Schooling Decisions Research Articles

SIPRESI: SISTEM INFORMASI PRESENSI SISWA SMP TAMAN SISWA BOGOR

Taman Siswa Middle School is an educational institution in the city of Bogor that still uses manual recording on the student attendance list. The process of recording this presence requires time in running it and the recapitulation of student attendance lists is sometimes lost due to the negligence of the teacher on duty or the administrative staff. These things that underlie the creation of Student Presence Information System so that it can facilitate the teacher, and the administration section in processing student attendance data. This SiPreSi daily attendance data report will be provided to parents through social media groups in monitoring the presence of their children in each given subject. The principal can also make decisions about the percentage of attendance regulations that apply. The method used in this research is an experiment at the initial stage of the process of collecting data through interviews, observations, and literacy studies relating to student presence while developing software using RAD (Rapid Application Development). The results of this study are very influential in school decisions related to the presence of students at Taman Siswa Bogor Middle School

Formação continuada de profissionais da educação

Este ensaio tem por objetivo investigar acerca da formação continuada de profissionais da educação atuantes na Educação Profissional e Tecnológica (EPT), de modo a averiguar os incentivos à qualificação profissional destes, mais precisamente dos educadores inscritos no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Catarinense (IFC). Serão nomeados como profissionais da educação, todos aqueles que atuam no espaço escolar, sendo docentes ou não, pois sabe-se que todos têm responsabilidades e participação sobre ele. Assim, como metodologia utilizou-se da técnica de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. Para tanto, o ensaio está dividido em três partes: (1) problematiza acerca da formação continuada de profissionais da educação; (2) aborda os regulamentos norteadores da capacitação dos profissionais da educação na rede federal de ensino, especificamente, do IFC e; (3) trata das considerações finais. Concluiu-se que todos os profissionais da educação necessitam de uma formação de qualidade e continuada. Além disso, que a participação coletiva nas decisões e no planejamento da escola e que incentivos, seja financeiro, de tempo, entre outros, aos profissionais da educação pode otimizar a qualidade do ensino e a aderência no comprometimento com o cenário educacional. Analisou-se que a formação continuada está inserida nos regulamentos da rede federal e no IFC, há planos de qualificação profissional, incentivos financeiros e de tempo para que os servidores se atualizem. No entanto, ressalta-se a necessidade de investigações permanentes sobre a formação continuada de profissionais da EPT, para enredos aprofundados e que possam contribuir acerca do tema.

Abstract D035: Tracking of undergraduate research trainees for continuous improvement of the ReTOOL program

Abstract Introduction With the limited progress in eliminating cancer disparities, it is important to develop a diverse oncology workforce who will effectively address cancer disparities. Implemented in 2012, the Research Training Opportunities for Outstanding Leaders (ReTOOL) Program focuses on increasing the number of underrepresented minority (URM) cancer scientists in Florida. URM undergraduate students from the state of Florida are invited to participate in a 16-week, hands-on research experience at the University of Florida (UF). Students are assigned to a UF mentor who facilitates their research training and aid their professional development through multiple scholarly activities (http://retool.cop.ufl.edu/). This project focuses on the program evaluation of the ReTOOL program. Methodology ReTOOL alumni are tracked for 10 years to provide evaluation and their career status through biannual surveys. The survey asks about their experience in participating in the program; skills gained during the program; how their participation has benefited their professional development; and their opinions about the program. Alumni respond to open-ended, Likert scale, and multiple choice questions. All open-ended questions in the 2015, 2016, and 2018 surveys were employed for this study. Data analysis comprised the use of themes to categorize the responses. Sub-theming was also used to address specifics within responses; for example, “networking” was divided into “networking among peers” and “networking among UF faculty.” Results Open-ended responses by ReTOOL alumni provided unique perspective on what makes undergraduate research training programs impactful for minority trainees. The ReTOOL alumni noted that strong partnerships with their UF mentor and lab made the program effective. Some attributes of an effective mentor included encouragement, frequent communication, and the ability to shadow in clinical settings. Trainees noted that the information presented about grant and proposal writing would provide future benefits. Understanding scientific research (e.g. ethical practices, documentation, and replication) was a gap filled through participation. Trainees noted that the resources available at UF were excellent and included state-of-the-art technology compared to technology at their home institutions. Improvement opportunities noted included communication with mentors, stipend disbursement timeline, and accommodation. Overall, alumni noted that participating in research informed their graduate school decisions and recommend participating in the program. Conclusion The responses from ReTOOL alumni aided in continuous improvement of the program and effective transplantation of the ReTOOL program at Florida A&M University. Although tracking alumni over the years could be challenging, it is worth it for effective planning of future research training programs. ReTOOL alumni achievements include doctoral degrees (PhDs and MD), publications, presentations and awards. Citation Format: Parisa Fathi, Folakemi Odedina, Bereket Mochona, Renee Reams, Jennifer Nguyen, Nissa Askins, Ernest Kaninjing, Linda Behar-Horenstein, Debra Lyon, Merr Jennifer Markham, Adaora Ezeani. Tracking of undergraduate research trainees for continuous improvement of the ReTOOL program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr D035.

