Early Secondary Education Research Articles

School Stratification and Science Climate in Early Secondary Education in Ireland and Flanders: Associations with Students’ Science Dispositions and Science Literacy

School Stratification and Science Climate in Early Secondary Education in Ireland and Flanders: Associations with Students’ Science Dispositions and Science Literacy

Institutional cisnormativity and educational injustice: Trans children's experiences in primary and early secondary education in the UK.

Transgender children are known to face a wide range of barriers, difficulties and injustices at school. Few studies have focused on the educational experiences of trans pupils who socially transition at or before primary school, with no such studies in the UK. To learn about the at-school experiences of transgender children who socially transitioned at or before primary school in the UK, listening to children's and parental accounts of navigating cisnormativity in UK primary and early secondary education. The primary sample included 30 parents whose children had socially transitioned under the age of 11 in the UK. This sample was complemented with data directly from 10 of these trans children. The primary sample was accessed through six trans positive parenting groups in the UK, supplemented through snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews produced a rich and detailed qualitative data set, that was analysed through inductive thematic analysis. Three major themes are presented, highlighting experiences of (i) institutional cisnormativity in UK schools, (ii) a failure to protect trans children and (iii) evidence of educational injustice. The results demonstrate how institutional cisnormativity leaves trans pupils in unsafe educational environments, contributing to school drop-out and trauma. Cisnormative attitudes normalize injustice, making it acceptable for trans children to lose access to education, or to experience trauma in school. Educators, schools and school leaders need to take action to protect trans children in our schools.

일제강점기 중등교육 여자용 교과서에 나타난 여성 담론에 관한 고찰

This paper examines the discourses on women found in the secondary education textbook for women during the period of Japanese colonial aggression and investigates whether these discourses on women would change through time. In the early secondary education national language textbooks for girls, a dominant discourse was “a woman becomes a good wife and a mother who fulfills her duties (hyeonmoyangcheo).” Such a discourse continued until the 1920s along with the emergence of women who embraced Confucian adaptation as a norm. On the other hand, awareness of women's human rights increased with a discourse of “working women, women engaged in economic activities” with time. Nevertheless, the dominant discourses on women such as theory on ladies or theory on women consisted of what values and ideals society and the state want in women. In Korean textbooks, an image of “new women” who is independent, educated, and in charge of economic activities was introduced and such a discourse continued with time. The morality textbooks demanded the duties and responsibilities of women and presented the image of women who will dedicate themselves to the education to become hyeonmoyangcheo and the social responsibilities and development. Later on, they presented a strong image of women who adapt to the changing time, accumulates talents and knowledge, and maintain the happiness of their family. In addition, the image of women itself changed with time.

Gender minority stress in education: Protecting trans children’s mental health in UK schools

Background: Trans children are known to experience challenges in education, in schools under-prepared for trans inclusion. Research on trans people’s mental health has shown an association between experiences of Gender Minority Stress (GMS) and poor mental health, though the GMS framework has not been applied to trans children’s experiences in education. Aims: This article examines trans children’s experiences of GMS in primary and early secondary education (ages 3–13 years old) in UK schools. The study aimed to uncover opportunities for protective action to safeguard trans children’s mental health. Methods: The GMS framework was applied to a rich qualitative dataset drawn from semi-structured interviews with 10 trans children and 30 parents of trans children average age 11 years-old (range 6–16). Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The research highlighted the diverse ways in which GMS manifests in primary and secondary education. Trans children in the UK experienced a wide range of trans-specific stressors, putting children under chronic strain. Discussion: Schools need to recognize the range of potential stresses experienced by trans pupils in education. Poor mental health in trans children and adolescents is avoidable, and schools have a duty of care to ensure trans pupils are physically and emotionally safe and welcome at school. Preventative early action to reduce GMS is needed to protect trans children, safeguarding the mental health of vulnerable pupils.

