Belgian Schools Research Articles

Exploring bilingualism in a monolingual school system: insights from Turkish and native students from Belgian schools

A growing body of empirical studies indicates the educational benefits of bilingualism. Despite this tendency, bilingual minority students are being pressured by school authorities to shed their mother tongues. We conducted qualitative interviews with Turkish‐bilingual and native‐monolingual students in Flemish (Belgium) secondary schools to investigate how students evaluate their languages, how Dutch monolingualism is imposed, and how students respond to the dominance of monolingualism. Our results indicate that the mother tongues of bilingual students are mainly perceived as a barrier to educational and occupational success, while the benefits of bilingualism are unknown. Thus, both Turkish‐bilingual and native‐monolingual students approved of speaking one language. We also found that monolingualism was strongly imposed on students by explicit encouragement, formal punishment when bilinguals speak their mother tongue, and exclusion of foreign languages from the cultural repertoire of the school. These results are discussed as they relate to policy‐makers, scholars of bilingualism and institutional racism.

The e-capacity of primary schools: Development of a conceptual model and scale construction from a school improvement perspective

In the search for factors affecting the use of ICT in educational settings, several authors have presented holistic conceptual frameworks. In this study, we argue that while these models are valuable sources for conducting qualitative research, they are less useful for quantitative research since few measurement scales have been created. We present an empirically tested conceptual framework to further examine the complex process of integrating ICT for instructional purposes. This model has been developed from a school improvement perspective and considers the e-capacity of a school as an overarching concept. E-capacity refers to the schools' ability to create and optimise sustainable school level and teacher level conditions to bring about effective ICT change. The conditions identified are based on a literature review in the change and school improvement literature and the ICT integration literature. All conditions have been translated into reliable measurement scales. Questionnaire data were collected from a representative teacher sample ( N = 471) in 62 primary school in Belgium (Flanders). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted indicating good goodness of fit estimates and good internal consistency.

The culture of futility and its impact on study culture in technical/vocational schools in Belgium

Starting from the present knowledge society with its social overvaluing of cognition and white‐collar jobs at the expense of manual labour, this article examines whether school type—academic versus technical/vocational schools—relates to students’ sense of futility. It assesses the schools’ culture of futility and investigates the explanatory value of sense of futility and culture of futility in the relation of school type with study involvement and study culture. Multilevel analyses of data from 6,373 students in 44 Flemish schools (2004–2005) show that students in technical/vocational schools share higher feelings of futility, suggesting the existence of cultures of futility. The students’ study involvement relates to their sense of futility. The schools’ futility culture affects the students’ study involvement independent of their sense of futility. Finally, futility culture explains the association between school type and study involvement, and is responsible for less study‐oriented cultures in technical/vocational schools.

Perceived social and physical environmental correlates of physical activity in older adolescents and the moderating effect of self-efficacy

Objective To determine if perceptions of the social and physical environment are associated with active transport and leisure-time sports among Belgian youth and to investigate if this relationship is moderated by self-efficacy. Methods In February–May 2008, 1445 adolescents (17.4 ± 0.6 yrs) were recruited in 20 randomly selected Belgian schools. Physical activity, psychosocial, and environmental factors were assessed using validated questionnaires. Moderated multilevel regression analysis was used to examine the association between physical activity and possible correlates. Results Social environmental variables (modeling and social support) were positively associated with active transportation and leisure-time sports ( p < 0.05). Higher land use mix diversity, higher street connectivity, more attractive environments, better access to recreational facilities, and higher emotional satisfaction with the neighborhood were associated with more active transportation ( p < 0.05). Higher perceived safety from traffic, better access to recreational facilities, more physical activity equipment at home, and fewer electronic devices in the bedroom were associated with more leisure-time sports ( p < 0.05). Lower perceived safety and poorer access to (recreational) facilities were only associated with lower active transport among youth with lower self-efficacy ( p < 0.05). Conclusion Creating more supportive environments could have the potential to affect the physical activity levels of Belgian adolescents with both high and low self-efficacy.

Exploring the importance of institutional contexts for the development of ethnic stereotypes: a comparison of schools in Belgium and England

This article suggests the usefulness of an ecological approach in studying the development of teachers' ethnic stereotypes in schools. It builds on existing research in this area by exploring the importance of nationally specific educational contexts and school characteristics on the development of teachers' stereotypes of Turkish minority students. Observation and interview data from case-study research involving one Flemish (Belgian) and one English secondary, multicultural inner-city school suggest differences between Flemish and English teachers' ethnic stereotypes. These differences can in part be explained by the influence of nationally specific regulations governing teachers' power to evaluate students, a nationally specific policy on ethnic minority cultures and needs, the ethnic and gender composition of the school's student and staff population, and the enforcement of an inclusive school policy by the school's senior management. The conclusions discuss implications for further research on ethnic stereotyping and discrimination in schools.

