Reduce School Failure Research Articles

Participation in organised sport to improve and prevent adverse developmental trajectories of at-risk youth: A systematic review.

Healthy after-school activities such as participation in organised sport have been shown to serve as important resources for reducing school failure and other problem/high-risk behaviour. It remains to be established to what extent organised sport participation has positive impacts on young people in unstable life circumstances. What are the effects of organised sport on risk behaviour, personal, emotional and social skills of young people, who either have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome? The database searches were carried out in March 2023 and other sources were searched in May 2023. We searched to identify both published and unpublished literature. The intervention was participation in leisure time organised sport. Young people between 6 and 18 years of age, who either have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome were eligible. Primary outcomes were problem/high-risk behaviour and a secondary outcomes social and emotional outcomes. Studies that used a control group were eligible for. Studies that utilised qualitative approaches were not. The number of potentially relevant studies was 43,716. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Only seven studies could be used in the data synthesis. Five studies were judged to have a critical risk of bias and were excluded from the meta-analysis. One study did not report data that enabled the calculation of effect sizes and standard errors. Meta-analyses were conducted on each conceptual outcome separately. All analyses were inverse variance weighted using random effects statistical models. Two studies were from Canada, one from Australia, and the remaining from the USA. The timespan of the interventions was 23 years, from 1995 to 2018. The median number of participants analysed was 316, and the median number of controls was 452. A number of primary outcomes were reported but each in a single study only. Concerning secondary outcomes, two studies reported the effect on overall psychosocial adjustment at post-intervention. The standardised mean difference was 0.70 (95% CI 0.28-1.11). There was a small amount of heterogeneity. Three studies reported on depressive symptoms at 0-3 years follow-up. The standardised mean difference was 0.02 (95% CI -0.01 to 0.06). There was no heterogeneity between the three studies. In addition, a number of other secondary outcomes were reported each in a single study only. There were too few studies included in the meta-analyses in order for us to draw any conclusion. The dominance of Northern America clearly limiting the generalisability of the findings. The majority of the studies were not considered to be of overall high quality and the process of excluding studies with critical risk of bias from the meta-analysis applied in this review left us with only 7 of a total of 13 possible studies to synthesise. Further, because too few studies reported results on the same type of outcome, at most three studies could be combined in a particular meta-analysis and no meta-analysis could be performed on any of the primary outcomes.

Cuando un proyecto de cambio fracasa en la escuela: aprendizajes inesperados

This case study examines the implementation of an Action Research cycle in a charter school in Castilla-La Mancha, in a disadvantaged environment. We assess the feasibility of introducing active methodologies, such as cooperative learning, to improve coexistence and reduce school failure. Although the implementation of cooperative learning was limited, we observed significant improvements in coexistence and academic performance. This study demystifies the idea that an incomplete project is a failure, as it shows improvements despite not being carried out in its entirety.

Motivational Profile, Future Expectations, and Attitudes toward Study of Secondary School Students in Spain: Results of the PISA Report 2018

During the secondary school stage, students’ motivation to study may decrease and affect their future expectations, which are exclusively directed toward the search for employment, with the consequent abandonment of academic training. The main objective of the present paper was to examine the sources of motivation to study and the future expectations of secondary school students, as well as to develop a predictive model of their future expectations based on the variables studied. The sample consisted of a total of 35,943 students from different Spanish high schools, with an average age of 15.83 (SD = 0.28). The instrument used was the placement tests referring to the PISA 2018 report. On the one hand, the results showed that the main source of motivation for secondary school students to study responds to some kind of imposition either from the surrounding environment or internally, which appears to be represented by identified or controlled extrinsic motivation. In terms of future expectations, important factors included the fundamentally expression of their intention to continue studying rather than to stop studying, facts or economic support which they considered as influential to their capacity to study, and the opinions of others such as parents and friends. On the other hand, sex showed some significant differences in terms of future expectations but did not predict them. The regression model explained 20.9% of the variability of future expectations based on variables such as grade repetition, reasons that discourage studying (not being interested in the contents and never studying), and the influences on future expectations (school grades and subject mastery). Finally, the structural equation model revealed that grade repetition predicts the reasons that discourage studying and these in turn impact future expectations which are influenced by school grades, performing well in a specialty, and having talent. Likewise, there was a negative correlation between repeating a course and school grades, performing well in a specialty, and having talent. Based on these results, it would be advisable to improve the intrinsic motivation of secondary school students by means of educational actions that contribute to the adjustment of their future expectations and attend to the students’ own interests, desires, and competencies, all with the main purpose of contributing to meaningful learning and facilitating professional orientation, and above all, attending to diversity to reduce school failure.