The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Human Capital Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa: New Evidence

The risk of AIDS-related mortality increased dramatically throughout the 1990s. This paper updates previous work by Fortson (2011) to examine the impact of mortality risk on human capital investment during the deadliest period of the pandemic. We combine Demographic Health Survey data from 30 countries, across 60 survey waves, to generate a sample of over 1,300,000 observations. Cohort-specific analysis using the updated sample yields new evidence that the negative relationship between HIV prevalence and schooling steepened as mortality risk increased. The reduction in schooling is largest for women, and along the extensive margin of the schooling decision. The findings indicate that the decline in human capital investment associated with the HIV/AIDS pandemic prior to the availability of treatment was larger in magnitude than previously understood, but may be reversing rapidly as access to treatment is expanded.

Choosing homes without choosing schools? How urban parents navigate decisions about neighborhoods and school choice

ABSTRACT While many assume that families engaged in a housing search decide where to live at least in part based on the schools, there is surprisingly little research on how schools actually matter in the residential decision-making process. Drawing on interviews with a socioeconomically diverse sample of 110 parents in Chicago, we explore the connection between housing and schools. For the vast majority of our sample, schools did not loom large during their housing search. Instead, working families are faced with a range of competing demands and constraints making the housing search so challenging that even families who factor in schooling do so in ways that are neither direct nor straightforward. We conclude that while some past research suggests that urban school choice facilitates the decoupling of housing and school decisions, our data show that the “freedom” that derives from school choice can be more imaginary than real for many families.

Participatory Management for Enhancing Students' Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Rivers State.

This study investigated participatory management for enhancing students' performance in public secondary schools in Rivers State. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The population of the study was all the 276 principals and 8,452 teachers in public senior secondary schools as well as 4,455 students’ parents. The sample of the study was 730 respondents, comprising 90 principals, 360 teachers and 280 parents who were selected through the combination of stratified sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Instrument of data collection was 10 items questionnaire titled, “Teachers and Parents Participation in Secondary School Management Questionnaire (TPPSSMQ). The instrument was a validated four-point likert styled, Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). It has a reliability index of 0.82, using Cronbach Alpha Statistical test. The research questions were analysed using mean and standard deviation whereas the hypotheses were tested using z-test statistics at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of the study revealed that the involvement of teachers in school decision-making would give teachers broader opportunity to make inputs in policy issues that concern effective instructional delivery. The study further showed that the involvement of parents in school decision-making would give them ample platform to offer their advices on how to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Based on the findings, the study recommended that school managers should give teachers meaningful opportunities to make inputs, that such opportunities will empower them to take decisions on issues affecting their work performance and productivity for enhanced students' achievement. Furthermore, school authorities should accord parents’ opportunities to offer their advices on how to enhance resource accountability to foster efficient school management and quality teaching and learning in the school.

