Schools In Barbados Research Articles

Exploring Organisational Commitment of Teachers in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean

Research has established a relationship between the organisational commitment of teachers and some key teaching-career related variables. However, there has not been any exploration of organisational commitment in Eastern Caribbean schools. Using a cross-sectional research design, we surveyed a sample of 158 teachers to investigate relationships between organisational commitment and selected variables (i.e., career advancement opportunities, principal leadership style, teaching experience, and training). Findings revealed that primary school teachers reported higher levels of organisational commitment than secondary school teachers. However, no significant differences were found in the organisational commitment of trained and untrained teachers, nor were any found between organisational commitment and the other teaching career-related variables included in the study. We discuss the nuanced nature of organisational commitment in schools in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean that lend to critical policy initiatives.

Understanding the need for a whole-of-society approach in school nutrition policy implementation: a qualitative analysis

BackgroundOnly three of twenty Caribbean Community (CARCICOM) countries have mandatory school nutrition policies despite one third of the region’s children being overweight or obese. In Barbados, there are nutrition guidelines which lack the legal mandate of a formal policy. We aim to assess the comprehensiveness of current national nutrition guidelines and to understand the factors operating in the inner and outer school setting that may influence the implementation of a mandatory school nutrition policy from the perspectives of school administrators.MethodsA documentary analysis of existing nutritional guidelines was conducted along with qualitative semi-structured interviews in primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools in Barbados. We purposively sampled six primary and four secondary school administrators (principals, deputy principals or senior teachers) to explore their knowledge and views on the National School Nutrition Guidelines. The deterministic implementation paradigm, Consolidated Framework for Implementation (CFIR), was used to explore the complexities within the inner and outer settings of schools. Documentary analysis used a theory-based framework informed by the Wellness School Assessment Tool—school policy analysis questionnaire. Interview transcripts were team coded using thematic analysis with constant comparison facilitated by NVIVO software version12.ResultsSchool administrators were unaware of the existing National School Nutrition Guidelines which documentary analysis found to be restrictive and weak for implementation. Administrators envisioned a government-led (outer setting), whole of society approach as the most effective strategy for the development and implementation of a proposed mandatory school nutrition policy. School administrators identified lack of financial and human resources as barriers to nutrition policy implementation. Formal and informal food vendors are institutionalized in schools and are influential determinants of the school food environment. Schools have individually reached into the outer setting to work with civil society organizations and private individuals to provide financial support and nutrition expertise to their institutions. Mass media campaigns in the outer setting may influence child and parental food choices.ConclusionSchool administrators describe that government-led, CSO supported policy development using a whole-of-society approach has implications for improving nutrition policy implementation. Our findings demonstrate the use of a deterministic implementation framework in the pre-implementation phase of school nutrition policy development.

Is sense of belonging at school associated with cannabis use among secondary school students in Barbados?

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to assess whether students’ sense of belonging at school was associated with cannabis use among secondary school students in Barbados. This was a cross-sectional study involving a nationally representative weighted sample of 8,538 students drawn from 2nd to 6th forms across public and private secondary schools in Barbados in 2013. Descriptive and inferential statistics was performed using SPSS. Students who had a sense of belonging at school, were attending public schools and were in the 2nd form, had higher odds of reporting past-year and past-month cannabis use. We conclude that there was a significant positive association between students’ sense of belonging at school and cannabis use.

Prosocial video game as an intimate partner violence prevention tool among youth: A randomised controlled trial

Evidence demonstrates that exposure to prosocial video games can increase players' prosocial behaviour, prosocial thoughts, and empathic responses. Prosocial gaming has also been used to reduce gender-based violence among young people, but the use of video games to this end as well as evaluations of their effectiveness are rare. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a context-specific, prosocial video game, Jesse, in increasing affective and cognitive responsiveness (empathy) towards victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) among children and adolescents (N = 172, age range 9–17 years, M = 12.27, SD = 2.26). A randomised controlled trial was conducted in seven schools in Barbados. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (prosocial video game) or control (standard school curriculum) condition. Experimental and control group enrolled 86 participants each. Girls and boys in the experimental condition, but not their counterparts in the control condition, recorded a significant increase in affective responsiveness after intervention. This change was sustained one week after game exposure. No significant effects were recorded for cognitive responsiveness. Findings suggest that Jesse is a promising new IPV prevention tool among girls and boys, which can be used in educational settings.

