School Ownership Research Articles

Islamizing the Management of Human Resources in Schools: The Imperative for Muslim Proprietors of Schools

The proliferation of institutions of learning established by Muslim organizations and individuals could be said to be a welcome development though they are yet to compete numerically with those established by Christian organizations and individuals. However, it is observed that many of these institutions are only recognized to be Islamic by their names as there is hardly any difference between their operation and the secular ones. This paper identifies and discusses some principles which will make Muslim schools really Islamic in nature and operation. Proprietors of these schools therefore need to be up and doing in the task of planning, organizing, leading, coordinating, directing, supervising, controlling, evaluating and reporting roles for their schools to be real Muslim schools. These tasks can only be accomplished when human resources in schools are properly managed in the Islamic manner.

Development of analytical competencies and professional identities through school-based learning in Denmark

This article presents the main results of a case study on teachers’ professional development in terms of competence and identity. The teachers involved in the study are allocated time by their schools to participate in professional “affinity group” meetings. During these meetings, the teachers gather and analyse school-based data about factors which persistently create and sustain challenges in effective student education (grade K-10). This process improves their understanding and undertaking of job-related tasks. The affinity group meetings also influence the teachers’ professional identity. The research findings thus illustrate the fact that the analytical approach of affinity groups, based on the analysis of the difficulties in their daily job, provides good results in terms of competencies and identity perception. In general, as a result of meeting in affinity groups, adult learners develop professional competencies and identities which are considered crucial in rapidly changing schools characterised by an increased focus on, among other things, lifelong learning, social inclusion, school digitalisation, and information literacy. The research findings are thus relevant for ministries and school owners, teacher-trainers and supervisors, schools and other educational institutions, as well as teachers and their organisations worldwide.

Effect of Meta-Learning Teaching Method on the Academic Performance of Building Trades Students in Technical Colleges in South-East Nigeria

The need to improve academic performance in building trades by students of technical colleges in South-east Nigeria necessitated this study to determine the effect of meta-learning teaching method (MTM) on the students’ academic performance. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. A quasi-experimental design involving experimental and control groups plus pre-test and post-test was adopted. Population of the study was all the 376 National Technical Certificate (NTC) year II building trades students. A sample of 120 was purposively drawn for the study. Instrument for data collection was Building Trades Performance Test (BTPT) validated by experts with a reliability coefficient of 0.60. Data were analyzed with mean, standard deviation and ANCOVA. It was found that MTM improved students’ academic performance in building trades. No significant interaction effect was observed between school ownership and the two methods used. Conclusion was drawn and it was recommended that building trades teachers should use MTM while supervisory agencies should assist them through seminars and conferences. Key words: Meta-learning teaching method, academic performance, building trades.

University-level nutrition training in West Africa: cost and financing issues

BackgroundThere is a serious shortage of skilled nutrition professionals in West Africa. Investing in nutrition training is one of the strategies for strengthening the human resource base in nutrition. However, little is known about how nutrition training in the region is financed and the levels of tuition fees charged. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment about the levels of tuition fees charged for nutrition training in the West Africa region and to determine to what extent this is of reach to the average student.MethodologyThe data for this study were obtained from 74 nutrition degree programs operating in nine West African countries in 2013 through semi-structured interviews during on-site visits or through self-administered questionnaires. They included the age of the programs, school ownership, tuition fees, financial assistance, and main sources of funding. Tuition fees (in 2013 US$) were expressed per program to enable uniformity and comparability. Simple descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed.ResultsResults from 74 nutrition training programs in nine countries showed a wide variation in tuition fees within and between countries. The tuition fees for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, respectively, ranged from 372 to 4,325 (mean: 2,353); 162 to 7,678 (mean: 2,232); and 369 to 5,600 (mean: 2,208). The tuition fees were significantly higher (p<0.05) in private institutions than in public institutions (mean: US$3,079 vs. US$2,029 for bachelor's programs; US$5,118 vs. US$1,820 for master's programs; and US$3,076 vs. US$1,815 for doctoral programs). The difference in the tuition fees between Francophone and Anglophone countries was not statistically significant (mean: US$2,570 vs. US$2,216 for bachelor's programs; US$2,417 vs. US$2,147 for master's programs; US$3,285 vs. US$2,055 for doctoral programs). In most countries, the tuition fees appeared to be out of reach of the average student. Recent master's programs appeared to charge higher fees than older ones. We found a significant negative correlation between tuition fees and the age of the program, after controlling for school ownership (r=−0.33, p<0.001).ConclusionsOur findings underscore the urgent need for national governments in the region to establish benchmarks and regulate nutrition training costs. In a region where the average annual gross national income (GNI) per capita is barely 890$, the rising cost of tuition fees is likely to hinder access of students from poor background to nutrition training. Governments should institute financing mechanisms such as scholarships, public–private partnerships, credit facilities, and donor funding to facilitate access to tertiary-level nutrition training in the region.

