Metropolitan Secondary School Research Articles

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING IN THE CONTEXT OF BLENDED MODE OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL: CHALLENGES AND EXPECTATIONS

Modern learning is the ultimate collaboration between teacher and student. Much like a doctor, the teacher must assess each individual’s needs, then prescribe the right solution for that person by crafting an appropriate curriculum and delivering it in a way that is meaningful. The principal aim of the research is to get an insight into contemporary issues of the individualized learning against the backdrop of blended learning in secondary school, to say nothing of the future directions for its progress and exercising. The group of researchers prepared a web-based experimental questionnaire (intended for schoolteachers and parents) targeted at illustrating the didactic potential and educational opportunities of the individualized learning as an effective remedy of preventing malign influence and retaining the quality while rendering the learning services faced with unanticipated shift to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The inquiry-based pattern which was chosen with the aid of a voluntary response sampling technique comprised some 500 schoolteachers and parents from a various metropolitan secondary schools. Qualitative data analysis of the data obtained offer the opportunities for forming didactic rationale of the individualized learning, which could facilitate the learning process in secondary school as close as accomplishable to practical application of the learner-centered principle within a competency-based approach and digitalization of education. Alternatively, the obtained findings and logical conclusions showed the trends of teaching modes, methods and tools transformation of the individualized learning within the conditions of blended learning in secondary school.

Mitigating reading failure in adolescents: Outcomes of a Direct Instruction reading program in one secondary school

International and national data continue to identify poor literacy standards among secondary school students. The researchers, in collaboration with a metropolitan secondary school in Perth, Western Australia, elected to use the Direct Instruction Reading Mastery program to improve students’ reading skills. Data on reading performance was collected from 59 Year 7-9 students identified by their teachers as having poor reading skills. Students were assessed using the Woodcock Reading Mastery III and were retested twice during the remainder of the year. Teaching staff were observed delivering the program and were interviewed in the final term of the year to ascertain their experiences while using the program. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in students’ reading performance. There was a moderate, statistically significant correlation between higher reading improvement and higher attendance. The program was effective for students regardless of equity group. Semi-structured interviews with the teacher and teaching assistants delivering the program indicated they were overwhelmingly positive about the program but identified difficulty delivering it with fidelity. This was also noted during classroom observation. The results from this research support the efficacy of using Direct Instruction programs, such as Reading Mastery, to improve the reading outcomes for adolescent students who are struggling to read. However, they also highlight the complexity of influencing reading success for students in secondary schools, with factors such as attendance and fidelity of delivery influencing the success of the program.

Digitalizing Secondary School Activities in Ibadan Metropolitan Secondary Schools, Oyo State, Nigeria

Problems associated with manual school activities prompted an investigation into digitalization of secondary school activities in Ibadan metropolis secondary schools considering stakeholders’ preparation vide available ICT facilities, administrators’ and student’ readiness with a survey sample of teachers and students that consisted of 600 respondents. Data collection instrument is “Digitalizing Secondary Schools Activities Questionnaire” (DSSAQ) with ‘r’-0.80, 0.78 for teachers’ and students respectively. Study results indicate that a significant relationship exist between students’ readiness and digitalization of secondary school activities; r = 0.194; p< 0.05, school administrators’ readiness and digitalization of secondary school activities............ Keywords: educational activities , educational stakeholders, digitalizing school activities DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-14-10 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

Hit the ground running? An exploratory study of the positionings teachers and international students take or ascribe to others on academic language

The International Student Program (ISP) in Australian secondary schools has in recent times drawn public attention. Despite this attention, there is a paucity of research about the challenges faced by schools in developing and sustaining these programs. The study reported in this paper explores the ISP in an independent metropolitan secondary school in Victoria with a high enrolment of international students. Using positioning theory, the study analysed the self- and other-positionings of an EAL teacher, a STEM teacher and two international students on a range of issues germane to the ISP and academic language. Findings confirmed past research that content teachers feel a lack of confidence in addressing these students’ language needs. In adding to the literature, the study found that content teachers feel a responsibility for these students and that the international students positioned themselves as successful language learners as well as students with gaps in their academic language.

Students' multilingual resources and policy-in-action: an Australian case study

In the context of increasing linguistic and cultural diversity in Australian schools, it is important to consider the value of students' multilingual resources for learning. This paper reports on an ethnographic case study conducted in an Australian metropolitan secondary school where the student body represented more than 40 cultures and languages, yet where the broader structures of education were dominated by a monolingual orientation. The study draws data from student artefacts, student focus groups, a staff questionnaire, and staff interviews to reveal the ways in which multilingual students and their teachers construct and enact language policy at the classroom level. Key themes to emerge from the data included students' application of multilingual resources for individual and collaborative learning and the way multilingualism and related practices, such as translanguaging, were valued by students. Additionally, the data illustrated teachers' situated approaches ranging from a resistance towards multilingual practices, through to active construction of a multilingual classroom. Teachers' approaches which facilitated students' use of their own linguistic resources for learning, and how these approaches were negotiated within a context otherwise dominated by monolingual pedagogies will also be discussed in the paper.

