School Cohesion Research Articles

Zebrafish Maintenance Conditions Affect Behavioral and Biochemical Biomarkers: A Possible Interfering Factor on the Research Results.

Over the years, scientific research with fish models has grown at a rapid pace, and issues such as animal welfare are becoming increasingly important in various areas of animal husbandry and experimentation. Here, we evaluated whether Danio rerio behavior is affected by long-term maintenance (75 days) in an enriched environment or a chronic stress (CS) situation. In addition, we evaluated some biochemical parameters related to redox status. We concluded that long-term maintenance of zebrafish in enriched environment might induce an anxiety-like behavior pattern when these fish are faced with an acute subsequent stressor. These anxiety results, the increased school cohesion, and the absence of oxidative damage allow us to hypothesize that the fish maintained in environmental enrichment (EE) situation is more reactive, showing a strong protective reaction to the stress. From an applicable perspective, we show that both too much stress and too little stress are not ideal for zebrafish stocks. In CS situations, fish can habituate and might not respond optimally to test conditions. In opposite, the low stress promoted by environmental enrichment also renders the fish incapable of dealing with occasional stressors optimally, because now even normal conditions appear stressful to them and may elicit fear behaviors they normally would not exhibit.

Fish communicate with water flow to enhance a school's social network.

Schooling fish rely on a social network created through signaling between its members to interact with their environment. Previous studies have established that vision is necessary for schooling and that flow sensing by the lateral line system may aid in a school's cohesion. However, it remains unclear to what extent flow provides a channel of communication between schooling fish. Based on kinematic measurements of the speed and heading of schooling tetras (Petitella rhodostoma), we found that compromising the lateral line by chemical treatment reduced the mutual information between individuals by ∼13%. This relatively small reduction in pairwise communication propagated through schools of varying size to reduce the degree and connectivity of the social network by more than half. Treated schools additionally showed more than twice the spatial heterogeneity of fish with unaltered flow sensing. These effects were much more substantial than the changes that we measured in the nearest-neighbor distance, speed and intermittency of individual fish by compromising flow sensing. Therefore, flow serves as a valuable supplement to visual communication in a manner that is revealed through a school's network properties.

Sailfish generate foraging opportunities for seabirds in multi-species predator aggregations.

While various marine predators form associations, the most commonly studied are those between subsurface predators and seabirds, with gulls, shearwaters or terns frequently co-occurring with dolphins, billfish or tuna. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain poorly understood. Three hypotheses have been proposed to explain the prevalence of these associations: (1) subsurface predators herd prey to the surface and make prey accessible to birds, (2) subsurface predators damage prey close to the surface and thereby provide food scraps to birds, and (3) attacks of underwater predators lower the cohesion of prey groups and thereby their collective defences making the prey easier to be captured by birds. Using drone footage, we investigated the interaction between Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) and terns (Onychoprion sp.) preying on schooling fish off the eastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula. Through spatio-temporal analysis of the hunting behaviour of the two predatory species and direct measures of prey cohesion we showed that terns attacked when school cohesion was low, and that this decrease in cohesion was frequently caused by sailfish attacks. Therefore, we propose that sailfish created a by-product benefit for the bird species, lending support to the hypothesis that lowering cohesion can facilitate associations between subsurface predators and seabirds.

Multicultural Literacy Development Strategy in Basic Education Curriculum in Indonesia


 
 
 Multicultural literacy is becoming increasingly important in today's globalized world, particularly in diverse societies like Indonesia. This paper explores strategies for developing multicultural literacy in the basic education curriculum of Indonesia. Employing qualitative methods, this study conducts a comprehensive literature review and library research to examine existing frameworks, policies, and practices related to multicultural education in Indonesia's basic education system. The research identifies key challenges and gaps in the current curriculum and proposes strategies to enhance multicultural literacy among students. The study underscores the significance of incorporating diverse cultural perspectives, histories, and values into the curriculum to foster empathy, respect, and understanding among students from different ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. Furthermore, the paper highlights the need for teacher training programs to equip educators with the necessary knowledge, skills, and pedagogical approaches to effectively implement multicultural education in the classroom. The findings suggest the importance of integrating multicultural literacy across various subjects and learning activities to promote inclusive learning environments and prepare students for active citizenship in a multicultural society. The proposed strategies aim to address the complexities of cultural diversity and promote social cohesion and harmony in Indonesian schools. Overall, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on multicultural education and offers practical insights for policymakers, educators, and curriculum developers in Indonesia and other diverse societies.
 