Profiles of competence development in mathematics and reading in early secondary education

This article examines the development of reading and mathematical competence in early secondary education and aims at identifying distinct profiles of competence development. Since reading and mathematical competences are highly correlated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, we expected to find a generalized profile of competence development with students developing parallel in reading and mathematical competences. Moreover, previous research confirmed individuals’ specific focus on one of the two domains, for example, in their interest, self-concept, or motivation. Also, differences in competence levels between both domains were found in cross-sectional studies. Therefore, we hypothesized that additional to the generalized profile, there are specialized profiles of competence development with students developing distinctively faster in one of the two domains. To identify both types of profiles, latent growth mixture modeling was used on a sample of 5,301 students entering secondary education from the German National Educational Panel Study. To demonstrate the robustness of the results, these analyses were repeated using different model specifications and subgroups with higher homogeneity (with students belonging to the highest track, i.e., “Gymnasium”). The results indicate only small to non-existent specialized profiles of competence development in all conditions. This finding of roughly parallel development of reading and mathematical competences throughout early secondary education indicates that potential specializations are less important at this point in students’ educational careers.

Measuring the effect of continuous professional development on elementary teachers’ self-efficacy to teach coding and computational thinking

Interest in coding education has exploded in the past five years, especially in elementary and early secondary education. Teachers who are largely new to coding are expected to guide entire student bodies through the fundamentals of coding and computational thinking. But little is known about which coding and computational thinking (CT) concepts teachers feel most comfortable with and which concepts they struggle with. This study describes 127 elementary coding teachers’ changes in their beliefs about teaching coding and CT as they participated in year-long continuous professional development. Novice elementary coding teachers demonstrated most growth in their self-efficacy for teaching sequences, algorithms and loops. They were less secure in their knowledge of conditionals, variables, and functions. For computational thinking, teachers were most confident in their ability to identify patterns, think algorithmically, understand logic, and evaluate outcomes, showing less growth with decomposition and abstraction.

Young Students' Ability on Understanding and Constructing Geometric Proofs

The present study investigated early secondary education students' ability to understand and to construct
 geometric proofs before and after the typical teaching of the Euclidean Geometry. At primary education the proof is related to reasoning, while at secondary education the formation of mathematical proof is introduced. Students' difficulties can be examined under the framework of a possible gap. The research tools which were constructed, aimed to investigate the impact of students' conceptions about the structure of proof (experimental, semi-experimental and formal) on their ability to construct geometric proofs and to identify errors on presented to them "proofs". There were two main phases of measurement, before and after the teaching of Euclidean Geometry for the first time at the early grades of secondary education. Results indicated that the majority of the students recognized the value of using mathematical symbols and the necessity of presenting a logical structure of the arguments in order to construct a proof, while at the same time many students preferred the semi-empirical proof as an acceptable form of a constructed mathematical proof. Additionally, results indicated that students had plenty of difficulties to solve tasks related to geometric proof which were presented to them verbally and without any figure. Based on the results of the present study the students' difficulties on studying and constructing geometric proofs are discussed in relation to the teaching practices of the concept of proof at the first grades of secondary education.

An investigation of the causal effect of educational expectations on school performance. Behavioral consequences, time-stable confounding, or reciprocal causality?

Educational expectations are core concepts in the sociology of education. In this study, we are interested in the potential behavioral consequences of expectations on school performance in early secondary education. The existing literature leads to contradictory hypotheses regarding the causal effect of expectations on achievement. On the one hand, expectations could act as cognitions steering individual behavior towards the attainment of a certain educational degree via preparatory commitment and effort. Such behavioral consequences should affect achievement in school. On the other hand, expectations could merely reflect students’ perceptions of opportunities without exerting an effect on future achievement. This paper studies these claims by relying on German panel data of students in lower secondary education. In the first set of models, we find that after adjusting for student fixed effects, expectations are only marginally related to grades and competences. In further models, we assess the role of stable high and low aspirations in explaining educational achievement trajectories. After adjusting for past grades via inverse probability weighting, achievement at the end of lower secondary education is similar between students with stable high expectations and those with stable low expectations. Taking together the results of these different modelling approaches, our study suggests that expectations are not drivers of achievement-related behavior.

