High School Project Research Articles

Ghana’s Free Senior High School Policy within the Spectrum of the Focal Points of Curriculum Development

This study performs a meticulous examination of Ghana's Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, considering the focal points of curriculum development. Ghana has significantly augmented its financial commitment to the educational sector, recognising the pivotal importance of education in sustainable development. Despite this monetary dedication, the government has implemented the FSHS policy to guarantee the extensive availability of high-quality education. The study seeks to thoroughly analyse the policies of curriculum development, assessing its influence on access, fairness, curriculum content, educational excellence, stakeholder engagement, and long-term viability. The research aims to provide detailed insights into the effectiveness of the FSHS policy by thoroughly examining various aspects. It goes beyond just looking at enrollment numbers and evaluates how the policy contributes to a well-rounded educational experience that aligns with both national and global educational goals. The expected results are positioned to offer useful insights for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders, enabling continuous improvements to the Free Senior High School project and the overall educational environment in Ghana.

The Essential Elements of Japan Super Science High School Projects: A Case Study of Shizuoka Prefecture

To support the enhancement of science and technology, the Japanese government established the Super Science High School in 2002. However, there is a lack of information about this school for international scholars. We addressed this problem by observing and working with SSH in Shizuoka Prefecture and understanding their intended school models. The context of Shizuoka prefecture is interesting because it is well-known for its high-technology manufacturing company. Our “bottom-up” approach was mainly based on observation, in contrasts with other studies using a literaturebased method to define SSH schools. We identified four elements that represent the common goals and strategies employed by SSH: Independence scientific research, Scientific English, courses related to STEM, and international collaboration. This framework offers a clear picture of what exactly SSH schools are. Findings suggest that SSH identity is rooted in pedagogy, school culture, and rigorous instruction, especially in science and technology, including support from scientists and researchers from the surrounding universities as invited speakers, teacher assistance, and opportunities to conduct research in university-level laboratories. Keywords: essential elements, Japan Super Science High School, Projects, Case Study

군 초급간부 인력위기 극복을 위한 군 특성화고 운영 활성화 방안

The purpose of this study was to propose a plan to revitalize the operation of the military specialty high school project through a literature survey and empirical analysis of one military specialty high school in order to overcome the manpower crisis of military noncommissioned officers. The results of the study are as follows. First, in conjunction with the national defense manpower policy, the military specialization and operation project should be continuously promoted. Second, it should develop cooperative governance with local governments, education offices, and local communities, and expand student recruitment across the country. Third, it is necessary to design the evaluation items related to the achievement of the objectives of the military specialization high school operation project in detail from planning to program operation, and evaluate whether the purpose of training military technical personnel is being achieved. Fourth, it is necessary to establish a strategy for attracting and promoting new students, and strengthen student life guidance and career counseling. Fifth, it is necessary to reorganize the military specialization department and add a curriculum and establish a dedicated team.

Tackling climate crisis through systems thinking: PERSIST, a pilot project in an Italian high school

Abstract Background The climate crisis is today's most important global health threat. In Europe, the Mediterranean region represents a climate hotspot. Education plays a crucial role in preparing the population for future climate impacts on health: it provides the tools to implement social and individual attitudes for climate change mitigation; it facilitates the development of skills and attitudes for adaptation, and it stimulates critical understanding of climate change. Objectives The PERSIST project aimed to improve awareness of the environmental emergency and provide tools to tackle the complex relationships between human activity, climate crisis and health, stimulating pro-environmental behaviours through systems thinking. Three meetings with students from a scientific high school in Rome between March and April 2023 were provided, using systems thinking, group activities and discussions. A pre- and post-intervention questionnaire was administered to measure knowledge, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviours. The anonymously collected data were processed using descriptive statistics. Results Ten classes between 1st and 4th grade took part in the project. The valid responses to the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires were 222 and 211, respectively. The preliminary analysis suggests improvements in knowledge and attitudes and a broad appreciation of the intervention, with 78,1% of students who found the project engaging. There were no changes in the ecological emotions referred by the students. Conclusions An interactive approach and the use of complex systems improves students’ knowledge and attitudes towards the climate crisis, without increasing negative ecological emotions. This pilot project can guide similar, repeatable projects in other schools and countries. Key messages • Education is fundamental in tackling the health impacts of climate change. • Training young people on health and climate crisis issues could improve their adaptive capacities.