 

Kinematic performance declines as group size increases during escape responses in a schooling coral reef fish

IntroductionEscaping predation is essential for species survival, but prey must effectively match their response to the perceived threat imposed by a predator. For social animals, one mechanism to reduce risk of predation is living in larger group sizes, which dilutes each individual's risk of capture. When a predator attacks, individuals from a range of taxa (e.g., fishes, sharks, and amphibians) perform an escape response, to evade the attack.MethodsUsing the schooling coral reef damselfish Chromis viridis, we assess if there is an optimal group size that maximizes both individual escape response performance as well as group cohesion and coordination following a simulated predator attack, comparing schools composed of four, eight, and sixteen fish. The escape response was assessed through simulated predator attacks, measuring escape latency, kinematics (average turning rate, and distance covered), and group dynamics (school cohesion and coordination). The experiments were conducted with varying group sizes to analyze the impact on escape performance and group behavior.ResultsWe found that fish in various group sizes exhibited no difference in their reaction timing to a simulated predator attack (i.e., escape latency), but larger groups exhibited slower kinematics (i.e., lower average turning rate and shorter distance covered during the escape response), potentially because larger groups perceived the predator attack as less risky due to safety in numbers. Both school cohesion and coordination (as measured through alignment and nearest neighbor distance, respectively) declined in the 100 ms after the predator's attack. While there was no impact of group size on alignment, larger group sizes exhibited closer nearest neighbor distances at all times.DiscussionThe findings suggest that larger group sizes in schooling coral reef fish may lead to energy conservation by displaying less costly behavioral responses to predator threats. This potential energy saving could be attributed to a higher threshold of perceived threat required to trigger a rapid escape response in larger groups. The study emphasizes the intricate interplay between individual and collective behaviors in response to predation and sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of group living in the face of predation.

Principals’ Use of School Curriculum and Promotion of Social Cohesion in Public Secondary Schools in Machakos County, Kenya.

This study sought to investigate how principals’ use curriculum in promoting social cohesion in public secondary schools in Machakos County. The study was guided by the ecological systems theory of human development and socialization. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design wherein a target population of 375 principals’ and 9 Sub County Directors of Education were respondents. Further, the study used stratified proportionate sampling in selecting sample sizes for the study in which case a sample size of 113 principals and 9 Sub County Directors of education totaling to 122 respondents were surveyed. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis. Quantitative data was processed and analyzed using SPSS software version 26 and presented in tables. Simple regression analysis was employed in testing hypotheses of the study for inferences. While qualitative data was transcribed into themes and presented in narratives. The findings of the study revealed that principals use of school curriculum t (113) = 10.316; p was statistically significant in contributing to the promotion of social cohesion in public secondary schools in Machakos County. The study recommends among others that MOE makes value creating education mandatory in the school curriculum. Further principals should ensure language policy in schools is enhanced and prohibit the use of vernacular language in schools.

Enhancing National Cohesion through Cultural Diversity in African Education Context

Africans and the world at large share common values of humanity. Lessons learnt from the recent COVID 19 pandemic, electoral differences in Kenya ongoing war in Ukraine and natural disasters like drought show that people in the world share such problems as one person. Education has have been used to reach mankind before and after these experiences. The weight of social pandemics, economical and psychological feelings among Kenyans and other Africans call for national cohesion and healing. Cohesion has been misconstrued with democracy, cultural diversity and human rights in Kenya and other African countries. Along the same vein educational curriculum has been blamed and teachers held to task on failing to address cultural diversity and cohesion in schools. The practicability of such a curriculum still hangs on the socio-economic balances of many African counties. This paper attempts to address National Cohesion in the higher Education context using cultural diversity as a tool for strengthening school governance, community partnership. The paper also attempts to identify Challenges and workable solutions of enhancing national cohesion. The paper concludes by observing lessons learnt in social skills and national cohesion in different forums. The paper recommends in-depth studies on social skill education and pedagogy, Continuous training of African professionals on social change and improvement of education and community partnership campaigns on cohesion.