Letters

Letters

School Ethnic Composition and Students' Integration Outside and Inside Schools in Belgium

To advance social integration, policy makers strive for the educational desegregation of immigrant students in Flemish schools. Given the lack of empirical research supporting this policy, this article examines the association between the ethnic composition of schools and native and immigrant students' interethnic friendships, social participation, and sense of belonging in school. Blau's structural theory offers the theoretical rationale for these associations and the coherence of the three indicators. Multilevel analyses of data from a 2004–05 survey of 11,872 students, 1,324 of whom were immigrant students, in a sample of 85 Flemish secondary schools demonstrate that school ethnic composition is associated with interethnic friendships and social participation for native students, but not for immigrant students, whereas socioeconomic status is decisive for immigrant students' interethnic friendships. Neither immigrants' nor natives' sense of belonging in school is associated with ethnic composition. Hence, while the findings do not provide support for either school segregation or desegregation policies aimed at improving the social integration of immigrant students, mixing schools appears to have a positive influence on the social integration of Flemish youths. The consequences of these findings for future research and social policy are discussed in the conclusions.

Application of computerized adaptive testing in medical education.

Application of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in medical education is still spare in the high stakes examination or in the school-based examination. In the medical school in Belgium, CAT was used for an assessment tool in general practice as pilot test was reported. In Hallym University, CAT has been introduced in the evaluation of the students' performance as in-course general evaluation test and parasitology test. Another examples of application of CAT for high stakes examination are Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination - Part 1 in Canada and National Council Licensure EXamination - Registered Nurse in USA. CAT has some merits such as accurate estimation of the ability parameters of the examinees and the shorter period of examination. To apply the CAT in medical education more actively, medical teachers should have an interest in the modern measurement theories such as item response theory and technologies. It is still uncertain if CAT may be prosperous in the medical education as a tool for the measurement of the examinees' ability. However, we should prepare the era of application of CAT in high stakes examination such as medical licensing examination.

Associations between General Parenting Styles and Specific Food-Related Parenting Practices and Children's Food Consumption

Explore the impact of general parenting style and specific food-related parenting practices on children's dietary habits. Cross-sectional study of sixth graders and their parents. Data were gathered (in 2003) in 69 of 100 randomly selected elementary schools in Belgium. All sixth graders (N = 1957) were invited to participate; 82.4% of their parents gave consent and completed questionnaires, resulting in 1614 parent-child pairs. Children's consumption of breakfast, fruit, vegetables, soft drinks, and sweets was assessed by self-administered food frequency questionnaires. Parents completed questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics, general parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, or neglecting) and specific food-related parenting practices (pressure, reward, encouragement through negotiation, catering on children's demands, permissiveness, avoiding negative modeling, and praise). Logistic regression analyses were performed, with general parenting style and specific food-related parenting practices as predictors and dietary habits as dependent variables, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and children's weight status. General parenting style did not show any significant impact on dietary habits. In contrast, the food-related parenting practice "encouragement through negotiation" showed a significant positive impact, whereas "pressure," "catering on demand," and "permissiveness" were practices with an unhealthy impact. Nutrition education programs that guide parents in firm but not coercive food parenting skills are likely to have a positive impact upon children's dietary habits.

Sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Portugal

Objectives This pilot study, within the REPROSTAT 2 Project, aimed at investigating the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of school-based youths in four countries of the European Union.Methods Students of either sex, aged between 16 and 19 years and entering grade 10, 11 or 12 during the 2005–2006 school year participated in a cross sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of students from selected schools in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Portugal.Results In each country, more than three quarters of respondents had previously had a boyfriend or girlfriend and almost half had heterosexual intercourse. More than 85% of sexually experienced youths in each country had used contraception at coital debut. Mean age at coital debut varied between 15.2 (Belgium) and 16.4 years (Czech Republic). While 51% of respondents in Estonia knew of Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the corresponding figure in Portugal was only 12%.Conclusions Sexual activity is common among school-going youths in all four countries. This highlights the need for Member States to systematically collect indicators of SRH in this population. Use of a common measurement framework can inform the establishment of common targets for joint initiatives such as reducing teenage pregnancy and STIs in adolescents.

