Formal School Settings Research Articles

An examination of educators’ approaches and strategies when facilitating field study science observations

The untapped potential of field study science is not being fully recognized or explored within the United States despite the recorded benefits of outdoor learning within K-12 settings. This research study contributes to the broader understanding of the affordances of field study science as an essential component of science education by investigating the approaches teachers adopt when facilitating scientific observations in an outdoor setting as well as specific strategies that support implementation. Engaging in qualitative content analysis allowed us to consider the descriptive concepts represented within K-12 teachers’ narratives as we determined patterns within the transcript documents. Seven themes were developed from the analysis of participants’ interviews, highlighting teachers’ approaches and specific strategies for supporting students as they participated in field study science observations. Understanding these effective practices can shed light on both the theoretical and practical ways that teachers can implement outdoor science observations within a formal school setting.

Cultural Ramifications on the Educability of Pregnant and Parenting Learners at Four South African High Schools

The study investigated how the socio-cultural and traditional practices of school-based education duty-bearers influenced the educational access and participation of pregnant and parenting learners (PPLs) who chose to continue with schooling after falling pregnant. Using a qualitative case study research design, four high schools with high rates of girl pregnancy from one South African education district were purposively selected. The participants included 8 school governing body (SGB), 8 school management team (SMT), 8 pregnant-monitoring teachers (PMT), 8 class teachers, 8 PPLs and 8 mainstream learners who schooled with PPLs. Data were collected through individual interviews for PPLs for their confidentiality, and focus group interviews for all the other participants. Study results indicated that due to cultural, traditional perceptions and practices, the South African national education policy measures on the prevention and management of learner pregnancy which allows schoolgirls to return to school after giving birth was loosely observed and implemented at the schools. The reasons for these are; a) Negative attitudes of teachers and mainstream to PPLs; b) Domestication of motherhood and childrearing by community; c) Mythological discernment of PPLs by mainstream learners; d) Character contamination; and e) Femininity as a negative label on PPLs in a formal school setting. Thus, from the findings, it is recommended that school-based duty bearers be trained on democratic education policy frameworks and their implementation strategies, to benefit the vulnerable children such as PPLs, among others.

Integrating Making with Authentic Science Classes: An Approach and Evidence

Although research has touted the value of making in educational settings, scant work has been done in formal school contexts utilizing quantitative methods. This could be attributed to the various challenges in integrating making in school settings. To fill in the gap, this study presents an approach to integrate making into science classes at the 3rd to 5th grade levels in a U.S. public school for four consecutive years (2015–2019). We examined the effect of the program on students’ self-beliefs (self-efficacy, motivation, and self-concept) using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design. We also examined the effect of making on students’ knowledge and skills using state testing data. Results suggest that when averaged across post school year surveys, students in maker classes (vs. control) reported higher self-efficacy beliefs in science and making as well as more interests in STEM-related careers. Moreover, over two school years, we observed that students in the control group experienced declines on some of our variables while our maker students did not. Data thereby speaks to the potential value and promise of integrating making into formal school settings. Practical implications are discussed.

A Study on the Transmission Mode of “The Five Major Tunes of Lunan” in Schools from the Perspective of Ethnomusicology

This study examines the transmission mode of the "The Five Major Tunes of Lunan" in schools from the perspective of ethnomusicology. Using the "Twelve Continuum Transmission Framework" (TCTF) proposed by Huib Schippers in 2010 as the research framework, the researcher conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with nine interviewees, including inheritors of the "The Five Major Tunes of Lunan," music teachers of Tancheng County's First Experimental Primary School, teachers from Shandong University of the Arts and School of Music of Linyi University. The interview content mainly involves 11 questions in three fields: issues of context, modes of transmission, and dimensions of interaction. The results show significant differences in the modes of "The Five Major Tunes of Lunan" in school education and folk natural transmission. What worries the researcher is that when traditional music that is naturally inherited in folk is taught in a formal school setting, the risk of unsuccessful transmission will increase. Finally, based on the viewpoint of ethnomusicology that focuses on cultural context, the researcher puts forward suggestions for improving the teaching strategies when "The Five Major Tunes of Lunan" is transmitted in schools.

