School Provision Research Articles

Examining trends in school segregation in compulsory and upper secondary education in Sweden: the showcase of an urban school market

ABSTRACT Educational success is central to the life chances of young people, but increasing differences in student achievement between schools are commonly attributed to increasing school segregation. The aim of the study was to examine the trends in socioeconomic, ethnic, and academic segregation in compulsory and upper secondary education in the Gothenburg school market between 1998 and 2020. Utilizing register data from the Gothenburg Longitudinal Database (n = 1 662 166), the study showed that school segregation intensified over time and across education levels, particularly in the Gothenburg municipality and upper secondary education. The geography of upper secondary education becomes more clustered after stricter upper secondary qualifications are implemented. These findings are discussed in relation to the Swedish school reforms that resulted in the materialization and expansion of the school market with a significant increase in school provisions, leading to the (re-)production of unjust geographies.

Family Socio-Economic Factors and Female Students’ Academic Achievements in Day Secondary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Rubavu District

The research explored the impact of family socio-economic factors on the academic achievements of female students in day secondary schools in Rubavu District, Rwanda. The study aimed to identify the specific socio-economic factors affecting academic performance, assess the academic achievement levels, and analyze the relationship between these factors and student success. The study involved 243 respondents, including 150 students (both males and females),90 teachers, and 3 headteachers from Bugeshi, Busasamana, and Gisenyi Sectors. Data was collected through questionnaires for primary sources, while interviews and observations provided secondary data. Sampling methods included purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling. The research utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods, with IBM SPSS version 21.0 employed for data analysis. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation and regression analysis) were used. Key findings include that 75.3% of respondents strongly agreed that parental education,83.9% noted parental income, and 79.6% mentioned peer groups as critical socio-economic factors influencing academic performance. For academic achievement,72% identified improved exam scores,81.7% highlighted active class participation, and 64.5% pointed to increased confidence and promotion to the next level. The study found no significant correlation between socio-economic factors and academic performance, as most results exceeded the 0.05 significance level. The research recommends that the Ministry of Education review teacher allocation, develop ICT curricula, strengthen adult literacy campaigns, and improve resource provision in day schools. Future research should further investigate socio-economic factors influencing academic outcomes.

The impact of public procurement on delivery of quality education in Queensburgh secondary schools, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa

Background: The South African government is faced with the challenge of expediting the provision of basic services while at the same time complying with public sector procurement regulations. The adherence to regulations results in delays in the provision of infrastructure for public schools.Aim: The article seeks to assess the impact of public procurement processes on service delivery with regard to the provision of infrastructure to public schools.Setting: The article focusses on secondary schools in Queensburgh, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Methods: The article employed a qualitative research method and primary data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with eight Public Works officials and eight contractors that conduct business with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works (DPW). Purposive sampling had been utilised to identify participants.Results: The article revealed that procurement processes profoundly impact the speed and quality of infrastructural delivery, and in many cases negatively, with delays being experienced.Conclusion: The study showed that the procurement processes affect the delivery of infrastructure in public schools.Contribution: This can assist the South African government in designing procurement in a manner that will expedite service delivery. This is not only going to assist in the provision of schools’ infrastructure in Queensburgh area but should also become a blueprint to eliminate backlogs and delays in service delivery.

Speaking for music?

How does musicology articulate the value of music and the study of music? This is an urgent question given the collapse of music provision in schools and its impact on the discipline at university level. One response has been to demonstrate the pro-social benefits of music through empirical work allied with approaches in psychology and sociology. While this is important, we should be wary of downplaying the aesthetic value of music at the expense of more obviously instrumental functions. A recent convergence of disciplinary interest in aesthetics, from neuroscience to political theory, suggests the aesthetic dimension of music, far from being some outdated fiction, remains a powerful challenge to habitual academic discourse. Against the trivialisation of music on the one hand, and the reductive readings of critical orthodoxies on the other, I argue that music affords modes of sense-making that have never been more needed. (This article is published in the thematic collection `The arts and humanities: rethinking value for today—views from Fellows of the British Academy’, edited by Isobel Armstrong.)

Establishing Priorities for Improving Data Collection and Measurement of Mental Health and Well-Being of Adolescents With Special Educational Needs Within Nonmainstream Schools: Protocol for a Delphi Study.