Social recognition matters: Consequences for school participation and life satisfaction among immigrant students

AbstractParticipation in society is instrumental for democracy and of special importance for minority members. Despite broad research in the context of adults' participation, the earlier formative years and the participation of students in school activities have been neglected so far. The present research examined antecedents and consequences of Latin American migrant students' participation in school activities in Chile. More specifically, we tested whether three forms of social recognition experiences (i.e., need‐based care, equality‐based respect and achievement‐based social esteem) received from Chilean society predicted different forms of school participation. Heightened school participation was assumed to further translate into satisfaction with life. Results of a study with immigrant students (N = 393; 12–20 years old; 56.7% female) revealed, that experiences of social esteem predicted an overall positive perception of school participation and this effect further translated into heightened life satisfaction. Moreover, experiences of respect were associated with participation in school decisions and rules and with participation in school events. The latter effect further translated into enhanced life satisfaction. Care did not play a role in predicting school participation when the other forms of recognition were controlled for. We discuss the importance of social recognition experiences and implications for interventions within educational systems.

The Reality of Practicing the Decision-Making Process in Public Schools for Boys in the Directorate of Education Amman Brigade

This study aimed to identify the reality of decision-making practice in public schools for boys in the Directorate of Education Amman Brigade. To achieve the goal of the study the researchers used the descriptive survey method, and the questionnaire was applied to a study sample consisted of (62) principals of public schools for boys for the academic year 2018/2019. The study results showed that, the degree of school principals practicing decision-making in public schools came with a moderate degree. The most frequently practiced phrases were: I care about decisions that make the school a better environment for the educational process, the decisions I make are subject to the school external environment conditions, and I specify the goals of the decision before issuing it. Where the highest obstacles facing principals in decision-making in public schools are the large burdens placed on the principal, the lack of participation in decision-making, the scarcity of training courses for school decision-making processes, and the lack of powers granted to the principal in decision-making. The study recommended that teachers must participate with the principal in the school decision-making process. When selecting school principal, it is preferable to be a holder of a master's or a doctorate in the field of educational administration, to hold special programs for preparing school principals according to the requirements of school accreditation

Does school choice have implications for parents’ social capital and adolescents’ academic outcomes?

School choice has received national attention in the United States from policymakers and professionals as a way to improve parents’ social capital and subsequent academic outcomes for adolescents. However, limited work has empirically tested the links among school choice, social capital, and academic outcomes, particularly for high school students. Guided by theories of social capital and Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development, this study used multi-year data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (N = 9350) to examine the associations among school choice, social capital (intergenerational closure and perceived inclusion in school decision-making), and academic outcomes (cognitive test scores and educational attainment) for a diverse population of adolescents. Consistent with previous work, findings revealed positive associations between social capital and academic outcomes, along with differences based on family socioeconomic status. However, contrary to hypotheses, findings revealed no evidence of links between school choice, parental social capital, and subsequent adolescent academic outcomes. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Between-school stratification of academic curricular offerings in upper secondary education: school decision-making, curriculum policy context, and the educational marketplace

ABSTRACT This study examines the factors that shape secondary schools’ offerings of academic curricula. While academic curricula provide many benefits to individuals and the larger society, inequalities in opportunities to study these subjects may exist between schools, even in comprehensive secondary education systems. We examine the Australian case as a vehicle for developing a theoretical framework about the causes of stratified and unequal access to academic curricula in comprehensive secondary education systems. We interviewed 17 school leaders from a range of secondary schools about their curricular offerings. All school leaders reported that curricular offerings are based on student choice and that subjects with sufficient demand are financially sustainable. But regardless of student choices, some schools offered academic curricula to maintain their reputation and competitive advantage in the education marketplace. School leaders of low socioeconomic public schools reported the most resource constraints in offering academic curricula, and all school leaders acknowledged systemic constraints related to the large number of curricula that could be offered. The findings highlight how marketisation dynamics combine with curriculum policies to shape schools’ curricular offerings in ways that provide unequal access for different types of students.