Universal Design for Learning across Formal School Structures in Europe—A Systematic Review

Over the past two decades, there has been a global movement towards creating more inclusive education systems and learning environments, which involves adopting transformative pedagogies, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). However, empirical research on UDL conducted across Europe has primarily focused on the higher education context, resulting in limited knowledge or publications on formal school settings. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to highlight empirical studies conducted across Europe that specifically focus on UDL in the formal school years. The study employed a systematic literature review, conducting an extensive search across three databases (Libsearch, Ebsco and Scopus). Empirical studies were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the results were analyzed using descriptive narrative synthesis. The results revealed that the included articles mainly explored students’ and/or teachers’ perceptions of various phenomena related to the learning process, predominantly employing a qualitative approach. The findings suggest a need for further research in this area, with a particular emphasis on explicit learning outcomes. Moreover, there appears to be a lack of research on UDL implementation in preschool and early years education.

Podcast Listening and Informal Learning

Listening to podcasts is a popular way adults learn outside of formal school settings. Examining podcast listening through the lens of informal learning is an important and underexplored area of inquiry. This is especially important considering the growth of the adult population in the United States and the new opportunities for learning and recreation. In this research, we interviewed 31 adult podcast listeners from across the United States about their experiences listening to and learning from podcasts. We open coded and refined the analysis to three themes. There was a strong connection between listening, learning, and personal growth among the participants. The participants experienced meaningful changes in their perspectives and behaviors from what they learned in podcasts. Finally, the unique features of the medium of podcasting such as its convenience and ease of production were integral to this learning.

Reimagining the Mathematics Curriculum Through a Cross-Curricular and Maker Education Lens

Despite the positive impact of maker education on student learning, challenges towards its implementation in formal school settings still exist. There is limited research on maker education in teacher education programs and a lack of knowledge on how to integrate it into the mathematics classroom. To address these issues, the following research questions were examined: What is the nature of the productive design features of maker education for teacher candidates? What are the benefits and challenges of these opportunities for teacher candidates learning to teach mathematics? The methods used were a case study interlinked with design-based research. A total of 114 teacher candidates participated in the study. The research findings have implications for educators who design/implement maker education curricula into STEM courses. For educators and researchers, the maker education opportunities from this study contribute to further re-imagining learning competencies, pedagogy, and resources in teaching mathematics and other STEM disciplines.

Playing, tinkering, and problem solving: Understanding early computational thinking in libraries and museums

Computational thinking (CT) has emerged as an important method in the United States for helping children learn to solve complex problems and develop skills necessary for coding and other computer science-related endeavors. Research has revealed that CT can be encouraged with children as young as 3–4 years of age. While some preschools and schools are incorporating CT into their curriculum for young children, ages 0–8 years, it is important to understand how environments outside of schools are using CT with young children, particularly given that, in the United States, a large percent of young children, ages 0–5 years, are not in formal school settings. This study provides insight into this area through 20 interviews with educators in libraries and museums to understand how they incorporate CT into their work with young children, ages 0–8 years, and their families. The interviews reveal that library and museum educators are using a variety of developmentally-appropriate approaches, such as play, experimentation, and narrative, to design and offer a diverse array of engaging, hands-on CT activities that allow young children to practice CT in child-centered, meaningful ways.

Teachers’ agency in the implementation of an early childhood education policy program in schools in Bogotá, Colombia

The childhood national policy in Colombia recognizes the importance of quality in early childhood education (ECE). In this context, the government of the district of Bogota (2012–2016) proposed the program “Quality preschool in the Public Educational System” to expand the coverage of early education and provide comprehensive care to children aged 3–5 years within the public educational system. This article explores the ways in which the policy program is implemented in schools. Employing an ethnographic approach, this study focuses on the experiences of teachers from five schools that have faced the challenges of integrating the two new grades of early childhood education in formal school settings. By analyzing the educational strategies designed and implemented by teachers in their daily routines and the meaning they assign to these strategies, this study provides evidence that teachers do not simply reproduce the institutionalized discourses; instead, teachers negotiate, resist, adapt, and recreate experiences in relation to school times, spaces, activities, and materials by developing strategies more responsive to children’s needs. The concept of agency is central to understand how teachers end up generating practices that lead to new forms of individual and social transformation.

