School Failure Research Articles

Mapping Educational Pathways through Focus Groups: Children and Young People on the Impact of Inclusive Socio-Educational Practices

As school became a primary instance of socialization and acculturation, and school education expanded across practically every country in the world, and reached virtually all children/young people, during an increasingly longer period of the life cycle, school failure and dropout emerged as cross-cutting educational and sociopolitical issues. Nonetheless, the voices of the actors engaging in initiatives aimed at overcoming school failure and dropout are seldom heard. Project EDUPLACES (PTDC/MHC-CED/3775/2014) proposed to do just that, through interviews, questionnaires and focus groups with parents/families, children/young people, teachers/other staff and community representatives. This paper explores the outcomes of eight focus groups involving a total of 57 children/young people, with a particular emphasis on the discourses emanating from the participants in Mediation and Study Support practices. As we discuss how initiatives aimed at overcoming school failure and dropout address issues such as inclusion, participation, learning, empowerment and community development, focus groups emerge as a relevant tool for navigating the meaning(s) of educational success.

Premorbid intelligence quotient and school failure as risk markers for bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder

Mood disorders significantly impact global health, with MDD ranking as the second leading cause of disability in the United States and BD ranking 18th. Despite their prevalence and impact, the relationship between premorbid intelligence and the subsequent development of BD and MDD remains inconclusive.This study investigates the potential of premorbid Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and school failure frequency as risk factors for Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a birth cohort setting. We analyze data from the Pelotas population-based birth cohort study, comprising 3580 participants aged 22, who had no prior mood disorder diagnoses. Utilizing regression models and accounting for potential confounders, we assess the impact of IQ and school failure, measured at age 18, on the emergence of BD and MDD diagnoses at age 22, using individuals without mood disorders as comparators. Results reveal that lower IQ (below 70) at 18 is associated with an increased risk of BD (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.75, 95%CI: 1.00–3.09, p < 0.05), while higher IQ (above 120) is linked to MDD (AOR 2.16, 95%CI: 1.24–3.75, p < 0.001). Moreover, an elevated number of school failures is associated with increased BD risk (AOR 1.23, 95%CI: 1.11–1.41, p < 0.001), particularly for BD type 1 (AOR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.17–1.58, p < 0.001). These findings offer insights into the distinct premorbid intellectual characteristics of BD and MDD and contribute to a deeper understanding of their developmental trajectories, potentially informing the development of risk assessment tools for mood disorders.

The Place and Importance of Family in Education

The first place where education begins is the family. When we look at it historically, the first educational institutions were the families in the history. The family is important in modern societies as it determines the path that young people will follow, forms the basis for their successful socialization as they enter adulthood, and plays a decisive role in terms of work, career and living standards. A failure in education may result in expulsion from school or school failure, unemployment, and exclusion from society. In this study, the effects of family characteristics on education were examined by the literature review method, it was determined that many features such as family structure, socio-economic characteristics of the family, number of siblings, income, broken family, education level, behaviors of family, violence, interest, compassion, participation in education, and working environment are important factors for the academic achievement of students in education Although factors such as the individual differences of the students, the age, the school level of the children can change the effect of these positive and negative features of family, it is expected that the families should always have an educational supportive attitude and behavior, and prepare their children for the future in a healthy environment. Many families do not know how they can contribute to their children's education. For this reason, a guide on family participation can be prepared, seminars or other methods can be used to explain how families can positively affect their children's education.

Leadership in Islamic Boarding Schools

Leadership in Islamic boarding schools is very important because the life or death and development of an Islamic boarding school will be seen in the pattern and leadership style of a kyai. Leadership authority in Islamic boarding schools rests with a kyai. Therefore, it is very natural and normal for the role of kyai to be highly respected in the growth of Islamic boarding schools. In order to be an inspiration and role model, it is necessary to form a dynamic learning community pattern. The problem formulations include: 1) what is meant by leadership in Islamic boarding schools. 2) what leadership styles exist in Islamic boarding schools. 3) What roles are applied to a kyai. This research uses a literature analysis method obtained from several literatures. From the research results, the success or failure of an Islamic boarding school depends on the leadership style applied by the kyai themselves. Leadership factors are still determining factors in effectiveness and efficiency. Apart from that, the vision and mission also have influences and interrelated elements. The elements used as a reference are those that are adapted to Islamic law, including: 1) ethics that are in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. 2) objective leaders, 3) leaders who have high credibility, 4) responsive leaders

