Year Of Secondary School Research Articles

Interrelationships among Parental Career Support, Students Science Self-Efficacy, and Career Decision Making in Muranga County Kenya

Parents play a significant role in shaping their children’s career choices. However, in Murang’a County, Kenya, there is a lack of research focusing on the specific aspects of parental support, and science self-efficacy, interacting with students’ career decisions. Furthermore, there is a limited understanding of how parental factors, in conjunction with students’ self-efficacy in science subjects, influence the career choices students ultimately make. This research aims to fill this gap by examining how parental career support and students’ self-efficacy in science interact to influence career decision-making among students attending public secondary schools. The study was grounded in the Social Cognitive Career Theory, which prompted the following research inquiries; are there interrelationships between parents’ support, students’ self-efficacy for science, and students’ career decision making. The study involved a sample of 482 students in the third year of public secondary schools. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula. The selection of 11 schools, including both single-gender and mixed schools, was based on purposive sampling and proportionate stratified random sampling methods. Participants within these schools were chosen through random sampling. The data were gathered and analyzed using SPSS software. To test the hypotheses, statistical techniques such as Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, analysis of variance, and multiple regression were employed. The study observed parents’ support, self-efficacy in science, and career decision making were interrelated. Recommendations on the inclusion of specific parental attributes in enhancing science self-efficacy to improve students’ choices in sciences were made.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Training Problem-Solving Skills Based on Gestalt and Bandura Theories on Problem-Solving Styles among High School Students

Background and Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of problem-solving techniques based on Gestalt and Bandura's theories in training high school students. Materials and Methods: All 6,000 female students in the first year of secondary school in Hamedan, Iran, were involved in the current semi-experimental study. The statistical sample size was 75 individuals (3 groups of 25) selected using the purposive sampling method. Moreover, the MANCOVA test and Scheffe's post hoc test were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that teaching problem-solving skills based on the two theories of Gestalt and Bandura affected students' five problem-solving strategies. The use of negative, avoidant, and impulsive orientation techniques by students was decreased as a result of this training, which increased logical and positive orientation techniques. Conclusions: The benefits of training problem-solving skills based on these theories often varied on students' problem-solving methods. When compared to training based on Gestalt theory, Bandura's theory-based problem-solving training had a greater influence on logical and avoidance methods.

Promoting Peer Connectedness Through Social-Emotional Learning: Evaluating the Intervention Effect Mechanisms and Implementation Factors of a Social-Emotional Learning Programme for 9 to 12-Year-Olds.

There is little evidence regarding the effect mechanisms of social-emotional learning programs on children's peer relationships. The current study evaluated a novel school-based social-emotional learning program for the first year of secondary school assessing effects on social-emotional skills, peer connectedness, happiness, student and teacher classroom climate. The sample included 19 intervention classrooms (n = 399) and 16 waitlist-control classrooms (n = 281), with a mean age of 10.34 (SD = 0.76) and 48.8% girls. The main intervention effect analysis followed a per-protocol approach and was thus conducted with eight classes that finished all sessions (n = 195) and the control group classes (n = 281). It was further hypothesized that increases in social-emotional skills would predict peer connectedness and class climate increases, which would predict happiness. Results indicated significant intervention effects for social skills, peer connectedness and happiness. Classroom climate declined for both groups, seemingly affected by the school transition. Hypothesized relationships between target variables were partly supported with significant effects of social-emotional skills on connectedness and significant effects of peer connectedness on happiness for children reporting connectedness decreases. Additional analyses were conducted including all classrooms to compare the intervention's effectiveness across different implementation progress groups. Significant group differences were found, indicating that implementation aspects impact intervention outcomes. The findings indicate that universal, school-based social-emotional leaning programs are effective approaches to support peer relationships in the context of the school transition. However, more implementation support seems to be needed to ensure best-practice delivery and achieve maximal intervention effectiveness.

Obesity, Dyslipidemia and other Risks Factors for Metabolic Syndrome among Indigenous Black African Secondary School Students in Lagos, Nigeria

_Introduction:_ Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of risk factors which together increase the chance of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. In MetS, especially among overweight and obese people, blood pressure and blood glucose are elevated, excess body fat accumulates abdominally, and there is dyslipidemia (notably low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and high level of triglycerides). There is scarcity of data available on MetS and dyslipidemia among secondary school children in Lagos, Nigeria. _Objective: _To determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome among overweight and obese adolescents in secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria. _Population and Methods: _An institution-based, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from October 2019 to March 2020. A multi-stage sampling approach was used to recruit 624 students aged 10-19 years in secondary schools within Lagos State of Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for plasma glucose and lipid profile analysis. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured. A p-value <0.05 was taken as statistically significant. _Results:_ The overall means (±sd) of age (years), weight (kg), height (m) and BMI were 14.7 (2.2), 47.4 (11.6), 1.6 (0.1) and 19.2 (4.2) respectively with no significant difference relative to gender, except BMI (Kg/m2) which was higher (t-test= -2.24, P-value=0.03) in girls (19.5±4.1) than boys (18.7±4.5). Only 1 (0.4%) of boy and 17 (4.4%) girls had waist circumference ≥94 cm and ≥80cm correspondingly. Approximately 17%, 75%, 5% and 3% of the students were underweight, healthy, overweight, and obese separately. The overall mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 108.2 (12.4) mmHg with about 14%, 4% and 0.5% presenting with pre-hypertension, stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension respectively. Overweight students had the highest SBP of 113.8±12.8 mm Hg while obese subjects had the highest DBP of 79.9±7.5 mm Hg. No obese subject had a low SBP. Approximately 19% and 12% of the study subjects had impaired and diabetic fasting blood glucose (FBG), especially females, those in early-stage adolescence and the overweight subjects. Approximately 71%, 50%, and 86% of the students had high levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein while 25% of them had low level of high-density lipoprotein. The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 8.5%, more prevalent among obese subjects (20.0%). Overall, 15%, 44%, 32% and 9% had 0, 1, 2 or ≥3 risk factors for metabolic syndrome. _Conclusion: _A higher proportion of male, mid-adolescent, and overweight students had a minimum of 3 risk factors for MetS_. _This is likely to impose a high burden on future health. The extent to which the problem might affect other areas of Nigeria needs investigation.