Differences in parental perceptions of walking and cycling to high school according to distance

BackgroundParental perceptions towards different modes of transport correlate with adolescents’ mode choice for school trips. Whether parental attitudes differ for walking versus cycling and/or home-to-school distance is unknown. We compared parental perceptions of walking versus cycling to school in adolescents in Dunedin, New Zealand and examined whether mode-specific barriers differ by distance to school. MethodsParents (n = 341; age: 47.5 ± 5.2 years; 77.1% females) completed a survey about their adolescent’s (age: 13–18 years; 48.1% boys) school travel and their own perceptions of walking/cycling to school. Participants were categorised into three groups according to distance to school as ‘walkable’ (≤2.25 km), ‘cyclable’ (>2.25–≤4.0 km) and ‘beyond cyclable’ (>4.0 km). ResultsCommon modes of transport to school differed significantly across the ‘walkable’/’cyclable’/’beyond cyclable’ categories (car passenger: 25.7%/40.5%/60.6%; public/school bus: 5.5%/15.4%/28.4%; walking: 66.2%/28.2%/1.2%; cycling: 0.0%/7.7%/0.5%; all p < 0.001). Compared to walking, parents perceived cycling to school to be less important (walking/cycling: 87.5%/62.5%), with less social support from parents (46.2%/17.1%), peers (20.6%/4.8%) and school (24.5%/12.4%), less interest from adolescents (48.5%/31.9%), fewer cycle paths (26.5%) versus footpaths (65.0%) and more safety concerns (35.0%/64.6%; all p < 0.001). As distance to school increased, parents’ social support decreased whereas personal, environmental and safety-related barriers increased for both modes, with less consistent findings for cycling. Overall, 68.2% of parents expected to participate in adolescents’ walking/cycling to school decision-making. ConclusionsParents favoured walking compared to cycling to school with parental attitudes for both modes changing with increasing distance to school. The findings illustrate the importance of addressing parental concerns, considering the specificity of walking and cycling and taking into account distance to school in active transport to school initiatives.

Data-based decision-making practices in secondary schools of North Gondar, Ethiopia

The main purpose of this study was to examine data-based decision-making practices in secondary schools of North Gondar. Descriptive design was employed in the study. Data were collected from 14 principals, 28 vice principals and 78 department heads through a questionnaire which contained closed and open-ended items and from document analysis. Regarding the sampling of participants, systematic sampling was used for selecting the sample districts; principals and vice principals were selected using comprehensive sampling and purposive sampling were used to select the department heads. The result of the analysis shows that the secondary schools under study had varieties of decision areas and data available for their decisions but they did not use such data available properly to address the decision areas specified. From this, it was possible to conclude that the data-based decision-making in secondary schools was not practiced as expected and it was highly affected by a host of factors like poor scientific methods of data collection, lack of data analysis practices using different techniques and poor data storage and retrieval systems in secondary schools. It is, therefore, recommended that training in skill and awareness development on data-based decision-making should be provided to school teachers in the area.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Data-based, decision-making, practice and secondary school.

Forbidden fruit? Student views on the use of tablet PCs in education

ABSTRACT In the Republic of Ireland, the decision to introduce interactive technology into secondary schools is typically made at the school level. Tablet PCs are argued to be one form of technology with the potential to promote more student-centred teaching and learning. This article qualitatively examines the student voice on the benefits, drawbacks and potential for this technology, drawing on a thematic analysis of 32 semi-structured student focus group interviews from a theoretical sample of 10 secondary schools of differing ICT orientation. A key finding is that tablet PCs provide another way to actively engage students – provided other conditions such as reliable school and home Internet are satisfied. The article also highlights how students could play an important role in school decision making in this area. Findings suggest that maximising the benefits of this new technology requires ongoing evidence and evaluation, especially during a time of rapid technological advancement.

