Final Year Of Primary Education Research Articles

Do TV‐aided model lessons in class improve student performance? Evidence from public primary schools in Papua New Guinea

AbstractLack of access to high‐quality education remains a serious concern in many developing countries. This is especially the case for rural areas, including islands suffering from a shortage of skilled teachers and sufficient educational equipment. We examine the impact of introducing TV‐aided model lessons in class to enhance the quality of teaching (the EQUITV project) on the national examination test scores of Mathematics and “Combined Subject” (a comprehensive subject comprising 30% science and 70% social studies and other topics) as well as English in the final year of primary education in Papua New Guinea. We employ a panel event study to capture the different timings of the intervention across schools over multiple time periods. We find that the project significantly and robustly improved test scores for girls only in English 3 years after the introduction of the project, but no improvement was seen for boys.

Language Mastery of Refugee Children in Malaysia Despite Adverse Circumstances

Refugee education is a challenge to the Malaysian government, with the ever rising influx of refugees into the country. Malaysia has policies in place whereby refugee children are not entitled or allowed an education in the government school system. They are encouraged to secure private education. The researcher was appointed as the external examiner for Year Six, the final year of Primary Education, whereby it was noted that a number of students had mastery of languages despite their adverse circumstances as refugee children. Eleven students from the refugee camp were randomly selected on the basis of anonymity. They were interviewed within a secure environment and this data was analysed along with the test answer scripts. The study seeks to explore plausible reasons for their language mastery despite adverse circumstances and offers insights for the findings to be applied within a local context where English is taught as a second language. Key words: refugee, education, mastery, languages

Classed patterns in the course and outcome of parent-teacher interactions regarding educational decision-making

ABSTRACT Educational transitions are crucial sites of social selection. Whereas social bias in teacher recommendations is well-established, less is known about teacher guidance in the process preceding the actual choice. Bridging the literature on social class and educational choice and home-school relations this study explores classed patterns in the course and outcome of parent-teacher interactions regarding educational decision-making (EDM) at the transition from primary to secondary education in Flanders (Belgium). We used a qualitative research design combining observational data from 104 parent-teacher conferences in two schools in the final year of primary education, with 26 in-depth interviews with parents reflecting on educational choice and teacher guidance. Using grounded theory, our results show that the importance of teacher guidance for parents’ decision-making is strongly dependent on their social and cultural resources on the one hand and the types of educational decisions they are facing on the other. Nevertheless, teachers remained largely blind to the social dynamics in the choice market. Our results depict how teacher guidance regarding EDM is little proactive and unstandardized. In this context parents’ cultural and symbolic capital came into play. When needed, middle-class parents proved to be entitled and effective in their exchanges with the primary school. Working-class and migrant parents more often showed constraint and therefore failed to extract the necessary information. Disagreement and fear for biased recommendations further complicated the interaction, alienating those most in need of assistance.

Study of the results in the acquisition of core competencies in schools that integrate primary education and music

The goal of this research was to carry out an exploratory study on how music education integrated into primary schooling (children from 6 to 12 years old) can help in acquiring the core competencies characteristic of this stage. The study was conducted by developing a validated instrument, pilot-tested for reliability, to assess the eight core competencies. Pupils in their final year of primary education in the two schools integrating primary education and music that exist in Catalonia were evaluated by comparing them with a control group from ordinary schools. The results of the research show that, although music pupils do not attend more than the minimum number of class contact hours legally established for all curriculum areas (except the arts), they obtained better results when performing a test on all the core competencies.

Visual Literacy in Primary Science: Exploring Anatomy Cross-Section Production Skills

Are children competent producing anatomy cross-sections? To answer this question, we carried out a case study research aimed at testing graphic production skills in anatomy of nutrition. The graphics produced by 118 children in the final year of primary education were analysed. The children had to draw a diagram of a human cross section, integrating knowledge of anatomy acquired from longitudinal sections. The results show that they have very limited skills in producing these graphics judging by the dimensions (scale, shape, organs represented and its organization inside the section) and their conception of human anatomy at thoracic level (location of the organs, elements in the spaces between them and connections between organs). The results also indicate that the only exposure to cross-sections in daily life is not enough by itself to draw them correctly, so this type of graphic production should be addressed from the earliest stages of education, since it contributes to the development of visual literacy, and this is a crucial skill when it comes to learning science concepts and developing scientific literacy.

Effects of school quality, school citizenship policy, and student body composition on the acquisition of citizenship competences in the final year of primary education

This study examines the effects of general educational quality of schools, school citizenship policy, and ethnic homogeneity of the student body on the acquisition of citizenship competences in the final year of primary education. The theoretical framework is based on developmental, psychological, and sociological studies into effects of social context on educational outcomes and research into effective schools. The effects of school quality, school policy, and student population were analysed using 2-level (students, school) multilevel models. The results show that differences in citizenship competences between students and schools are mainly explained by factors at student level. Although the school also appeared to play a role, the school variables used in the analysis did not offer sufficient explanation for these differences. In order to further investigate the relationship between school factors and students’ citizenship, more insight is needed into characteristics of citizenship practices of schools.

Language attitudes of Asturian students in the area of Navia-Eo (Spain)

This paper presents a synthesis of a pioneering study that approaches the sociolinguistic and educational reality of the area of Navia-Eo, a region in the western part of Asturias (Spain). This research aims to provide an insight into the language attitudes and the sociolinguistic awareness of students in the final year of primary education. Using a sample of 217 subjects, the paper examines the awareness of the use of the traditional language (Galician-Asturian) as well as the official national language (Spanish). Results indicate a substantial level of use of both languages, as well as particularly positive attitudes to language.