Aspecte psihologice ale intervențiilor școlare în cazul tulburărilor de limbaj scris și oral

Language disorder is one of the most common childhood problems. The results of epidemiology studies are estimating that 1 in 12 preschoolers has a language disorder. The consequences of unresolved speech and language problems are significant and lead over time to behavioral disorders, mental health problems, reading difficulties, and school failure, including truancy and school dropout. Hence, we consider imperative raising awareness of this issue in the educational environment. Several studies reported an increased prevalence of social and emotional problems among children with written or spoken language disorders. Furthermore, a large body of research has demonstrated positive effects of school interventions in developing resilience strategies among children with language disorders. Accordingly, based on the results of previously conducted research of language disorders, this article presents a brief review of frequently associated social, emotional, and behavioral problems and reviews particular aspects of school interventions, which may contribute to students’ socio-emotional resilience.

Current Situation, Causes and Development Strategies for out -of- School Girls in Chinese Rural Areas ---Analysis Based on the Case of Huaping Girls High School

This paper discusses the current situation, causes, and strategies for addressing the problem of out-of-school girls in rural areas of China. By analyzing and summarizing the data and causes of girls school failure in rural China from previous literature, this paper offers suggestions for establishing girls schools. Founded in 2008, Huaping Girls High School is the first all-free-of-charge girls high school in China, mainly enrolling students from remote townships and alpine mountainous areas within Lijiang City and individual poor remote townships and mountainous areas in other cities and counties in Yunnan Province and surrounding provinces and cities. The creation of the school has greatly increased access to education for girls in the mountains, and in recent years, the results of the college entrance exam have been very positive, successfully sending many girls for higher education. This paper uses Huaping Girls High School as a specific case study to analyze the help and advantages of establishing a girls school for out-of-school girls in rural China, and to give specific suggestions about it.

Waiting for Discovery and Support?

PURPOSE: In this paper, we explore and contrast the Swedish state and NGO arguments for initiating two changes in national educational degree objectives in Swedish teacher education: one regarding sex and cohabitation education, and the other regarding support for pupils with ʻneuropsychiatric difficultiesʼ such as autism and ADHD (here referred to as neurodivergent pupils). APPROACH: Using critical policy analysis, we compare the arguments from the government as well as responding bodies for introducing the two objectives, with a focus on neurodivergent pupils. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that discourses concerning sex and cohabitation education for all pupils and support for pupils with ʻneuropsychiatric difficultiesʼ respectively derive from different educational ideologies and reproduce different ideas about pupils as active citizens versus passive objects of interventions. The objective of sex and cohabitation education is framed within a norm critical discourse putting forward reflexivity and identity, and where pupils are active subjects to be involved in the process. In contrast, neurodivergence is framed within a deficit approach as neurobiological, individual impairment, and a special educational problem that should be managed by professionals. It is seen as a risk for school failure, where neurodivergent pupils are passive objects of professional discovery and support. CONCLUSION: In a Swedish educational policy landscape, stressing the importance of educating pupils in line with ideas of children as right-bearers, our exploration illustrates how ʻall pupilsʼ versus neurodivergent pupils, within teacher education, are positioned as belonging to different categories of citizens: as active subjects of rights, versus passive subjects of care. This perception of neurodivergence, we argue, hampers progress towards embracing neurodivergence as a social category, and neurodivergent pupils as political subjects.

A longitudinal study of school adjustment among children attending Reggio-inspired preschools

The goal of this study was to track the progress of Italian children at risk for school failure enrolled in preschools based on the Reggio-Emilia approach. Risk factors considered included family socioeconomic status (SES), child receptive language, and child gender. Participants were 211 children (Mage = 60.8 months, 116 girls) in Reggio-inspired preschools in Genoa, Italy. The sample was followed over six time points starting from the last year of preschool (ages 5–6 years) through the end of the second year of elementary school. We examined trajectories of school liking, teacher–child relationships, and teacher-rated language/mathematics. Trajectories of at-risk children were predominantly indistinguishable from those of the full sample. Children at risk because of lower SES and poorer receptive language (but not gender) were rated by teachers as more dependent than children not identified as at risk. Contrary to expectations, children of mothers from low-SES backgrounds liked school more than the rest of the sample.