Teaching for Scientific Literacy? An Examination of Instructional Practices in Secondary Schools in Barbados

This study examined the extent to which the instructional practices of science teachers in Barbados are congruent with best practices for teaching for scientific literacy. Additionally, through observation of practice, it sought to determine the teachers’ demonstrated role in the classroom, their demonstration of learning through discourse, learning goals and the nature of classroom activities. Five hundred nineteen students from 12 of the 23 secondary schools on the island and 15 teachers across 8 schools participated in the study. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire, an observational schedule and field notes. It was found that while problem-solving and questioning were mainly used in the classroom, the use of experiments was among the least popular teaching strategies. Additionally, results showed that teachers’ display of the knowledge of the characteristics of scientific literacy was unsatisfactory. Generally, the findings indicate a gap between teaching for scientific literacy as expressed in the literature and current instructional practices in secondary science classrooms in Barbados.

Learning Processes and Academic Achievement among Secondary School Students in Barbados

<p>This study investigates the influence of learning processes on student achievement. One<br />hundred and thirty-four students from eight secondary schools in Barbados were purposively<br />selected and surveyed using the Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP; Schmeck, Ribich, &<br />Ramanaiah, 1977) subscales: fact retention, study methods, elaborative processing, and deep<br />processing. The results indicate that the elaborative processing subscale was the only measure<br />that was significantly related to student achievement in the sample. No significant differences<br />emerged between high and low-achieving students in terms of the learning processes they<br />employ. The findings suggest the importance of using higher-order learning strategies to<br />facilitate academic success.</p>

Undergraduate Performance of Advanced Level and Associate Degree Students: A Comparative Analysis

In the English-speaking Caribbean, the Advanced level qualification is the traditional and preferred route to accessing an education at the University of the West Indies (UWI). However, applicants with nontraditional qualifications—such as the associate degree qualification, teacher certificate, diploma, and mature student status (meaning one who is out of school for five years and over, is over the age of 25 years, has demonstrated academic potential, and has gained academically relevant knowledge and workplace experience)—are also considered for admission into the UWI degree programs. The objective of this study was to establish whether students with the traditional qualification, that is, two Advanced (A) level subjects, are better able to cope with the requirements of undergraduate study than those with an associate degree, which is one of the nontraditional qualifications. The study compared the performance of two groups of students in the University of the West Indies Faculty of Social Sciences three-year bachelor's degree program (University of the West Indies, 1996, 1997, 1998). One group held the Barbados Community College (BCC) associate degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 and the other group consisted of persons entering with two Advanced level subjects from colleges/secondary schools in Barbados. The study compared the performances of 1999, 2000, and 2001 UWI graduates to ascertain whether entry qualifications were related to the type of degree attained. The findings suggested that there is no significant relationship between qualifications at the time of entry and performance.

Instructional Assessment Practices of Science Teachers in Barbados: Pattern, Techniques and Challenges.

This study investigated the instructional assessment practices’ pattern, techniques and challenges of science teachers in Barbados with a view to providing a baseline data on the state of the art of this important aspect of science teaching. A total of 55 science teachers drawn from 12 out of 22 secondary schools in Barbados constituted the participants in the study. The Self – report data obtained by a survey questionnaire revealed that teachers use similar instructional assessment practices regardless of sex, teaching experience, professional qualification, and academic qualification. Teachers reported using collaborative and formative assessment practices most often although the techniques they reported to use did not greatly reflect this. Idiosyncratic solutions to their systemic challenges do not reflect the teachers’ claim of using collaborative assessment practices. Based on the findings, it is recommended that teachers will benefit from professional development activities that promote reflection and collaboration in addressing their instructional assessment challenges on a practical level. Further research is necessary to look into the influence of teacher beliefs and attitudes on their instructional assessment practices. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n1p313

Sex Feel Good: Enjoyment of Sexual Intercourse by Some Barbadian Teenagers

Within Caribbean societies and Barbados in particular issues on human sexuality are approached from a pathological, controlling, and judgmental perspective. These views resist an acknowledgment that children are sexual beings which manifestations are more evident during the teen years. Despite societal resistance, teenage pregnancies and sexual abuse forced societies to deal even if reluctantly with teenage sexuality. Based on Caribbean conservative approach to matters around sexuality it comes as no surprise that concerns around teenage sexuality is concentrated within discussions, discourses and scholarship about reproductive health, sexual abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. Based on the literature researched for Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean teenage sexual desire, and pleasurable sexual intercourses are virtually none-existent. It is the intention with this paper to contribute to scholarship on teenage sexual pleasure within Barbadian society. For its analysis the paper will utilize data collected from a teen sexuality research done during 2011-2012 among two secondary schools in Barbados. The main objective is to demonstrate that Barbadian teenagers are involved and enjoying sexual intercourse and other sexually related activities despite hegemonic discourses of sexual repression and control.