“The holiness of minute particulars”: can the community compensate for the schools’ shortfalls in affection?

ABSTRACT In line with the European Union recommendations, Portugal has developed several programs and policies aimed at preventing and reducing school failure and school dropout. This paper focuses on a community intervention project on the social and educational inclusion of children and young people from social housing estates. A ‘School Support’ practice, consisting of individual and group academic tutoring with basic education students, is presented and discussed. The data collected through a semi-structured interview and two focus groups with parents and socio-educational professionals, enabled us to understand how the School Support Practice is defined and perceived by these actors. The educational, social and individual expectations that the staff and the parents have regarding these students, as well as and the institutional, situational and dispositional barriers that the students have to face in their daily school and social lives were also identified. The research findings highlight, on the one hand, problems such as a fragile relationship between school, children and young people, the poor appreciation of the school by parents, and the low expectations of young people in relation to their academic pathway and school performance. On the other hand, the perspectives of both professionals and parents show that the Project provides some ‘holy minute particulars’, such as love and positive expectations towards students, that the schools could also provide, as these ‘minute particulars’ can make the difference.

Association between leisure-time activities and school failure in adolescents: The 1993 Birth Cohort.

AimTo evaluate the relationship between leisure-time activities at 11 years old and the incidence of school failures from 11 to 15 years in adolescents.MethodsThe sample comprised 4,090 adolescents from the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort, Brazil. The outcome was measured as the number of school failures from 11 to 15 years, based on reported information from cohort participants and their parents. The exposures were collected at 11 years old, as follows: reading; meeting friends; talking to parents; and dating.ResultsIn the group from 11 to 15 years old, 53.3% failed at school at least once. Meeting friends 4–7 times/week (RR = 1.15) and dating 1–3 times/week (RR = 1.22) were associated with high risk for school failure. Reading showed an inverse relationship with school failures (1–3 times/week RR = 0.83; 4–7 times/week RR = 0.71). Reading at least once a week could prevent around 16% of school failures.ConclusionThe context in which adolescents are inserted plays a relevant role in school performance. Understanding these factors may help to propose actions to reduce school failure rates even further.

Didactique et Sociologie, deux sciences pour appréhender le rapport aux savoirs de l'apprenant

With this article we aim to demonstrate that the link between didactics and sociology could reduce inequalities at school. We think we must break up with the partition between the different sciences and move towards a mutualised knowledge. This new scientific knowledge will contribute, particularly in France, to reduce school failure due to the heterogeneity between the pupils, to take into account knowledge as a social fact and doing so contribute with the didacticians to integrate in the didactic transposition the personal relationship of the learner to knowledge. The didactic transposition and the relationship to knowledge refer us to an anthropology of the subject.

Emotional problems and academic performance of students in manufacturing

This paper presents some results of the project entitled “Improve your emotional skills” (I-YES), promoted in the framework of Erasmus+ program in a partnership of organizations from 6 European countries. The project concept started from the very poor vocational education and training student’s performance in manufacturing. One of the main objectives of the I-YES project is to reduce school failure by increasing student’s academic performance. In order to achieve the I-YES project objective, this paper sought to identify their main emotional and social skill needs and deficits. The research employed both quantitative and qualitative instruments, namely questionnaires and focus-groups. The research found the main predictors, the socio-emotional skills with the strongest impact that proved to be perseverance, self-control and self-esteem. Other variables also proved to be essential predictors of school related behaviors and perceptions: perception of the school atmosphere, perception of parental support and perception of teacher attitudes.

School Achievement and Performance in Chilean High Schools: The Mediating Role of Subjective Wellbeing in School-Related Evaluations.