Problems faced in the implementation of Total Quality Management in higher secondary schools in Kerala, India

Whenever quality improvement measures in education are initiated by the government, teachers have the responsibility of their successful implementation at the school level. Problems and constraints, however, emerge if the vision and mission of the authorities are not permeated down to the teacher level. The Kerala government’s measures aimed at the quality improvement of education included changes in the curriculum, evaluation of students and teacher education and training, application of technology in the admission and examination systems management. There are, however, apprehensions among teachers on the viability and success of such quality initiatives and the potential increase in their workload. This study, therefore, attempts to identify the problems faced by teachers in the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) initiatives. Factor analysis on a set of 36 statements was undertaken to identify pertinent problems faced by teachers in the implementation of TQM. Variations in the intensity of problem felt by teachers by gender, age, subjects handled, location and ownership of the schools are also brought out.

EFL/EL2 Teaching in Nigeria: A Choice or a Charade

Different scholars like Jowitt (2005:vi) and Olaofe (1999:6), have decried the falling standard of education, especially students’ performance in English-a medium through which all other school subjects are studied. Various examinations results like WAEC, NECO and researches attest to this. The teachers of English are identified among the factors responsible for this downward trend, hence the need to critically examine them in order to offer lasting solutions. The problems associated with learning English as a foreign language are not peculiar to Nigeria but a global challenge, as Trugill and H**annah (1985) confirm. Incompetent teachers cannot be good models for their students. Using questionnaire and interview conducted among the principal actors-teachers, over 100 respondents were randomly selected. The analysis shows that some teachers took the teaching of English as the last resort-pretending to love the job, others are conscripted by private school owners who want to maximize profit even though these teachers are not professionals, there is a general misconception that anybody can teach English, those who went to study English in schools, did so due to some constraints, the ‘trained’ teachers are incompetent and many of them dislike teaching. With these, it is difficult for students to do well when they are taught by those who are not interested in the job. The study therefore recommends that all stakeholders should wake to their responsibilities and get rid of the “bad eggs” from the system; by consciously training and grooming teachers who have something worthwhile to offer learners.

Educação e liberdade

In this article we explore the notion of freedom expressed in the pedagogical thinking of theMERCOSUR countries (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil) during the redemocratizationperiod. We do a comparative study with emphasis on the ideas ofautonomy and democracy in the current era. It is methodologically supported bybibliographic research using periodicals of large circulation in the pedagogicalenvironment. It is concluded that the integration of pedagogical ideas in the region wasdriven by the connection of the teacher union movement, the progressive Catholic Churchand even the conjunction of interests of sectors linked to private schools. The idea of libertywas represented through the defense of private freedom advocated by school owners, andalso defended through the rereading of the New School by the middle sector of society. Itwas also understood as revolution of capitalist structures by the teacher union movement -which proposed the pedagogical process as counter-hegemonic - and as liberation byeducators linked to Freire.

School–Related Factors as Predictors of Senior Secondary School Students’ Literature in English Achievement in Ibadan Metropolis

&lt;div class="Section1"&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study examined school –related factors (school location, library resources, furniture and&lt;br /&gt;ventilation) as predictors of academic achievement of students in Literature-in-English in&lt;br /&gt;Ibadan Metropolis. The study employed a descriptive research design of survey type. The&lt;br /&gt;research instruments used were School–Related Factors Questionnaire (SRFQ) and&lt;br /&gt;Literature-in-English Achievement Test. The sample consisted of 400 students&lt;br /&gt;proportionately sampled from ten (10) randomly selected senior secondary schools in Ibadan.&lt;br /&gt;Data collected were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that&lt;br /&gt;school location(B = 4.087; t= 6.507, P&amp;gt;0.05),instructional materials(B = 4.061; t= 5.710,&lt;br /&gt;P&amp;lt;0.05),classroom furniture( ), and appropriate ventilation all had significant relative&lt;br /&gt;contribution to students achievement in Literature in English. The composite influence of the&lt;br /&gt;four factors was also significant. Based on the findings, recommendation were made that&lt;br /&gt;school owners should improve on facilities provided in the schools, Mobile libraries should&lt;br /&gt;also be provided in and around all the local government areas to grant students access to&lt;br /&gt;reading materials.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

Are schools and colleges institutions?