A Qualitative Exploration of Undergraduate Student Perspectives of Sexual Consent Within a Sexual Script Framework

There appear to be widespread misunderstandings and disagreement regarding the definition and execution of sexual consent among postsecondary students. Without a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual consent, navigating consent-related situations can be challenging for individuals. Sexual script theory may explain gaps in consent knowledge by highlighting the social normative references, or sexual scripts, individuals may rely on when knowledge of consent is insufficient or challenging to apply. The goal of the current study was to qualitatively explore Canadian undergraduate students’ perceptions and experiences of sexual consent within the framework of sexual script theory. Using focus groups, N = 56 undergraduates discussed perceptions of sexual consent, under what circumstances they perceive it to be required, potential “grey areas” of sexual consent and how they are navigated, and how gender may intersect with sexual consent. Transcripts were analyzed within a framework of sexual script theory using inductive coding and thematic analysis. Although participants understood Canadian legally codified scripts well, they seemed to rely on socio-cultural and gendered sexual consent scripts when legal scripts were insufficient or challenging to apply, particularly in ambiguous consent scenarios. The findings suggest that beyond providing educational opportunities and interventions within formal school settings that encompass a wider range of sexual consent scenarios, there is a need to address socio-cultural norms/sexual scripts regarding consent within the broader population.

Habit and Doubt in the Classroom: Everyday Media Literacy in a Norwegian Upper Secondary School

Abstract Even though several students are experienced producers of audiovisual texts in their everyday lives, there is no quick fix to transfer these media production skills to the formal school setting. This article is based on a classroom study from a science class in a Norwegian upper secondary school. Instead of what they have become accustomed to in the subject – making written or oral reports – they were asked to create video reports using smartphone applications they have learned to use in everyday life. The article argues that the students meet such a task with doubt and they do not necessarily draw upon their vernacular skills in the formal school setting were the tradition of the linguistic text is well rooted. The habit of producing verbal texts in school is challenging to break and video production is experienced as difficult and time consuming. However, this article argues that there is much to be gained if teaching supports students to ‘break habits’. While this opens for students’ doubts and hesitations, breaking habits also can inspire inquiry, creativity and new learning.

The Library as a Public Space for Children

Many US-based public libraries experience an influx of semi or unsupervised children and teens in their spaces afterschool. Though some public libraries have adopted after school homework centers and invested in other library-staff led programming, little is known about how school-aged children are collaborating together to shape shared public spaces under looser adult supervision and direction, using their various social and cultural identities to define the space they are in. This proposed study utilizes Placemaking theory and will be bounded by one recurring, unstructured, drop-in afterschool public library program for children. Insights from this study could potentially point to how, if at all, children are creating community, learning from each other, and engaging with the world in loosely supervised public spaces away from family and school, potentially informing better design of the library as a public space for children. Findings could also illuminate ways for informal learning practitioners to create more meaningful connections with children in afterschool spaces, support positive peer culture formation, and facilitate opportunities in a way that supports children’s autonomy free of the more neoliberal constraints of a formal school setting. This works-in-progress poster is specifically soliciting feedback regarding issues of consent and assent for research with latchkey children in public library spaces.

