across the studies: the school environment and sensory issues; communication and relationships with staff and peers; inclusion and exclusion; self-perception, autistic identity and negotiating difference; and student wellbeing. To improve autistic students’ experiences in school, educators and policy makers need to work collaboratively with students to understand and address their needs.

IntroductionInternationally, research has shown Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/gender diverse, and Queer (LGBTQ+) people experience multifaceted challenges within school contexts. However, there is only a small emergent body of research on how LGBTQ+ community members might also experience positive, joyful, or euphoric experiences in these same spaces. Using euphoria and minority stress models, this article aims to consider whether schools themselves can be supportive and protective environments for LGBTQ+ people, how features of the school environment and school community might enable experiences of LGBTQ+ -related euphoria, and how euphoric experiences may be similar for students, staff and parents, and cisgender and gender diverse (GD) members of the LGBTQ+ community.MethodsThe study employed elements of grounded theory to analyse survey responses of LGBTQ+ students (n = 706), school staff (n = 107), and parents (n = 57). The survey data was collected online from 2021 to 2022 and explored LGBTQ+ community members’ experiences in, and perceptions of, Australian schools.ResultsEuphoria was predominantly related to school social contexts (such as supportive social climates), followed by school practices (such as LGBTQ+ representation), and internal experiences (such as pride). These events were shared by students, staff, and parents similarly. Euphoric events were shared by cisgender and GD participants, although gender-affirming social contexts and school practices were valued particularly by GD students, parents, and staff.ConclusionsSchools can act as supportive contexts for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and parents in terms of social characteristics and school practices using mostly similar methods. Implications for policy development include school-wide interventions that include and reflect all LGBTQ+ people in all education-based roles, via school curricula and activities, public education, and awareness-raising endeavours.Policy ImplicationsImplications for policy development include school-wide interventions that include and reflect all LGBTQ+ people in all education-based roles, via school curricula and activities, public education and awareness-raising endeavours.

An extensive body of research has indicated the benefits of collaborative, contextualised and enquiry-based learning for teachers’ professional development and school improvement. Yet professional learning is also known to be constrained by a number of factors, including the organisational limitations of schools, conflicting cultural practices and wider political demands. Schools–university partnerships have been developed to overcome some of these difficulties by transcending particular school contexts and offering alternative theoretical and practical perspectives. The complex combination of motivations, backgrounds and working contexts in such partnership work calls for attention to the individual and collective learning experiences of those involved, including the ways in which school and university contexts are, or could be, effectively bridged. This paper focuses on understanding the learning experienced by a cohort of teachers and school leaders involved in a two-year schools–university partnership Master of Education (M.Ed.) course in England. A mixed group of 15 experienced primary and secondary teachers and school leaders reflected on their learning at five points of time during and shortly after completing their M.Ed. course. Qualitative analysis of the group’s interview responses and reflective writing led to the identification of six related aspects of personal and professional learning experience: being a learner; learning as part of professional practice; widening repertoire; changing as a learner; personal growth; and critically adaptive practice. The identification and visual representation of these aspects of experience emerging within the group offers useful insight into teachers’ perspectives on learning in school and university contexts and their experiences of progression over time. We conclude that more explicit and central attention to the professional and personal learning elements of schools–university partnerships can help to resolve some of the binary ‘theory–practice’ tensions that have been extensively discussed in relation to partnership programmes and teacher professional development. There is a need to acknowledge variation in teachers’ learning experiences within schools–university partnerships, bearing in mind the ongoing nature of this reflective process with each new group of school and university colleagues. Analysis of participants’ learning experiences in school and university contexts also draws attention to the wider structures, values and cultures that influence, and are influenced by, schools–university partnership work.

Immigrant adolescents must adapt their physical and mental attitudes to attain healthy development due to dramatic changes in their living and learning environments after relocation. From the perspective of positive psychology, this study explored the specific influence of school adaptation on mental health among immigrant adolescents, mainly focusing on the mediating effects of positive academic emotions and conduct problems. We selected primary and secondary school students from five relocated resettlement schools in Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, which has the largest population of relocated people in Guizhou Province, China. Using cluster sampling, 550 relocated students in Grades 5-12 from the five schools were recruited to complete a battery of questionnaires, including the Immigrant Adolescents' School Adaptation Scale, the General Health Scale, and the Positive Academic Emotions Questionnaire, and the Adolescents' Behavioral Tendency Questionnaire. In addition, this study used the bias-corrected bootstrap method to explore the chain-mediating effect of positive academic emotions and conduct problems between school adaptation and mental health. The results showed that immigrant adolescents had significant gender differences only in conduct problems. However, significant learning stage differences existed in school adaptation, mental health, positive academic emotions, and conduct problems. School adaptation, positive academic emotions, and mental health were significantly positively correlated. In contrast, conduct problems were significantly negatively correlated with mental health. School adaptation influenced mental health through the mediation effects of positive academic emotions and conduct problems. These effects contained three paths: the separate mediation effects of positive academic emotions and conduct problems and the chain mediation effect of positive academic emotions and conduct problems.

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

Objectives In this study, the purpose of this study was to identify the difference between school adaptation and self-directed learning ability according to the background variables of counseling experience(counseling location, type of counselor, perception of counseling experience) and counseling experience in the relationship between the counseling experience, school adaptation, and self-directed learning ability of elementary school students.
 Methods A fact-finding survey on the background of general counseling experience, school adaptability (Jo Soo-jeong, 2014), and self-directed learning ability test (Lee Kyung-hwa, Kim Soo-yeon, 2018) were conducted on 3rd to 6th graders (208 students) of elementary school students. Descriptive statistics, two independent samples t-test, and ANOVA methods were used for SPSS 25.0 program statistical processing.
 Results First, the counseling experience of elementary school students was related to school adaptation (study attitude and rule observance), but was not related to self-directed learning ability. Second, there were differences in some sub-factors of school adaptation and self-directed learning ability according to the background variable of counseling experience. Third, there was a difference in school adaptation according to grade level, and there was a high correlation between school adaptation and self-directed learning ability.
 Conclusions Through this study, the relationship between the counseling experience of elementary school students, school adaptation, and self-directed learning ability was confirmed. In addition, it was found that school counseling (teacher, counseling room of school) is an important variable in elementary school students' school adjustment and self-directed learning ability among the general counseling inside and outside school. Therefore, this study is meaningful in that it provided some implications to the school field and related parties regarding counseling for elementary school students.

The association of school environment to student teachers' satisfaction and teaching commitment