Lower Secondary School Pupils Research Articles

‘School is the Foundation of Everything’: Master- and Counter-narratives in Lower Secondary School Pupils’ Stories About the Importance of Schooling and Education

Cultural images of the knowledge society and the achievement generation are prevalent in current public and policy narratives about young people’s education. This article investigates how young people themselves give meaning to education, by reconstructing their narratives about the importance of schooling and education in today’s society. We present results from a qualitative in-depth study, consisting of focus group interviews with lower-secondary school pupils in suburban middle-class areas of Norway. From the perspective of narrative methodology, the article identifies how pupils construct, thematize and emplot the role and importance of education in their lives. The article finds that young people navigate a complexity of meaning dimensions in their lives. Although a master narrative of the knowledge society and its inherent achievement imperative certainly dominates the pupils’ accounts, they also present refinements and counter-narratives to these cultural imaginaries.

Adverb-adjective combinations in young writers’ English (EL1 and EL2)

The topic of the present study is adverb-adjective combinations in narrative writing by lower secondary school pupils in Norway and the UK. The investigation is based on subsets of the TRAWL (Tracking Written Learner Language) and GiG (Growth in Grammar) corpora and thus compares English as a second language with first-language usage (EL2 and EL1). A number of differences were identified between the two writer groups. While adverb-adjective constructions, such as so happy, much better and really bad, were more frequent and widespread in EL2, they showed more variability in EL1 regarding syntax, semantics and lexical choice. In particular, the amplifying function of modifiers was more dominant in EL2 writing at the cost of other modifier functions. There was also a stronger concentration on a few highly frequent intensifiers in the EL2 than in the EL1 material.

Association between cannabis use and physical health problems in Norwegian adolescents: a cross-sectional study from the youth survey Ungdata

BackgroundCannabis use is increasing among young Norwegians and several studies show a high incidence of common physical health problems. An association has previously been found between cannabis use and mental health problems. Since physical and mental health problems often co-occur, the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between cannabis use and physical health problems.MethodsIn 2017–2019, the Norwegian youth survey Ungdata collected data from 249,100 Norwegian adolescents, which equalled around 80% of all lower secondary school pupils (13–15 years) and about 50% of upper secondary pupils (16–19 years) in Norway. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate the prevalence of cannabis use and bi- and multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine the association between cannabis use and physical health problems, controlled for sociodemographics and mental health problems.ResultsAlmost 10% of Norwegian adolescents had used cannabis once or more in the previous 12 months. The use of cannabis increased with age and it was more prevalent among boys. There is a clear connection between physical health problems and cannabis use (OR = 1.582 (CI: 1.527–1.638)) even after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and mental health problems (OR = 1.366 (CI: 1.312–1.423)).ConclusionMore studies are needed to explore if there might a bidirectional relationship between cannabis use and physical health problems where physical problems increase cannabis use and cannabis use increases the risk of physical health problems. More knowledge on the effect of and motivation for cannabis use are important for policy makers and health care professionals involved in young people.

Leonide

Abstract This article presents the longitudinal trilingual corpus of young learners of Italian, German and English called LEONIDE. The corpus consists of L1, L2 and L3 learner texts. L1 texts were written in two languages of schooling (i.e. Italian and German), L2 texts in two languages learned as second languages (i.e. German and Italian), and L3 texts in an additional foreign language (i.e. English). All texts were collected from a group of lower secondary school pupils from the multilingual Italian province of South Tyrol whose development in all three languages was observed over a period of three years. Each text comes with rich metadata as well as manual and automatic annotations.

Enhancing informed empathy as a key to promoting social justice in religious education classes

In the field of education concerning cultural diversity it has been recognized as vital to address justice in social structures. Although justifications for religious education in non-confessional contexts are heavily based on religious diversity, their advocates have paid little attention to justice and power relations. In this article, I analyse observations of five observed classroom activities on social justice designed for religious education and related pupil interviews. The participants were in the eighth and ninth grades of Finnish comprehensive school. The main question is: how do elements of informed empathy and perception of social justice emerge in interviews and RE classroom activities with Finnish lower secondary school pupils? The results show that the concept of informed empathy well describes the pupils’ emerging awareness of social justice, that pupils’ critical agency should be carefully fostered and that social justice has potential to make religious education more relevant for certain pupils.