Towards Epistemic Justice: Constructing Knowers in Multilingual Classrooms

AbstractIn this study of a postcolonial school, we expand understandings of epistemic justice from the perspective of language, addressing issues of know-ledge, understanding, and participation in communicative practices. We suggest that monoglossic language-in-education policies constitute a form of epistemic injustice by diminishing learners’ ability to make epistemic contributions, a capacity central to human value. We further suggest that translanguaging in formal school settings generally promotes epistemic access rather than epistemic justice, leaving value hierarchies and relations of knowing unchanged. Conversely, this study presents linguistic ethnographic data from a three-year project where learners could choose their language of learning to Grade 6 and use all languages in subject classrooms. We analyse how a Grade 6 learner used laminated, multilingual stances to construct others as knowers, negotiate epistemic authority, and promote solidarity. We argue that she thereby constructed new decolonial relations of knowing and being. Moreover, the shift from monolingual to multilingual episteme, which substantially improved performance overall, enabled new social, epistemic, and moral orders to emerge from below, laying the basis for greater epistemic justice.

Early Childhood Education as an Instrument for Good Governance in Nigeria

This paper examined Early Childhood education as an instrument for good governance in Nigeria. Good governance, is a situation whereby those in power decides what is to be implemented or not without making the governed feel marginalized. Good governance requires certain characteristics before one can say it is good. Characteristics like accountability, vividness, responsive participatory attributes, effectiveness and efficiency in duties, follow up of all the due process of the law are needed. In Nigeria, Early Childhood education is an education given to children in a formal school setting. It starts from 0-8 years, which means that the child starts from crèche through primary three to acquire this education. At this stage, children are taught social norms and social skills like friendship, volunteering, sympathy, kindness, empathy, truthfulness and accountability. It has been observed that most developing nations are experiencing the problem of under-development economically, socially, politically and morally to mention but a few. This problem could be traced to negligence, non-challant attitude as well as unawareness of what good early childhood education entails on the part of parents and teachers. Since good governance is directly related to social and moral habits, good governance cannot be achieved if people being governed are socially and morally undeveloped, which may be due to the fact that they do not have good social skills due to lack of training at the early childhood stage of education. Therefore, the good governance characteristics for the future leaders should be imbibed in early childhood education. Hence, there is need for the government to encourage parents to enroll their children in early childhood education.

A new age technique: In the ecosystem of mixed media in jewelry design

Over the course of its long and complicated history, the meaning of “craft” has changed many times, depending on intersecting social and cultural factors. Craft has been used into art instruction in a variety of ways. Surprisingly, interest in craft has developed only outside of a formal school setting. Wearable art is equivalent to haute couture in terms of fashion. Both haute couture and wearable art are one-of-a-kind items that can be manufactured for a specific consumer. This research is based on the study of a new material called ‘Polymer Clay’. It is a soft material which has multiple uses and can be used in many ways to create beautiful artworks. Polymer clay is made of plasticizers which once heated converts to a solid shape.

‘What do YOU think?’: Children's questions, teacher's responses and children's follow-up across diverse preschool settings

Studies have shown differences in how parents respond to children's questions across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Differences in these interaction patterns have the potential to set the stage for a mismatch between children's approach to asking questions and behaviors privileged in formal school settings. In the current study, we explored question, response follow-up language interactions in socioeconomically diverse preschools. We compared interaction patterns across 20 preschool classrooms (10 low-SES; 10 mid-SES). Results indicated that children across both settings asked a similar proportion of information seeking questions. There were no differences in the number of explanatory responses children received, however, teachers from low-SES classrooms were significantly less likely to turn the question back than teachers serving children from mid-SES background — resulting in differences in children's follow-up. Children from low-SES classrooms were more likely to repeat their original question than any other type of follow up; whereas children from mid-SES classrooms were more likely to generate their own explanation. These findings have important implications for understanding how children across diverse preschool settings navigate the types of interactions they will likely be expected to engage in and learn from during formal schooling.