A Qualitative Exploration of Cyber-Bystanders and Moral Engagement

Studies have found that moral disengagement plays a significant role in the continuation of bullying situations (Bonanno, 2005); however, the moral stance of cyber-bystanders — those who witness online bullying — is not yet clear. While research into traditional face-to-face bullying reported that peers would probably or certainly intervene to support victims in 43% of cases (Rigby & Johnson, 2006) actual intervention is reportedly much less (Atlas & Pepler, 1998; Craig & Pepler, 1997). Little is known, however, about the attitudes and behaviours of bystanders or witnesses when online, or their probable intentions to intervene. This study employed three digital animations of typical cyberbullying scenarios to explore young people's views of cyber-bystanders. Youth from Years 8–12 (mean age 15.06,N= 961) from one metropolitan secondary school in Adelaide, South Australia, completed an online survey after watching vignettes. To shed light on the rationale and thinking behind their understanding of bystanders and moral dis/engagement when online, this article reports on the qualitative responses from young people in relation to one of these animations/vignettes. The findings suggest that young people perceive cyber-bystanders to have the capacity to morally engage in cyberbullying incidents; however, there are various barriers to their active positive engagement. The implications can inform educators and school counsellors about possible ways to support students to intervene when they witness cyberbullying.

Thinking patterns, victimisation and bullying among adolescents in a South Australian metropolitan secondary school

Responding to staff concerns about anti-social behaviour among students (n = 311, 50.5% boys, age range 13–16 years) at a low socio-economic Adelaide metropolitan school, we investigated victimisation and bullying and associated patterns of thinking. Two instruments were administered: the How I Think Questionnaire, which measures self-serving cognitive distortions; and the Bullying Experiences Questionnaire, which requires students to rate victimisation and bullying. The study revealed that: levels of distorted thinking were high; the most frequent forms of victimisation and bullying were verbal, indirect and physical; there were low levels of more extreme forms of victimisation and bullying; and there were higher levels of cognitive distortions among bullies and bully-victims. The research confirms the role of distorted thinking in the enactment of anti-social and bullying behaviours and provides a contemporary update of the types of victimisation/bullying in an Australian secondary school in 2011. Implications for interventions using social-cognitive approaches are addressed.

Lifestyle of Hungarian Adolescents – Observations among Metropolitan Secondary School Students

Background/Aims: Obesity among adolescents is a significant and global disease which requires early prevention. The development of overweight and obesity depends not only on genetic components but also on lifestyle. The objective of the survey was to study the lifestyle of 15- to 19-year-old secondary school students in Budapest. Methods: Students (n = 1,273, 670 boys, 603 girls) were asked to complete questionnaires about their leisure activities, physical exercise, eating habits and knowledge of nutrition. The response rate was 45.2%. Results: Three-quarters of the secondary school students lived a sedentary life and more than half were dissatisfied with their body weight. More than 40% of the girls had been on a slimming diet at least once. Half of the students regularly consumed vitamin and/or mineral supplements. Nearly 25% of the adolescents did not have breakfast and nearly 60% of the school-leavers smoked regularly. Conclusions: Coordinated cooperation is necessary among stakeholders to support the aim of changing nutritional and exercise behavior of adolescents.

Learning By Teaching: A Cultural Historical Perspective On A Teacher’s Development

How can teacher development be characterised? In this paper we offer a conceptualisation of teacher development as the enhancement of knowledge and capabilities to function in the activity of a teacher and illustrate with a case study. Our analytic focus is on the development of a science teacher, David, as he engaged in an innovative, collaborative project on learning photonics at a metropolitan secondary school in Australia. Three dimensions of development emerged: technical confidence and competence, pedagogical development and personal agency. We explore the transformative effects of intrapersonal tensions within the teacher’s constitution of his role in the emerging community of enquiry — positioning him in turn as learner, instructor and facilitator. We view the context for David’s actions as a complex and dynamic system and interpret David’s development as arising from his responses to the differences in his emerging roles in the project.

Resources loss, gain, investment, and coping in adolescents

AbstractYear 9 students from a Melbourne metropolitan secondary school (N = 176) completed the specific version of the Adolescent Coping Scale and a Resources Questionnaire on 10 resources valued by young people. Having and valuing of the 10 resources was associated with productive coping by adolescents. Having fewer resources and greater resource loss was related to use of nonproductive coping. Girls and boys managed their resources differently as part of their coping efforts. Investing in and gaining resources was reported by girls who coped productively and focused on solving their problems, but not by productively coping boys, nonproductively coping girls, or girls who reported avoiding negative emotional states when dealing with problems. The indications are that in counseling and in designing interventions aimed to improve resilience in young people, gender may have an impact on particular resources of value to the person, and the approach taken to developing resources may similarly vary.