This paper asks whether schools and colleges should be regarded as institutions as well as organizations, and if so what are the implications. Different conceptions of ‘institution’ are examined including an attempt to distinguish ‘institution’ from ‘organization’. It is suggested that institutions are committed to a set of values beyond the transmission of knowledge and skills, as well as to breadth in education and the importance of continuity and a degree of stability. Positive and negative connotations of the idea of institution are briefly reviewed. The discussion is placed in a wider context of the debate about the public realm and its boundaries. Institutional theory is drawn on regarding the interplay between schools and colleges and their environments. Finally there is a brief discussion of the conception of ‘civic institution’, and its implications concerning the ownership of publicly-funded schools and colleges.

Factors influencing the uptake of Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing among secondary school students in Arusha City, Tanzania: a cross sectional study.

BackgroundVoluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) is a key strategy towards HIV prevention yet, the uptake of VCT services among young people remains low. This study determined the factors that influence the uptake of VCT among secondary school students in Arusha City, Tanzania.MethodsA cross sectional study using quantitative methods was conducted. A multi-stage sampling method was applied to randomly select the secondary schools. Stratification, random and systematic sampling techniques were used to identify the study participants. Interviews were conducted using structured questionnaires. Data analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences version 16. Analytical statistics were done using odds ratio to measure strength of association between VCT uptake and independent variables. Association with p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors of VCT uptake.ResultsOf 400 study participants, 50.5% were male and 49.5% were female. 93.5% of the respondents were aware of the VCT services, 79.1% had high knowledge on VCT services and 75.9% had positive attitude towards VCT services. On VCT uptake, only 29.3% had ever tested. VCT uptake was found to be significantly predicted by age (p = 0.003), sex (p < 0.001), religion (p < 0.001), exposure to VCT information from a VCT centre (p < 0.001) and type of school ownership (p < 0.013).ConclusionDespite high knowledge on VCT services, the uptake of VCT among secondary school students was found to be low. The uptake of VCT was mainly found to be influenced by fear of HIV test results, knowledge and attitude on VCT services, age, education, engagement in sexual relationships, stigma and distance to the VCT centre. Integration of youth friendly VCT services in secondary schools would increase VCT uptake among secondary school students. Support and care received after knowing the test results should be clearly communicated as it helps motivate more young people towards VCT uptake and reduce stigma among them.

Surviving the Economy in a Private Studio: Embracing an Academic Pedagogy

ABSTRACTMany choices I personally made in establishing my private studio allowed the studio business to survive and grow in the recent economic downturn. I embraced a business model that provides economic flexibility for students' parents and made the decision to focus on the art of dance rather than the pressures of competitive dance. Giving students a more academic experience has infiltrated every aspect of my teaching. To create and build the studio business, I focused on excluding expenses and pressures of competitive dance, giving families the freedom to choose the number and genre of classes, and incorporating National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) programs. I encourage owners of private schools of dance to revisit their teaching pedagogy, talk and listen to parents and community members, become involved with the NDEO, and realize an economy that changes for the worse does not need to mean failure to a private school of dance.

SOCIAL CAPITAL INCREASE OF CONDUCT FOR SCHOOL HEAD TEACHER PERCEPTIONS

In a society, group or institution in other words, all that is needed the cooperation of the people in the social structure and social capital important have a decisive impact. Especially intense social relationships and interactions are deemed important in schools. To reveal teachers' perception regarding the objective increase social capital they exhibit behaviors of school principals is aimed in this study. This study in our schools of social capital headmaster of investment in the school all aspects successful interaction, school culture to the development, school goals and objectives easier realization will pave the environment permits the formation of providing crucial to be seen. This research is a qualitative study. In the study science subjects design was used. Qualitative research in the tradition of the maximum variation sampling method for sampling in accordance with the working group composed of 12 teachers were selected. Data collection methods have been used as a semi-structured interview technique. In the study, content analysis was performed. According to the results of the study of the behavior of school principals to increase social capital, increase engagement among teachers in schools, providing collaboration, and improve communication in school will contribute to establish confidence as shown. School principals, school owners understand the social capital to protect, not to harm the accumulated capital, social capital will work to develop and manage effectively providing behaviours are required.