Study of attentional deficits (unilateral spatial neglect) in Moroccan adolescents attending school-Rabat Sale Kenitra region.

Attention is an essential part of cognitive functions for all learning in the school environment. The screening of attentional deficits constitutes an important field of research, given its relationship with other cognitive functions and the neurocognitive profiling of Moroccan adolescents in school. A study was conducted over 3 months. A comparative and predictive method is used, the Bells test, to assess the state of neglect of these students, as well as the detection of attention deficit. Two hundred and fifty students participated, including 152 girls [60.4%] and 98 boys [39.6%], the average age is 16.77 ± 1.23 years, range: 14-21, divided into three school levels: Common core (TC) 27.6%, 1st-year baccalaureate 50.8%, and 2nd-year baccalaureate 21.6%. This study found that 18.4% of the students had attentional deficits and 4% had a unilateral spatial neglect pattern in young adolescents in school. The Bells Test is a useful screening tool to detect these attentional deficits. This implies that attentional disorders negatively influence the academic and motor performance of the subjects. This implies that attentional disorders negatively influence the academic and motor performance of the subjects and, therefore, increase the percentage of school failure.

Good behavior game - study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a preventive behavior management program in a Swedish school context.

Early conduct problems and school failure are prominent risk factors for several adverse outcomes in later life. With the potential of reaching many children at early stages of their life, school-based interventions constitute a valuable approach to universal prevention. Good behavior game (GBG) is a promising school-based behavior management program, having shown immediate reductions in conduct problems along with several long-term positive effects. Adapting interventions to new contexts may however affect their effectiveness. The current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Swedish adaption of GBG under pragmatic conditions. The intervention is hypothesized to reduce conduct problems in the classroom (primary outcome). Secondary analyses will investigate changes in conduct problems in common school areas, classroom climate, teacher collective efficacy, on-task behavior, as well as investigating behavioral management practices, implementation, and barriers to implementation. This is a cluster-randomized trial with two parallel groups. Schools will be randomized (1,1, stratified by their areas sociodemographic index score) to be provided training in GBG or perform business-as-usual. The intervention and data collection lasts for a school year. Data will be collected at three time points: at baseline in the beginning of the school year (prior to training in GBG), after three months, and after nine months (at the end of the school year; primary endpoint). Data consists of teacher-rated measures of conduct problems, classroom climate, teacher collective efficacy, behavior management practices, and implementation factors, along with demographic factors. In addition, data will be collected by independent and blinded observers using corresponding measures in a subset of randomly chosen classrooms. Procedural fidelity will be rated and collected by GBG-trainers during nine observations throughout the school year. Statistical analysis will include frequentist intention-to-treat analysis, and comparisons of estimates with a corresponding Bayesian model using weakly informative priors. The study has currently completed data collection. This study will provide knowledge in universal prevention and school-based interventions with high reach, as well as specific knowledge concerning the effectiveness of an adapted version of GBG under real-world conditions, along with factors affecting its implementation and effects. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05794893.

Patterns of learning. Coping with school failure and its relevance to educational practices in adulthood

Participation in adult learning is unequally distributed in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. One of the targets of public policy is to raise and even the level of participation among different social groups. In the article we concentrate on adults already taking part in non-formal educational activities, however, their attitudes, ways of participation and benefits from education differ significantly. The analysis aims to explore and link the experiences of compulsory education with those of adult education. School failures and ways of coping with them seem to be of particular importance. We also analyse the context, especially in terms of family capital and parenting styles. We identified two distinct patterns concerning lifelong learning – cumulative advantage and cumulative disadvantage, and present a few outliers. We argue that attitudes toward adult education and potential gains are determined by previous educational experiences within the school system.