An interdisciplinary educational path to understand the economic phenomena of a fluid and complex world with mathematics

In this paper, we describe an activity that involves economics and mathematics. It is included in the planning of orientation paths towards university studies within the Mathematical High School Project and is dedicated to students in the last years of high school. In particular, this research will deal with the issue of solving an economic problem using not only real analysis instruments but also geometrical topics concerning Euclidean geometry and topology. Mathematics becomes a language to understand and explain a real life problem, such as determining the optimal position of an airport, a nuclear reactor and so on. Some activities made use of dynamic geometry software and computer simulations.

Sustainable Fuels for High School Students: Synthesis of Biodiesel from an Amazon Region Oil (Babassu)

We describe here a four-stage project on the synthesis of a sustainable fuel (biodiesel, BD) from an Amazon region oil, namely, babassu oil (BO). The project was carried out both at Humboldt high school (project discussion and evaluation) and at the Institute of Chemistry, the University of São Paulo, ChemUSP (properties of BO; synthesis of BD). The students were asked to discuss aspects (origin, economic and environmental) of (petroleum-based) diesel oil and BD; suggest a candidate oil/fat from the Amazon region and an alcohol for the synthesis of BD, and discuss experimental variables that bear on biofuel yield. The students discussed this assignment in class, as well as what they are going to do during the third (experimental) stage of the project, carried out at ChemUSP. The students determined the acid- and saponification number of BO, synthesized BD using an optimized experimental protocol, prepared mixtures of (BO + authentic BD) and were introduced to gas chromatography. The students evaluated the project positively because of the socioeconomic- and environmental relevance of BD, its production from an Amazon region oil, and their contact with ChemUSP. We recommend this project for high school students because of its simplicity, safety, low cost, and because the school/university contact is beneficial for both sides.

Analyzing cosmic-ray muons in the experimental paths of the “Mathematical High School” Project

The Mathematical High School (MHS) Project is a research project involving 160 high schools and 26 Italian universities in which experimental research paths are deepened to explore mathematics as a universal language and as a link between the various areas of both humanistic and scientific knowledge. These activities are developed with the collaboration of internationally recognized research institutions. In particular, in the MHS schools, the research group of the Mathematics Department of the University of Salerno in collaboration with INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Naples division, offers laboratory activities of data analysis on cosmic rays. Students, guided by the researchers, use the CRC (Cosmic Rays Cube), a portable muon detector, to carry out an experimental activity, from the data taking to the analysis. They study what cosmic rays are, where they come from and, in particular, the characteristics of comic-ray muons produced in the Earth atmosphere. Mathematics becomes the instrument to interpret data collected by the detector, measure the muon flux and reconstruct their direction. Using dedicated software, students experience the activity of the researchers. Working in team, they deal with high-profile scientific issues usually not developed in the curricular educational paths.

Locating sources of a high energy cosmic ray extensive air shower using HiSPARC data

In the physics community, there is continued interest in high energy cosmic rays and their co-location to stellar sources, including to supernovae. Observational history and corresponding theories link the high energies associated with these types of cosmic rays to those produced in various latter evolution stages of stellar bodies. We hypothesize that high-energy cosmic ray air showers have a source region associated with specific stellar bodies. Here, we present our analysis of the locations of possible high-energy cosmic ray sources by using data from University of Twente cosmic ray detectors that are part of the High School Project on Astrophysics Research with Cosmics (HiSPARC) network. As an example of the potential of the HiSPARC network to aid cosmic ray source location, we analyzed event count data from a high-energy air shower recorded during the first week of January 2014. The data was then processed such that the direction of the air shower could be ascertained to provide the likely area of air shower origin. Angle and time data were then inputted in to Stellarium™, a free open-source planetarium application from which sources could be located. Our results suggest two sources are candidates for the origins of the high-energy air shower: the Cepheid variable Polaris and the binary system, Iota Ursae Majoris A. In sum, we have shown the potential of the HiSPARC network to aid location of stellar sources that may be responsible for detected cosmic air showers.

Design, teaching organization of solar project in high school

Currently, the design and organization of project-based teaching is a practical matter, which has been widely applied to help learners acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to apply to specific and practical issues. In project-base teaching, theoretical knowledge is intergrated into practice to help learners practice how to apply theoretical knowledge to real life topics and situations. That will help students grasp the practical meaning of knowledge, and step by step understand how to apply it in practice and solve real-life problems. One of the current urgent problems that need to be researched and solved is the problem of environmental pollution caused by climate change. Therefore, in this study, environmental issues are integrated into the curriculum, the research topic is the solar cell project taught in the form of a project-based at high schools. From the results of experimental pedagogical research, the effectiveness of teaching solar cell-theme projects at some high schools is evaluated.