Practical Reformers: Women School Owners in Imperial Germany

In the early 1860s, the Ruhr Valley town of Dortmund had no schools for girls beyond the elementary level with the exception of a few private establishments that trained domestic servants. This dearth of educational opportunities is hardly surprising in a town of just 25,000 people at a time when even many larger German cities were bereft of secondary schools for girls. By 1914, however, when Dortmund's population had grown tenfold to well over 250,000, girls or their parents could choose among numerous types of institutions beyond the basic elementary school—several secondary schools, middle schools, and a variety of vocational and commercial institutions, most of them under municipal control.

Factors associated with the consumption of fruits and vegetables in schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years of Florianópolis, South of Brazil

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of the fruit and vegetable intake of schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and analyze the associated factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed food intake, socioeconomic, and biological data of 2,836 schoolchildren. The Chi-square test analyzed the dependent (fruit and vegetable intake) and independent variables; the latter with p-value &lt;0.20 were selected for logistic regression analysis. The level of significance was p&lt;0.05. Results: Only 4.8% of the sample had adequate fruit and vegetable intake. The variables associated with adequate fruit and vegetable intake were school ownership status (private versus public), mother's education level, and family income per member. After adjustment only family income per capita remained associated with fruit and vegetable intake. Conclusion: The fruit and vegetable intake of schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, is inadequate.

Similar Situations? Special Needs in Different Groups of Independent Schools

This study explores differences between different groups of Swedish independent schools' work with pupils in need of special support (PNSS). Data comes from a total population study of independent schools. Data is analyzed using six categories of profile that may affect the special educational values at the schools, and therefore the situation for PNSS. Additionally, the data is analyzed with regard to the school ownership structure. Results show that diagnosis is important for receiving support, despite contrary legislative intentions. The groups differ regarding proportions of PNSS (12–100%), incidence of refusals of admission (8–40%), and in the way they explain problems and organize support. Generally, there is little challenge to a deficit perspective in views on school difficulties and the organization of support; market rationality may be a contributing factor. There are more differences between educational profiles of schools than there are between types of school ownership.

Self-Reported Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Determinants of Multiple Parasitic Infection among Schooling Adolescents in Nigeria

Background: Despite the rising burden of parasitic infections among young schooling adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, insufficient attention has been paid to school-health. This study examined the self-reported prevalence of major parasitic infections and its association with key socio-demographic factors among young schooling adolescents in Southern Nigeria. Methods: An interviewer-administered school-based survey of students attending schools in Southern Nigeria was conducted in 2013. The study sample involved 585 students (60.9% male, 39.2% female and overall mean age of 15 years). The outcome variable was the self-reported presence of parasitic infection suffered within the past twelve months. The exposure variables were socio-demographic characteristics: age, sex, geolocality, school ownership, parents’ level of education and occupation. Association between the number of parasitic infections and socio-demographic factors were examined, and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine socio-demographic factors predictive of the presence of parasitic infections. Results: The most prevalent parasitic diseases reported across the sample were malaria (46.9%) and helminthiasis (27.7%). Over a quarter (38.5%) had one infectious disease, while about half (40.3%) reported had more than two infectious diseases. In the study sample, the number of parasitic diseases differed significantly by sex (p = 0.0344), age (p = 0.0483), geolocality (p = 0.0001), school ownership (p = 0.0012) and parents’ occupation (p = 0.0199). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that attending private school was negatively associated with the presence of parasitic diseases (β = ?0.9129, p = 0.0022). Conclusion: The high prevalence of multiple parasitic infections among the study population is worrisome and should be considered as a school-health concern. Concerted efforts are highly needed to develop school-health intervention programs for addressing the high prevalence of parasitic infection among students. Such programs should be tailored for specific socio-demographic groups. Although there was strong proportionality between self-reported symptoms and parasitic diseases reported, laboratory-based investigation is needed to validate our findings.