Success Through Leadership Resilience: Qualitative Exploration of a Selected Rural High School

Failure and drop-out rate in rural high schools (RHSs) in South Africa remains a prevailing crisis. This has been attributed to issues such as poor/limited infrastructures, poverty, unemployment, among others. Thus, this case study explores the issue of a purposively selected South African Rural High School (RHS) with 15 years’ success rate at terminal examination known as Matric. Qualitative method was adopted, hence, interviews were conducted with eight purposively selected staff members of the school: one principal, one deputy principal, three departmental heads, two teachers and one senior admin clerk. The collected data was coded, categorised, thereafter thematically analysed. The findings of the study showed that resources in the selected rural high school are limited, and dropout impacts the school negatively. Nonetheless, with resilience and collaborative efforts of the school leaders: principal, deputy principal, teachers and other staff members, as well as limited reliance on government learners can be supported to succeed, thus increasing pass rate. The study therefore, recommends among others the need for school leaders to believe in their abilities, be resilient in their pursuit of ensuring learners’ success and if need be, rely minimally on support from the government.

Language Competence as a Basis for Improving the Quality of Teaching of Younger Schoolchildren in the National-Russian Educational Environment

The article discusses issues related to the formation of language competence of younger schoolchildren studying in the conditions of national-Russian bilingualism. The problems of teaching and mental development of younger schoolchildren in the conditions of bilingualism are currently gaining special importance. The aggravated tendencies of assimilation of some ethnic groups by others lead to the loss of national traditions, culture, and language.Russia is a multinational country, it has always been characterized by migration processes, active cultural penetration of some ethnic groups into others. The Republic of RSO-Alania is also multinational and is also subject to all these phenomena. Conflicts and socio-economic crises occurring in the CIS countries and Russia lead to the appearance of migrants. The problems of introducing migrants to the culture, including the language, of the community in which they are forced to live, are particularly relevant.One of the problems of bilingualism is its impact on the development of language competence of students in relation to the second language, especially since migrant children are forced to study in a second, non-native language for them. The lack of formation of speech competence entails school failure (L.V. Yassman). In his research, V.P. Yassman proves that with the development of speech competence, the active intellectual development of the child also occurs. Thus, language competence is one of the conditions not only for the successful education of a migrant child at school, but also for positive socialization in society.

O możliwości zredefiniowania niepowodzeń szkolnych. Rekonstrukcja zmiany myślenia studentek – przyszłych nauczycielek wczesnej edukacji

The aim of the article of to identify the scope of early education students redefining the concept of school failures considered in the contexts of paradigmatic view on didactics and the issue of educating professional teachers. I subject to analysis fragments of students portfolio, which I treat as desk data. For this purpose I employ the method of qualitative analysis of text. The results of the analyses show that the most significant modification concerns inclusion into the area of school failures also students commonly regarded as those „not having learning difficulties”, which extends the definition of this notion with the sense of “being insufficient” and leads to, inter alia, the relativisation of the term “bad grade”. Into the set of temporally remote effects of experiencing school failures the students include predominantly the inability to undertake an independent cognitive search in a situation when the exemplary right answer is not provided. Identifying – as constructivists have done – school failures as the failures of the school, the respondents locate the sources of this phenomenon in the dominance of the traditional model of objectivist school, and in particular – in multiple symptoms of the cult of average grade and thoughtless realisation of the curriculum by teachers. The text also show the effects of the possibility of educating teachers open to the complexity of Educational reality and ready for a theoretically deep insight into their own school experience.

“Bad Students” and the Configuration of School Failure through Their Social Representations

Social representations can influence, to a great extent, the way in which we relate to people in different situations. In the educational environment, these representations—in terms of their adaptation or not to the school’s academic and behavioural demands—can lead to the school failure of those considered as “bad students”. Following an assessment, interviews and discussion groups were conducted with various members of an educational institution in the south of Bogotá to describe the social representations that prevail in this community about students who were at possible risk of school failure and how these representations could determine whether or not the student does indeed fail. Discourse analysis results yielded categories such as the differential construction between a “good student” and a “bad student” as well as stigmatization and conflicts with the school hierarchy and also showed how, occasionally, student failure is considered a consequence of family or social and economic factors unrelated to the school itself and to pedagogy. In conclusion, it is evident that there is an urgent need to establish institutional mechanisms that promote and adopt inclusion in educational relationships and practices from the perspective of the needs and interests of the most vulnerable pupils.