Penerapan Metode Profile Matching pada Pemilihan Guru Terbaik SMK Madani

Depok Madani Vocational School is a Vocational High School consisting of 2 majors namely Light Vehicle Engineering (TKR) and Computer and Network Engineering (TKJ) with 20 teachers as instructors from class X to class XII. The selection of the best teachers is done once a month to motivate the teacher in conducting teaching and learning activities. Schools in making decisions are often influenced by subjectivity and are done manually. Resulting in social jealousy among teachers and inaccurate decision results. Therefore, in assessing the best teachers a decision support system is needed in order to obtain accurate results. Decision Support System methods used in this study is Profile Matching. The method determines the value of weights on each criterion, which is to be present on time, responsibility, dress neatly and politely, participate and contribute, be active and productive, and help fellow teachers, which is followed by a ranking process. The result of the comparison of the two methods above is to produce the same chosen alternative, so that both methods can be applied to help the school's decision making.

Does an incremental approach to implementing programmatic assessment work? Reflections on the change process.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. In 2017, the School of Medicine (Fremantle) of the University of Notre Dame Australia began moving towards programmatic assessment. Programmatic assessment seeks to achieve robust assessment validity through the assessment of a large number of low-stakes activities or data points. These data points exemplify assessment as learning by valuing feedback, discussion and reflection, ultimately leading to deeper student engagement without compromising credible decision-making on student progress. The School adopted an incremental approach to implementing programmatic assessment that included first establishing data-informed mentoring, and then activating a continuous assessment program that contributed simultaneously to student learning and School decision-making. Action research helped understand the impact of the initiative. Re-engineering continuous assessment as an incremental step towards programmatic assessment proved to be problematic. Some ideas are proposed to draw the strands of programmatic assessment together that may be useful for others to chart a more fruitful path.

Computational and robotic modeling reveal parsimonious combinations of interactions between individuals in schooling fish.

Coordinated motion and collective decision-making in fish schools result from complex interactions by which individuals integrate information about the behavior of their neighbors. However, little is known about how individuals integrate this information to take decisions and control their motion. Here, we combine experiments with computational and robotic approaches to investigate the impact of different strategies for a fish to interact with its neighbors on collective swimming in groups of rummy-nose tetra (Hemigrammus rhodostomus). By means of a data-based agent model describing the interactions between pairs of H. rhodostomus (Calovi et al., 2018), we show that the simple addition of the pairwise interactions with two neighbors quantitatively reproduces the collective behavior observed in groups of five fish. Increasing the number of interacting neighbors does not significantly improve the simulation results. Remarkably, and even without confinement, we find that groups remain cohesive and polarized when each agent interacts with only one of its neighbors: the one that has the strongest contribution to the heading variation of the focal agent, dubbed as the "most influential neighbor". However, group cohesion is lost when each agent only interacts with its nearest neighbor. We then investigate by means of a robotic platform the collective motion in groups of five robots. Our platform combines the implementation of the fish behavioral model and a control system to deal with real-world physical constraints. A better agreement with experimental results for fish is obtained for groups of robots only interacting with their most influential neighbor, than for robots interacting with one or even two nearest neighbors. Finally, we discuss the biological and cognitive relevance of the notion of "most influential neighbors". Overall, our results suggest that fish have to acquire only a minimal amount of information about their environment to coordinate their movements when swimming in groups.

