School Life Research Articles

Adolescent autistic girls navigating their diagnosis in Swedish secondary school

IntroductionAdolescent autistic girls in mainstream schools experience more loneliness and exclusion than their peers. Swedish schools have a long tradition of working towards inclusion but, despite this commitment, these girls are at higher risk of absenteeism and failing to achieve educational objectives. Bearing this in mind, it is important to understand how autistic girls navigate their everyday school life from a first-hand perspective and develop a broader understanding of what shapes their opportunities for and barriers to participation.MethodsThis qualitative study draws on multiple semi-structured interviews with 11 autistic girls, aged 13–15, exploring how they navigate having an autism diagnosis within a Swedish secondary school context.ResultsWhile on a personal level the diagnosis itself was mostly perceived as positive, the girls expressed ambivalence about making sense of it in the school context. The girls expressed awareness of the perceptions and understanding of autism in their school setting, and their consequences in terms of both support and exclusion and stigmatisation. The sense of being perceived by others as different, accompanied by a desire to belong and an awareness of stigma, seemed to have a strong impact on how they navigated everyday school life. This created field of tension between the social context of school, its values and norms, and the girls’ personal experiences and views about autism.DiscussionThe girls’ accounts illustrate the complex reality of their school lives post diagnosis. Valuable implications for practice include the need to work towards a discourse in schools in which differences are seen as natural, and guidance post diagnosis to build the girls’ awareness and understanding and enable them to develop strategies for successfully navigating school.

Influence of self-reported physical exercise on musculoskeletal pain among Chinese medical students.

From January to April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected eastern China, leading medical students to adopt home protection measures that significantly altered their physical activity and lifestyle habits. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) among medical students during home protection and to analyze the influence of demographic factors, physical exercise habits during normal school life, home protection data on MSP. This research provides a foundation for developing interventions to reduce MSP among medical students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Nanjing Medical University in Jiangsu Province from January to April 2020, utilizing the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) to measure MSP. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors influencing MSP. A total of 859 students participated, with a 40.2% prevalence of MSP during home protection. Multivariate analysis showed that female sex (OR: 1.648; 95% CI: 1.157-2.347), irregular physical exercise during school (OR: 1.648; 95% CI: 1.157-2.347), and less than or equal to six hours of sleep per day during home protection (OR: 1.474; 95% CI: 1.020-2.131) were significant risk factors. The high prevalence of MSP underscores the need for interventions that focus on gender-specific risks, promote regular physical exercise, and ensure adequate sleep.

THE SOCIOGENESIS OF RACISM AND ETHNIC-RACIAL RELATIONS IN SCHOOL: A CRITICAL VIEW

This study addresses the sociogenesis of racism in Brazil, examining its manifestation in the school environment and the challenges of developing pedagogical practices capable of mitigating this exclusionary culture and its violence. Based on a current, historical, and theoretical contextualization, the study seeks to investigate how racism manifests itself in education and what its consequences are in everyday school life, analyzing how prejudice, discrimination, and the devaluation of black and indigenous cultures and subjectivities impact students' learning processes. It is concluded that racism is prominent in Brazilian society and its consequences affect education, with impacts on school dropout rates, student performance, and social inclusion.

Study on Moral Education Value and Realization Path of Chinese Traditional Life View

Chinese traditional life view is ancient Chinese people to the value of life and human survival and development and other issues held a basic point of view, in essence, it is the Chinese traditional culture the most basic, core concept of life. Digging and elucidating the moral education value contained in the Chinese traditional life concept, through giving full play to the role of self-life concept education, improving the care of family life concept education, optimizing the form of school life concept education and strengthening the guarantee of social life concept education from multiple dimensions, to provide rich ideological and moral resources and spiritual motivation for life concept education. To better cultivate qualified builders and successors of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

School adjustment experiences of ventilator-dependent children: A phenomenological study of mothers' perspectives