There are more than 1.5 million children and young people in England with special educational needs (SEN), with over 160,000 young people in the United Kingdom attending a special school or alternative provision (AP) setting. Young people with SEN have been found to be at risk for poorer mental health and well-being than non-SEN peers. However, there is a range of both school-related and research challenges associated with identifying difficulties in a timely manner. This Delphi study aims to determine a list of stakeholder priorities for improving school-based measurement of mental health and well-being among young people with SEN, at an aggregated level, within secondary special school or AP settings. A secondary objective is to inform the implementation of school-based well-being surveys, improve engagement in special schools or AP settings, and improve survey response rates among children and young people with SEN. A mixed methods Delphi study will be conducted, including a scoping review and preliminary focus groups with school staff members and researchers to establish key issues. This will be followed by a 2-round Delphi survey to determine a list of stakeholder priorities for improving the measurement of mental health and well-being at an aggregate level within special schools and AP settings. A final stakeholder workshop will be held to discuss the findings. A list of recommendations will be drafted as a report for special schools and AP settings. The study has received ethical approval from the University College London Research Ethics Committee. The stage 1 scoping review has commenced. Recruitment for focus groups will begin in Autumn 2024. The first round of the Delphi survey will commence in early 2025, and the second round of the Delphi survey in the spring of 2025. The final workshop will commence in mid-2025 with final results expected in late 2025. There is a need for clear recommendations for special schools and AP settings on priorities for improving the measurement of mental health and well-being problems among young people with SEN. There is also a need for recommendations to researchers implementing school-based well-being surveys, including the #BeeWell program, to enable them to improve their engagement in special schools and AP settings and ensure surveys are accessible. PRR1-10.2196/58610.

School provision, workforce distribution, housing, and the staffing of schools: The case of Sydney, Australia

Pursuing Sustainable Development Goal 4 has led to more children and youth accessing schooling than at any point in history. However, this expansion of provision has not been without workforce challenges. UNESCO modelling indicates a global shortfall of 44 million teachers by 2030. The challenge of having a sufficiently qualified school education workforce where it is needed is amplified in locations where affordable quality stock of housing is limited. With most of the world’s population urbanising, cities represent a new frontier in understanding the complexity of current and forthcoming teacher shortages, with significant public policy implications. Interventions aimed at individual workers, schools, or administrative boundaries have failed to arrest staff shortages as they are frequently applied too late or based on potential rather than realised data. This paper develops a novel measure, the Workforce Catchment Area (WFCA), and tests its applicability in the Australian city of Sydney. Analysis demonstrates that when integrated with housing and transportation costs it is possible to identify workforce distribution as a contributor to teacher shortages, and generate the data and evidence required by policy makers to set explicit policy goals and markers of success.

A Qualitative Study of School Nurses' Experience of Secondary Trauma.

This qualitative descriptive study explored school nurses' experiences of exposure to reports of trauma from those in their care. Online interviews of school nurses practicing in NJ, USA, were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The study found that school nurses were exposed to reports of others' trauma to varying degrees, with those serving in urban settings reporting more stories of exposure than those in suburban settings. Reports included numerous, layered traumas at the community and individual levels, including students' poverty-related adversity and psychological distress. Qualitative content analysis revealed four categories: Health Office as Safe Haven, Challenges Working Within the School Model, Things That We Hear: Reports of Trauma, and The Ripple Effect of Trauma. School-based challenges included a lack of collaboration, misunderstanding of the school nurse's role, and workload issues such as competing demands and limited time and resources. School nurses reported focusing on the individual's immediate needs and processing the experience afterward. They acknowledged they can only do so much, and shared stories of coping and resilience. Additional education, resources, and support in addressing student trauma can enhance the provision of school nursing services and support the well-being of school nurses, students, and staff. Further research is warranted with a larger and more diverse sample of school nurses, including attention to school nurse wellness and resilience strategies.

Eval__uating the Impact of School-Based Management Committees on Infrastructure Development in Junior Secondary Schools in Yobe State, Nigeria

This study eval__uates the impact of school-based management committees on infrastructure development in junior secondary schools in Yobe State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. A structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant data from the respondents. The population of the study was 1503 comprising Teachers and members of School-Based Management Committees (SBMC). The sample size of the study was 350 and a random sampling technique was employed using lucky dip to select 12 participating schools for this study. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation and a t-test was used to analyze the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The finding of this study established that there is no significant difference between the teachers and members of SBMC on the challenges and strategies of SBMCs in the provision of infrastructure at Yobe State Junior Secondary School. The study established that There was no significant difference between the mean rating of teachers and members of SBMC on the roles of SBMCs in the provision of infrastructure Yobe State Junior Secondary School. This study recommended that SBMCs at the school level should endeavor to work hard in mobilizing members of their communities. Sanctions and punishment for the non-involvement of SBMC in the school’s activities like monitoring and eval__uation, supervision of school activities, and School administrators should continue to work hard and maximize their efforts in trying to make their SBMCs more organized, enlightened and highly mobilized.