Improving wellbeing for pupils in early secondary education with Pyramid Club: A qualitative study investigating behaviour change drivers

Background:Children’s and young people’s emotional wellbeing is in decline and models of good practice are needed to help schools address the needs of vulnerable pupils. Effectiveness studies have provided empirical evidence for school-based socio-emotional interventions but few examine process issues to explain procedures and mechanisms underlying behavioural change.Aims:This paper explores behaviour change drivers elicited from a qualitative study of the Pyramid Club socio-emotional intervention; to gain an understanding of underlying processes and, thereby, determine the factors that contribute to behaviour change in programme recipients. Behaviour change drivers represents one of five global themes yielded from the complete dataset.Participants:Participants comprised a total of 65 young people aged 11–14 years (24 males; 41 females) who had attended one of eight Pyramid clubs at their respective school and 23 club leaders who had helped to run a club.Methods:Focus groups (in each school) were used to collect data from participants; groups for Pyramid attendees and club leaders were run separately. Data were thematically analysed jointly.Findings:Behaviour change drivers were organised into two thematic categories: Behaviour change procedures, which comprise contextual elements favourable to programme effectiveness and Behaviour change techniques, specific mechanisms prompting behaviour change.Conclusion:Findings extend Pyramid Club’s existing evidence base and can be used to better inform decision-makers in schools making implementation choices. More qualitative studies are needed to augment findings from effectiveness studies and to enable future programme development.

Improving socio-emotional health for pupils in early secondary education with Pyramid: A school-based, early intervention model.

BackgroundPolicymakers are focusing increased attention on the role of schools to promote and support children's mental health, and evidence‐based models of good practice are in demand. Pyramid Club is a school‐based, socio‐emotional intervention, demonstrably effective with primary‐aged pupils.AimsThis study extends previous Pyramid Club evaluations by examining effectiveness with pupils in early secondary education; service users’ perceptions and experiences were investigated to increase understanding of Pyramid's impact, thus supporting enhanced practice.SampleParticipants (n = 126) comprised selected pupils, aged 11–14 (52 males; 74 females), who completed the 10 week programme (Pyramid group) and a non‐intervention comparison group. Club leaders (n = 23) were trained, Pyramid volunteers.MethodsA mixed‐methods design was implemented. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), informant‐rated version (Goodman, 1997, J Child Psychol Psychiat, 38, 581) and self‐report version (Goodman, Meltzer, & Bailey, 1998, Europ Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 7, 125), was used to measure socio‐emotional well‐being: pre‐club (baseline assessment), post‐test (within 2 weeks of programme completion), and at 12‐month follow‐up (informant‐rated version only). Focus groups were conducted separately with Pyramid pupils and Club leaders.ResultsFindings from informants and self‐reports identified significant improvements for the Pyramid group in total difficulties and on pertinent SDQ subscales (e.g., emotional symptoms and peer relationship problems) at post‐test. Improvements were sustained at 12‐month follow‐up. Comparison pupils demonstrated minimal change over time. Thematic analysis of qualitative data supported the quantitative findings and provided valuable insights into the Pyramid Club experience.ConclusionsFindings contribute to evidence‐based, preventative models for the early adolescent population and support the social validity of Pyramid Club.

Context, culture and critical thinking: Scottish secondary school teachers’ and pupils’ experiences of outdoor learning

Limited research exists that considers the usefulness of outdoor learning as a legitimate pedagogical approach for the delivery of a mainstream secondary school curriculum. To address this shortcoming, we investigated the ways in which mathematics and geography teachers and students from three secondary schools in Scotland responded to theOutdoor Journeysprogramme, which is a school‐based teaching approach that enables pupils to learn about the people and place in which they live. Data collection included participant observation, short questionnaires and interviews with approximately 150 students (11–14 years old) and 10 teachers. In most cases, pupils enjoyed the opportunity to guide their own learning experientially and beyond the familiar classroom context. Teachers acknowledged that such an approach presented an opportunity to develop pupils’ critical thinking skills and that these skills can, in some cases, be overlooked in early secondary education. Following these findings, we discuss the pedagogical implications arising from the inclusion of critical thinking as a key outcome of outdoor learning, and as part of the Outdoor Journeys programme, within a secondary school context. We continue by adding our voice to the nascent literature addressing outdoor learning approaches that seek to gain traction within the broader social ecology of established school cultures.