Green Public Procurement and the circularity of the built environment

The case study presented in this paper is a demonstration of the success of a green public procurement (GPP) model that allows to build buildings in accordance with the principles of the circularity by ensuring sustainable consumption and production.The relevance of green procurement has lately become a focus of research because of public institutions’ growing interest in circularity for built environment investment. The case study of a school gym presented in this paper is emphasising the role the public authorities are playing in promoting the transition to the circularity of the built environment through sustainable procurement. Despite being a voluntary instrument, GPP also plays a significant part in the global efforts to develop a more resource-efficient economy. It can help to develop a critical mass of demand for more sustainable buildings that would be difficult to bring to the market otherwise.The challenge of convincing public-sector institutions to use GPP across nations, to become ‘normal practice’ continues and will drive the market for environmentally friendly buildings. The case study presented demonstrate that the GPP model is widely replicable and leads to positive outcomes. It has already been applied for the Brancati secondary and high school project built in Pesaro, Italy, that has been awarded by the International Jury of the Green Solutions Awards 2020-21, Construction 21, the Prize for the Energy for the Temperate Climate International Platform category.

Do the CO2 Absorption by Plants & Emission by Growing Media Obey Fick’s Law?

A simple homemade greenhouse was constructed as a part of the high school project during the learning-from-home period. The greenhouse was used to show CO2 absorption by Sansevieria trifasciata during the night, obeying Fick’s law of diffusion, while the CO2 emission by the medium used to grow the plant does not. Although other plants can be used for this purpose, the use of Sansevieria is interesting and offers certain advantages because it absorbs CO2 during the night. The project could also provide a simple tool for high school students to investigate the absorption and emission of CO2 from home or in laboratory. Extension of this project to investigate the effect of plant respiration on the environmental parameters, such as decreasing temperature and increasing humidity, is also possible.

How Does the Quality of Junior High Schools Affect Housing Prices? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the Admission Reform in Chengdu, China

We exploit an admission reform of junior high schools in Chengdu, China, to identify the capitalization effect of high-quality educational facilities on housing prices. Since 2013, some elite junior high schools have conducted an experimental policy called the four-year junior high school project (hereinafter referred to as FJHP). The FJHP reduced the admission chances to elite junior high schools within the FJHP school districts via lottery. Based on 88,745 resale housing transaction records from Chengdu during 2010–2018, we used the difference-in-difference (DID) methodology to estimate the average price effect of the FJHP. Furthermore, we established a DID model with quantile regression to estimate the heterogeneous effect of the FJHP on housing prices. The empirical results show that the implementation of the FJHP reduced the housing prices in the relevant school districts by at least 5.5%, and its price reduction effect increased over time. The quantile regression results show that households with high-priced housing are more sensitive to the change of admission chance to elite junior high schools, which indicates the inequality in accessing high-quality school facilities under the designating admission zone policy. This study concludes with implications for improving the accessibility of school facilities.

Reconstructing the cosmic ray energy spectrum with HiSPARC

The high school project on astrophysics research with cosmics (HiSPARC) employs a large number of small detection stations that sample the footprint of extensive cosmic ray air showers. The cosmic ray energy spectrum between 1016–1019eV is reconstructed by combining data from multiple four-detector stations located at the Amsterdam Science Park. The obtained cosmic ray flux values agree well with data from other experiments. Also the value of the slope (−3.08±0.02) matches the literature value. Additionally, a new method is presented in which a single two-detector station is used to probe the cosmic ray energy spectrum at a complementary energy regime between 1012–1016eV. The flux values and its slope value (−2.71±0.07) are in good agreement with literature data. However, numerous simplifying assumptions bring about large systematic uncertainties which are not well quantified. The possibility to reconstruct the cosmic ray energy spectrum augments HiSPARC’s primary goal, which is to engage high school students with modern physics and let them contribute to real scientific research.