The complex journey towards the enactment of inclusion in physical education: a scoping review of the literature on teachers’ perceptions and practices

ABSTRACT Background: The provision of inclusive education in schools is a global priority. However, provision in schools is often criticised for being varied and inconsistent, often perpetuating a rhetoric of exclusion [Warnes, E., E. J. Done, and H. Knowler. 2022. “Mainstream Teachers’ Concerns About Inclusive Education for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disability in England Under Pre-Pandemic Conditions.” Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs: JORSEN 22 (1): 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12525]. These concerns are raised across schooling and subject areas; and Physical Education (PE) is no exception. Purpose: The present paper reported results from a scoping review of the literature conducted to answer questions about PE teachers’ subjective interpretations of the meaning and importance of inclusion, the ways PE teachers facilitate inclusion for diverse learners, and the barriers they encounter. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (extension for Scoping Reviews) informed this review. Adopting elements of the SPIDER tool (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type) the database search was conducted in three stages: 1) hand search of titles from key PE journals; 2) systematic search of six databases (EBSCO host , ProQuest, JSTOR, PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science), and 3) search of Google and Google Scholar . Of the 4007 records identified, 64 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Thematic analysis was carried out to identify key themes. Findings: Results suggest that inclusion is an important matter in PE provision across different national contexts. The various meanings that teachers attributed to the notion of inclusion appeared to provide a reference point/parameter of how inclusion was enacted in practice. Although the idea of inclusion was supported, most teachers were cautious about what was possible in practice. The most frequently mentioned barriers included the ‘child’, inadequate professional learning, and limited resources and support. Despite the various challenges teachers faced, they reported making efforts to implement a range of inclusive practices, including grounding tasks in students' needs, adopting student centred pedagogies, offering choice, promoting positive peer interactions and teaching by utilising differentiated instruction. Conclusion: Acknowledging the subjective nature of such a review, we conclude that findings reinforce but also extend those from previous reviews. The novel contribution lies with the observation that teachers not only faced common barriers to, but also identified shared features of effective inclusion,irrespective of the group of learners they were asked to reflect upon. We have identified key implications for teacher educators, and provided recommendations for future research, which include conducting research in diverse national contexts with cultural responsiveness, better understanding the relationship between teachers’ perceptions/understandings and practices in the context of their complex and diverse environments and cultures, exploring what teachers learn about inclusion, and providing tangible, evidence- informed pedagogies for inclusion as these are implemented in various contexts.

Chaplains in Australian public schools? A matter of philanthropy

ABSTRACT This paper uses the case of chaplains in Australian public schools to construct a Foucauldian dispositif. In examining the interplay between discourse and material structures, we argue that the embedding of chaplaincy in public schooling is driven by economic rather than purely ideological discourse. We highlight the evolving social and political dynamics and the construction and regulation of knowledge and practices, demonstrating that philanthropy is central to student welfare provision in Australian public schools. Using excerpts from parliamentary debates in the Australian Federal Hansard, policy documents, case law, and Australian tax regulations, we identify significant political moments that position chaplains as critical welfare workers in public schools. This analysis underscores the subtle, often invisible power of philanthropy in sustaining and deeply embedding chaplaincy within public schools.

Emotional based school avoidance: Exploring school staff and pupil perspectives on provision in mainstream schools

Aim(s):The present study explored perspectives of school staff, who shared their experiences of facilitators and barriers to mainstream school ‘emotional based school avoidance’ (EBSA) initiatives and practices, and school-aged pupils presenting with EBSA, who described what supported or hindered their school experiences.Method:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six mainstream school staff and seven school-aged pupils who have engaged in EBSA. Staff interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), and pupil interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).Findings:Six main themes emerged across the two samples, two of which are presented in the present study: for school staff, ‘Systemic and Unanticipated Barriers’; and for pupils, ‘Pupil’s Sense of Inclusivity’. Findings from school staff suggest that EBSA initiatives and practices are hindered by financial constraints, less cooperative families, and misalignment with external partners, who may function according to different working models. For pupils, the findings suggest their experience is facilitated when they feel included, accepted, have a sense of school belonging, and where there is attention towards their interests, strengths, and achievements.Limitations:This research did not capture parent voices, even though their involvement is a crucial aspect in supporting their children.Conclusions:This study highlights some of the long-standing (systemic) challenges as well as those associated with multi-agency working and working with families, which threaten to impede effective EBSA initiatives and practices. It also highlights the power of inclusivity and positive relationships for pupils, which may function as a protective factor to their school attendance.

