Greek Secondary School Research Articles

Subjective health literacy skills among Greek secondary school students: results from a national-wide survey

Abstract Health literacy is a significant element of education and is inextricably linked to children’s and adolescents’ growth and prosperity. It is critical to monitor students’ health literacy on a nationwide scale and identify the factors that influence it in order to create policies that advance it. The purpose of this study was to determine the health literacy level of Greek secondary school students and to correlate it with possible determinants such as personal and family characteristics, social support and personal and/or family illness experiences. A representative sample of 2749 seventh-, ninth-, and tenth-grade students was involved. Results showed that a higher motivation to learn about health topics and having positive social interactions and support were strongly associated with a higher level of health literacy. Gender, high academic achievement, absence of learning disabilities, gender, preference for biology and informatics and primary source of health information were also found to influence the skills’ level. In order to enhance health literacy, the Greek educational system should take measures to include health literacy skills development goals in their curricula.

Exploring Aggressive Behaviors in Greek Secondary Schools: Prevalence, Sociodemographic Factors, and Comparative Analysis with Elementary School Students.

The main objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of bullying in Greek secondary schools and detect the possible characteristics of bullies' profiles in Greek school settings. A structured questionnaire was given to one hundred ninety-two (n = 192) educators at Greek junior high schools in urban and rural areas. The educators were asked to report the frequencies and forms of aggressive behavior observed during the 2022-2023 school year, the bullies' sociodemographic characteristics, and ways of dealing with bullying episodes. The data are presented, after conducting statistical analyses, in comparison with data for elementary school students. The results revealed that higher rates of bullying were reported compared with elementary school children. Moreover, according to teachers' observations, aggressive behavior is independent of a pupil's diagnosis, but specific types are correlated significantly with a pupil's gender, nationality, low academic performance, and popularity. Factor analysis showed two main factors of aggression types, where common points and differences with elementary school students are mentioned. Implementations for the prevention of school bullying are discussed.

Studying the Effects of Choir Participation on Pupils of a Greek Secondary School

The present work aims to further clarify the positive effect of vocal music on individuals, i.e, to identify certain fields in which there is an obvious improvement on mental health and overall well-being, before and after having experienced choral singing. In particular, there is examined the gain of self-esteem, as well as its social aspect in adolescents, who participate in a choir. Thus, this research may contribute to the current knowledge of the degree to which the performing art of choral singing may enhance self-esteem, overall wellbeing and sociability. Making the connections between singing and wellbeing can effectively promote better mental health and inclusivity, as it will encourage pupils to evolve into their better selves. The outcome of the present research may also help the target-school, since an effective collaboration between school, family and community (through several planned choir performances) is an important factor in the development of adolescents.

Person-centred study on higher-order interactions between students' motivational beliefs and metacognitive self-regulation: Links with school language achievement.

Variable-centred studies assume that the links between motivation and metacognition with academic achievement are uniform across all students. However, this assumption may not hold and multiple interactions between motivational beliefs and metacognitive self-regulation may occur. To this end, the present study sought to explore these higher-order interactions and their links with school language achievement in a low-performance context. A large sample (N = 1046, 53.14% girls) of Greek secondary school students (M = 13.97, SD = .80) was drawn. Latent profile analyses were deployed to mimic higher-order interactions. Unexpectedly, the results indicated only three distinct well-defined profiles of students' motivated metacognitive self-regulation, namely exceptional motivation and metacognitive self-regulation (23.3%), adequate motivation and metacognitive self-regulation (48.2%), and minimal motivation and metacognitive self-regulation (28.5%). Incompatible profiles of motivation and metacognitive self-regulation did not emerge, contrary to previous findings suggesting negative higher-order interactions. The BCH method revealed large mean differences in school language achievement between the profiles, adjusting for covariates. Latent multinomial logistic regression indicated that gender and age predicted greater odds of membership to the minimal motivation and metacognitive self-regulation profile. Socio-economic status and spoken language at home predicted less chances of membership to the minimal profile only. Educational interventions are needed to target both motivational beliefs and metacognition to prevent underachievement.

Students’ perceptions of the natural world and their attitudes toward ecological issues: What is the relationship between them?

