Local Secondary Schools Research Articles

Family effects on the rurality of GP\u2019s work location: a longitudinal panel study

BackgroundReduced opportunities for children’s schooling and spouse’s/partner’s employment are identified internationally as key barriers to general practitioners (GPs) working rurally. This paper aims to measure longitudinal associations between the rurality of GP work location and having (i) school-aged children and (ii) a spouse/partner in the workforce.MethodsParticipants included 4377 GPs responding to at least two consecutive annual surveys of the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) national longitudinal study between 2008 and 2014. The main outcome, GP work location, was categorised by remoteness and population size. Five sequential binary school-age groupings were defined according to whether a GP had no children, only preschool children (aged 0–4 years), at least one primary-school child (aged 5–11 years), at least one child in secondary school (aged 12–18 years), and all children older than secondary school (aged ≥ 19). Partner in the workforce was defined by whether a GP had a partner who was either currently working or looking for work, or not. Separate generalised estimating equation models, which aggregated consecutive annual observations per GP, tested associations between work location and (i) educational stages and (ii) partner employment, after adjusting for key covariates.ResultsMale GPs with children in secondary school were significantly less likely to work rurally (inclusive of > 50 000 regional centres through to the smallest rural towns of < 5000) compared to male GPs with children in primary school. In contrast, female GPs’ locations were not significantly associated with the educational stage of their children. Having a partner in the workforce was not associated with work location for male GPs, whereas female GPs with a partner in the workforce were significantly less likely to work in smaller rural/remote communities (< 15 000 population).ConclusionsThis is the first systematic, national-level longitudinal study showing that GP work location is related to key family needs which differ according to GP gender and educational stages of children. Such non-professional factors are likely to be dynamic across the GP’s lifespan and should be regularly reviewed as part of GP retention planning. This research supports investment in regional development for strong local secondary school and partner employment opportunities.

A Smart Card-Based Electronic School Absenteeism System for Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance in Hong Kong: Design, Implementation, and Feasibility Assessment.

BackgroundSchool-aged children have the highest incidence of respiratory virus infections each year, and transmission of respiratory viruses such as influenza virus can be a major concern in school settings. School absenteeism data have been employed as a component of influenza surveillance systems in some locations. Data timeliness and system acceptance remain as key determinants affecting the usefulness of a prospective surveillance system.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of implementing an electronic school absenteeism surveillance system using smart card–based technology for influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance among a representative network of local primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.MethodsWe designed and implemented a surveillance system according to the Protocol for a Standardized information infrastructure for Pandemic and Emerging infectious disease Response (PROSPER). We employed an existing smart card–based education and school administration platform for data capture, customized the user interface, and used additional back end systems built for other downstream surveillance steps. We invited local schools to participate and collected absenteeism data by the implemented system. We compared temporal trend of the absenteeism data with data from existing community sentinel and laboratory surveillance data.ResultsWe designed and implemented an ILI surveillance system utilizing smart card–based attendance tracking approach for data capture. We implemented the surveillance system in a total of 107 schools (including 66 primary schools and 41 secondary schools), covering a total of 75,052 children. The system successfully captured information on absences for 2 consecutive academic years (2012-2013 and 2013-2014). The absenteeism data we collected from the system reflected ILI activity in the community, with an upsurge in disease activity detected up to 1 to 2 weeks preceding other existing surveillance systems.ConclusionsWe designed and implemented a novel smart card technology–based school absenteeism surveillance system. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of building a large-scale surveillance system riding on a routinely adopted data collection approach and the use of simple system enhancement to minimize workload implication and enhance system acceptability. Data from this system have potential value in supplementing existing sentinel influenza surveillance for situational awareness of influenza activity in the community.

The Young Innovators Program at the Eshelman Institute for Innovation: a case study examining the role of a professional pharmacy school in enhancing STEM pursuits among secondary school students

BackgroundProfessional schools, such as schools of pharmacy, are rarely involved with promoting STEM interests among secondary school students. To address this shortcoming, the Young Innovators Program (YIP) was created to provide local secondary school students a summer immersive experiential program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of the inaugural YIP to promote STEM interest, career awareness, and self-efficacy.Results YIP interns maintained high levels of STEM interest, career awareness, and self-efficacy. In addition, they reported significant increases in their perceptions of having role models in science.ConclusionsImmersion in research laboratories and clinics at a school of pharmacy can promote high levels of STEM interest, career awareness, and self-efficacy and provide interns with STEM professional role models. Our findings support YIP's vision that professional pharmacy schools can play an influential role in recruiting secondary school students to STEM disciplines.