Street Mathematics as an Applied Technique in Solving Problems of the Market Vendors in the Municipality of Talavera, Nueva Ecija: A Case Study

This study aimed at identifying and analyzing the techniques applied in street mathematics in solving problems. It involved a total of ten(10) market vendors selling different products in the public market of Talavera, Nueva Ecija. Using the Descriptive Case Study Design, the following were the findings of the study: (1) The salt, shoe and utensil vendors did not finish elementary; chicken vendor completed elementary; fish and fruit vendor were not able to finish high school; vegetable and cloth/RTW vendor were high school completers; grocery/cooking oil vendor have reached college; and school supply vendor finished college. (2) The techniques used by the participants in solving problems are learned through their personal experiences, which include mental computations, finger counting, arithmetic, computations by pattern, question analysis, guess and check method, and written computations; (3) The market vendors’ calculations, sometimes, end up with wrong summation of the total amount of items. However, it can be overcome through written computations; (4) The instructional module can be used as a teaching guide to teach students the strategies for using street mathematics to solve mathematical problems. So that, students will discover the beauty of mathematics and learn how to approach problems in an informal way. In view of the aforementioned findings, the following conclusions are drawn; (1) Regardless of the educational background, the participants have mastered the principles of street mathematics which they apply when they perform calculations while selling. (2) The selected market vendors solved the given problems in pragmatic way. (3) The problem-solving skills of the market vendors have limitations because not all the techniques taught in school can be learned through their experiences in their workplace. (4) The instructional module will help the students learn some other strategies in solving mathematical problems independently, not only through formal approach but through informal approach as well.

Changes to Secondary School Physical Activity Programs and Policy after Emerging from COVID-19 Lockdowns.

The purpose of this study was to explore the adaptations that schools made to physical activity programs and facilities, and disparities by area urbanicity and income, during the first school year after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a convenience sample of 132 secondary schools in Canada, school contacts responded to an annual survey in the 2020-2021 school year on changes to physical activity programs and facilities, and related staff training. Content analysis categorized open-ended text responses, and schools were compared based on area urbanicity and median income. Most schools canceled all interschool sports (88.9%) and intramurals (65.9%). New programs were added by 12.6% of schools, and about half (49%) of schools reported some continuing programs, most of which were sports programs, followed by facility and equipment access. Physical activity facilities were closed in 18.1% of schools, while 15.7% had new facilities added, and 11% temporarily converted facilities into learning spaces. Large/medium urban schools were at greater odds of having made any change to their facilities compared to schools in rural/small urban areas (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.3 (1.1, 4.8)). The results demonstrate the considerable scale and nature of the restrictions in school provisions of physical activity opportunities during this period, as well as the resourcefulness of some schools in adding new programs and facilities.

Challenges and Opportunities of Utilising School Nutrition Programme to Achieve Educational Goals in South African Rural Communities

This study explored the challenges and opportunities faced by schools in utilising the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) to achieve educational goals in South Africa. The NSNP was established in post-apartheid South Africa as a poverty alleviation and educational democratisation measure to improve educational access, attendance, and participation outcomes of learners from poor socio-economic backgrounds. The thesis of this paper was informed by Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs to explain how food is a basic need for learners to ascend to the level of learning aspirations. The study adopted a phenomenological paradigm and a qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was employed to select 2 secondary school principals, 8 teachers responsible for NSNP and 10 learners who were beneficiaries of the NSNP within a rural community setting. The study used face-to-face and focus group interviews and observations for data collection. Data was analysed and interpreted thematically. The study revealed that challenges such as poor hygienic conditions, poor quality and poor nutrition value of the menu, and consumption of teaching and learning time compromised the quality of NSNP provision in schools. However, despite these challenges, schools in rural communities use the NSNP for school attendance. Keywords: National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), South Africa, Educational Goals, Maslow’s Theory, Socio-economic Development

The effect of abolishing the New Schools Policy on the provision of schools and enrolments in Australia

ABSTRACT Australia has been an enthusiastic embracer of school choice and has one of the highest levels of public funding for non-government schools. The 1996 election of John Howard’s conservative government is a point of interest as it is often framed as a period of political and ideological attacks on public schooling. A key policy move was the abolishment of the New Schools Policy. The New Schools Policy withheld public funds from helping to establish new non-government schools in areas where there was already adequate supply. Using large-scale data sets on supply (number of schools) and demand (enrolment), time-series analysis demonstrates that while the non-government schools have grown (in real and market share terms), the abolishment of the New Schools Policy did not lead to a shock in enrolment numbers. However, the subtle shift from a needs-based to entitlement logic fundamentally altered the landscape of Australian school-based education ever since.