PurposeThis study aimed to describe the experiences of ventilator-dependent children (VDC) in adjusting to school life from the perspectives of their mothers. Design and methodThis study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach. From July 2021 to September 2022, ten mothers of VDC were recruited via purposive sampling and underwent in-depth individual interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. This study adheres to the COREQ guidelines for qualitative study. FindingsFour themes emerged: (1) the transition and burden of the mother's role; (2) positive adjustment and assessment of resources; (3) develop strategies to meet health and learning needs; (4) expectations for accessible school environments. ConclusionsThe mothers extensively assessed and adjusted their coping strategies on a rolling basis to ensure that their children received the resources that met their individual needs, promoted peer interactions, and helped adjustment to school life. The children's improvement and progress surpassed their mothers' expectations and demonstrated the benefits of a school education. Future educational settings should focus on building accessible school environments for special needs children. Practice implicationsThese findings allow healthcare professionals to assess the needs of VDC at different educational levels and create care plans that meet their healthcare and educational needs. This study also provides a reference for amending policies and regulations on individualized educational programs for VDC and developing guidelines for realizing accessible school environments to help them adjust to school life.

Development will (try to) find its way: a qualitative study of Chilean adolescent mental health during and after lockdown

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a well-evidenced impact on adolescents, who are especially sensitive to pandemic disruptions given the critical role of socialization in their development. In Chile too, evidence shows increases in mental health complaints among adolescents over the lockdown period. Our study aimed at exploring the experiences of Chilean adolescents regarding their mental health during the lockdown and school closure (March 2020-December 2021), and during the return to on-site education (2022) as informed by adolescents and school staff, with a focus on family, school, and social sources of risk and support for adolescents’ wellbeing during these periods.MethodsUsing a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 adolescents and 16 staff members from schools in an urban area of Chile.ResultsThrough thematic analysis, we generated five themes: [1] Adolescents in a mental health crisis, comprising a range of distressing experiences and mental health problems. This crisis was fueled by alterations in the functioning of adolescents’ systems: [2] Broken support systems (peers and school); [3] The school agenda must go on, reflecting schools’ strict compliance with the educational curriculum; and [4] Blurred boundaries between home and school life and within the family. Finally [5], Development will (try to) find its way describes how most participants experienced a bouncing back to wellbeing in the course of the school year upon return, and how some developmental milestones took place despite the abnormal conditions, providing evidence for resilience amid pandemic adversity.ConclusionsThe findings give insight into how the exchanges between the adolescent and the social systems they are embedded in were interfered. The results help us understand the challenges for mental health during and after the pandemic, and highlight adolescents’ capacity to thrive as normality was restored. The results also underscore the importance of upholding stability across adolescents’ systems and routines, in order to mitigate impacts on wellbeing amid abnormal circumstances. The findings are relevant for development-informed initiatives in policy design in the aftermath of the pandemic and in future crisis management responses.

Bullying Prevention at Schools in Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to inform high school students and teachers about the problem of preventing bullying and implementing anti-bullying measures at schools in Ukraine. Methodology. Theoretical research methods were used in the article: systematization; comparison of issues related to bullying prevention; comparison of different author’ views regarding the implementation of anti-bullying measures; and analysis and generalization of scientific, educational, methodological, psychological, and pedagogical resources with the aim of systematizing approaches to bullying prevention. Results. In order to deepen high school students’ knowledge of anti-bullying skills, we developed and offered two lessons for students. They are “Normative and legal documents on the prevention of bullying and responsibility for it”, “Foreign experience in preventing bullying”, as well as two workshops for teachers, they are “Guidance to teachers on the implementation of anti-bullying measures in Ukraine”, “Tips for teachers on bullying prevention according to the national programs”‎. We believe they will contribute to bullying prevention in Ukraine. Conclusions. Conclusions regarding the effective bullying prevention in Ukrainian schools indicate the need for comprehensive, systematic work. The most effective are programs that cover all aspects of school life from creating a friendly and supportive environment to raising awareness among students, teachers, and parents about the bullying problem. It is important to involve students in the process of bullying prevention through their participation, communication, and creation of student councils that help in conflict resolution. Building interaction and empathy skills among students helps to reduce the level of aggression and bullying. Systematic training for teachers about bullying prevention, as well as the inclusion of bullying topics in school programs, contribute to the development of a safe educational environment in schools. In order to prevent bullying effectively, it is important that students collaborate actively with teachers, parents, and local communities, ensuring that bullying is prevented and countered both inside and outside schools.