School achievement gaps and school failure are problematic issues in Latin America, and are mainly explained by the socio-economic status (SES) of the students. What schools can do to improve school achievement and reduce school failure is a critical issue, both for school management and teacher training. In this study, we present the association of individual and school-related socio-emotional variables with school achievement and performance, controlling for the effects of SES. A probabilistic sample of 4,964 students, drawn from 191 schools enrolled in year 10 in urban areas of Chile, answered questionnaires assessing subjective wellbeing, social wellbeing in school, school climate, school social wellbeing and students’ perceptions of teachers’ wellbeing. Using structural equation modeling, and controlling for SES, we modeled subjective wellbeing as a mediator of the relationship between school-related variables, such as school climate and perception of teacher’s wellbeing, and (a) school achievement, and (b) school performance. School achievement was computed as a product of (a) the probability of passing the school year, and (b) the percentage of yearly attendance at school. Data on school achievement was drawn from administrative registries from the Chilean Ministry of Education. School performance was computed as the estimated grade point average (GPA) at the end of the school year, based on the students’ previous 5-year GPAs, and was also obtained through administrative data of the last 5 years. Findings reveal the mediating role of subjective wellbeing in the relationship between school-related evaluations (students’ social wellbeing at school, their perception of teachers’ wellbeing and school climate) and school achievement. For school achievement, two variables were mediated (students’ social wellbeing at school and school climate). However, for school performance, no significant mediations were found. We conclude that, on the one hand, after controlling for SES, students’ individual subjective wellbeing is associated with their achievement and performance in school. We discuss the importance of improving school experiences that may protect and promote students’ subjective experience and school achievement and performance, and reduce the probability of school failure and dropout.

Fear crush: Effect of an interventional program for elementary school children with performance anxiety

The prevalence of mental disorders in Portugal is 23%. Of these, anxiety disorders are most prevalent. Given these data, the development and implementation of remediate programs in general takes urgent character, especially in the younger population, where it is estimated that one in every five children suffer from some mental disorder. Given the lack of intervention programs in performance anxiety, we propose the development and implementation of a group program for elementary school children, targeting both the improvement and possible recovery of this condition as a means of reducing school failure in these children. In this program the following aspects will be addressed: the study and regulation of emotions; perceptions of self-efficacy; and therapeutic strategies based on third generation of cognitive behavior therapy–acceptance and commitment therapy. As a non-randomized controlled study, this project involves the development, implementation and validation of the intervention program. To this end, an assessment protocol will be administered to both control and experimental groups. This latter protocol will be administered at three different times: before and after implementation of the program and as a follow-up evaluation 6 months later. This program aims to promote emotional regulation in children with performance anxiety and, concurrently, to improve chances for their possible recovery as well as the reduction of significant school failure rates among Azorean children. The implementation of this therapeutic group intervention program with elementary school children may also prevent later interventions in other health and educational settings.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The New Plan for the Prevention of School Failure in Catalonia (Spain)

This paper outlines the development of the Ministry of Education’s Compensatory Education Program focusing on the changes in Catalonia due to the Plan for Language and Social Cohesion. This program was the emblematic result of the reformist policy adopted in 1983 in the field of education. It was, therefore, a hopeful and optimistic discourse aimed at correcting social inequalities and producing higher levels of social justice. Despite the inherent weaknesses of this approach, the Compensatory Education Program has enabled carrying out interventions in particularly complex areas and, in addition, the range of activities has been very broad and ambitious. Currently, its disappearance and transformation poses a challenge to the government to address the education of ethnic minorities at risk of social exclusion as well as actions to promote school success, to reduce school failure (scheduled for 2018). The development of Education’s Compensatory Education Program will be useful to students of foreign origin in order to improve their academic opportunities and of continuing in the education system.

Principios metodológicos para trabajar la didáctica de las matemáticas en los grados de Educación Primaria de la UIC.

Research based on a mathematical program based on six Psychopedagogical principles applying, chosen from a qualitative literature review process and mathematics curriculum of primary education. The paper justifies the application of these principles in order to equip future teachers whith applicable instrument for thought in their work as teachers, help reduce school failure in math and bring this content to everyday life of students.

Fracaso escolar y paro juvenil en España. Análisis y propuestas de política educativa

Este artículo analiza el fracaso escolar en España y sus consecuencias sobre el desempleo juvenil. Dado que el paro juvenil se reduce a medida que los jóvenes alcanzan niveles educativos superiores, y teniendo en cuenta la poca formación permanente que reciben los menos formados, la reducción del fracaso escolar es un elemento clave para la posterior reducción del desempleo entre los jóvenes. El fracaso se define y analiza (dentro de un marco europeo) de tres maneras: la falta de adquisición de competencias, no haber finalizado satisfactoriamente la educación obligatoria a la edad correspondiente, así como el porcentaje de población de 18-24 años de edad que ha alcanzado como máximo la educación secundaria inferior y que no siguen en formación. En el artículo se revisa la literatura nacional e internacional sobre las causas del fracaso escolar (especialmente los factores relacionados con la escuela o el sistema educativo) y se sugiere la implantación de determinadas políticas educativas para reducirlo, y en consecuencia disminuir el paro juvenil, dado el contexto económico actual.