Representin' and disrespectin': African-American wind band students' meanings of a composition-based secondary music curriculum and classroom power structures

Although cultural diversity is important to the social context of classrooms, few researchers have explored school music experiences from the perspective of students of colour. Possibly of greater concern is the absence of research examining African-American students' educational experiences in early secondary education, during which time the attrition rates of non-White music students increases. This qualitative case study utilised critical theory and critical race theory to explore the power structures between music teachers employing improvisation and composition in a wind band classroom and African-American music students at the middle level. Data collection included daily classroom observations, weekly narrative writing, student musical compositions and open-ended interviews over an eight-month period. Findings inform our understanding of the nested contexts of the wind band classroom and the larger school community as well as the intersections between race, music classroom power structures and identity construction.

A Question of Identity? Purpose, Policy and Practice in the Teaching of History in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

This article traces the evolution of history education, north and south of the Irish border since partition of the island in 1921. It begins with an historical overview of the situation common across Ireland prior to partition. Subsequent developments in history provision in elementary, primary and early secondary education are traced in each of the two jurisdictions that emerged after partition, the Irish Free State, which became the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland. In each case, the educational and political imperatives of each, which shaped these changes, and resulted in divergence, are identified, analysed and compared. Evidence is drawn from the dominant literature in each jurisdiction and on relevant curriculum documents. The paper concludes by demonstrating that in a post-modern, increasingly globalised world, shared educational ideas and political aspirations emerging from the Irish peace process are acting to bring the respective history curricula back into symmetry and, thereby, providing opportunities for increased co-operation.

Collaborative interaction in turn-taking: a comparative study of European bilingual (CLIL) and mainstream (MS) foreign language learners in early secondary education

This paper explores the emergence of collaborative interaction among early secondary learners in bilingual sections at state schools in Andalusia. These sections are organised in line with a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approach. By transcribing and then analysing data from oral interviews conducted with randomly selected pairs of CLIL learners and mainstream (MS) peers, the article compares and discusses the quantity and quality of collaboration evidenced in turn-taking patterns. In doing so it also proposes a pragmatic, participant-based approach to the initial classification of turns, prior to more functionally aligned analysis. Four initial turn types are identified in the data but while all four obviously contribute to the overall ongoing talk, only two are deemed inherently collaborative. These are embedded turns, where one speaker contributes to another speaker's main turn, and cooperative turns, where two or more speakers jointly construct the message. Once identified, each of these turn types was examined for patterns of functional use. The research finds that the CLIL learners are participating both more frequently and more effectively in collaborative turns than their MS counterparts. In closing we briefly discuss some of the implications of this finding.

Early risk factors for being a bully, victim, or bully/victim in late elementary and early secondary education. The longitudinal TRAILS study

BackgroundData regarding the impact of early risk factors on later involvement in bullying are scarce. We investigated the impact of preschool behaviors, family characteristics (socio-economic status, family breakup) and parental mental health on bullying and victimization at age 11 (T1) and age 13.5 (T2).Methodslongitudinal data from a subsample of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) (T1: N = 982; T2: N = 977). TRAILS is a prospective study of adolescent mental health in a mixed urban and rural region of the Netherlands. At T1 parents reported on family characteristics, parental mental health and retrospectively on children's preschool behavior at age 4-5. Schoolmates reported involvement of adolescents in bullying or victimization at T1 and T2.ResultsChildren with preschool anxiety were less likely to be bully/victim at T1. Children with preschool aggressiveness were more likely to be bully (T1), bully/victim (T1 and T2) and victim (T2) and children with good preschool motor functioning were more likely to be bully (T1) and less likely to be victim (T1 and T2). Children from low socioeconomic status families were more likely be to be bully, victim, or bully/victim and less likely to be uninvolved both at T1 and T2. Finally, children from intact two parent families were more likely to be uninvolved at T2.ConclusionPreschool behavioral, emotional and motor problems, socioeconomic status, and family breakup are related to involvement in bullying at a later age. Prevention of bullying and its consequences can be enhanced by focusing on risk groups in early life.