KAMİL İNSAN FORMALAŞDIRMAQ TƏHSİLİN ANA XƏTTİDİR

The article shows that the main value in preschool education is the child. The pre-school period is not only the stage of preparation for school life, but also the most responsible and important period of human life, during which the foundation of all moral values is laid in a person. It is known that the foundation of moral and spiritual qualities should be laid from an early age. Be-cause the future of the new world depends on how the growing generation acquires spiritual and moral qualities. It is from this point of view that today the human factor is gaining more and more importance in our globalized world. We all know that a country with citizens who are physically and morally healthy, culturally and intellectually high is considered the richest country in the world.

Role of gender and perceived poverty on learners’ educational life and academic engagement in Ekiti State primary schools, Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study investigated the roles of gender and perceived poverty on learners’ academic engagement and educational life, using a sample of 231 primary school learners. The ‘Poverty Factors Questionnaire (Osiesi et al., 2024. Undergraduates' Educational Life and Academic Engagement in Southwest Universities in Nigeria: The role of Gender and Perceived Poverty. Journal of Poverty 1–20)’ was used to gather the data, which was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and inductive thematic analysis. Results show learners perceived poverty as high; learners’ academic engagement and educational life did not significantly differ across genders but were considerably biased toward males; perceived poverty among learners significantly influenced their academic engagement and educational life. Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed.

A Study on Causes and Pattern of School Drop Out in A Slum Area of Kolkata, India in 2024

Introduction: School drop outs are very common in children, especially in developing countries, and may occur due to many causes. Social causes and other diseases like infections and other are important causes of drop out in school life across the world. Materials and methods: - We assessed various causes of school drop out by clinic-based study. Results: - We have also recorded here similar findings. Poverty was leading cause of school drop out followed by other social causes and health issues. Conclusion: - The important social as well as medical causes of school drop out should be looked into and efforts should be made to mitigate these contributing factors, in order to foster education of children.

IMPLEMENTASI PEMBELAJARAN AKIDAH AKHLAK DALAM MEMBENTUK KARAKTER SISWA KELAS VIII DI MTS NEGERI 2 SUKOHARJO

Learning moral aqidah is one of the curricula taught at secondary education level which has a big influence on students' behavior, both in school life and outside of school. This research aims to find out how moral learning is implemented in shaping the character of Class VIII students at MTs Negeri 2 Sukoharjo. The approach in this research is a qualitative approach, using descriptive case study research. This research was conducted at MTs Negeri 2 Sukoharjo using data collection techniques in the form of observation and interviews. Aqidah Akhlak learning is used as a media for the process of forming polite character in students. This is supported by the role of Aqidah Akhlak teachers in directing and cultivating good moral character so that in the future students become good individuals in society. The culture of shaking hands before entering class at MTs Negeri 2 Sukoharjo is an inspiration for the polite character of students who need to be emulated in the millennial era.

Hopeful Things as Minor Interventions in Educational Atmospheres

Drawing on scholarship on affects, moods, and affective pedagogies in education, we explore how educators in a Danish gymnasium weaved hopes and anxieties into a school space and the specific things, such as books and bookshelves, to address and improve the inclusion of racialized students in school life. Based on a feminist new materialist and diffractive reading through translation of English-language based concepts through Danish grammar and language, we explore how the concept of the "happy object" as delineated by feminist scholar Sara Ahmed takes on a more hopeful interpretation when analyzed within the Danish educational context and language. We argue that ‘foreign’ concepts require careful consideration and adaptation to suit another (Danish) linguistic, cultural, and racial context. Making such adjustments is not just a matter of taking specificities of local contexts seriously, it is also a means of advancing theory that can inspire analyses conducted in a wider range of educational time-space-coordinates.

