School Identity Research Articles

Authenticating disability perspectives and advancing inclusive agendas that value disability identity in schools

Inclusive programming has traditionally been framed through a medical model with an orientation that is concerned about young people with disabilities functioning aptitudes relative to developmental normative standards. As a result, children and youth with disabilities often experience school and community predominantly through intervention services. This study accesses the narratives of two young men with autism spectrum having experienced separate intervention services delivered outside the regular classroom when attending public school in Nova Scotia, Canada. This research is part of a larger project that explored twelve young men with AS experiences in public school. Their in-depth narratives reveal the importance of authenticating disability voices and locating more meaningful forms of inclusion beyond tiered intervention practices to prevent exclusion and ableist assumptions about their identities.

“Learning is not the most important thing; it's to make them into human beings”: Teacher identity in vocational schools in Israel

This article examined teacher identity in vocational schools through in-depth interviews with 17 teachers in Israel. Findings revealed how the caring discourse underlies these teachers' identities. The teachers reported their strategic abdication of fostering academic achievement. They described how their teacher identity differs from teachers in other educational contexts because of their holding low expectations of their students (“the most important thing is to be a human being”). The teachers' characterizing the students as at-risk youth and their families as dysfunctional informs these low expectations. The Discussion highlights the unintended consequences of a caring-based teacher identity on maintaining educational stratification.

The Study of Religious Interpretation and Expression;

This study discusses the Religious Moderation Construction of Islamic Boarding Schools in Palopo City with a focus on religious interpretation and expression. The research was carried out at the DatokSulaiman Putra Palopo Islamic Boarding School and the Hidayatullah Islamic Boarding School Palopo. This study aims to determineinterpretation of religious moderation and religious expression of Islamic boarding schools in the city of Palopo. The type of research used is descriptive qualitative. Basically, qualitative research seeks to describe, analyze, and interpret the data collected in the research process. The results of the research obtained in the field are the interpretation of religious moderation in the DatokSulaiman Putra Modern Islamic Boarding School and the HidayatullahPalopo Islamic Boarding School, as follows: 1) The vision of the state, as a form of attitude and behavior related to the vision of the state in the pesantren, namely: Attitudes of nationalism, love for the homeland , The use of school attributes according to the rules, and discipline. 2) Multiple awareness, as a form of attitude and behavior related to plural awareness in Islamic boarding schools, namely: working with various institutions, rejecting radicalism, mutual respect and respect, and tolerance between religious communities. 3) Respect for human values, as a form of attitude and behavior related to respect for human values ​​in Islamic boarding schools, namely: there is no dichotomization of students, both from the aspect of social status, economy, even ethnicity, not discriminatory in service, and respect fellow students and teachers. 4) Appreciation of cultural values ​​and identity, as a form of attitude and behavior related Appreciation of Cultural Values ​​and Identity in Islamic boarding schools, namely visiting historical places in the city of Palopo, local traditional activities such as barasanjitahlilan and others related to religion, as well as attending celebrations or traditional events carried out by the community. Expressions of diversity in the DatokSulaiman Putra Modern Islamic Boarding School and the HidayatullahPalopo Islamic Boarding School, namely: expressions of ceremonial activities as a form of nationalism and love for the homeland, expressions in humanitarian mission activities, expressions on anti-violence socialization activities, expressions on religious tourism activities, expressions on religious tradition activities, expression in the form of mental and spiritual strengthening, and expression in the form of integral activities. The interpretation of religious moderation is in line with religious expressions in cultivating the moderate values ​​of Islamic boarding schools in Palopo City, especially the DatokSulaiman Putra Modern Islamic Boarding School and the HidayatullahPalopo Islamic Boarding School. So that the two pesantren take part and contribute in constructing religious moderation in the city of Palopo.

School Psychological Environment and Learning Burnout in Medical Students: Mediating Roles of School Identity and Collective Self-Esteem.

Learning burnout is an important indicator that reflects an individual’s learning state. Understanding the influencing factors and mechanism of learning burnout of medical students has practical significance for improving their mental health. This study aimed to explore the mediating roles of school identity and collective self-esteem between school psychological environment and learning burnout in medical students. A total of 2,031 medical students (942 men and 1,089 women, age range: 17–23 years) were surveyed using the School Psychological Environment Questionnaire (SPEQ), School Identity Questionnaire (SIQ), Collective Self-esteem Scale (CSES), and Learning Burnout Scale (LBS). The results showed the following: (1) school psychological environment had a negative effect on learning burnout among medical students (β = −0.19, p < 0.001), and (2) school identity and collective self-esteem played significant mediating roles between school psychological environment and learning burnout [95% CI = (−0.43, −0.31)]. Specifically, there were three paths that school psychological environment and learning burnout: first, through the independent mediating role of school identity; second, through the independent mediating role of collective self-esteem; and third, through the chain mediating roles of school identity and collective self-esteem. The findings reveal that school psychological environment not only directly influences the learning burnout of medical students but also indirectly influences it through school identity and collective self-esteem. Thus, this study has some important implications for prevention and intervention of learning burnout among medical students.