Regula falsi in lower secondary school education II

The aim of this paper is to investigate the pupils' word problem solving strategies in lower secondary school education. Students prior experiences with solving word problems by arithmetic methods can create serious difficulties in the transition from arithmetic to algebra. The arithmetical methods are mainly based on manipulation with numbers. When pupils are faced with the methods of algebra they often have difficulty in formulating algebraic equations to represent the information given in word problems. Their troubles are manifested in the meaning they give to the unknown, their interpretation what an equation is, and the methods they choose to set up and solve equations. Therefore they mainly use arithmetical and numerical checking methods to solve word problems. In this situation it is necessary to introduce alternative methods which make the transition from arithmetic to algebra more smooth. In the following we will give a detailed presentation of the false position method. In our opinion this method is useful in the lower secondary school educational processes, especially to reduce the great number of random trial-and-error problem solving attempts among the lower secondary school pupils. We will also show the results of some problem solving activities among grade 6-8 pupils. We analysed their problem solving strategies and we compared our findings with the results of other research works.
 Subject Classification: 97-03, 97-11, 97B10, 97B50, 97D40, 97F10, 97H10, 97H20, 97H30, 97N10, 97N20

Lower secondary school pupils’ written descriptions of their experiences with bullying and the tendency to seek help

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine lower secondary school students’ (n = 223) descriptions of bullying and their experiences with the phenomenon. Students at three schools in Norway completed a survey containing open-ended questions. We employed a mixed-methods analytical approach in which responses were coded thematically and then quantified. Findings indicate that students viewed bullying in a manner consistent with prevalent definitions in the literature. However, they were often unsure whether social conflicts they had experienced would be considered bullying. School was clearly featured as the primary arena for bullying, although bullying in free-time activities and on social media was also prevalent. Most students who had experienced bullying had told someone about it, usually their parents or teachers. Students who had not sought help did so for fear of exacerbating the problem or because they felt that they were not in a position to do so.

ROMA AMONG STUDENTS ENDANGERED AND UNENDANGERED BY SCHOOL FAILURE: CZECH REPUBLIC STUDY

The research was focused on monitoring the differences between primary and lower secondary school pupils in the Czech Republic in terms of their needs “to be successful” or “to avoid failure”. Its aim was to analyse the motivation of pupils divided by teachers into two groups: students endangered and those not endangered by school failure. The research approach was based on the application of the standardized School Performance Motivation Questionnaire. Through its twelve indicators, the differences between the above-mentioned groups of students were analysed with a special respect to the students belonging to the Roma ethnic group. The research used indicators of descriptive statistics (arithmetic mean, mode). The process of comparation of the acquired data confirmed differences in motivation of the group of students endangered by school failure as compared to that of unendangered by school failure. Pupils at risk of school failure showed a lower need to be successful than their classmates from the group at risk. Students at risk of school failure showed a lower need to be successful than their classmates from the other group. Also within these groups were found differences between the motivation of Roma pupils and their classmates. The Roma preferred the need to avoid failure much more strongly. The findings are important for educational practice because the ratio of the two needs identified affects pupils' learning strategies and affects not only the effectiveness of their learning, but also their relationship to cognition and school in general. Keywords: performance motivation, endangered students, unendangered students, Roma students, non-Roma students, descriptive analysis, school motivation indicators.

Perceptual Discrepancy Profiles of Social Competence and Their Interrelations With Depressive Symptoms Among Early Adolescents.

We examined the perceptual discrepancy profiles between self- and peers, and self- and teacher evaluations of adolescents' social competence (SC) and the interrelations of these profiles with self-reported depressive symptoms. The participants were 390 Finnish lower secondary school pupils. Latent profile analysis revealed five classes of discrepancy profiles; adolescents with congruent perceptions, quite congruent perceptions, and positively discrepant perceptions of SC reported lower scores of depressive symptoms, whereas those with negatively and extremely positively discrepant perceptions of SC reported the highest scores of depressive symptoms. The larger the discrepancy between self- and others' evaluations of SC were, the more depressive symptoms were reported. The results indicate that interventions designed to mitigate depression need to be tailored to individual needs.

Collecting and Using Students’ Digital Well-Being Data in Multidisciplinary Teaching

This article examines how students (N=198; aged 13 to 17) experienced the new methods for sensor-based learning in multidisciplinary teaching in lower and upper secondary education that combine the use of new sensor technology and learning from self-produced well-being data. The aim was to explore how students perceived new methods from the point of view of their learning and did the teaching methods provide new information that could promote their own well-being. We also aimed to find out how to collect digital well-being data from a large number of students and how the collected big data set can be utilized to predict school success from the students’ well-being data by using machine learning methods (lasso regression and multilayer perceptron). Results showed that sensor-based learning can promote students’ learning and well-being. All upper secondary school (n=37) and 87% of lower secondary school pupils (n=161) argued that when data are produced by their bodies, learning is more interesting, and they mostly found that well-being analysis was useful (upper secondary 97%; lower secondary 78%) and can improve personal well-being (upper secondary 78%; lower secondary 67%). The predictive powers with lasso regression and multilayer perceptron (MLP) were quite weak (correlation: −0.14 and 0.34, respectively).