Sex and age differences in victimisation and conflict resolution among adolescents in a south Australian school

This study investigated the victimisation experiences and conflict resolution strategies of 591 adolescents (304 boys and 287 girls) enrolled in grades 8 (mean age 13.3 years), 9 (mean age 14.3 years), and 10 (mean age 15.4 years) in a metropolitan secondary school in Adelaide, South Australia. A modified self-report version of the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scales (DIAS) [Bjorkqvist et al., 1992b] and a conflict resolution questionnaire drawn particularly from the work of Feldman and Gowen [1998] were administered. Boys reported more physical and verbal but less indirect victimisation than girls. Girls reported greater use of compromise, obliging, and avoidance than boys but similar amounts of overt anger. Older students reported greater use of compromise than younger students. More highly victimised students reported less use of compromise but more use of anger and avoidance than their less victimised peers. Aggr. Behav. 31:1–12, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Primary dysmenorrhea in young Western Australian women: prevalence, impact, and knowledge of treatment

Purpose: To explore the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among senior high school girls in Perth, Western Australia, its impact on school, sporting, and social activities, students’ management strategies, and their knowledge of available treatment. Methods: A total of 388 female students in Grades 11 and 12 at three metropolitan secondary schools completed an anonymous questionnaire administered during class time. The following definition of dysmenorrhoea was used: any type of pain or discomfort associated with menstrual periods including cramps, nausea, and headaches. Results: The reported prevalence of dysmenorrhea among these girls was 80%; 53% of those girls with dysmenorrhea reported that it limited their activities. In particular, 37% said that dysmenorrhea affected their school activities. The most common medication used by those reporting dysmenorrhea was simple analgesics (53%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), used by 42%. More than a quarter of respondents (27%) were unaware that NSAIDs were a possible treatment option for dysmenorrhea. Conclusion: The prevalence and impact of dysmenorrhea on Grade 11 and 12 girls is high, and they lack knowledge of and experience with effective treatment. Health education measures are needed in this area to prevent unnecessary suffering and interruption to school routine.

Classroom Learning Environments and Students' Approaches to Learning.

Four hundred and eighty-four students from two metropolitan secondary schools completed the Learning Process Questionnaire, the Individualised Classroom Environment Questionnaire and the Learner Self Concept scale. Relationships between perceptions of the classroom learning environment, approaches to learning and self concept as a learner were investigated. Gender and level of schooling (junior high versus senior high) differences were examined. Results showed Deep Approaches to learning were significantly related to classroom learning environments which were perceived to be highly personalised and to be encouraging active participation in the learning process and the use of investigative skills in learning activities. High learner self concept was positively associated with Deep Approaches to learning and with classrooms perceived as high in Personalisation. It was negatively associated with Surface Approaches to learning. Differences in perceptions of learning environments and approaches to learning in relation to gender and level of schooling were small. The implications of these findings are discussed and strategies for facilitating Deep Approaches to learning are referred to.

The Secondary School Principal and Teachers' Quality of work Life

The author is Professor of Educational Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In this article he draws upon case studies of the school principal and other senior administrators, in eight 'ordinary' metropolitan secondary schools in the upper midwest of the United States, to describe how the actions of school-level administrators affect the quality of work life of teachers in schools. In interpreting the data Richard Rossmiller draws upon both rational bureaucratic and loose-coupling theory.

Career education and career maturity

The relationships between career maturity and the career curriculum practices and policies of 38 Melbourne metropolitan secondary schools were investigated in this study. An Australian adaption of the Career Development Inventory was used as the measure of career maturity of random samples of year 9 and year 11 students. Career curriculum practices were ascertained via questionnaires. Questionnaires were completed by the principal, career teacher, and three subject teachers in each of the schools in the study. The questionnaires yielded five factors, one associated with congruence to Super's theory and four assocated with innovation/implementation factors. The results of the study supported the view that schools with career education programs achieved higher gains in the career maturity of their students between years 9 and 11 than schools with no career education programs. The findings also showed a strong relationship between the type of program offered, the support of the school for that program, and the gains in career maturity of the students between years 9 and 11.

The Relationship of Maternal Employment to Adolescent Roles, Activities, and Parental Relationships

Questionnaires about activities and parental relationships were administered to metropolitan secondary school adolescents. The evidence from 229 of these questionnaires suggests that adolescents have only slightly more responsibility for household chores when the mother is employed, and that their degree of participation in social activities does not differ consistently from respondents whose mothers are not employed. Reports of parent-child disagreement over a wide range of issues are more common when the mother is employed, but perceptions of parental interest, help with school and personal problems, and degree of closeness to parents are similar to those of children whose mothers are not employed outside the home. The importance of investigating the relationship between maternal employment and the roles, activities, and attitudes of adolescent children is manifest in light of the increasing numbers of women moving into paid employment. A useful perspective for deriving hypotheses about these relationships is to view the nuclear family as an open social system consisting of the four structurally related positions of husband-father, wife-mother, sonbrother, and daughter-sister. The economy's increasing need for workers in white-collar and service-producing sectors, the development of mechanical household appliances, smaller families, better health, and rising material standards of living may effect a redefinition of household responsibility for family members because these factors tend to draw women away from the home into paid employment. The amount of work done by teenage sons and daughters may