Race as the starting place: equity directors addressing gender and sexual diversity in K-12 schools

ABSTRACT This article examines the role that Equity Directors play in K-12 schools to understand how these roles are structured in districts, the supports and challenges directors experience, and whether and how they integrate gender and sexual diversity topics into district diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten participants from nine school districts across the USA that had non-discrimination laws addressing gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. Main themes identified from the data concern participant positionality; district climate and priorities; professional development; challenges; and gender and sexual diversity. Most participants had leadership supportive of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and reported that professional development was a central expectation of much of their work, but time, priorities and content varied. We recommend taking a multi-pronged approach to DEI work that addresses structures to support DEI initiatives, hiring priorities and resources. Intersectional approaches to DEI education should be prioritised.

Ontological congruence, discipline and academic identity in university schools of nursing

Nursing is an old vocation but is relatively new to the academy, with schools of nursing being established in Western universities in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Their establishment was presaged by earlier moves of the preparation of pre-registration nurses from apprenticeships served in hospitals to tertiary education institutions (mainly community colleges and polytechnics) during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Preparation for a life in the professions has been a feature of universities since their inception. Nevertheless, changing a university’s offerings is contested, and new disciplines and the new academics within them often struggle to establish their legitimacy within the academy. This paper challenges contemporary accounts of nursing as a discipline the weak disciplinary boundaries of which undermine its place in the academy and hamper nurse academics’ development of an academic identity. Drawing on data from interviews with nursing academics, the paper discusses the ways in which the participants are, by their own actions, devising, amending and reinforcing the structures, code, rules and conceptual frameworks of the Nursing discipline. It also considers how, as they do so, these academics achieve a level of ontological congruence that is only possible as their internal biography, the nature of their day-to-day work and the expectations of their employer are able to ‘rub along’ together without creating the conditions for (self) destructive resistance or the exercise of coercive institutional power.

Gagasan Pesantren Ramah Lingkungan: Respon Santri Akan Pentingnya Konservasi Lingkungan

One of the biggest challenges in maintaining the cleanliness of the cottage is the effectiveness of managing the cottage waste from upstream to downstream. This is important because the number of students who continue to grow also results in the amount of waste being produced. Environmental issues that often arise are related to environmental pollution or pollution, air pollution, air which takes a very long time to return to normal. Not only because of vehicle fumes but the lack of public awareness in caring for and protecting the environment, such as the use of environmentally friendly plastic. With the Qur'anic commandment to preserve the earth and not destroy it, pesantren institutions have the responsibility to understand the various effects of the existence of a pesantren complex and its students. The identity of Islamic boarding schools has been synonymous with simplicity as the main capital for environmentally friendly implementation. This is where the response of the santri and the attention of the pesantren in responding to various developments that occur with the environment.

The sociology of white America: A teaching and learning guide

The sociology of white America: A teaching and learning guide

The art of ‘being positive’: narratives of transcendence and determination in a comparative study of teacher professional identities in state and private schools in mainland China

ABSTRACT Marketisation has brought complex changes to the education sector that have become a concern both in the literature and among the public. However, few studies have empirically investigated how private school teachers’ professional identities might differ from those of state school teachers. This study compares how 16 teachers in two state schools and two private schools negotiate their professional identities in County Nanqi (a pseudonym) in China. A constructivist perspective guided the choice to employ a qualitative approach in this study. The research findings suggested both common and differing teacher professional identity (TPI) characteristics among state and private school teachers and developed a typology of professional identities based on the analysis. This article focuses on the two ‘positive’ types of professional identities, namely, developmental and structural, to extend the existing forms of professional identity construction and discuss the comparative characteristics of teachers’ work and lives in state and private schools in China. The results reveal the need for longitudinal research to further facilitate the comparative perspective and contextualisation of both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ TPIs in diversifying school contexts.

The Leuven Project: Enhancing Catholic School Identity?