School Administration Support Systems for Educational Technology Adoption and Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Kenya

Adoption of technology in instruction requires the unconditional support of school administration. Certain mandatory pillars of support services must be in the right place for educational technology adoption by teachers to take place. Studies seem to suggest that technology adoption in schools has been impeded by the lack of support by school administrations. Such bottlenecks include the inability to purchase and maintain the required technology infrastructure, a lack of teacher motivation, the failure of schools to be adaptable to technological trends, and the inability to provide technical services. The purpose of this study was to find out the school administration support systems that enable the adoption of educational technology in secondary schools in Kakamega County, Kenya. A descriptive survey guided the research. From a population of 3305, a sample of 461 teachers, 138 heads of departments, 77 principals, and 67 technicians was obtained using stratified sampling techniques. Data was collected using a questionnaire, observation schedule, and interviews and analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Simple linear regression was used to analyse quantitative data. The findings revealed that schools seem not to provide sufficient technological support systems to allow for the adoption of educational technology, thereby negatively influencing academic achievement. Nevertheless, technological support systems had a significant influence on students’ academic achievement (t = 2.040, p &lt; 0.05). Therefore, the study recommends that schools put in place a technological support system that effectively enables the adoption of educational technology.

Young People’s Stories of School Failure and Remedial Trajectories – Clues to Prevention of School Absenteeism and Early School Leaving

This article aims to increase knowledge of ways to counter school absenteeism and early school leaving. It analyses stories of youths who either attended or probably would be referred to a Swedish remedial program because of failure to complete compulsory education. Histories of school absenteeism were frequent in both groups. Most participating students reported that a holistic approach, individually adapted support, and a respectful socio-emotional environment helped them to regain self-esteem and school motivation. The findings indicate essential factors for prevention of school absenteeism and early school leaving.

Meritul în învățământ: opinii neconforme

In this article we start from the fact that both the positive acceptance and the controversies surrounding the meritocracy approach in education are equally important. The unification of mind and affectivity as the final goal of education comes in the same line with the new interpretations of school merit, the discussion of which sheds light on a series of positive, but also critical opinions, among which the following are also included: the relationship between merit and position in society, selection and incentive, elite and performance, talent aristocracy and knowledge elite; school failure as a social responsibility; competition; equality of opportunity and equality of outcome; the reappearance and intensification of meritocratic approaches in periods of socio-economic crisis, etc. We also provide some explanations for certain views and how they help to clarify the area in which scholastic merit becomes "meritorious".

Risk Factors Associated With Urban Gang Membership in Juveniles: A Systematic Review

The involvement of juveniles in urban gangs has increased in different territories. Consequently, government resources have been invested to dismantle and contain such gangs. The aim of this paper was to analyze studies that relate risk factors with the increasing integration of juveniles into urban gangs. Nine scientific articles were included, out of a total of 394 publications. Different risk factors significantly related with the integration of juveniles into urban gangs were identified: social disorganization, unsafety neighborhood, school failure, absenteeism, and failure to pass assessment standards, involvement of family members in criminal acts, depression, substance use, low self-esteem, rebelliousness and elevated feelings of leadership, social disadvantage, or lack of resources. The risk factors analyzed should be integrated into prevention programs.

Reliability-Based Selection of Retrofit Works for Schools under Seismic Hazard

A reliability-based procedure is proposed to assess and compare the economic effectiveness of three retrofit alternatives for actual schools located in three zones with different seismic hazards. The procedure calculates the school failure probability under the damaged conditions, by considering the damages produced by the 2017 earthquake in Mexico, and the failure probability under each retrofit alternative, from the seismic spectra corresponding to the seismic hazard of each site. The best retrofit alternative is the one with the minimum expected life-cycle cost for each school. The global failure probability is calculated according to the Ditlevsen’s bounds, and the limit states consist of the event in which the maximum moment exceeds the bending capacity for beams, and the combined axial and bending forces exceed the capacity of the columns; the maximum responses are obtained through nonlinear analyses. The proposed retrofit alternatives are column and beam jacketing with steel angles and plates, increment of the concrete cross sections of columns and beams, and the addition of bracing. The effectiveness of each alternative, in terms of failure probability reduction and expected life-cycle cost, was assessed for each school. The procedure may be used to update the current retrofit specifications for schools.