La evaluación del aprendizaje en primaria y secundaria: los indicadores de evaluación

El estudio presenta una investigación sobre los procesos y procedimientos de evaluación de contenidos y competencias básicas en las etapas de primaria y secundaria en una muestra de centros educativos de Castilla-La Mancha (España). La investigación tiene como objetivos prioritarios: analizar los procesos y formas de evaluar contenidos y competencias, verificar los instrumentos de evaluación preponderantes, destacar la evaluación como predictor fundamental de calidad educativa y elemento crucial para reducir el fracaso escolar y proponer una metodología evaluadora que garantice procesos de evaluación objetivos con base en el desarrollo de indicadores de evaluación. Se ha desarrollado una metodología de corte cuantitativo y cualitativo que nos ha permitido analizar los instrumentos y la forma de afrontar la evaluación e inferir diversas conclusiones: la evaluación es uno de los aspectos del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje que menos ha evolucionado en los últimos años, la evaluación del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje es poco sistemática e incompleta. La evaluación se debe sustentar en la verificación de que el alumno ha superado los criterios de evaluación y las diferentes competencias básicas que le habilitan para conseguir los objetivos de las diferentes etapas educativas y así poder garantizar su promoción escolar y su titulación académica conforme a los preceptos normativos.

Greater Equity in Education

In recent years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has put a considerable focus on improving equity in education outcomes. One key aspect of this has been the advent of its international testing program, PISA--the Programme for International Student Assessment--which measures the skills of 15-year-olds in more than 60 countries around the world. From its outset in 2000, PISA made equity of outcomes as important as the average level of outcomes. PISA results have demonstrated quite clearly that countries don't have to choose between excellence for some and mediocrity for all. Instead, national education systems can produce high levels of achievement with relatively low levels of inequality. Andreas Schleicher, who heads PISA, has given many eloquent talks around the world on this theme. While the rhetoric of students can learn preceded PISA, the realization that some large education systems are consistently achieving that goal has made it impossible for anyone to argue successfully that the price of education excellence must be a high level of inequality. But OECD has gone well beyond PISA in its attention to equality issues. Especially in the last 10 years, equity challenges have been a major feature of OECD education studies and reports. In February, OECD released Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools, a follow-up to a 2007 report that suggested ways schools and systems could increase equity based on policies and practices in a number of OECD countries. The key contention of the February report is in the following two sentences from its foreword: The evidence shows that equity can go hand-in-hand with quality and that reducing school failure strengthens individuals' and societies' capacities to respond to recession and contribute to economic growth and social well-being. This means that investing in high-quality schooling and equal opportunities for all from the early years to at least the end of upper secondary is the most profitable educational policy, (p. 3) That argument is spelled out in more detail in the first part of the report and then turned into 10 policy recommendations to produce greater equity without threatening quality. These recommendations fall into two areas--system-level policies to support equity and strategies to improve performance in high-need or low-performing schools. In the first category, OECD proposes five steps: 1. Eliminate grade repetition. 2. Avoid early tracking of students (into vocational education or special education). 3. Manage school choice so that it does not lead to greater inequity. 4. Make funding more responsive to differing school needs. 5. Have more high-quality pathways in secondary schooling leading to good outcomes. In terms of working with high-need schools, the organization suggests five more strategies: 1. Strengthen school leadership. 2. Create a positive climate for learning. 3. Keep good teachers in high-need schools. 4. Ensure effective classroom practices. 5. Link closely with parents and communities. These recommendations are hardly radical. Nor should they be, since they're quite firmly grounded in many years of research. Moreover, as the report shows, each is in place in some high-performing systems so they have the sanction of empirical evidence and experience. On the other hand, few education systems have securely embedded all of these features, and quite a few systems actively contradict at least some of them. Virtually every system around the world, whether a district or a nation, could benefit from paying serious attention to the set as a whole. Why don't countries implement these policies and practices if they're known to be effective? There are at least a couple of reasons one could adduce. …

Addressing students' social and emotional needs: the role of mental health teams in schools.