School violence and teacher professional disengagement

Most studies of school violence have focused on students. Consequently, precursors and consequences of violence experienced by teachers are less well documented. Previous research indicates that (a) verbal victimization, student misbehaviour and perceived violence at school impair teacher emotional well-being, (b) support from principal and colleagues reduces these difficulties and fosters well-being, (c) well-being impacts on professional involvement. However, it is still not clear how those variables relate to each other. To test and compare - through structural equation modelling - two models of the relationships between perceived school support, exposure to school violence, subjective well-being and professional disengagement. To test - through multigroup analysis - the buffering effect of school support between school violence and well-being. Participants in this study were 487 French-speaking teachers (57% female) randomly selected from 24 secondary schools in Belgium. Participants completed a questionnaire on school leadership, relationships with colleagues, verbal victimization, students' misbehaviour, perceived violence, depression, somatization, anxiety and professional disengagement. The results support a model in which perceived school support has a direct effect on exposure to school violence, subjective well-being and professional disengagement, while the effect of school violence on disengagement is totally mediated by well-being. No evidence of a moderating effect of school support was found. The results of this study suggest that the negative emotional impact of some forms of school violence could be an important factor in a teacher's intention to leave, and that school support could be even more important for both teacher emotional well-being and professional disengagement.

Evaluation of a website-delivered computer-tailored intervention for increasing physical activity in the general population

Objective. To examine if a website-delivered physical activity intervention, that provides participants with computer-tailored feedback, can improve physical activity in the general population. Methods. Healthy adults ( n = 434), recruited from parents and staff of 14 primary and secondary schools in Belgium in the spring of 2005, were allocated into one of two intervention groups (receiving intervention with or without repeated feedback) or a no-intervention control group. Physical activity-levels were self-reported at baseline and at 6 months ( n = 285), using a computerized long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire online. Repeated measures analysis of co-variances were used to examine differences between the three groups. Results. Intent-to-treat analysis showed significant time by group interaction effects in favor of both intervention groups compared with the control group. Significant increases were found for active transportation (+ 20, + 24, + 11 min/week respectively) and leisure-time physical activity (+ 26, + 19, − 4 min/week respectively); a significant decrease for minutes sitting on weekdays (− 22, − 34, + 4 min/day respectively). No significant differences were found between both intervention groups. Conclusion. A website-delivered intervention, including computer-tailoring, was able to increase physical activity when compared to a no-intervention control group. High drop-out rate and the low number of participants who received repeated feedback indicated that engagement and retention are important challenges in e-health studies.

Who participates in a computer-tailored physical activity program delivered through the Internet? A comparison of participants' and non-participants' characteristics.

BackgroundToday, more and more health professionals use the Internet to deliver behavioral change interventions, because of its advantage to reach a wide variety of people at low costs. However, little is known about who is interested in and actually participates in such website-delivered programs. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript was to examine the characteristics of participants and non-participants (parents recruited through schools) in a computer-tailored physical activity intervention delivered through the Internet.MethodsData was collected in two ways. First, 5706 brochures with a call to participate in a physical activity program, with as key element a website-delivered tailored physical activity advice, were distributed indirectly (through their ildren) to parents of all pupils in 14 primary and secondary schools in Belgium. Parents were asked to return the reply card mentioning if they wanted to participate or not. Second, characteristics of participating and non-participating parents were collected by distributing 2000 short questionnaires to pupils between 10–18 years of age, in 12 of the 14 schools. Chi-square analysis and binary logistic regressions were used to compare characteristics of those parents who showed interest (i.e. positive response on reply card) or actually participated (completed online assessment) in a website-delivered physical activity intervention with the characteristics of those parents who showed no interest or did not participate.ResultsIn total 1730 pupils (87% respondents), completed the short questionnaire concerning their parents' age, occupation (to derive the socio-economic status) and physical activity habits. The results of the binary logistic regression showed that mothers were more likely to show interest (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.68, p < 0.001) and participate (OR = 2.27, p < 0.005) in the program than fathers. High socioeconomic status (OR = 3.42, p < 0.001) and being employed (OR = 3.03, p < 0.001) were also significant predictors for showing interest but not for participation. Age and physical activity level did neither predict interest nor participation.ConclusionBoth younger and older adults as well as physically active and inactive people participated in our online computer-tailored physical activity program when recruitment was done through schools. However, other health-education programs are still needed to reach all segments of the population equally.