Magnetic levitator fitted with the Hall sensor readings

In this article, we propose a simple and accessible model of a magnetic levitator fitted with a Hall sensor. This model also allows to determine the magnitude of the magnetic field within the levitator working volume. Students can also compare the experimental magnetic field values to reference values in magnetism textbooks. This Arduino-based levitator may be built by a student under teacher’s supervision as part of an individual project in high school or secondary school setting.

Exploring the limits of 21st century educational change discourses

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the discourses surrounding an ambitious high-school transformation project in a large Canadian city that sought to reimagine education for 21st century learning. It was grounded in a broad review of the latest educational research. While an initial eight schools signed on, by the end of the second year all had left the project. Drawing upon Gee's ([2005]. An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. New York, NY: Routledge; [2014]. How to do discourse analysis: A toolkit. New York, NY: Routledge) tools for analyzing ‘Knowledge Building’ discourses, we explore how the project's communications produced tensions and contradictions, which reflect similar ones within the global research discourses on educational change. Key elements include strong branding, inconsistent messaging over objectives and ownership, centralized control and external sources of authority, a ‘start fresh’ ethos, and unfamiliar educational values from systems and design thinking. Ultimately, neoliberal assumptions about the means and ends of schooling embedded in the 21st century change discourses undermined the collaborative and teacher driven stated aims of the project.

"Historical Path in Mathematical Games": A Didactic Laboratory Activity Dedicated to Upper Secondary School Students

In this work we intend to share an educational path on mathematical games developed in the last classes of the high schools that participate to the research-project Mathematical High School Project, a project elaborated by the research group in mathematics education of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Salerno (Italy) and dedicated to scientific high school students. The "Historical path in mathematical games" is a didactic laboratory activity dedicated to students of the last year of scientific high schools. The researchers collaborated with the teachers of the schools and carried out an interdisciplinary path on puzzles and logic games invented or reworked by important mathematicians of the last two centuries. Through these themes that were scientific, historical, artistic, musical, literary ones, connections have been created thank to the presentation of texts, images, paintings, drawings, musical and literary pieces.

Eco-friendly fashion: A STEM sandpit project in Indonesian senior high school

The paper will clarify the learning activities of eco-friendly fashion STEM education lesson plan. The activities were designed based on Sutaphan and [11] context based STEM education learning approach. This learning activities aim to foster student think profoundly in investigating the current new challenge (control the growth of the wasted clothes using an eco-friendly fashion system) in the society using STEM approach and the sandpit research or project as the model. The paper will discuss how to provide students chance to applying STEM knowledge through these activities.

Library Practice Patterns in Community High Schools Project

In this article, we try to investigate the community high schools project policies implemented by current educational units in Taiwan through document analysis and questionnaire survey methods. We also investigate what role the school library should play and what jobs the school library should promote in the point of view of a director of library in a senior high school. We try to conclude operation items which meet the spirits of government’s policies. In the mean time, based on a thinking that the school library should participate in local cultural activities aggressively, we try to investigate further, when the availability of school is extended into local community, what would be the possible cooperative contents and ways between school library and the local community? The research result is going to be used as a reference for future development and operation of school library in senior high school and vocational high school.

The effect of realistic mathematics education on student achievement in 8th grades geometric objects teaching

The purpose of this study is to answer if there is a reasonable difference on academical success of students who get education with traditional and RME approach question on “Teaching geometrical objects to 8th grade students” subject. Study group consists of 47 students which contains 21 experimental and 16 control group from “Ordu Anadolu İmam Hatip High School Project School” in Altinordu, Ordu. Experimental and control group have same academical success level, as the school which this study has runned is a school which accepts students with an exam only. After the experimental and control groups were created, a 25 question pre-test was performed to understand the level of knowledge of the group regarding geometrical objects. The same test was performed on the same groups 8 weeks later as retention test. To determine opinions of the students in experimental group regarding RME and related learning activities, semi-structured interviews are conducted. The data obtained from the pretest, posttest and retention tests were analyzed with t-test for independent samples and t-test for dependent samples and variance analysis for mixed measurements with 0.05 significance level. According to the results, it is seen that learning activities prepared according to RME approach are much more effective than learning activities prepared according to the traditional approach on students’ academic success.

High school project “I am Ecomanifest” in the system of digital communications

An exhibition of posters and a presentation of the interactive project “I am Ecomanifest”, dedicated to environmental issues, took place at the Institute of Public Policy of Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration on December 20, 2019. The training project has become an independent communication statement. A system of visual communications has been developed, using modern digital tools that help to solve the environmental problems.