“Empathy for children is often missing”: a mixed methods analysis of a German forum on COVID-19 pandemic measures

BackgroundThe pandemic and its preventive measures disrupted daily routines and posed unforeseen obstacles for families. Users of public online forums chronicled these challenges by freely expressing their sentiments in unrestricted text-length formats. We explored a German COVID-19 forum to understand family perspectives and experiences of pandemic measures, particularly in terms of testing and vaccinating children. Our findings aim to inform future epidemic health policies.MethodsWe retrieved all 11,207 entries from a COVID-19 forum during its lifespan (June 2020 - December 2021), posted during the height of the pandemic. We classified the entries into topic clusters including general pandemic situation, testing, or vaccination using state-of-the-art text embeddings and clustering algorithms. The clusters were selected based on the research’s aims and analysed qualitatively using a health policy triangle framework.ResultsUsers generally appreciated pandemic public health safety measures for everyone’s protection, yet voiced concerns about inconsistent policies and disproportional disadvantages for children compared to other societal groups, like the elderly. Non-compliers were overwhelmingly regarded with skepticism and critiqued. Users found COVID-19 (exit) strategies and information about the benefits of vaccination unclear. This created hurdles for parents and caregivers in navigating their children’s school and social life. Users endorsed vaccinating children mainly for “normalising” children’s lives rather than for their physical health benefits. Some users suggested prioritising teachers and early childhood educators on the vaccination eligibility list to speed up a return to “normality”.ConclusionsDuring pandemics, governments should prioritize addressing the societal and mental health needs of children by implementing participatory and family-oriented public health measures for schools and kindergartens. Clear communication coupled with consistent design and implementation of safety measures and regulations, would be crucial for building trust in the general population and for ensuring compliance regarding testing and vaccination. Communicating the benefits and risks of vaccinating children is of paramount importance for informed decision-making among parents. In future epidemics, computer-aided analysis of large online qualitative data would offer valuable insights into public sentiments and concerns, enabling proactive and adaptive epidemic responses.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT CONTRIBUTION ON THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN TANZANIA

Parental involvement is very important in student’s learning and academic progress in primary schools. However, the combined impact of various factors, including poverty, illiteracy in some families, lack of time, language, and lack of knowledge about the curriculum, especially among the parents, makes their effective involvement in their children’s education challenging. This study utilized the social capital theory developed by Pierre Bourdieu and the community participation theory by Sherry Arnstein to have a clear understanding of the study. The combination of the two theories provided an understanding of parental involvement in primary school education in the study area. The study employed a descriptive research design that used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The targeted population consisted of public primary school students, teachers, head teachers, ward education officers, and school-going students' parents. Questionnaires, interview guides and documentary reviews were used to collect information about parental involvement in public primary schools. Qualitative data was analyzed mainly through thematic analysis, and SPSS software was used to analyze the quantitative data. Simple statistics have been presented in tables and figures to depict the frequencies, percentages and means in relation to the findings of the study. The study found that parental involvement contributes much to the lives of schools. Without it, it could be hard to run the school’s activities. This is because the schools are better managed through the collective efforts of both teachers and parents, as well as other educational stakeholders in the community. Therefore, the government should educate parents about the necessity of their involvement in schools so as to be ready to take responsibility for supporting their children in different ways.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0704/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Relaxed and flexible – what (else) happens when sofas enter everyday lives of schools?

ABSTRACT School environments in Finland are changing from traditional classrooms towards more flexible architectures. This change invites designers and commercial organizations to take part in re-thinking these environments by creating narratives of desirable educational environments. Their comprehensive furniture solutions promise flexible entities, including components that facilitate sharing and joining together. This article describes the school architecture reform from the perspective of one local school. We focus on an element emblematic of the planned relaxed learning environment: sofas, and discuss these using the philosophical concept of assemblage. We propose that arriving in the everyday life of a school the comfortable sofa – the promise of relaxation – also begins to participate in and to produce negotiations of power. Sofa becomes a participant in an assemblage of school: the sofa brings to surface relations that everyday life school assemblages already foster and sustain, making the negotiations of power in the school visible.

Examining the School Climate Influence on Jamaican Secondary School Students: A Comprehensive Literature Review

This article synthesises the literature on the socioecological factors within the school climate - quality and character of school life (Cohen, 2009) influencing adolescents’ resilience. The review focuses on social relationships and the mechanisms used for teaching and learning practices. Resilience is a positive development outcome resulting from a triadic interactive process between the adolescent, the internal capacity, and the socioecological factors within the environment (Ungar, 2008). Changes imposed by COVID-19 on teaching and learning practices assumedly altered the school climate and are known to impact adolescents’ psychosocial well-being. Transforming the school climate at its minimum will require improving social relationships, communicating expectations, and creating a school environment where students will feel safe. Giving students autonomy through active and productive engagement in decisions that affect their developmental outcomes is critical for success. Expansion of this study requires applying a methodological approach that allows for students’ perspectives of the school climate, careful measurement of their resilience levels and lived experiences of students and other school personnel.