ベルギーとオランダの学校におけるイスラーム教育の比較考察

ベルギーとオランダの学校におけるイスラーム教育の比較考察

Social Exclusion of Muslim Youth in Flemish‐ and French‐Speaking Belgian Schools

The question posed by Altay Manco points to the dilemma faced by many Muslims in Belgium, but the answers to this question are by no means simple. In what follows, I will examine how Belgian “concentration” schools, schools with heavy concentrations of non–European Union, typically Muslim, immigrants, challenge educators and policy makers. To situate this challenge properly, I will consider the broader Belgian social and political context, including regional governmental responses to the perceived “problem” of concentration schools, the role of parental involvement, and the expectations of teachers. These considerations will clarify the structural arrangements that exist prior to any assessment of Muslim children per se. There are, of course, manifold differences among Muslims within the various ethnic groups, but the literature available on the subject has focused overwhelmingly on its two largest ethnic groups—Turks and Moroccans. It is currently impossible to obtain statistical information on religious belief in Belgium. Therefore, inferences about religion are made from one’s ethnic background.

Geslachtscontext van de school, zelfwaardering en stress bij vroeg-adolescente meisjes: een onderzoeksnota

In this paper it is examined how the girls’ school effect on stress levels might be explained by pupils’ self-esteem. Use was made of data concerning 6427 third-year pupils from 68 secondary schools in Belgium (Flanders) - 25 coeducational, 21 girls’ and 22 boys’ schools. A multilevel analysis (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) was performed adjusting for socio-economic status, academic performance, curriculum enrollment, school mean socio-economic status and self-esteem. Results indicate that the fact that early adolescent girls in single-sex schools tend to experience lower levels of stress than their coeducational counterparts, can partially be accounted for by self-esteem.

Three new childhood anxiety scales have comparable reliability and validity to traditional diagnostic scales

(2002) Behaviour Research and Therapy 40, 753; Muris P, Merckelbach H, Ollendick T et al. . Three traditional and three new childhood anxiety questionnaires: their reliability and validity in a...

Fruit- en groenteconsumptie bij Belgische adolescenten tussen 12 en 15 jaar. Essentiële factoren om doeltreffende campagnes in te richten ter promotie van fruit en groenten bij de jeugd

During the school year 1999-2000, three nurses visited a number of Belgian schools to procure free information about female hygiene to girls 12 to 15 old. Using self-administered questionnaires, a sample of 5000 young male and female adolescents were at the same time interviewed about their food practices, way of life, living situation and the image they had of themselves. One out of four male teenagers in Wallonia and almost one out of five teenagers in Flanders declared to take one, or less than one portion of fruit and/or vegetables a day. In female teenagers, these figures amounted to 19,5% in Wallonia and 16,0% in Flanders. One out of ten male adolescents ate enough fruit and vegetable each day, 10.0% in Flanders and 13.2% in Wallonia. In female teenagers, these amounted to 15,0% in Flanders and to 14.6% for Wallonia. Our study noted a decline from 15.7% to 12.2% for the highest intake of fruits and vegetables by female adolescents between 14 and 15 years old. Once 15 years old, almost one adolescent out of three (28.4% in males and 28.9% in females) declared to take one or less than one portion of fruits and/or vegetables a day. No aliments except fruit and vegetables have ever proved to exert a more beneficial effect on health as regards a reduction of morbidity and mortality. These facts are established since more than 20 years, but are still largely overlooked by the lay public. Most Belgian citizens believe that many food products are unhealthy because of their contamination with dioxins, addition of antibiotics and hormones, and presence of pesticides. However, intake of unsaturated fatty acids, fruits and vegetables exercise a much greater influence on mortality and morbidity.

Belgian coca-cola-related outbreak: intoxication, mass sociogenic illness, or both?

An epidemic of health complaints occurred in five Belgian schools in June 1999. A qualitative investigation described the scenario. The role of soft drinks was assessed by using a case-control study. Cases were students complaining of headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or trembling. Controls were students present at school on the day of the outbreak but not taken ill. An analysis was performed separately for school A, where the outbreak started, and was pooled for schools B-E. In school A, the attack rate (13.2%) was higher than in schools B-E (3.6%, relative risk = 3.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.5, 5.3). Exclusive consumption of regular Coca-Cola (school A: odds ratio (OR) = 29.7, 95% CI: 1.32, 663.6; schools B-E: OR = 7.3, 95% CI: 2.9, 18.0) and low mental health score (school A: OR = 16.1, 95% CI: 1.3, 201.9; schools B-E: OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 6.6) were independently associated with the illness. In schools B-E, consumption of Fanta, consumption of Coca-Cola light, and female gender were also associated with the illness. It seems reasonable to attribute the first cases of illness in school A to regular Coca-Cola consumption. However, mass sociogenic illness could explain the majority of the other cases.

The choreography of schooling as site of struggle: Belgian primary schools, 1880-1940

The choreography of schooling as site of struggle: Belgian primary schools, 1880-1940