The stated aim of the Leuven Project is to help Catholic schools respond to the cultural and religious changes taking place in a pluralised and secularised society. In this new environment, the ideal Catholic school should be a ‘recontextualising’ school. This article examines the nature of the Project, and how it proposes to enhance Catholic school identity. It analyses the terminology that the Project uses and seeks to lay bare its epistemological and theological premises to critique them. In this critique, the key terms that are analysed and placed within their epistemological and theological contexts are ‘literal belief,’ ‘post-critical belief,’ ‘symbolic,’ ‘interpretation,’ ‘meta-narrative,’ ‘recontextualisation,’ ‘literal,’ ‘mediation,’ ‘presence,’ ‘faith,’ and ‘interruption.’

Metaphoric Expressions for &lt;i&gt;kaya&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;upātta&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;ālaya&lt;/i&gt;: The Meaning of the Body

The early Buddhist schools or mainstream sects underwent doctrinal reflections and changes in the manners in which they might explain the elements of existence or the role of revitalizing saṃsāra in order to establish their school identity. In this essay, we confirm that kāya and upātta were created with the same awareness of a problem that stands in the background of the developmental history of bhavaṅga, antarābhava, and ālayavijñāna in the Theravāda, Sarvāstivāda, and Yogācāra schools. We further point out that ālaya has such a probablility in the early Yogācāra school. In addition, the traditional Abhidhamma question of the existence of vijñāna during meditation is an important topic, and it can be seen that bhavaṅga and ālayavijñāna are not only responsible for maintaining the body during meditation, but also for yoga practice.

Transforming through power: Teachers identity in schools

Schools are unique institutions where structural and cultural dynamics shape the actions of humans. Power is everywhere, and the structures of schools channel power in ways that shape the identities of teachers. Yet, teachers find ways to challenge existing dynamics and in their confrontations with power can create new ways of being. This study uses a grounded theory approach to analyze interviews and observations of seven New York City public school teachers. Emerging from their words and re-tellings is a picture of teaching as an act of self-creation within the rigid dynamics of schools. As teachers sought their own answers, they showcased a transformative growth, a “becoming,” to build new identities through their work with students and the community.

Revitalising the enterprise university post-COVID 19: a focus on business schools

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide a polemic on the evolution of universities and business schools over the past two decades. During this period, universities have increasingly adopted a self-interested stance using business-like practices and behaviours to justify their transformation. The authors provide recommendations aimed at enhancing universities’ contributions and relevance to society, increasing their sustainability broadly defined and better positioning them to help solve wicked problems in a post-COVID-19 world.Design/methodology/approachThis polemic analyses prior literature relating to the evolution of universities and uses this to generate a framework for ways forward for their improvement.FindingsThe authors argue that the evolution of universities into entities with missions and operations designed to mimic business and commercial imperatives has yielded undesirable outcomes including the muddling of the core mission of universities, alienation of key stakeholders and an excessive focus on income growth. Business schools face a tension between forging their own, unique identities and simultaneously striving to meet university university objectives. We term this “the Business School identity paradox”. The authors contend that the way forward requires senior management to re-discover the essence of what it means to be a university, re-establish collegial decision-making within universities that includes built-in feedback loops and a fundamental emphasis on developing graduates with an enlightened perspective that goes beyond technical skills.Originality/valueThis paper is novel in that it analyses the evolution of the “Enterprise University” some 20 years after this term was first coined and in a radically changed environment following the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis is also forward-looking as the authors re-imagine universities and business schools by identifying opportunities for renewal and improvement in their focus and societal impact. The authors also develop a schema that identifies major influences on universities and business schools, the impact of COVID-19 and strategies for them post-COVID-19.

\u201cNot yet a doctor\u201d: medical student learning experiences and development of professional identity

BackgroundTo become a good doctor, developing a professional identity is as important as having the right knowledge and skills. Great attention has been given to professional identity in medical school because it plays an important role in the transition from student to doctor. Nonetheless, the necessity of acquiring a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill during medical school training does not create sufficient opportunities for students to develop their professional identities. Thus, this paper pays careful attention to how students’ learning experiences in medical school affect this development. The research questions are as follows. 1) How do medical students’ perceptions of doctors change or strengthen after entering medical school in the process of professional identity development? 2) What kinds of knowledge have medical students accumulated while attending medical school? How do their learning experiences affect professional identity development? 3) What is a doctor’s role and the career’s meaning to medical students, and what understanding does this awareness bring to their learning experiences and lives as future doctors?MethodsIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Korean students in their fourth year of medical school; all had more than one year of experience in clinical settings. The students’ learning experiences and professional identity development were used to analyze the data using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsWhen students first entered medical school, they perceived their identities as “given to” them by society. However, various learning experiences during the medical school years affected them, causing them to think about becoming a doctor according to their own perceptions and the meaning of becoming a doctor in the profession. Although an isolated medical community and a competitive student culture hindered them from searching for their professional identities, informal learning experiences, including active interaction with patients, senior doctors, and others outside the medical community, enabled them to develop their professional identities. The medical students experienced a conflict between individual and professional values as they considered what kind of doctor they would be in the future.ConclusionsThe findings noted in this study extend the understanding of professional identity and informal learning experiences in medical school.