AbstractThis study examines the perceptions and attitudes of 234 Greek secondary school students regarding ecological issues arising from human intervention in food webs. The results of this study indicate that the following factors are crucial for students’ attitudes toward environmental protection: scientific knowledge, perceptions of the relationship between humans and nature and personal motivations. It was found that those students who understand the interconnectedness of populations in food webs are able to evaluate arguments on an ecological issue and have positive attitudes toward environmental protection. However, students who have limited knowledge in evaluating arguments make decisions to solve environmental problems based on their perception of human-nature relationships. Thus, it has been shown that students who adopt an ecocentric or biocentric view sometimes adopt a negative or neutral attitude toward environmental protection because their incomplete knowledge leads them to misjudge the ecological impact of the proposed solutions. This study confirms that the development of values is best accompanied by the development of basic ecological knowledge. It also recognizes the usefulness of food webs as a means of revealing students’ worldviews. Finally, the food web proves to be a specific indicator of the attitudes studied.

Impact on Educational Effectiveness Using Digital Gamification

This study's objective was to evaluate the educational value and motivational pull of computer games created with Greek secondary school curricula in mind for the study of computer memory principles. Comparing it to related applications, computer science (CS) encompasses goals and substance. similar learning, but without the gaming element. This study also looks into possible gender differences in learning efficiency and the appeal of play as a motivator. The sample consisted of 88 students who were separated into two groups at random: one group that used game applications (Group A, N = 47) and one group that did not use game applications (Group B, N = 41). Both the pretest and the posttest employed the Computer Memory Knowledge Test (CMKT). The intervention was also seen by students. Additionally, following the intervention, students' opinions of the applications they had used were solicited via a feedback form. Data analysis revealed that compared to the non-game approach, the game approach was more effective in improving students' understanding of computer memory concepts and more motivating. The learning outcomes that boys and girls achieve through game use are not significantly different, and games were found to be the same. This is true even though boys have more involvement with, a greater preference for, and experience with computer games. They also have a greater prior knowledge of computers. girls' and boys' inspiration The findings demonstrate that, regardless of the gender of the students, educational computer games may be used as an effective and inspiring learning environment in secondary school CS.
 

Greek secondary school teachers' degree of readiness in adopting mobile learning in the educational process

Much has been written and researched about mobile learning. The positive impact it has on education has been highlighted in these studies. However, the role of the teacher is also of fundamental importance. Teachers are not sidelined. On the contrary, they take on a different role: reinforcer and guide. Therefore, it is necessary to consider teachers' opinions on mobile learning. It was considered necessary to investigate the degree of readiness of secondary school teachers to adopt Mobile Learning, focusing on the Greek region. Specifically, the study examines how teachers' readiness is affected by their gender, years of teaching experience, whether or not they have attended relevant training, and the type of school they work in. A total of 175 teachers from schools in Heraklion, Rethymno and Rhodes were surveyed, focusing on secondary education. According to the survey, teachers recognize the potential benefits of using mobile devices in education.

Teachers’ barriers dealing with environmental education programs’ implementation in Greek secondary schools

This study highlights the barriers that secondary teachers in Greece face dealing with the implementation of Environmental Education programs throughout a period of more than 30 years in the Greek educational system. Participants were 20 secondary teachers, emanating from various disciplines. Seven were “senior” teachers, having implemented EE projects before its official institutionalization, in 1990, and 13 were “junior”, meaning that they implemented EE projects during the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). In-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were used to identify teachers’ views about the barriers they faced regarding changes or transformations in the realization of EE during the periods under focus. Collected data were subjected to grounded theory analysis and revealed that there were similarities and differences concerning the barriers encountered in the periods of study. Barriers are of structural, financial and economic nature as well as pedagogical and epistemological. These refer to the position of EE into the secondary schools and to the orientation of the school within the general educational system. Results indicate rather a restriction of EE into schools instead of expansion and flourishment following the international progress made, in theoretical and practical level, and the experience that have been gained worldwide after decades of practicing.