중국 초·중학교의 폐교현황에 관한 연구

Due to the population decrease and urbanization process, a new round of rural primary and middle school pattern adjustment has been implemented since 2000. When the teaching quality is improved, a series of problems also occur, including the security of students, increasing burden on farmers, especially, abundant vacant schools have been produced due to the integration of schools. These schools have a great significance for the developing China. However, due to the problems in land ownership and property right of schools, the re-application rate of these vacant schools is quite low, and then how to improve the usage rate of vacant schools by combining with the new rural construction and urbanization has been the significant problem in the current study. In this paper, the causes, processes, results achieved and existing problems of primary and middle schools, as well as the amount of vacant schools have been explored in details, and then the current situation and existing problems have been discussed, hoping to provide certain reference for the government and researchers.

Effects of Entrepreneurial Characteristic of Public and Private Tehran School Principals on Evaluation of Innovativeness

Abstract The Iran's Ministry of Education has started extensive efforts in order to enhance innovation in schools so that staff structure and planning as well as management and scheduling of cultural and educational capacity of schools are better aligned with the aforementioned objective. The goal of the present study is to investigate entrepreneurial Characteristics of educational managers and its effects on the innovativeness of school organization. In this study pragmatism; creativity, risk, challenge seeking and ambiguity tolerance are considered as characteristics of entrepreneurial Characteristics of school principals. Our research methodology is causal- comparative and the population includes 100 Tehran school principals during 2010-2011 educational years. In this study which investigates one main hypothesis and four sub-hypotheses, other characteristics such as gender, educational background of school principals and ownership status of schools) being private or state owned) are also examined. For data collection purposes, a Characteristics of Iranian Entrepreneurs Questionnaire with a reliability score of 0.94 and a questionnaire for measuring innovation are utilized. Our data analysis phase makes use of the Independent Samples T test as well as Pearson correlation coefficient. Our findings indicate that factors such as ownership status of schools and challenge seeking traits are significantly related to the innovativeness of school organizations. Therefore it is recommended to take steps toward increased decentralization of the educational system and greater consideration of organizational entrepreneurship in the body of education and training organization. Also it is suggested that having more flexible and dynamic planning allows for better capitalization on personal entrepreneurial characteristics of educational managers.

Levels of Child-Friendliness of Nursery Schools in Osun State, Nigeria

This study compared the level of child-friendliness of nursery schools in Osun State, Nigeria, on the basis of ownership; and determined the relationship between the level of child-friendliness of nursery schools and the academic performance of their children. The study adopted the survey design. The study employed the stratified sampling technique to select 435 pupils and 435 parents of nursery school children from seven Local Government Areas in Osun State, Nigeria. A “Nursery School Child-friendliness Questionnaire (NSCfQ), which measured the responses of parents in respect of the parameters of child-friendliness of nursery schools, and “Nursery Children Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning Test (NCVQRT)” which measured the academic performance of nursery schools children, were used to collect data. Data collected were analysed with frequency counts and percentages, Kruskal Wallis (H) Test and Pearson Product Moment correlation statistics. Results showed that nursery schools in Osun State met the criteria of child-friendliness such as proactive inclusiveness (76.5%), academic effectiveness and relevance (81.38%), health, safety and protectiveness (80.73%) and participatory enablement (82.78%). The results also showed that there was no significant difference (H=0.33; p>.05) in the child-friendliness of schools owned by private, individuals, religious organisations, higher institutions of learning, and corporate group. The results further showed that there was no significant relationship between child-friendliness of nursery schools and the academic performance of their children (r=0.98, p>.05). The study concluded that nursery school owners in Osun State were conscious of the essential requirements for a successful nursery education and had put child-friendly facilities in place. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v4n3p383

Global politics and education systems: towards education markets?

Our paper has as its first aim to highlight the fact that the approach on which studies about educational policies or the politics of education (the second concept being more widely used in social sciences) have been based so far involves returning to the stance posited by J.A. Maravall –a category composed of ideas, foundations, mind-set, ideology, etc.; in other words, politics as an idea. A second analytical category would be expressed by norms, legislation, actions, practices, etc., which represent politics as regulation (Dutercq, 2005). Despite placing our study within the management of both categories from a methodological point of view, our focus is more specifically placed on the second interpretation. Thus, new education policies break the ‘methodological nationalism’ with a view to present standardized, mercantile and global discourses and practices as a demand of international education agencies. These global policies end, or begin, by building a social and practical network identified here as ‘schooling market’ and expressed through private ownership of schools and governance (the social use of education practices), which operates with different degrees of intensity across international education systems.