VNÍMÁNÍ DIGITÁLNÍCH HER JAKO VZDĚLÁVACÍHO MÉDIA ŽÁKY ZÁKLADNÍCH ŠKOL

Cilem výzkumneho setřeni prezentovaneho v teto studii bylo zjistit, jak žaci zakladnich skol vnimaji digitalni hry jako vzdělavaci medium. Dilcim cilem bylo zjistit, zda se žaci s digitalnimi hrami setkali v ramci vzdělavani a jak jsou k hrani digitalnich her motivovani. Studie je dalsim krokem v pochopeni možnosti digitalnich her na poli vzdělavani. Využila pro ziskani potřebných dat dotaznik, který byl vyplněn 603 žaky 2. stupně ZS. Z výsledků např. vyplynulo, že žaci hry vnimali předevsim coby element, jenž podněcuje jejich představivost, a uvedli, že by se s nim jako s mediem chtěli ve svem vzdělavani dale setkavat.

Pupils’ Attitudes toward Chemistry in Two Types of Czech Schools

Chemistry is a school subject that is not viewed favorably among pupils. Before we can improve pupils' attitudes toward chemistry, it is important to find out the problem as to why the attitudes are relatively negative. The research was focused on Czech lower secondary and secondary grammar school pupils’ attitudes to the subject of chemistry. Also, the difference between groups of variables (gender and grade) was examined. The sample size contained 931 Czech lower secondary and secondary grammar school pupils. The research tool was a questionnaire with 25 Likert type items. By the use of factor analysis, the items were distributed into four categories: 1) Popularity and difficulty of chemistry, 2) The relevance of chemistry, 3) Chemical aids and laboratory experiments, 4) The future life and chemistry. The overall score indicated neutral/slightly positive pupils’ attitude toward chemistry. Girls received a lower score in comparison with boys in all grades, except the 1st grade, in secondary grammar schools. The opposite situation was among lower secondary school pupils, where girls achieved a slightly higher attitude score. It is possible to say that negative attitudes toward chemistry are also among lower secondary and secondary grammar school pupils, so it is needed to try to improve attitudes toward chemistry from the early age of pupils. The recommendations for the pedagogical practice are suggested in the conclusion.

The Lower Secondary School Pupils’ Attitudes Toward and Knowledge About Water Birds

Background: The water birds are inseparable part of the environment and ecosystems. This group of birds has got an important role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems make them sensitive indicators of the health of these environments. Material and methods: The main aim of the study was to find out the attitudes toward and knowledge about water birds among lower secondary school pupils. The partial aims was to find out the influence of demographic variables like gender, grade, residence and the ownership of pet on the attitudes toward and knowledge about water birds. The sample size consisted of 340 lower secondary school pupils from Czech Republic. The obtained data were analyzed by the methods of descriptive (mean score), inferential (analysis of variance) and also multidimensional statistics (factor analysis). Results: The gender and grade level of pupils had got significant level on knowledge. All observed variables had got significant level on the attitudes toward water birds. And the relationship between knowledge and attitudes was negative. Conclusions: The implications to educational practice are discussed.

Lower Secondary School Pupils' Perception of e-Textbooks

The main research aim of the study was to investigate pupils’ perception of the (future) use of e-textbooks. The aim was achieved by a survey involving 250 lower secondary school pupils in the Czech Republic. To analyse the data collected by means of a questionnaire, methods of descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results showed that no matter if pupils use e-textbooks, the majority of respondents would like to use the e-textbooks in the future. In addition, according to the study pupils have more positive perception of the e-textbook than the printed textbook.

How is interreligious sensitivity related to Finnish pupils’ religiousness profiles?

This paper examines, through a non-probability sample of 451 Finnish lower secondary-school pupils belonging to the 15- to 16-year-old age group, how interreligious sensitivity is related to religiousness profiles of Finnish youth. The data were gathered in two geographical locations: Helsinki, Finland’s capital, and a smaller municipality in the western part of Finland. The pupils’ self-reported attitudes to interreligious sensitivity were measured using the Interreligious Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire IRRSSQ. The four religiousness profiles identified were strongly religious, culturally religious, personally religious and non-religious. The profiles were related to pupils’ interreligious sensitivity. The non-religious group’s interreligious sensitivity differed from the other profiles, as these pupils were more in denial and less at the level of acceptance. The results of the study are discussed in the context of the Finnish religious landscape.