Science Teachers’ and Students’ Perceived Difficult Topics in the Integrated Science Curriculum of Lower Secondary Schools in Barbados

The study was designed to investigate the perception of students and teachers of the difficult topics in the lower secondary school science curriculum of Barbados; if there were statistically significant differences in (a) students’ perception and teacher perception of difficult topics and (b) students’ perception of difficult topics based on their gender, interest in science, study habits and school location and school category; as well as to determine the inter-relationships among the four student variables (gender, interest in science, study habits, school location).

Teacher Quality Indicators as Predictors of Instructional Assessment Practices in Science Classrooms in Secondary Schools in Barbados

This study investigated the self-reported instructional assessment practices of a selected sample of secondary school science teachers in Barbados. The study sought to determine if there were statistically significant differences in the instructional assessment practices of teachers based on their sex and teacher quality (teaching experience, professional qualification and teacher academic qualification). It also sought to determine the extent to which each of these four selected variables individually and jointly affected the teachers’ report of their instructional assessment practices. A sample of 55 science teachers from nine secondary schools in Barbados was randomly selected to participate in this study. Data was collected by means of a survey and was analyzed using the means and standard deviations of the instructional assessment practices scores and linear, multiple and binary logistic regression. The results of the study were such that the majority of the sample reported good overall instructional assessment practices while only a few participants reported moderate assessment practices. The instructional assessment practices in the area of student knowledge were mostly moderate as indicated by the sample. There were no statistically significant differences between or among the mean scores of the teachers’ reported instructional assessment practices based on sex ( t = 0.10; df = 53; p = 0.992), teaching experience ( F[4,50] = 1.766; p = 0.150), the level of professional qualification (F[3,45] = 0.2117; p = 0.111) or the level of academic qualification (F[2,52] = 0.504; p = 0.607). The independent variables (teacher sex, teaching experience, teacher professional qualification or teacher academic qualification) were not significant predictors of the instructional assessment practices scores. However, teacher sex was a significant predictor of the teachers’ report of good instructional assessment practices. The study also found that the joint effect of the variables teacher sex, teaching experience, teacher professional qualification and teacher academic qualification was not significant in predicting the instructional assessment practices scores of the science teachers. However, the joint effect of these variables was statistically significant (X2 = 18.482; df = 10; p = 0.047) in predicting the teachers’ reported use of good instructional assessment practices. The best predictor of teachers’ report of good instructional assessment practices, though not statistically significant, was the diploma in education professional qualification.

Using pupil perspective research to inform teacher pedagogy: what Caribbean pupils with dyslexia say about teaching and learning

The transformative potential of pupils' voices is well documented in past research by Pedder and McIntyre; and Cooper and McIntyre. In this qualitative research, I utilise a social constructivist framework by Vygotsky to ask pupils with dyslexia about the kinds of teacher strategies that they find helpful to their learning at secondary school in Barbados. This study utilised direct observations and individual interviews as part of a multiple case study strategy of 16 pupils with dyslexia from two secondary schools in Barbados. Findings suggest that there are regular teachers' strategies like more detailed explanations, demonstrations, drama and role play, storytelling, asking questions and enquiry‐based approaches that pupils find facilitative of their learning. This research is guided by the following questions: (1) what do pupils mean when they refer to teacher strategies as helpful?; and (2) what pedagogical approaches do pupils with dyslexia find helpful to their learning at secondary school?

Field trial to test and evaluate primary tobacco prevention methods in clusters of elementary schools in Barbados

To evaluate methods of preventing young children from experimenting with tobacco and to determine cost effectiveness, students (n = 1005) in 31 primary schools, from randomly selected higher grade-levels were recruited into a partially randomized, single blinded controlled trial in which seven groups of schools were randomly assigned to a combination of teaching, leaflet, and drama, in order to modify students' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour (KAB). The eighth group (n = 346) with ten schools, distantly separated from the former, was assigned to be the control, but was dropped from comparison analysis for lack of randomness at baseline. The mean, standard deviation and median age of the intervention groups was 9.94 years (0.81), 10.0 years, (n = 669) at baseline; and 10.62 years (0.66), 11.0 years, (n = 397), at 12 months follow-up. In all, 6.6% had ever used tobacco at least once at a median age of seven years. Teaching health education at school when combined with other methods was significantly better at improving KAB. In 2003, after a year post-intervention, the occurrence of experimentation smoking in the last 30 days, dropped from 9.2% to 1.2% (p = 0.00), equivalent to 87% (95% CI 78, 93) reduction in the group exposed to health education compared to none in the leaflet-only group and Numbers Needed to Treat (NNT) = 12.5. Due to its cost-effectiveness (comparable to child immunizations) at BDS dollars 1.89 to 2.89 or US dollars 1 to 1.5 per child contacted and BDS dollars 100 to 140 (US dollars 50 to 70) capital investment in other resources per school, the experience could be utilized routinely in elementary schools.