Educational reforms and secondary school's efficiency performance in Greece: a bootstrap DEA and multilevel approach

Advocates for education reforms frequently call for policies to increase school efficiency performance. The Greek educational system has undergone several reforms while the recent financial crisis alters significantly. Using a unique dataset this study attempts to shed light on 643 Greek secondary education schools’ efficiency performance, over the period 2000–2017, and to perform an investigation of the efficiency determinants in a multilevel framework. Results reveal that there is substantial room for improvements especially for specific Greek NUTS2 regions while the adopted reforms seem to have a very low effect. Our findings also denote a favourable effect for physics, science laboratories, and class size and a significant negative effect for the variable of student per class. In addition, at a second level the gross domestic product per capita of the NUTS2 region that each school belongs positively affects its efficiency performance.

Focus on creativity: Greek teenagers combine digital archiving and documentary making

In Greece, Educational Radiotelevision, a department of the Ministry of Education, combines digital archiving and digital documentary making within the framework of a national competition for Greek secondary and high schools about local history. This article analyses the factors lying behind the creativity of 27 16-year-old students who created a digital archive and a digital documentary for this competition. Data were collected in the form of the teacher/researcher’s observation journal, student-participants’ completed pre- and post-project questionnaires, and the drafts and final products of their digital creations. The exploratory case study conducted offers qualitative data, analysed with the use of inductive thematic analysis, and draws upon social semiotics to interpret these themes through the application of textual and multimodal analysis. Data show that student-participants’ creativity is incited by their motivation to have their work recognised, and it is boosted by their chance to express their cultural memory, to contribute to its formation for future generations, and also to express their student, teenage and local identities.

Experiencing ‘inclusion’: a critical and systemic analysis of young people’s voices in English and Greek mainstream secondary schools

ABSTRACT Despite a growing consensus within the inclusion literature on the power of student voice, the way it is currently positioned in educational processes and systems remains problematic. This article argues that attention to student voice within a systemic analysis can deepen our understanding of young people’s experience of educational systems. It draws on data from a field research study which explored in-depth the inclusive experiences of 12 students in 2 English and 2 Greek secondary schools. Using Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory and a critical framework for reflecting on student voice as analytical tools, it examines the interplay between individuals’ accounts of their experience on the one hand, and their characteristics, interactions and environmental systems on the other. It discusses the way these factors shape students’ experiences of a system which is explicitly aiming towards inclusion, by highlighting issues of power and identity as well as contradictions between student and staff perspectives. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that reflecting systematically and critically on student voice provides opportunities for a deeper understanding of the experiences of students in diverse settings.

Can kids save lives program improve knowledge, skills and attitude of greek students. Preliminary results from three years of implementation

Abstract Background Out of hospital cardiac arrest remains a big issue worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. Many lives could have been saved if more people had been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The World Health Organization endorsed the “Kids Save Lives” project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality, while countries, where children were taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in schools, have higher rates of bystander CPR and higher survival rates. Purpose To evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, willingness to perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and active skills of Greek secondary school students on the subject of Basic life Support before and after a “Kids Save Lives” program. Moreover to evaluate the potential benefits of training for 3 consecutive years Material and method Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017–2018, 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly's region. A total of 5823 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated on the “Kids save Lives” program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. The program was under the approval of Greek Ministry of Education. 709 students followed the program for two consecutive years and 202 for three consecutive years. A 12-question questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the “kid saves lives” program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced Basic Life Support Instructors. Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding CPR, with the percentage of correct answers being 48,65%, 63,88%, 75,70% before the first, second and third years respectively (p<0.001). After the course the percentages of correct answers went up to 83,26%, 87,95% and 92,67% after the first, second and third years of the course respectively (p<0.001). The participants willingness to perform bystander CPR significantly increased after the completion of the first year of course (93,8% before to 97,4% after, p<0.001) and remains highly for the next 2 years. Almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% performed chin lift maneuver and recognized cardiac arrest. More than 90% of the students performed chest compressions with the correct rate and placing their hands on the center of the chest (90,1% and 93.4%, respectively), whereas only 76.4% of the participants achieved the desired compression depth of 5 to 6 cm. One year later there was improvement to their skills and especially to the desired depth of chest compression (87,6%, p<0,001) Conclusions The overall results strongly depict the benefits of “Kids Save Lives” program by improving the theoretical knowledge, the practical skills and the attitude of Greek students towards CPR and indicate the need for its implementation for 3 consecutive years for every student. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Investigating the Implementation of Universal Design for Learning in Greek Secondary and Second Chance Schools through Teachers' Reflections Dayle Learning