Constructing international schools as postcolonial sites

ABSTRACT This paper explores the discursive construction of race in Malaysian international schools and its relationship with postcolonialism. In response to the expansion of international schooling, it analyses data from a study of international school leadership in Malaysia, a former colony, through a postcolonial lens. It draws on face-to-face interviews with twelve international school leaders, and discourse analysis of sample websites from Malaysian international schools. Malaysia is an ethnocracy, with three distinct racial groups, and ethnicity affects many aspects of life, including education, and it is suggested that international schools offer no exception to this. The data indicate four emergent themes, these being constructions of: school identity; educational expertise; leadership; and Malaysia itself. The authors posit that international schools in Malaysia operate as postcolonial sites. Despite the origins of international schools lying within a movement committed to equality, these institutions are implicated in the construction and replication of racial divisions.

Peer-led physical activity intervention for girls aged 13 to 14 years: PLAN-A cluster RCT

Background Increasing physical activity among girls is a public health priority. Peers play a central role in influencing adolescent behaviour. Peer-led interventions may increase physical activity in adolescent girls, and a feasibility trial had shown that PLAN-A (Peer-led physical Activity iNtervention for Adolescent girls) had evidence of promise to increase physical activity in adolescent girls. Objective The objective was to test whether or not PLAN-A can increase adolescent girls’ physical activity, relative to usual practice, and be cost-effective. Design This was a two-arm, cluster-randomised controlled trial, including an economic evaluation and a process evaluation. Participants State-funded secondary schools in the UK with girls in Year 9 (aged 13–14 years) participated in the trial. All Year 9 girls in participating schools were eligible. Randomisation Schools were the unit of allocation. They were randomised by an independent statistician, who was blinded to school identities, to the control or intervention arm, stratified by region and the England Index of Multiple Deprivation score. Intervention The intervention comprised peer nomination (i.e. identification of influential girls), train the trainers (i.e. training the instructors who delivered the intervention), peer supporter training (i.e. training the peer-nominated girls in techniques and strategies underpinned by motivational theory to support peer physical activity increases) and a 10-week diffusion period. Outcomes The primary outcome was accelerometer-assessed mean weekday minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity among Year 9 girls. The follow-up measures were conducted 5–6 months after the 10-week intervention, when the girls were in Year 10 (which was also 12 months after the baseline measures). Analysis used a multivariable, mixed-effects, linear regression model on an intention-to-treat basis. Secondary outcomes included weekend moderate to vigorous physical activity, and weekday and weekend sedentary time. Intervention delivery costs were calculated for the economic evaluation. Results A total of 33 schools were approached; 20 schools and 1558 pupils consented. Pupils in the intervention arm had higher Index of Multiple Deprivation scores than pupils in the control arm. The numbers randomised were as follows: 10 schools (n = 758 pupils) were randomised to the intervention arm and 10 schools (n = 800 pupils) were randomised to the control arm. For analysis, a total of 1219 pupils provided valid weekday accelerometer data at both time points (intervention, n = 602; control, n = 617). The mean weekday moderate to vigorous physical activity was similar between groups at follow-up. The central estimate of time spent engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity was 2.84 minutes lower in the intervention arm than in the control arm, after adjustment for baseline mean weekday moderate to vigorous physical activity, the number of valid days of data and the stratification variables; however, this difference was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval –5.94 to 0.25; p = 0.071). There were no between-arm differences in the secondary outcomes. The intervention costs ranged from £20.85 to £48.86 per pupil, with an average cost of £31.16. Harms None. Limitations The trial was limited to south-west England. Conclusions There was no evidence that PLAN-A increased physical activity in Year 9 girls compared with usual practice and, consequently, it was not cost-effective. Future work Future work should evaluate the utility of whole-school approaches to promote physical activity in schools. Trial registration This trial is registered as ISRCTN14539759. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 10, No. 6. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. This trial was designed and delivered in collaboration with the Bristol Randomised Trials Collaboration (BRTC), a United Kingdom Clinical Research Commission (UKCRC)-registered Clinical Trials Unit that, as part of the Bristol Trials Centre, is in receipt of NIHR Clinical Trials Unit support funding. The sponsor of this trial was University of Bristol, Research and Enterprise Development www.bristol.ac.uk/red/. The costs of delivering the intervention were funded by Sport England.