Camp Bioscience: Developing a Biology Summer Camp for Upper Elementary Students

Informal outreach programs can provide authentic science experiences for elementary school students, who may not have these experiences in formal school settings. Research indicates that students lose interest in science in middle school, so it’s important to reach them early. To address this need, we designed a summer camp focused on exposing children in 5th grade to current research projects being conducted by STEM faculty and graduate students at the university, to increase their understanding of science practices, and interest in STEM. This paper describes the outreach model focused on authentic science research projects and direct exposure to scientists and their work. We investigated the influence of participating in the camp on students’ understanding of the nature of science, and their interest in science. Data collection included pre-and post-student surveys, observation data, and artifacts. Students reported gains in understanding of authentic science practices on the surveys (p = 0.0055), while observation data exhibited a progression of learning throughout the week. Additional data were collected to monitor student engagement with the activities to improve future iterations of the camp as a summer program.

Resilience of Pregnant and Parenting Learners to Pursue Educational Aspirations Within a Stigmatising School Setting in Rural South Africa

This study was premised on the increased demand for enrolment of pregnant and parenting learners (PPLs) at ordinary or conventional schools in South Africa due to the democratisation of access to education after the 1994 democratic dispensation. The study investigated how pregnant and parenting schoolgirls were resilient to continue with their educational aspirations at formal schools despite the social challenges that they faced in the school, family and community environments. A qualitative case study design was employed, and for confidentiality of the study participants, a face to face key-participant individual interview was the main data gathering instrument. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select a total of 8 PPLs, 4 learners from each of the two schools who were either pregnant or had given birth at the time of data gathering to express their coping strategies within a formal school setting. Study results revealed that setting new goals after pregnancy, desire to achieve self-efficacy, strategies against hate language and support from their significant others were key contributors to the resilience for the continued pursuit of the PPLs’ educational aspirations. The main recommendation from the study is for school management teams to help build a safe, child friendly and inclusive social environment among the school-based education duty bearers. 
 
 Received: 4 March 2021 / Accepted: 6 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

Boundary Crossing Creativity in the Design of Digital Resources for Teaching and Learning about Climate Change

Abstract We approach creativity in educational design with teachers working together in interdisciplinary communities of practice to develop resources for teaching and learning about climate change in formal school settings. We address climate change as a socio-scientific ‘wicked problem’ and discuss the notion of creativity in educational design in a context of transformative intervention in education leading away from silo academic domain paradigms. We perceived the resources as boundary objects during the process of communication and joint design by the diverse community members. Our interest focused on studying the boundary crossing processes which facilitated creative ideas to come out, selected and transcribed into the actual resources designed. Critical episode analysis showed that boundary crossing mechanisms were employed in the interactions among the educational designers aided by and in interaction with digital media supporting collaboration. These socio-technical interactions functioned as an empowered professional learning and working milieu, within which creative processes and outcomes were nurtured. In particular, educational designers, along with trying to frame climate change as a wicked problem, attempted to address the challenging issue of designing a creative educational resource on this topic. Our research suggests that boundary crossing creativity in interdisciplinary teams of educational designers can be an answer to not only how to focus learning on addressing the grand wicked problems of our times, but also how to deal with the multiple challenges arising from educational design per se.

“You could like science and not be a science person”: Black girls' negotiation of space and identity in science

AbstractBuilding on previous research that has described the underrepresentation of women of color in science fields, this paper presents case studies of Black middle school girls to examine how their science identities developed over space and time. Data were collected over the course of their seventh‐grade year in both in school (science classroom) and out‐of‐school (afterschool club) contexts. The Multidimensionality of Black Girls' STEM Learning framework was used to explore the role of the afterschool club as a counterspace and how students made sense of science, science people, and their current and future selves based on their experiences in school and after school science contexts. All three participants struggled to see their future selves as scientists and made distinctions amongst being a science person, a person who likes science, or a scientist. They also negotiated views of science as active and hands‐on in the afterschool setting while experiencing more passive and decontextualized forms of science in the formal school setting. Implications include a need to disrupt the culture of science and reimagine formal science education by learning from out‐of‐school time science programs that function as counterspaces to support Black girls' science identity. We conclude that there remains a need to draw attention to and understand the role of race and racism in science education so that Black girls' science identities are affirmed beyond counterspaces.