Reading/writing multilingualism: language, literature and creativity in the multilingual classroom

This article examines the relationship between the discipline of ‘English Literature’ and the contemporary multilingual classroom. It argues that, although our field has often been cast as a kind of corrective to the ‘problem’ of language diversity by helping to teach language norms, literature can – and should – be made a preeminent space for students to reflect on their own experiences of language diversity, and to translate this into self‐reflexive critical tools to think about language in literature. As an example of this kind of practice in action, the article discusses the experience and outcomes of a project in the English Literature department at Queen Mary University of London, Reading/Writing Multilingualism, which involved year 10 and 12 students from two local secondary schools who have English as an additional language.

Interactivity and multimodality in language learning: the untapped potential of audiobooks

In this work, we present three case studies, involving classes in primary and secondary schools, in Denmark. The studies, conducted in the past 2 years, show how audio content can be generated and shared among teachers and learners, how audio material can be made more interactive to offer fruition similar to that of digital games, and how language learning can benefit from adding a social dimension to audiobooks. All case studies were conducted in a user-centered fashion and build on social semiotics, in which interactive audiobooks are seen as providing new ways to receive, interpret, and share literary texts. Local primary and secondary schools were involved in ethnographic user studies and qualitative evaluations with semi-functioning prototypes. In the main case study presented, social interaction was chosen as key feature to allow high-school students and teachers to annotate audiobooks, then share and comment on the annotations; the social context in this case is a digitally augmented English teaching class. To better investigate the potential of sharable audiobook annotations, we also created a mockup supporting the workflow of the main case study, using standard YouTube annotations and freely available audiobooks. The findings and technical solutions explored in the three studies are the basis for design guidelines aiming at making audiobooks interactive and better integrated in learning contexts.

Effects of video‐based flipped class instruction on subject reading motivation

AbstractVideo‐based flipped class instruction can strengthen the learning motivation of students. The effectiveness of flipped class instruction on teaching effectiveness and subject satisfaction has been evaluated previously. The present study aims to examine the impact of two aspects of subject reading motivation. A total of 100 secondary school students were recruited from 4 classes of 25 students (ie, video‐based flipped Mathematics class, traditional Mathematics class, video‐based flipped Liberal Studies (LS) class and traditional LS class) in two local secondary schools. The same teachers taught both the traditional and video‐based flipped classes in their subject. The students filled in questionnaires which measured: motivation for general reading; motivation for subject reading; academic subject satisfaction and perceived teaching effectiveness of the teachers. Analysis of covariance controlling for motivation for general reading revealed that students in the flipped classes reported significantly lower motivation for subject reading including reading curiosity, reading importance and reading compliance (t (1,98) = 10.52, p &lt; 0.001; t (1,98) = 7.68, p &lt; 0.001; t (1,98) = 20.39, p &lt; 0.001, respectively). However, students in the flipped classes reported significantly higher satisfaction and teaching effectiveness than those in the traditional classes (t (1,98) = −15.61. p &lt; 0.001; t (1,98) = −11.98, p &lt;0.001, respectively). A partial correlation controlling for motivation for general reading indicated that motivation for subject reading was negatively associated with academic subject satisfaction and perceived teaching effectiveness of teachers (rs ranged from −0.51 to −0.62, p &lt; 0.001). Video‐based flipped class instruction was not only related to increased academic subject satisfaction and teaching effectiveness but also associated with lower motivation for subject reading. These findings suggest that video‐based flipped class instruction had limited capability to strengthen the learning motivation of students.

The Scottish school leavers cohort: linkage of education data to routinely collected records for mortality, hospital discharge and offspring birth characteristics

PurposeThe Scottish school leavers cohort provides population-wide prospective follow-up of local authority secondary school leavers in Scotland through linkage of comprehensive education data with hospital and mortality records. It considers...

Head lice infestation among local and displaced secondary school girls and its effect on some haematological parameters in Kirkuk city.

Head lice infestation among local and displaced secondary school girls and its effect on some haematological parameters in Kirkuk city.

The public's perception of the role of community pharmacists in Wales.