Inclusion and exclusion of teaching assistants as members of the teaching team. Enhancing school cohesion

ABSTRACT This article explores how teaching assistants (TA) are included and excluded in English primary schools; at times integrated fully whilst at others functioning on the periphery. Through interviews and observations TAs provided examples of their inclusion and exclusion from staff meetings, training, planning and time to talk. TAs across four schools were approached and completed questionnaires. A sample of TAs was observed and interviewed, alongside interviews with line managers. Findings suggest that TA inclusion as part of the pedagogical team is improving, driven at times by TA agency, but also inhibited by the power interplay that exists in schools. It concludes that TAs should be fully involved in pedagogical process if they are expected to lead learning.

The School Preparedness Toolkit: Building Systemic Resilience in Ukrainian Schools Through a Self-Assessment Digital Platform

During the COVID-19 outbreak, schools around the world faced major challenges and were required to adapt to new educational practices while supporting students’ learning and well-being. This study outlines the development of School Preparedness Toolkit (SPT), an online interactive checklist launched from January to March 2021 among 273 Ukrainian schools. SPT was a dual-use tool, aiming to inform and support efforts of school administrations in implementing effective strategies to address challenges arising from COVID-19 and to inform related public health and educational policies at regional and national levels. The toolkit focused on resilience against COVID-19 challenges across five main domains: Access to Education Provision of Quality and Inclusive Learning, Well-Being, Safety, Nutrition, and School Feeding. Completion of SPT was a collaborative process among school administrators. Chi-square tests were conducted to examine differences across schools’ geographical locations and between urban and rural areas. Results indicated that most schools were already adapting to the challenges, to the extent of implementing mandated safety and online education protocols, communicating these with families, and providing a psychosocial safety net for children in extreme distress. However, resilience could be further strengthened through a greater emphasis on school cohesion, connectedness, and solidarity, as well as on preventive psychosocial interventions. The SPT methodology was shown to be a promising approach in assisting schools to reflect and plan for greater resilience, not just in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic but also in other extreme adversities that school systems—in Ukraine and around the world—might be facing.

School cohesion, speed and efficiency are modulated by the swimmers flapping motion

Abstract

Macro-level Criminological Perspectives and School Delinquency: A Meta-analysis

School delinquency in public elementary, middle, and high schools has decreased in recent years, but is still a major issue that has negative mental health and academic implications for adolescents. Although research has focused on both individual-level and school-level explanations of school delinquency, it is not yet clear which macro-level criminological perspectives best explains it. Using 656 effect sizes nested within 75 studies and 30 unique datasets, this study addresses two questions using meta-analytic methods: Which macro-level criminological perspectives explain between-school differences in delinquency? Are effect sizes invariant across samples and research design? Results indicate that only concentrated disadvantage and social cohesion are significantly related to school delinquency. With the exception of concentrated disadvantage, effects are homogenous. This suggests that some school-level explanations are useful and future research should not exclude these factors. Practical implications suggest that improving social cohesion in schools may be more effective at preventing violence than target-hardening efforts.

Multicultural school festivals as a creative space for identity construction – the perspective of minority parents

ABSTRACT In this article, we explore how minority parents construct and promote cultural identities through a multicultural school event in Norway. Such events respond to the call for diverse and inclusive initiatives to facilitate learning, belonging, and cohesion in schools. Schools see these events as helping further inclusion. Prior research on the subject has criticised such events for promoting essentialist understandings of cultural identities, hence regarding them as counterproductive to the aim of promoting inclusion. This research has directed scarce attention to the participant perspective, among them minority parents. Inspired by a broad understanding of linguistic landscaping, we documented the displayed representations at the stalls. Subsequently, using the Kurdish stall as an example, we encouraged the Kurdish parents to reflect on the meaning of the representations in semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the Kurdish parents involved view the event as an important space for creative construction of transnational and diasporic identities, as well as an opportunity for a minority group to strive for acceptance for its cause. We end the article by reflecting on the pedagogical potential of representations in multicultural school events.

Social cohesion in schools: A non-systematic review of its conceptualization and instruments

Social cohesion in schools refers to positive interpersonal relations between students, a sense of belonging of all students and group solidarity. Social cohesion is a multidimensional construct, and educators policymakers and researchers may focus on specific domains within this concept, guided by their personal conception of social cohesion. With this non-systematic review we provide examples of how social cohesion is conceptualized and measured in various ways by those who study social cohesion in education and how these measures relate to the multidimensional construct of social cohesion. Seven components of three social cohesion dimensions are considered. This review presents an overview of five social cohesion instruments and shows that these instruments include specific combinations of dimensions, components, perspectives and social entities at which they are targeted. Based on these examples of the measurement of social cohesion in education, this study provides a heuristic for considerate use of instruments to measure social cohesion.