<p style="text-align:justify">In the last decades, the notion of universal design for learning (UDL) has gained prominence in the Greek educational scene (former government plan in education, projects based on UDL). This educational philosophy is essentially a necessary inclusive practice given the new conditions, the extreme heterogeneity of the student population due to socio-political and economic factors, and the exceptional circumstances due to COVID-19 pandemic. The UDL aims to ensure access and equity in learning for all learners despite differentiating characteristics. With our study, we seek to investigate whether teachers in secondary and second chance schools (SCS) are ready to implement UDL, what their expectations are, what obstacles they face, and the results of implementation through their records in reflection journals, a practice that is fully consistent with the context of UDL.</p>

Mental Health Problems and Bullying Victimization Among Sexual Minority Adolescents in Greek Secondary Schools

This study provides the first empirical account of mental health issues among sexual minority adolescents in Greece and the effects on mental health of both bullying and victimization in relation to adolescents’ sexual orientation. A sample of 757 adolescents (M age = 15.98, SD = 0.84) completed self-reported scales measuring school bullying victimization experiences, levels of depression, feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, feeling of belonging in school, self-esteem, and sense of wellbeing. Statistically significant differences were observed between heterosexuals and gay adolescents in depression, loneliness, bullying behavior and school belongingness. Gay adolescents are more likely to present higher levels of depression. Furthermore, sexual orientation was also found to be significant moderator of the effect of bullying victimization on loneliness. Bullying was associated with low sense of school belonging and victimization with depressive symptomatology, loneliness and low sense of school belonging and self-esteem. Students’ self-esteem and school belongingness were found to have a protective role against loneliness, depression and hopelessness. The findings of the current study provide valuable information to school psychologists, teachers, policy makers, and other professionals whose goals are to enhance adolescent functioning and adaptation. It is suggested that intervention strategies designed to promote resilience should incorporate sexual orientation issues.

Nature of Science in Greek Secondary School Biology Textbooks

The nature of science describes what science is, how it works, and its interactions with society under the perspectives of philosophy, history, sociology, and psychology of science. Understanding it is an essential aspect of scientific literacy. Given the critical role that school textbooks hold, considering what is taught and how it is taught in schools, we find the presence of the nature of science in school science textbooks to be significant. In this research paper, all Greek biology textbooks of lower secondary education are analysed to evaluate whether principal elements of the nature of science can be found in them. The whole array of educational resources available (textbooks, workbooks, lab guides, teachers’ books) was analysed as well as the corresponding official biology curricula. Content analysis was the method of choice, and the ‘meaning unit’ was the unit of analysis. We found that most of the nature of science references in the material that students were taught in 2021/22 was implicit and not especially designed by the curriculum. Some nature of science aspects were more commonly found (e.g., evidence is vital in science) than others (e.g., science has limits). The most opportunities for the nature of science to be introduced were found in history of science vignettes, laboratory activities, and some optional inquiry activities. However, without a structured design from the curriculum, it is the teachers’ responsibility to design and facilitate nature of science instruction (or not). We conclude that lacking explicit references, the nature of science falls into the hidden curriculum and becomes falsely depicted, enforcing a positivist image of science.

Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusive Education at Greek Secondary Education Schools

Advocates of inclusive education believe in the right of all learners to education and the many benefits it delivers. Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward inclusive education are instantly reflected in their classroom activities and practices. This research will concentrate on special and general education teachers in Greek secondary schools. It will investigate their attitudes toward inclusive education and how these attitudes alter as a consequence of variables such as age, gender, teaching experience, and inclusive education training. Quantitative, main, and correlational research was obtained between groups using a non-experimental technique. The sample was taken from 307 educators, who were almost equally divided between general and special education. The SACIE-R questionnaire was used to assess teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. The outcomes of the research demonstrated that attitudes toward inclusive education were impacted by the kind of special education received, as well as age and general education teaching experience. Furthermore, positive attitudes were impacted by gender, but negative sentiments and concerns were influenced by general education and special education teaching experience. Finally, the study revealed low levels of negative sentiments, medium levels of concerns, and high levels of favourable attitudes toward inclusive education.