Children in today's society face many stresses from a variety of sources that have a major impact on thier psychosocial adjustment and academic performance in school. These stressful events and thier consequences on the quality of life and academic success are particularly significant among low-income and ethnic minority students in American society. Many schools have adopted strategies to help students who are impacted by stressful life events to deal affectively with their problems in an attempt to reduce school failure and school dropout rates among these students. Most notable among these strategies are school-based mental health programs including the establishment of school-based mental health teams which seek to proactively address individual student concerns while improving the general climate of schools. The evidence seems to support the claim that these school-based services have a positive impact on students' social and emotional well-being as well as on their academic achievements. However, with more careful monitoring and much more consistent support from administrators and policy makers, these school-based approaches can more fully realize their potential to enhance the quality of life and to positively impact the future of many poor and ethnic minority students.

Comparative study between Arab-Arab and Franco-Arab tutor-tutee relationships

In this paper, we focus on tutoring as a method that can be utilised to reduce school failure and to improve intergroup relationships. The following study is based on experimental work carried out among primary school students who were given additional help in mathematics and French. The results show that the cultural identity of the tutors has an implicit bearing on the success of the tutoring.

ESTATÍSTICAS DE DESEMPENHO ESCOLAR: O LADO AVESSO

Algumas das principais políticas para a educação no País, hoje, centram-se sobre a "correção do fluxo escolar", isto é, a diminuição dos índices de evasão e repetência, assim como as diversas práticas de "aceleração". Os resultados dessas políticas são avaliados por meio de estatísticas de desempenho escolar, que vêm sendo alardeadas pelos governos federal e do estado de São Paulo como grandes vitórias. Este artigo pretende olhar o avesso da produção desses dados, isto é, buscar como eles vêm sendo produzidos e utilizados no cotidiano das escolas, suas interações com a cultura escolar e seus efeitos sobre a aprendizagem das crianças. Com esses objetivos, está baseado em dados obtidos em observações, entrevistas e consultas a documentos de uma escola pública de 1ª a 4ª séries do ensino fundamental, de um município da região metropolitana de São Paulo. Essa experiência de pesquisa relatada reforça a importância de nos posicionarmos a favor da permanência das crianças e jovens na escola, mas contra a maquiagem estatística da ignorância e do fracasso do sistema em ensinar.

School readiness practices and children at-risk: Examining the issues

This article examines school readiness practices for children at-risk. Conceptual problems with the ways that “readiness” and “at risk” are defined are examined. The research on school readiness practices, including screening and testing, delayed school entrance, and extra year programs, for children at risk is reviewed; methodological problems with this research are also noted. Particular emphasis is placed on research studies that have examined future school retention rates, later use of special education services, and drop-out rates for students who have used school readiness practices to reduce school failure. Suggestions for best practices are offered, considering the issues of “readiness” and “at risk” from a constructivist perspective that recognizes the ongoing interactions between students and the intervention programs they receive. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

It Takes Both Sides: Using Right-Left Hemispheric Approaches to Reduce School Frustration and Failure among the Gifted

It Takes Both Sides: Using Right-Left Hemispheric Approaches to Reduce School Frustration and Failure among the Gifted

A developmental study of problem-solving strategies in children with and without learning difficulties

This study was designed to investigate the incidence as well as the specific combinations of strategy deficits which differentiate the performance of students with and without learning difficulties. The sample consisted of 626 9–14-year-olds of average intelligence, subdivided into 342 normal achievers and 284 students with learning difficulties. Students were further divided into three age groups: 9–10-year-olds, 11–12-year-olds, and 13–14-year-olds. Six problem-solving tasks measured specific components of strategy use which are critical for learning: efficiency, flexibility, and methods of applying strategies. Students were also required to identify and explain the strategies they had used to solve specific items and tasks. Results indicated a significantly higher incidence of problem-solving weaknesses in the students with learning difficulties. These group differences were similar for the three age-levels. Findings highlighted the problems experienced by students with learning difficulties when they were required to shift flexibly among alternatives strategies, to attend selectively to salient details, and to provide appropriate explanations for their problem-solving approaches. Identification of students' problem-solving strategies provides a promising perspective for addressing learning style, reducing school failure, and enhancing school success.