중학생이 지각한 부모 공감과 학교생활적응 간의 관계에서 자기격려와 정서조절능력의 매개효과

The purpose of this study is to increase school life adaptation by confirming the mediating effects of self-encouragement and emotional regulation ability in middle school students' parental empathy and school life adaptation. To this end, 233 middle school students in Busan and Gyeongnam were surveyed, and the data were analyzed with SPSS Ver 27.0. Correlation analysis between variables was conducted, hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify the mediating effects of self-encouragement and emotional regulation ability, and significance was verified by the method of bootstrapping. The results of the study are as follows. First, there was a positive correlation between parental empathy, self-encouragement, emotional regulation ability, and school life adaptation perceived by middle school students. Second, there was a complete mediating effect on self-encouragement and emotional regulation ability in middle school students' parental empathy and school life adaptation, and emotional regulation ability had a partial mediating effect. These results suggest the importance of self-encouragement and emotional regulation ability that influence middle school students' adaptation to school life through parental empathy.

Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education for Learners Who Are Deafblind: A Scoping Review

The case of Hellen Keller presents a great example of what a learner who is deafblind can achieve if provided with the appropriate educational accommodation in terms of content, environment, learning approach, instructional strategies, and teaching methodologies. However, access to education is not the reality for most learners who are deafblind due to their unique educational needs, owing to their dual sensory impairment. There has been an assertion that learners who are deafblind may not thrive in inclusive educational spaces, but there is a paucity of research to support or dispute this assertion. This scoping review explored what is documented in the literature on the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education for learners who are deafblind. A scoping review methodology using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was employed. A search was conducted using six databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus Medline, ProQuest and gray literature, to identify publications focusing on the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education for learners who are deafblind. The findings from the scoping review suggest that the factors that influence the inclusion of learners who are deafblind in inclusive educational settings include the availability of educational settings; accessibility to the physical and social environment, and assistive devices; acceptability by peers and educators and the preparedness of educators; and the adaptability of classroom strategies. For learners who are deafblind to thrive in inclusive educational settings, transformational attitudes and intentional and specific strategies from multiple stakeholders are necessary. Therefore, the educational system, schools, peers and communities should be deliberate in putting in place specialized support and resources to accommodate the diverse needs of learners who are deafblind in all phases of their schooling life.

Dr. A.P.J ABDUL KALAM’S THOUGHTS ON LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION AS LEADERSHIP

Abstract – The primary focus of the students should be to excel in their studies. This is their first contribution to the development of the nation. The education system should instil in the minds of student’s capacities of inquiry, creativity, technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership. If we develop in all our students these five capacities, we will produce “Autonomous Learner” a self-directed, self-controlled, lifelong learner, who will have the capacity to both respect authority and at the same time is capable of questioning authority, in an appropriate manner. Education also create leadership in the student’s life, this leadership of school and college life students motivate and change their life. They take new turn and tomorrow leaders. Key words: Leadership, discipline, learner self-control .

유-초 이음 관련 ‘학교’ 그림책 읽기 과정에서 나타난 유아의 반응 탐색

The purpose of this study is to explore children’s responses during the reading process of ‘school’ picture books for kindergarten-elementary school transition. Data was collected and analyzed from 16 five-year-old children in K kindergarten located in S city, Gyeonggi-do. The research findings are as follows: First, children expressed expectations about the main character's happy and enjoyable school life, related their own experiences to the main character's experiences, and talked about the main character's limitations and difficulties. In addition to empathizing with the protagonist, they responded by presenting opinions different from those of the protagonist. Second, children showed responses that extended beyond empathy and exploration for the protagonist to cooperative relationships surrounding the protagonist. The reaction to the collaborators around the protagonist was interested in the collaborator and responded to delivering his or her story from the perspective of the collaborator. The results of this study are significant in that they focus on children's initiative in the direction and approach of linking kindergarten and primary school and present a discussion on children's independent and active participation in the linking process.