Self Assessment Skills Used by High School Students without Formal Training

This study focuses on assessment from an internal source (self) before any formal training is given to the students. A random sample of 570 (227 males) from ten state-run high schools in Barbados, West Indies was selected. Survey instruments used for data collection included semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. The SPSS/ PC package was used for data analysis. Results showed leptokurtic, negatively skewed frequency distributions ofresponses for Achievement (Ac) and Understanding (Un) scales indicating a variation of emphases on self assessment techniques used without formal training. Principal component analysis in factor analysis showed that Ac, Un, Endurance (En) and to a lesser extent Autonomy (Au), contributed for approximately 35 percent of the total variance with Ac having the highest loading followed by Un (Ac: 0.77; Un: 0.71). Au with a small contribution from En (Au: 0.82; En: 0.16) contributed to 17 percent of the total variance. Au (0.30) contributed to 15 percent of the total variance. All components together accounted for 67 percent of the total variance. Ac and Un contributed for over 70 percent of the total variance. Ac contributed more than twice as much as Un (Ac: 48.42 percent, Un: 22.35 percent). Girls appeared to surpass boys in En and Un (En: Mean: Boys: 6.28, Girls: 6.50; Un: Mean: Boys: 6.68, Girls: 6.88) using data from independent t-tests performed on both groups of participants. Examples of self assessment activities included closing the eyes and trying to recall main points, asking someone to quiz on school work, answering past test papers, drawing diagrams, singing rhymes and songs about school work, etc.

The Secondary Headship: Perceptions, Conceptions, Performance and Reactions of Headteachers in Barbados

Reports a study of seven headteachers from public schools in Barbados during the period March‐June 1984. Presents the results of the study, which include: headteachers see their role in creating good interpersonal relationships and purposeful climates as a very important one. They are seriously concerned about student discipline, control and order. Evidence of great discontinuity between their role conceptions and performance was found. The headteachers experienced feelings of powerlessness and ambiguity as a result of being controlled by policies and rules from a central body. These caused some degree of frustration and elements of formalism but there was no evidence of alienation or despair.

Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of the Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Coeducational Secondary Schooling

Teachers and students from all government secondary schools in Barbados rated various aspects of teacher/student behaviour and of more general school functioning, according to the extent to which they perceived coeducational schools to be at an advantage or disadvantage relative to single-sex institutions. Overall both groups saw coeducation as most advantageous in respect of the school's ability to prepare students for future occupational and interpersonal roles, and to impact most negatively on students' current conduct and adherence to school rules. Male students tended to express more positive views on coeducation than females, although such a trend was not consistent among teachers. Teachers and students in single-sex schools tended to have more positive views than those in coeducational schools, with the most negative opinions being voiced by teachers (especially females) working in schools which were formerly single-sex and had recently become coeducational.

Personality priorities of adolescents: some Caribbean findings.

The Personality Priorities Inventory for Adolescents was administered to a sample of 194 Caribbean adolescent students (80 boys and 114 girls) to measure their personality priorities. The subjects had a mean age of 15.6 yr. and were randomly selected from the Grade 10 population of high schools in Barbados. The rank order which emerged from the analysis indicated preference for Pleasing behaviors followed in order by Significance, Avoiding, and Detaching. Comparison between the sexes showed girls as being more inclined toward Pleasing, Significance, and Avoiding than boys.

Barbadian children's understanding of mental retardation.

Barbadian children's understanding of the nature and causes of mental retardation, and of the characteristics of mentally retarded children, was investigated using a questionnaire previously employed in the United States by Siperstein and Bak (1980). Subjects were 199 10 to 11-year-olds from four elementary schools in Barbados. Results indicated that many Barbadian children, like their American counterparts, confused retardation with orthopedic disabilities and, to a lesser extent, mental illness. A higher proportion of Barbadian children than of American children thought mental retardation was caused by post-natal factors such as childhood accidents, illnesses, parental maltreatment, and drug-taking. Equal proportions of boys and girls mentioned causes associated with the pregnant mother, although girls identified a greater variety of such factors. Pupils generally demonstrated a fairly high degree of empathy with the needs and feelings of mentally retarded peers, and recent public awareness campaigns appear to have had a definite impact upon results.