Do students attend to representational illustrations of non-standard mathematical word problems, and, if so, how helpful are they?

During the last two decades various researchers confronted upper elementary and lower secondary school pupils with word problems that were problematic from a realistic modelling point of view (so-called P-items), and found that pupils in general did not use their everyday knowledge to solve such P-items. Several attempts were undertaken to encourage learners to use their everyday knowledge more when solving such problems, e.g., by presenting the P-items together with representational illustrations that represent the problematic situation described in the problem. These illustrations were expected to help learners to mentally imagine the situation and consequently solve the items more realistically. However, no effect of the illustrations was found. In this article we build further on the use of representational illustrations. We report two related experiments with higher education students that investigated whether and how illustrations that represent the problematic situation described in a P-item help to imagine the problem situation and thereby solve the problem more realistically. In Experiment 1 we measured students’ eye movements when solving P-items that were accompanied by representational illustrations, to analyse whether the illustrations are processed at all. In Experiment 2 we manipulated the presentation of the illustrations so students could not but look at them, before the word problem appeared. We found that students scarcely looked at the representational illustrations (Experiment 1) and when they did, there was no effect of the illustrations on the realistic nature of their solutions (Experiment 2). Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.

The changing view of mathematics among girls after participating in math club activities

The article assesses the effects of a math club for girls that was held in spring 2013. The effects were evaluated by mapping the changes in the views of mathematics among girls, who participated in the club activities. The SoMa Club for female lower secondary school pupils focused on applied mathematics. The activities were developed in collaboration with researchers form University of Helsinki’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Gender variance in interreligious sensitivity among Finnish pupils

This paper examines gender variance in the interreligious sensitivity among Finnish children and youth using a non-probability sample of 1000 Finnish lower secondary school pupils representing the age group 12–16. The data were gathered in three geographical locations: the capital city of Helsinki area, and two smaller municipalities in other parts of the country. The pupils’ self-reported attitudes towards interreligious sensitivity were measured using the Interreligious Sensitivity Scale. The results showed significant variation between the genders in the pupils’ interreligious sensitivity. Also geographical variance (city of residence) and pupils’ religious affiliation influenced their interreligious sensitivity.

Spożywanie wspólnych posiłków, wsparcie i komunikacja w rodzinie jako predyktory zdrowia subiektywnego i zadowolenia z życia nastolatków

ObjectiveTo analyze relationships between the frequency of family meals, clear communication, support within the family and subjective health and life satisfaction of 11–15-year-olds. Material and MethodsThe study was conducted in 2012 among 319 primary and lower secondary school pupils. Young people filled the anonymous questionnaire about family meals, family relations, health and life satisfaction. Statistical analysis included partial correlations, linear regression analysis and structural modelling. ResultsThe vast majority of the young people at least once a week, ate each of the main meals with their parents, 31% daily ate breakfast with their parents, and 46% – lunch and dinner. Frequency of family meals was significantly correlated with clarity of communication and support within the family. Family meals and family relationships positively correlated with subjective health and life satisfaction of young people. Frequency of eating family meals was a predictor of subjective adolescents’ health (direct and indirect relationship) and life satisfaction (indirect relationship). In both cases, support and communication within the family were the mediators. ConclusionPromoting family meals should be an important method of improving the quality of life of young people.

Challenges related to interdisciplinary use of digital mapping technology in primary and lower secondary schools

The article reviews some learning objectives in the Norwegian core curriculum for four subjects in compulsory school education, namely science, social science, mathematics, and physical education. The subjects are examined with respect to maps, including map use, digital mapping tools, coordinate systems, and scales. Primary and lower secondary school pupils’ knowledge of maps was investigated before and after a group mapping project. Among three indicators, two showed statistically significant improvements in the pupils’ level of confidence when studying data with the aid of maps. The learning outcome is discussed in an inquiry-based and interdisciplinary pedagogical frame. In addition, the findings reveal that the four subjects have significantly different objectives and rates of progression regarding maps and map use. Based on the results of the group project, the author argues in favour of bringing the four curricula into more parallel learning curves. In order to facilitate interdisciplinary projects, he considers it would be interesting to coordinate the different subject curricula in the future, and recommends that attempts should be made to harmonise competence objectives that are part of several subjects in order to facilitate interdisciplinary projects in the next revision of the core curriculum in Norway.