Impact of Face-Recognition-Based Access Control System on College Students' Sense of School Identity and Belonging During COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the context of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the face-recognition-based access control system (FACS) has been intensively adopted to protect students’ and teachers’ health and safety in school. However, the impact of FACS, as a new technology, on students’ attitude toward accepting FACS has remained unknown from the psychological halo effect. Drawn on “halo effect” theory where psychological effects affect the sense of social identity and belonging, the present study explored college students’ sense of school identity and belonging in using FACS during COVID-19 based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data collected from 391 college students was analyzed using SEM to verify the relationship among perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), intention to use (IU), school identity, and school belonging. The results show that PU and PEU can positively predict IU, and consequentially can positively predict school identity and school belonging. Our study expands the application of halo effect theory to study FACS acceptance based on TAM, and provides strong evidence to support the effect of school FACS during the pandemic. The findings of this study also suggest that FACS acceptance can enhance students’ sense of school identity and belonging.

Identity and reproductive rights of transgenders: are current legal and ethical frameworks soon to be outdated? Medicolegal implications of potentially life-changing decisions.

The level of recognition that transgender individuals (i.e. those whose gender does not match the sex assigned at birth) enjoy in our societies has certainly made giant strides. Still, there is no denying that the far-reaching ramifications arising from choices about one's gender expression do affect vital aspects of identity in school, workplaces, and the community, and should be clearly defined and addressed by laws and policies. One of the arguments most commonly used by supporters of transgender rights relies on the concept of inalienable human rights, including the rights to live safely, freely, and without fearing discrimination. The authors have set out to succinctly outline and elaborate on the dynamics that have been shaping the legal reco-gnition of transgender individuals in light of the unique legal, social and ethical complexities that such an evolution entails. Moreover, as assisted reproduction technologies make considerable progress and innovations open up new horizons for fertility preservation and restoration, it is worth exploring how such advance can play a role in upholding the reproductive rights of transgender patients who wish to achieve parenthood, and how counseling ought to be implemented taking into account the psychological traits of transgender patients and the implications of every choice they make.

Exploring the Role and Status of Catholic Private Secondary Schools in Kenya

Globally, the Catholic Church is recognized as one of the major champions of formal education. In Kenya, over 31% of all primary to postsecondary learning institutions are either public sponsored and, or, privately-managed by the Catholic Church. Besides the high demand for education in these schools, they also pride in their chronological niche of excellence which is anchored on the philosophy of holistic education and faith formation. This paper presents findings of a study conducted to determine views about the role and status of the Catholic private schools in Kenya. The study was centered on prevailing sustainability threats of these secondary schools in relation to the diminishing catholic identity, enrolment rates and level of students’ academic achievement. The convergent parallel approach of the mixed methods research design was employed. The study was conducted in 16 Catholic secondary schools located in two catholic dioceses of Kenya. A sample of 112 respondents was selected using the purposive sampling and census techniques. Data was collected using standardized questionnaire, interview schedule and document analysis guides. While the study revealed an increase in student enrolment in the past five year, it emerged the tenets of catholic school identity has diminished significantly over time. Moreover, the sustainability of these schools was threatened by low students’ performance, low retention rates, high rate of teacher turnover, financial constraints and low standards of school infrastructure and learning facilities. The study recommended the need to reclaim catholic identity in the schools, and particularly by returning the presence of religious men and women in teaching and school administration. It also recommended the establishment of a national and diocesan quality standards boards to collective oversee school administration, teacher management and financial management. School managers also need to professionally manager school revenue while identifying alternative sources of funding to improve the learning environment. This includes employing appropriate competitive strategies to attract and retain students, teachers and staff in the school.

The role of teacher and organizational culture in school management

The paper discusses and analyses the importance of employees in the context of school management. The construct of organizational culture is observed using an interdisciplinary approach from the aspect of management, marketing, and educational sciences. The role of the employee as a key arbiter of organizational culture and promoter of the organization itself is discussed. The levels of school culture, its specifics, and functions in the context of a non-profit organization are presented. The role of employees is analysed from two aspects, the creation of corporate identity and the aspect of strengthening employee beliefs, and self-image, and emphasizes its importance for creating the identity of the organization, organizational culture, and climate. The analysis of the literature raised questions about the importance of employees in creating an organizational culture, but also in creating a corporate image and identity. Different approaches to the function of organizational culture, levels of school culture and types of school climate, school identity, and the role of management are considered. The place of employee satisfaction, employee identity and the creation of organizational culture are critically observed, and suggestions are given on how to improve school management. The concluding part emphasizes that employees are the most important resource of any organization and that satisfied employees create an open and positive organizational climate, create the identity of the organization, and provide better service.