The Provision of Psychosocial Support to Students in Jordan: Teachers' Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, Practices, and Perceived Barriers.

Psychosocial support provision in schools is a promising strategy for overcoming barriers to accessing mental health care. This study aimed to assess teachers' knowledge, attitudes, practices, skills, and perceived barriers in providing psychosocial support to students in Jordan. The sample included teachers working in public schools, private schools, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools, and Zaatari camp schools, as well as non-formal education centers. The study utilized a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling technique to select a nationally representative sample. A total of 549 teachers were included, and only 25.2% have ever received mental health training. Most teachers reported a high level of good and acceptable knowledge of psychosocial support and had a positive attitude toward the provision of psychosocial support, however, about a quarter (25.5%) agreed on feeling nervous in discussing students' psychosocial problems with their parents or school administrators. The least enacted practice was the systematic engagement with parents, school administration, and other community resources in students' well-being (sometimes, 31.6%; rarely, 20.4%). Gaps in skills were mainly in communicating with external resources and parents. The main barriers included parents' misunderstanding of teachers' role in providing psychosocial support to students (56.8%), lack of integration of psychosocial support in the curriculum (55.6%), and challenges in identifying students with psychosocial problems due to large class sizes (54.3%). The results show that gaps extend beyond the individual level of teachers to the community level. School-based psychosocial support interventions must consider the multiple factors that influence their implementation at multiple levels, including the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.

Philosophy of education in the context of the Kazakh secondary education space

Relevance. In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving world, it is crucial to equip students with the skills and knowledge they will need to navigate and succeed in the future. This preparation must begin during their school years. Purpose. The purpose of this scientific paper is to determine the philosophy of secondary education in Kazakhstan by revealing the general trends in the philosophy of the modern world as well as by considering certain aspects. Methodology. The following series of methods of the theoretical block was used during the study: analysis, synthesis, concretization and generalization of information. Results. Based on an examination of the labor market in Kazakhstan and a review of global trends, it has been ascertained that professions requiring mental labor will hold significance in the future. Therefore, fostering students' creative thinking abilities is imperative. Communication and teamwork skills are one of the main skills that a modern worker should have, so it is necessary to develop them from school age. An important feature of modern teenagers, which should be taken into account in the learning process, is their desire for independence, as well as the significant role of social networks in their lives. It is also worth noting that despite the fact that distance education is crucial today, Kazakhstan faces significant problems with Internet coverage in remote areas and poor material provision of schools. Conclusions. The philosophy of secondary education in the 21st century has evolved significantly, emphasizing modern philosophical trends such as globalization and multiculturalism. Today's education focuses on developing universal skills, particularly soft skills, like teamwork and creative problem-solving. The results of this article will be useful for scientific teachers who develop the curriculum and are responsible for the introduction of new methods of conducting the educational process. Keywords: globalization; labor market; generation Z; soft skills; remote education

Correction: The Impact of Typical School Provision of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sports on Adolescent Physical Health: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Correction: The Impact of Typical School Provision of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sports on Adolescent Physical Health: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Growing roots

As spring begins to make itself known, Helen Bowlby, Quality Support advisor for Spring, by Action for Children, shares more about their Forest School provision and highlights the importance of allowing young children access to nature.

Deeply Christian and serving the common good? A survey of Anglican cathedral provision for schools

ABSTRACT The Church of England’s vision for education is generous and seeks to allow the riches of Christian life to overflow throughout schools. The vision is captured by the strapline ‘Deeply Christian, serving the common good’. The present study assesses the contribution made to service this vision by the 43 Anglican cathedrals within England and the Isle of Man. Drawing on a careful analysis of information presented by the websites of these cathedrals, the study concluded that all 43 Anglican cathedrals dedicated considerable space on their websites to a regular programme of teaching and learning provision across the age range from early years foundation stage to sixth-form, relevant to a range of curriculum areas, and giving attention to pupils’ personal development and well-being.