Relationship between Family Cohesion and Teenage Sexual Behavior in Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya

Relationship between Family Cohesion and Teenage Sexual Behavior in Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya

Cyberbullying Involvement and Psychological Distress among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effects of Family Cohesion and School Cohesion.

Cyberbullying and its consequences is a little-investigated public health issue. We investigated the correlations between cyberbullying involvement, either being a victim or being a preparator, and psychological distress among a group of Chinese adolescents. A representative sample of 4978 students from Jiangsu province covering all types of pre-college schools was surveyed using a stratified sampling method. Both being a victim and being a perpetrator correlated with higher degrees of psychological distress, and the former’s effect is stronger. Family cohesion and school cohesion are protective factors of psychological distress, but only family cohesion plays a moderating effect between cyberbullying involvement and distress. Moreover, the positive correlations between cyberbullying involvement and psychological distress become non-significant when the interactions are included in regression models. Last but not least, female students and students in a higher grade or students with worse academic performance have higher degrees of distress. Our study reveals that, instead of school cohesion, family cohesion is more important to mitigate the psychological impact of cyberbullying involvement and eventually heal the trauma.

A New Instrument for Assessing Cohesion in Primary and Grammar School Classes—Factorial Structure and Measurement Invariance of the GruKo4

Class climate has been focused in the context of school research for decades. One central facet of class climate is cohesion. Whereas there are well-elaborated instruments to assess cohesion in different contexts (e.g., sport and therapy), such an instrument is missing for the school context. The aim of the current article is to present an instrument to measure different facets of group cohesion in classes of primary and grammar schools. The factorial structure of the instrument is analyzed using data from Grades 2 to 7 ( N ≈ 3052 from 146 classes) by means of confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, tests of measurement invariance across the different levels of education (primary vs. grammar school) are undertaken. Results support configural as well as partial metric and scalar invariance between students of primary and grammar schools. Further, cohesion in primary schools is significantly higher than in grammar schools. Limitations of the study and implications for future research in the context of school are discussed.

Role of Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Educational Institutions on the State of National Ethos, Social Cohesion and Integration among Students in Kenya

This work examined a ‘peculiar phenomenon'' observed among secondary school students in Kenya aged on average (14 -18 years), whose levels of social cohesion and integration rapidly deteriorated after transiting to tertiary institutions. This paper examined the actual state of social cohesion and integration in secondary and tertiary institutions in Kenya. The findings reveal that the transition from secondary to tertiary institutions resulted in significant deterioration of national ethos, social cohesion and integration among students. A sample population of 440 students at four public tertiary institutions in Kenya were interviewed to establish their perception of the state of social cohesion and integration at their current tertiary institutions in comparison to the secondary schools they attended. The responses indicate that social cohesion in secondary schools was found to be excellent compared to tertiary institutions (Colleges and Universities). Among the respondents 391 students (89%) reported having school friends from diverse social backgrounds while studying at secondary school level. The relationships among students in secondary schools was described as; (excellent=34%, 150 students; cordial= 59%, 260 students and hostile=7%, 31 students). The relationship between students and teachers in secondary school was reported to be; (excellent=30%, 132 students cordial=37%, 163 students and hostile=33%, 145 students respectively). The results were replicated across all secondary schools in the country i.e. (national, county, extra-county, private and day-schools) found that there existed a harmonious and cordial relationship among students and teachers. The social cohesion recorded in all the categories of secondary schools was fostered by; (positive engagement between the students and administration, participation in various social and academic clubs including the amani ‘peace clubs', religious associations, drama and music festivals and the use of English and Kiswahili in communication).The respondents reported that transition to tertiary institutions resulted in a rapid and significant deterioration in levels of social cohesion among students and community. The state of social cohesion at the tertiary institutions was described as; (excellent= 12%, 53 students cordial=27%, 119 students and hostile= 61%, 268 students). Deterioration in social cohesion and integration recorded in tertiary institutions was attributed by the respondents to: (negative ethnicity, interference by external actors, social class disparities, religion and segregation occasioned by courses studied). In conclusion, tribal social associations formed by students in tertiary institution were found to contribute to declining levels of social cohesion, integration and ethos among students.