To investigate the general public's perceptions of the community pharmacist's (CP) role in Wales by exploring understanding, awareness of services provided and potential interventions for promoting the role of CPs. Qualitative methodology using focus group (FG) discussions exploring opinions, facilitated by a moderator (pharmacist) and an assistant. Topics discussed included the following: what a CP does; reasons for visiting; from whom they seek advice on medicines or lifestyle issues; use of traditional and newer services and promotion of services. The groups, totalling 32 participants, represented non-users and users of pharmacy services, that is pupils from a local secondary school (x1 group), people from the local community (x3) and patients plus carers from a Parkinson's disease group (x1). FG discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and analysis was undertaken to identify themes. Traditional dispensing and supply of medicines roles were clearly recognised, but poor awareness of the newer services emerged, particularly in public health roles. CP's professionalism was acknowledged, but there was confusion over where they 'fit' within the National Health Service or with General Practitioners, with concerns or misconceptions raised over the impact of commercialism on professionalism. Based on these findings, the public is accepting of the extended role of CPs and would engage with CPs for a wider range of services. However, there is a lack of awareness of what public health services are available. Considerable work is needed to increase public awareness, during the strategic development of these services in Wales.

Understanding Adolescent Sexual &amp; Reproductive Health Behavior &amp; Care Access in a Rwandan Community [36A

INTRODUCTION: The prevalent sexual norms and behaviors of rural Rwandan adolescents, including barriers to accessing and utilizing reproductive healthcare services, were explored qualitatively. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with adolescents in the rural community of Kibogora, Rwanda. Participants included students from local secondary schools and adolescents not in school. Interview guides were adapted from validated World Health Organization guides. Trained midwives conducted focus groups in the local language. All were recorded, interpreted, transcribed and coded for themes. Interviewers were matched in gender with interviewees. Each subject completed a demographic survey with questions pertaining to sex and personal relationships. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six adolescents (14-24 years) participated. Fourteen focus groups were conducted. Predominant themes include prevalence of transactional sex, need for sexual and reproductive health knowledge, need for increased access to condoms and services, fear of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and confidentiality issues related to obtaining care. Adolescents correctly identify risks of having unsafe sex (infectious disease and pregnancy) but feel obtaining services is socially prohibitive. Adolescents consistently overestimate the number of sexually active peers when compared to the low number of adolescents reporting sexual activity on anonymous surveys. CONCLUSION: It is not only important to involve the local community, including adolescents, in designing and implementing any sexual and reproductive health educational program but it is also important to create safe and comfortable avenues for adolescents to access confidential services.

The inaugural Plaatje festival, Mahikeng: A watershed event

The first Sol Plaatje festival, Mahikeng, November 5 and 6, 2010, planned by the Sol Plaatje Educational Trust of Kimberley and hosted by the North West Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and Department of Education, drew learners from a local secondary school, young and aspiring performance poets, interested citizens, language practitioners, Plaatje scholars, and importantly, Sol Plaatje and Modiri Molema family members. Together attendees, numbering around 200, from as far as Botswana, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape and Gauteng, paid tribute to Plaatje, learned more and carried forward his legacy. As participants and “next generation” Plaatje scholars, we share a few reflections on the festival as marking a watershed moment in Plaatje scholarship.

Looked after children and access to dental services and oral health in Scotland: a national data-linkage study (LAC-DENTAL)

ABSTRACTObjectivesChildren that are ‘looked after’ include those that are accommodated in foster, kinship and residential care placements, as well as those at home on compulsory supervision. They have poorer physical and mental health than their peers and there are concerns about the relatively high levels of untreated morbidity. Oral health and access to dental services among Looked After Children (LAC) has received limited attention to date. The objective of this study was to compare the oral health and access to dental services of children who are looked after by the state, with comparable children in the general population.&#x0D; ApproachSchool and Social Work datasets were able to be linked using the Scottish Exchange of Data (ScotXed) Unit. This in turn was linked with health data making use of the Scottish national record-linkage system provided by the NHS eDRIS team for the FARR Institute Scotland. All of the following datasets used in this study are complete national datasets for the time periods noted. School Pupil Census 2012: a census of children in local authority primary and secondary schools that provides each child’s age, sex and socioeconomic status as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). The other datasets cover the period 2008-2012: LAC- all children with social work referrals for various types of placement; registration with dentists; hospital discharge data for all episodes of tooth extraction; National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) data from Primary 1 and Primary 7 school years (dental decay). The LAC group were compared to their peers by logistic regression adjusted by SIMD, using remote access to the National Safe Haven.&#x0D; ResultsThere were 633204 subjects in the study group (10927 LAC, 622280 nonLAC). Ages ranged from four to 17 years (mean 12 LAC and 10 nonLAC); with 53% male for LAC and 51% nonLAC; and 42% in the most deprived SIMD level for LAC and 21% for non-LAC. The subjects in the LAC group were more likely to have dental decay at Primary 1, odds-ratio (OR) 2.93 (2.55, 3.38), and Primary 7, OR 1.81 (1.68, 1.94). LAC subjects were less likely to be registered with a dentist, OR 0.50 (0.43, 0.59), and more likely to have teeth extracted, OR 1.50 (1.40, 1.60). All tests p&lt;0.001.&#x0D; ConclusionLooked after children are more likely to have dental problems and less likely to use dental services than their peers, after adjustment for socioeconomic status.