Truancy in late elementary and early secondary education: The influence of social bonds and self-control— the TRAILS study

Some pupils already show unexcused, illegal, surreptitious absences in elementary education or the first years of secondary education. Are weak social bonds (see also Hirschi, 1969) and a lack of self-control (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990) indicative of truancy at an early age? Of the children in our sample, 5% were persistent truants in late elementary education and early secondary education. Using multivariate analyses the influence of various predictors on persistent truancy was examined. Lack of attachment to norm-relevant significant others (parents and teachers) and lack of prosocial orientation were indicative of truancy. Social bonds with classmates had no effect on truancy. Other risk factors for truancy were: being a boy, early pubertal development, family breakup, and low socio-economic status. The effect of self-control on truancy was partially mediated by social bonds. The impact of social bonds to norm-relevant significant others suggests that early truancy can partly be prevented by focusing on children’s relations with parents at home and with teachers at school. Prevention of truancy is desirable because the likelihood of involvement in other deviant behavior increases for truants.

Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, and Medical Students’ Needs for Learning and Using Statistics

Much has been written on the learning needs of dyslexic and dyscalculic students in primary and early secondary education. However, it is not clear that the necessary disability support staff and specialist literature are available to ensure that these needs are being adequately met within the context of learning statistics and general quantitative skills in the self-directed learning environments encountered in higher education. This commentary draws attention to dyslexia and dyscalculia as two potentially unrecognized conditions among undergraduate medical students and in turn, highlights key developments from recent literature in the diagnosis of these conditions. With a view to assisting medical educators meet the needs of dyscalculic learners and the more varied needs of dyslexic learners, a comprehensive list of suggestions is provided as to how learning resources can be designed from the outset to be more inclusive. A hitherto neglected area for future research is also identified through a call for a thorough investigation of the meaning of statistical literacy within the context of the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, and Medical Students’ Needs for Learning and Using Statistics

Much has been written on the learning needs of dyslexic and dyscalculic students in primary and early secondary education. However, it is not clear that the necessary disability support staff and specialist literature are available to ensure that these needs are being adequately met within the context of learning statistics and general quantitative skills in the self-directed learning environments encountered in higher education. This commentary draws attention to dyslexia and dyscalculia as two potentially unrecognized conditions among undergraduate medical students and in turn, highlights key developments from recent literature in the diagnosis of these conditions. With a view to assisting medical educators meet the needs of dyscalculic learners and the more varied needs of dyslexic learners, a comprehensive list of suggestions is provided as to how learning resources can be designed from the outset to be more inclusive. A hitherto neglected area for future research is also identified through a call for a thorough investigation of the meaning of statistical literacy within the context of the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Finnish Teachers and Pupils as Users of ICT

The main task of this follow-up study was to describe teachers' expectations, experiences and possible changes in the pedagogical use of ICT. As a part of an ICT development project, three sets of data were gathered from a region in Eastern Finland, by means of questionnaire. A total of 156 teachers of primary and early secondary education returned the questionnaire in 1999, 155 teachers in 2001, and 81 in 2004. The results indicate that teachers have increased their use of various ICT applications (especially data processors, web-browsers, e-mails, and CD-ROMs) both in their private lives and in pedagogical practice. Based on their own self-assessment, the teachers' ICT abilities have improved during the project period. Co-operative activities by means of ICT also increased between colleagues. Although teachers saw ICT as helpful for pupils' learning, some sceptical attitudes emerged as well.

Context-sensitive assessment of modern languages in primary (elementary) and early secondary education: Scotland and the European experience

Although much more limited in scope and intensity than second language (L2) immersion, MLPS (Modern Languages at Primary School; known elsewhere as FLES, Foreign Languages at Elementary School) is being extensively implemented across the European Union as a reflection of national and European Commission (EC) policies. Despite an increase of research interest in the area, issues of MLPS assessment have not been widely addressed. There are good reasons for developing such assessments: • gauging the return on a massive public investment; • feedback to parents and the public; • informing national policy development; • self-evaluation at the level of institutions, departments, teachers and learners. There are, however, major problems at present in doing so across schools: • variability of context; • embeddedness of children’s language in a flow of events; • their relative lack of cultural knowledge; • unfamiliarity of teachers with concepts of L2 testing; • lack of consensus concerning what MLPS proficiency might mean. Examples are given from Scotland of how some of these problems were addressed in the pilot phase of the national MLPS initiative of the early to mid-1990s, leading to the development of more comprehensive and standardized assessments in the national Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) intended for the late 1990s and early years of the twenty-first century.