Piloting a combined model of socio-emotional learning and peer support against bullying in Greek primary and secondary schools: the ENABLE program

The ENABLE program is a European intervention designed to increase student emotional resilience and management of social relationships. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of social and emotional learning (SEL) and a combination of SEL with peer support (SEL+peer support) in a sample of 508 Greek early adolescents, between the ages of 11 to 14 by means of anonymous self-report questionnaires. Assessments were conducted prior to and after the 3-month piloting of the intervention, and indicated that overall students had high baseline social and emotional skills, as well as prosocial attitudes regarding bullying. The intervention improved problem-solving skills, and increased school satisfaction, as well as self-control and emotional awareness. After the intervention, students were more likely to report that they would seek help or report situations of bullying. Overall, this was the first study combining SEL with peer support in Greek primary and secondary schools, with promising results for the combined effectiveness of the programs.

The Self-Efficacy of Special and General Education Teachers in Implementing Inclusive Education in Greek Secondary Education

Teachers’ self-efficacy is important as it affects their views on their ability to teach. In special education, self-efficacy is particularly critical because it helps teachers understand and assist students with special educational needs (SEND). The main objective of the current study was to examine special and general education teachers’ self-efficacy for inclusive practices at Greek secondary education schools and how teachers’ age, gender, teaching experience, and training affect their self-efficacy for inclusive practices. The current research is primary, quantitative, correlational, between and within groups, and has a non-experimental design. A sample was conducted by 265 general and special education teachers. The Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale was used to measure teachers’ perceived self-efficacy to implement inclusive classroom practices. Results indicated that teachers of special education presented higher efficacy in using inclusive instructions, collaborating, and dealing with disruptive behaviors. The training was considered a significant factor that affected attitudes of self-efficacy towards inclusive practices. Demographic characteristics, such as age and gender, do not seem to be significant factors in the formation of self-efficacy towards inclusive practices, while the effect of teaching experience in special education was statistically significant on all components of the self-efficacy scale.

The Socio-Pedagogical Dynamics of Religious Knowledge in Religious Education: A Participatory Action-Research in Greek Secondary Schools on Understanding Diversity

The study examines which type of religious knowledge acquired in Religious Education in Greek Secondary schools can initiate both personal and collective change in understanding and appreciation of different cultures. It is blended research using participatory action-research with ethnographic elements methodology. The research gathered qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires, focus groups, journals, and the technique of the “Most Significant Change” from four resources/target groups (students, teachers, parents, researcher). It took place during the 2017–2018 school year in a High and an Upper Schools in which the researcher participated in the school communities as a teacher. Statistical analysis (SPSS), content analysis and thematic analysis of the data show that religious knowledge, developed in Education with the aim of religious literacy, as defined in the context of Greek/European context, can operate on a personal and collective level, in cultivation of respect and underacting of cultural diversity. This is achieved when the religious knowledge is understood as experience and is meaningful when applied to the concepts of understanding, reflection and action. The overall finding is that transformative dynamics of religious knowledge facilitate both minor and major changes in the mindset of young people. Concluding, in Religious Education without sacrificing the religious content of the subject, a high degree of cultural recognition and acceptance of religious diversity can be achieved, and to a certain extent enable a change in attitude towards immigrants and refugees, in other words the ‘other’ as well as in communication and acquaintance between team members, recognition of and a greater degree of acceptance of otherness, and the development of relationships which were non-existent before.

Students as informal leaders in deliberate acts of inclusion

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the importance of highlighting students’ role as informal leaders and their efforts to take on active roles in decision-making processes. Students’ involvement in such roles entails an imperative process for the development of school inclusion. Contemporary literature has repeatedly focused on the multiple roles student voices play in, and the ways they impact on, the processes of school change and improvement. However, the ways in which students themselves interpret their roles as informal leaders, through the initiatives they take on, have not been explored, especially in environments characterised by cultural pluralism. Our research examines the ways in which thirty-six students from four Greek secondary schools with a highly-diverse cultural profile undertake deliberate acts to develop into equal co-producers of a new pedagogical decision-making agenda reinforcing inclusion. The results of our research bear multiple implications for both the levels of educational policy and school practices.