Evaluating the use of a social media tool for collaborative group writing of secondary school students in Hong Kong

The rapid development of social media tools has increased interest in their pedagogical value. It has been suggested that social media tools such as wikis can promote online collaborative and interactive learning. This study investigated the value of wikis in supporting collaborative group writing quality among secondary school students in Hong Kong. Students from a local secondary school engaged in group writing projects using Pbworks, a popular wiki tool. Data were gathered from (1) the revision tracking history, (2) a questionnaire on the perceived pedagogical value of the wiki, and (3) group interviews with students. Findings showed that students who made more collaborative revisions on the wiki produced higher-quality writing output. In general, students reported a moderately positive attitude towards the pedagogical value of the wiki. The findings suggest that wikis promote collaborative writing, but teachers need to adopt pedagogical strategies that would equip students to use wikis.

Pedagogization of elite sport in the school system: vested interests and dominant discourses

ABSTRACTThe Norwegian 2006 national curriculum reform introduced elite sport as an upper secondary school subject. The purpose of this innovation was twofold. Firstly, it was a political move to oppose the national growth of private elite sport schools. Secondly, the new elite sport curriculum formalizes opportunities for students taking academic programs in the school system to combine athletic ambitions and schooling. Acknowledging the multi-layered contexts of neoliberal education policy, the paper illuminates how vested interests in elite sport have strongly affected the elite sport pedagogic discourses in local comprehensive schools. The paper problematizes how the introduction of the elite sport national curriculum might have created some fundamental pedagogical and educational dilemmas rather than merely challenge the growth of private sports schools in the marketplace. The paper presents analyses of data collected from a purposeful sample of 3 local upper secondary schools’ website home pages. These schools are of particular interest as they have established partnerships with the national Olympic Committee’s High Performance Center (Olympiatoppen). By using the principle of decontextualization (Bernstein, 1990), my analyses reveal substantial transformations of the national curriculum texts. In contrast to the national curriculum with its emphasis on promoting knowledge, the schools discursively communicate how they provide elite sport opportunities that follow the national Olympic Committee High Performance Center’s philosophy for the development of young athletes.The paper problematizes how collaborations and partnerships with local schools have positioned the prestigious national Olympic Committee's High Performance Center as a recontextualizer of curricular knowledge (Bernstein, 1990. The structuring of pedagogic discourse. Volume IV. Class, codes and control. London: Routledge; 2000. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity. Theory, research, critique (Rev. ed.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield), and thus, affects the schools’ pedagogization (Singh, 2002. Pedagogising knowledge: Bernstein’s theory and pedagogic device. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 23(4), 571–582) of elite sport. Underpinned by the principle of school choice in the neoliberal reform policy, the paper also highlights how vested national elite sport interests and discourses form part of current marketization processes in the school system.

Learning to notice important student mathematical thinking in complex classroom interactions

Noticing students' mathematical thinking is a key element of effective instruction, but novice teachers do not naturally engage in this practice. Prospective secondary school mathematics teachers were engaged in an intervention grounded in analysis of minimally edited video from local secondary school mathematics classrooms; the goal was to support their ability to notice important student thinking within the complexity of instruction. Evidence of participants' learning in five iterations of the intervention is discussed, including their focus on student mathematical thinking, their ability to discuss the mathematics in that thinking, and their ability to notice particular high-leverage instances of student thinking.