Pollution, Ability, and Gender-Specific Investment Responses to Shocks

AbstractThis paper explores how labor market conditions drive gender differences in the human capital decisions of men and women. Specifically, I investigate how male and female schooling decisions respond to an exogenous change in cognitive ability. Using data from Mexico, I begin by documenting that in utero exposure to thermal inversions, which exacerbate air pollution, leads to lower cognitive ability in adulthood for both men and women. I then explore how male and female schooling decisions respond differentially to this cognitive shock: for women only, pollution exposure leads to reduced educational attainment and income. I show that this gender difference is explained by the fact that women disproportionately sort into white-collar jobs, where schooling and ability are more complementary than they are in blue-collar jobs.

English

This study investigated the relationship between teachers&rsquo; decisional participation and job satisfaction in secondary schools in Ekiti State. The study also examined the level of teachers&rsquo; participation in decision making and level of job satisfaction. A descriptive research design of correlation type was adopted for the study while the population for the study comprised all the teachers&rsquo; teaching in the public secondary schools in Ekiti State. The sample consisted of 270 teachers selected through multistage and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected with the aid of a questionnaire. The reliability coefficient for the instrument used was 0.84. The data obtained were analyzed using frequency counts, mean, standard deviation, Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regression analysis. Hypotheses formulated for the study were tested at 0.05level of significance. The study revealed that the level of teachers&rsquo; participation in decision making in their respective schools was low. The study also revealed that there was significant relationship between teachers&rsquo; decisional participation and their job satisfaction. It was also revealed that teachers&rsquo; job satisfaction was significantly related to the level of teachers&rsquo; decisional participation in school financial matter, conflict resolution, examination matters, staff welfare, disciplinary matters, school academic work and co &ndash; curricular activities. Based on the findings, that the levels of teachers&rsquo; decisional participation in school management were relatively low, government and stakeholders in education should ensure that teachers actively participate during school decisions making which would somehow influence their profession. Effort to bridge the communication gap and alienation, principals of senior secondary schools should allow their teachers to participate in decision making process on school financing, conflict resolution, staff welfare, disciplinary matters, academic work, and co &ndash; curricular activities. This could boost teachers&rsquo; level of job satisfaction. &nbsp; Key words: Teachers&rsquo; decision, participation, job satisfaction, secondary schools.

Psychometric proprieties of the Test of Gross Motor Development–Third Edition in a large sample of Italian children

ObjectivesThe Test of Gross Motor Development-3 (TGMD-3) evaluates fundamental gross motor skills across two domains: locomotor and ball skills. This study aimed to perform a full psychometric assessment of this test in a large sample of Italian pre- and primary school children. DesignCross-sectional and test-retest study design. MethodChildren N = 5210; mean age years = 8.38, SD = 1.97; % females = 48 completed three trials, including one practice. Only the scores of the two latter ‘formal’ trials were recorded for the evaluation. Factorial validity and measurement invariance of TGMD-3 across age and gender groups and test-retest reliability for the overtime measure consistency were tested. Item response theory analysis further tested single items’ performances. ResultsExplorative and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the two-factor structure of the TGMD-3. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated that there were no significant reductions in model adjustments between the configural, metric and structural invariance solutions for gender and age groups. Test-retest results ranged between 0.967 and 0.990 for both skill sets across age groups. Item response theory analysis using a graded response model showed low standard error and high-test information levels covering a wide spectrum range of both locomotor and ball skills. ConclusionsThese results highlight the strong construct validity and reliability of the TGMD-3 to measure gross motor skills in children across gender and age groups. Item response theory analysis evidenced how the performance criteria included in this test cover a wide range of gross the motor skills spectrum. The use of TGMD-3 may inform motor development programs and support curricular decisions in schools.

Organizing schools so teachers can succeed: A conversation with Susan Moore Johnson

Kappan’s editor-in-chief talks with renowned scholar Susan Moore Johnson about her extensive research into the professional lives of public school teachers. For decades, studies have shown that teaching tends to be isolating work, with few opportunities for teachers to collaborate with and learn from each other or to play meaningful roles in school decision making. In her most recent book, however, Johnson describes the much more supportive professional culture she observed in a group of successful schools in a high-poverty urban district.