The Effects of Competition on the Quality of Primary Schools in the Netherlands

We investigate the impact of competition between primary schools on the quality of education in the Netherlands. Do schools facing more competition in their neighbourhood perform better than schools facing less competition? As a measure of school quality, we look at the performance of pupils at the nationwide standard test (the so-called ‘Cito test’) in the final year of primary education. Since competition is likely to be endogenous to the quality of schools, we use the distance between the school and the city centre as an instrument for the level of competition faced by a school. Using a large range of data on pupil, school, and market characteristics, we find that school competition has a positive significant effect on pupil achievement, although the effect is very small. An increase in competition by one standard deviation (comparable to five additional schools in the market) increases pupil achievement as measured by the Cito test by 5% to 10% of the mean standard deviation, which is less than one point (on the Cito test scale from 500 to 550 points).

Learning conceptions of young students in the final year of primary education

The purpose of this research was to describe young pupils' learning conceptions. In this study, a learning conception was defined as a cluster of interrelated beliefs about different aspects of learning. Firstly, 27 pupils, all in the final year of primary school, were interviewed to elicit learning-related issues as being relevant for six-graders. Secondly, a questionnaire, developed on the basis of the outcomes of the interviews, was used to determine the interrelatedness of pupils' beliefs about the selected aspects. The results showed the young pupils to have different beliefs about five aspects of learning: purpose of school; learning orientation; regulation; learning demands; and mental activities. In exploring group differences, three different learning conceptions could be distinguished: a restricted learning conception; a functional learning conception; and a developmental learning conception. The characteristics of these different learning conceptions may be indicative of how young pupils conceive learning-related aspects.

Parental Involvement in Education in and out of School

AbstractThis paper explores the ways in which parents—mothers and fathers—are involved in their children's education both in and out of school. It compares involvement of families with children in the final year of primary education (or its equivalent) in state and private schools, and amongst the state school parents compares families in terms of social class and mothers’ educational level. The findings indicate that mothers generally assume overriding responsibility for their children's education. Furthermore, mothers with higher levels of education are more likely to use workbooks and employ private tutors to support their children's education; attendance at parents’ evenings and informal discussions with teachers were also more likely to be shared with the child's father. It is suggested that mothers’ educational level is a better predictor of involvement than is social class and that, in the face of a diversification of family forms, mothers’ education may be more instructive in understanding educational involvement than social class based on employment groups.

The long‐term influence of a ‘calculator‐aware’ number curriculum on pupils’ mathematical attainments and attitudes in the primary phase

This study examines the long‐term influence of a widely discussed ‘calculator‐aware’ approach to number on the mathematical attainments and attitudes of pupils in the primary phase. It focuses on a cohort of pupils aged 10/11 who entered reception class during the 1989/90 school year and had progressed to year 6, the final year of primary education in England, in the 1995/96 year. Data were gathered in six neighbouring primary schools. Three schools had participated in a pioneering project to develop a ‘calculator‐aware’ number (CAN) curriculum, while the further three matched them on other characteristics. The influence of the introduction of the National Curriculum and national assessment on the approach to number experienced by pupils was explored through interviews with their teachers. These indicated that the approach in the former project schools had remained distinctive during the earlier stage of primary education, but that there had been an important convergence during the later stage. In the main part of the study, levels of overall mathematical attainment in national assessment at ages 7 and 11 were examined. At age 11, further evidence was gathered on achievement of number concepts and on attitudes to number work and calculation. In general, the findings indicate that the ‘calculator‐aware’ approach had no long‐term influence on outcomes. There are two qualifications to this conclusion. At age 7, the approach

Solving math problems: Where and why does the solution process go astray?

This article describes a model of adaptable learning which takes account of the interaction between affective and cognitive variables in learning situations. In addition, an instrument for measuring the relevant aspects of this model is introduced. We present some initial results of the application of this instrument in the domain of mathematics learning by students in the final year of primary education. Emphasis is placed on differences between boys and girls.

School Effectiveness and School Attendance

ABSTRACT Given that the British Government is proposing to require all schools to provide the Secretary of State with details of, amongst other things, their respective truancy rates, this article sets out to demonstrate that attendance figures, as well as examination results, should be modified before publication. It reports on a study involving 5,429 pupils in their final year of primary education attending 138 junior/primary schools in a single authority in Wales and utilises child, home and school data.

Parental or Pupil Choice — Who Really Decides in Urban Schools?

We know little about the characteristics of choice and selection in the process of pupil transfer from primary to secondary schools. This paper is based upon a small-scale piece of research undertaken by Alan Thomas and BillDennison of the University of Nerucastle which sought to throw some light on this topic. A questionnaire was administered to children in their final year of primary education in an inner-city school in Northern England and interviews held with a small random sample of parents and eight key teachers. The findings suggest that inter alia we should not underestimate the significance of the role which children play in the making of choices in this area.

The Influence of a ‘Transition Science’ Unit on Student Attitudes

Abstract A substantial body of literature exists which documents attempts to determine the factors which influence student attitudes to school and to specific subjects. Many of these factors are generally thought to contribute to the ‘problem of transition’, the time of transfer of pupil cohorts from the primary school system to the secondary school system. In Western Australia, the adoption of a new secondary curriculum framework gave educators the opportunity to introduce a series of transition units in certain subjects, which would provide students with a standardised common statewide structure during the final year of primary education and the first year of secondary education. In the present study, attitudes of students in their first year of secondary education at four metropolitan senior high schools were investigated. The student sample was divided into those students who had been exposed to this new curriculum initiative and those who had not. In mid‐1987, a cross sectional analysis of student at...