The Literature Related to Karel Havlíček Published in Německý and Havlíčkův Brod in the 20th Century

Text provides a summary of the regional literary production concerning Karel Havlíček that was published in Německý and Havlíčkův Brod in the 20th century. Since more significant interest in this native of Borová was associated with his special anniversaries, the author also pays more detailed attention to several collections that were devoted to this topic and, in the local conditions, significantly affected the tradition of Karel Havlíček. The author farther mentions typical phenomena connected with Havlíček: the unveiling of his statue in the Future (Budoucnost) Park in Německý Brod in 1924, the celebrations of the local secondary school in 1935, the renaming of the town to Havlíčkův Brod in May 1945, the attempts to publish Havlíček’s collected works by the publisher Chvojka, as well as the renewal of the journal of the Brod museum. The text is also a contribution to the perception of Karel Havlíček in the past, especially in the periods after 1918, after the Second World War and in the 1950s.

En skolkoncerns uppgång och fall

Swedish reforms in the early 1990s opened up for various actors – companies and organizations – to run fully tax-funded independent schools on the basis of a voucher system. The last decade the expanding edu business has increasingly attracted international private equity firms to enter the upper secondary school market. In 2008, one of the most lucrative Swedish school companies, John Bauer Education (JB), was sold to a Danish private equity firm. Five years later its bankruptcy was a fact. Present article studies the rise and fall of the company with a specific focus on one of its local schools. Based on semi-structured interviews with some directly involved school actors, the study explores how the bankruptcy affected the inner life in school as well as the local upper secondary school market. The analysis is based on Ball’s (2007) theory of privatisation of education.

Educación para la Ciudadanía Global a nivel local: un análisis comparado de cuatro distritos urbanos estadounidenses

This paper focuses on exploring how education for global citizenship and competence is being defined and practiced within the U.S. education policy landscape, with a specific focus on the local primary and secondary school level. Against a framework of the multiple conceptions and forms of global citizenship education, including “at home,” “abroad,” and “comprehensive” approaches, the paper explores some select ways in which global citizenship education is developing in select local initiatives. We specifically examine the definitions and practices of global citizenship education in four urban school districts: Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Findings show a focus on global citizenship and global competency in local initiatives, but also illustrate multiple approaches to global citizenship education, revealing diverse system ecologies within the national system.

Conservation education program for threatened Asian horseshoe crabs: A step towards reducing community apathy to environmental conservation

Long-term and locally-based public education programs are essential in supporting conservation initiatives for horseshoe crab protection, particularly in Asia, where their populations have been largely exploited for food and biomedical applications. However, the implementation of such conservation initiatives can be difficult due to a community’s ingrained apathy towards the environment. In addition, the effectiveness of similar education programs to engage the community in conservation work has rarely been assessed. We described the implementation strategies of a conservation education program in Hong Kong, with the objective to improve the community’s awareness, engagement and environmental attitudes towards the conservation of Asian horseshoe crabs. This study evaluated the program’s outreach, outcomes and impacts between 2009 and 2016. By raising laboratory-cultured juvenile horseshoe crabs at local secondary schools, this long-term conservation education program succeeded in enhancing students’ knowledge on the biology and ecology of horseshoe crabs, as well as promoting positive attitudes and behaviors towards relevant conservation issues. Lessons and recommendations derived from this program can serve as guidance for similar campaigns in other places.

La Fauna Silvestre De Córdoba Y Su Rol Ecológico Aplicadas En Prácticas Socio-Comunitarias De Enseñanza

The National Rio Cuarto University (UNRC, Cordoba, Argentina) has a scheme to encourage the inclusion of community-engagement activities (PSC) in the Higher Education curriculum. In this context, the Natural Sciences department (Faculty of Exact Sciences, Physico-Chemical and Natural) carried out a PSC activity named “Animal Biodiversity”. This activity responds to specific needs by the local teaching community and the general public, where many teachers admit that they lack knowledge about the local fauna and their ecological role, and that they don’t have enough time or information to develop this type of content during their scheduled teaching sessions. Therefore, the present activity aimed to liaise the Higher Education community and local primary and secondary school teachers. Biology university students taking the “Systematic Zoology” module prepared a session about “Snakes and scorpions of Cordoba. Their identification and ecological role” that included both theoretical and practical aspects for secondary school students from “Ramón Artemio Estafolani – Granja Siquem” school. The analysis of the PSC activities highlighted the importance of building inclusion bridges with the local community, and the need to build social and cultural support networks. It is important to implement processes that encourage PSC in Higher Education, in order to highlight professional values, promote social responsibility and develop creative, active and supportive thinking. It would also provide comprehensive training of university students in ways that meet the demands and challenges of society. This work stresses the need for PSC to be continued in time by including them in our Higher Education curriculum.