Student, Teacher, and School Counselor Perceptions of National School Uniforms in Malaysia.

The national school uniform remained a requirement for all primary and secondary school students in Malaysia since its first introduction by the British missionaries in the nineteenth century. Although it is commonly thought that wearing uniforms improve cohesion among students, little research has been done to investigate the perception of national school uniforms and perceived cohesion among Malaysian students. The aim of the current study is to explore the experiences of former students, teachers and school counselors in relation to Malaysia’s national school uniform policy, their influence on student life, and their relationship to school and national cohesion. Three studies were conducted. In Study 1, Malaysian secondary school graduates (N = 192) completed a self-report questionnaire with close and open-ended questions. In Study 2 and study 3, secondary school teachers (N = 10) and school counselors (N = 6) participated in semi-structured interviews, respectively. Although students felt the uniforms were unattractive, they had neutral to somewhat positive feelings about them overall. They did not report greater school cohesion or national identity related to uniforms but did report that uniforms lessened the importance of socioeconomic and other differences. Teachers and counselors reported similar views; they did not perceive much influence on national or school identity but did see advantages in terms of discipline and the lessening of student inequality. Generally, teachers and counselors were in favor of school uniforms but some suggested that uniform designs could be more culturally inclusive, particularly in regard to Muslim and non-Muslim students. Limitations of using non-representative sampling and future direction for Malaysian school uniforms were discussed. This study highlights the important characteristics that should be taken into consideration by educators and policymakers for future improvement of the national school uniform policy in Malaysia.

Toxicity and trophic transfer of polyethylene microplastics from Poecilia reticulata to Danio rerio

The potential transfer of microplastics (MPs) between vertebrates belonging to the same taxonomic group, and the impact of such a transfer on higher trophic levels remains little explored. An experimental food chain with two fish species was installed to test the hypothesis that polyethylene MPs (PE MPs) can accumulate in animals and cause behavioral, mutagenic and cytotoxic changes at upper trophic levels. Poecilia reticulata fry were exposed to MPs for 48 h and, subsequently, offered (as food) to Danio rerio adults for 10 days to simulate an upper level food chain. PE MPs quantification in fry and in different Danio rerio tissues evidenced their accumulation at the two assessed trophic levels. This finding suggested their absorption, adherence and translocation from one organism to another. The accumulation seen in D. rerio directly exposed to MPs was associated with behavioral disorders at upper trophic level. These animals presented behavior suggestive of anti-predatory response deficit when they were confronted with a potential aquatic predator (Geophagus brasiliensis). This finding was inferred through lower school cohesion, shallower school depth and shorter distance from the potential predator. In addition, animals exposed to MPs recorded higher nuclear abnormality rates and changes in the size and shape of erythrocytes and in their nuclei; this outcome has suggested mutagenic and cytotoxic effects, respectively. Based on the current results, MPs are transferred through a food chain that only involves two vertebrates. MPs enter the vertebrates' organs, change their behavior and induce mutagenic and cytotoxic processes in animals, which can cause significant ecological consequences in freshwater ecosystems.

Teacher job satisfaction: the importance of school working conditions and teacher characteristics

ABSTRACT Given that teacher shortage is an international problem, teacher job satisfaction merits closer attention. Not only is job satisfaction closely related to teacher retention, but it also contributes to the well-being of teachers and their students, overall school cohesion and enhanced status of the teaching profession. This study investigates the relations between teacher job satisfaction, school working conditions and teacher characteristics for eighth grade mathematics teachers. The study employs TIMSS 2015 (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) data from Sweden. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling are used as main methods. Results demonstrate a substantial association between school working conditions and teacher job satisfaction. More specifically, teacher workload, teacher cooperation and teacher perceptions of student discipline in school were the factors most closely related to teacher job satisfaction. As to teacher characteristics, female teachers, teachers with more exposure to professional development and more efficacious teachers tended to have higher levels of job satisfaction. In addition, it was found that the relationship between the extent of teacher cooperation and job satisfaction was more pronounced for male teachers, while student discipline was more important for job satisfaction of teachers with lower self-efficacy beliefs. Implications for policy are further discussed.