Longitudinal associations between parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and young children’s mathematics attainment

The associations between parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and children’s mathematics attainment in early primary school were explored. Initially, parents of preschool children (Mage = 3;11 [years;months]) completed a questionnaire indexing parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes and the frequency of preschool home number experiences. The children completed mathematics assessments in their first year (n = 231, Mage = 5;2) and second year (n = 119, Mage = 6;3) of schooling and a mathematics anxiety questionnaire in their third year of schooling (n = 119, Mage = 6;7). A questionnaire indexing the frequency of primary school home number experiences was completed by 119 of the parents in their children’s second year of schooling (Mage = 6;0). All indices of parental mathematics anxiety and attitudes predicted children’s mathematics attainment in their first school year. These associations were independent of parental mathematics attainment and were not mediated by the frequency of preschool home number experiences. Furthermore, the positive association between preschool home number experiences and children’s mathematics attainment was not weaker in the context of high parental mathematics anxiety or negative parental mathematics attitudes. One index of parental mathematics attitudes predicted children’s mathematics attainment in their second school year, but this association was not significant when prior attainment was controlled. There was a stronger association between maternal mathematics anxiety and girls’ attainment versus boys’ attainment. Parental mathematics anxiety did not predict children’s mathematics anxiety. The findings suggest that children whose parents have high mathematics anxiety or negative mathematics attitudes are more likely to have lower mathematics attainment in their first year of school. However, the mechanism underpinning this association is not yet established.

Teaching culture at English language learning in Pesantren

The growth of English language learning in Pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) leads to a challenge as the subject contains the culture of target language. Integrating English language instruction into traditional Pesantren education requires a comprehensive understanding to avoid conflicts with religious values and traditional pedagogical methods. There are cultural constraints as human relationships in Pesantren based on social hierarchies which embed the philosophy of “total obedience” affecting the students who tend to be less engaged with the material and less motivated to express their thought. Therefore, this paper explains teaching culture at English language learning in Pesantren in Indonesia. This conceptual paper aims at designing the material and teaching plan of English learning for the students at the age of the first year of secondary school. They share the same culture as the Javanese ethnic group, with the same local and national language. Their level of CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is A2 - Elementary English as they have been learning English since the late year of primary schools. The sequence of tasks in cultural teaching in English language teaching comprises of four stages; preparation, collection, implementation and reflection stage.

Accuracy of pharmacy student self-assessment of a single sterile compounding technique following didactic training

IntroductionThe primary objective was to determine pharmacy students' ability to self-assess sterile compounding technique in a single evaluation three semesters after training in the curriculum. MethodsSchool of pharmacy (SOP) students were trained and assessed on sterile compounding technique during their second year of school, with no additional formal assessments provided later in the curriculum. From 2016 to 2018, 262 students were asked to compound a simulated sterile product in their third year of pharmacy school and self-evaluate their technique, which was compared to an instructor evaluation with both people using the same rubric. ResultsTwo thresholds were used to define successful assessment: strict (ability to detect ideal technique) and lenient (ability to detect harmful technique). The average match rate was 70.2% and 87.6% in the strict and lenient analyses, respectively, with outcomes varying between categories. In the product preparation and inspecting product categories, students who disagreed with assessors tended to misidentify their incorrect technique as correct. ConclusionsPharmacy students who assessed themselves on sterile compounding technique three semesters after formal sterile compounding training were able to accurately self-assess in most cases, but when disagreeing with an assessor, commonly identified their incorrect technique as correct. Most students demonstrated the ability to self-assess sterile compounding technique and are prepared to assess their own sterile compounding in practice. SOPs could consider whether sterile compounding training coupled with self-assessment throughout the curriculum would be beneficial to further improve students' sterile compounding ability and accuracy of self-assessment.

Social competencies, classroom relationships, and academic engagement: A latent change score modeling approach among lower secondary school students

AbstractThis longitudinal study applied latent change score (LCS) modeling to examine individual changes in students’ (N = 1205) academic engagement (behavioral and emotional), social competencies (relationship skills and social awareness), and classroom relationships (emotional support from teachers and collaborative peer relations). Average changes during the first year of lower secondary school were investigated, and an LCS model specifying that individual changes in social competencies are related to individual changes in academic engagement partially via individual changes in classroom relationships was tested. The results indicated an average decline for all variables, particularly emotional engagement. Changes in social competencies were associated with changes in classroom relationships and indirectly with changes in academic engagement via changes in emotional support from teachers. A direct association was found between changes in social awareness and behavioral engagement. The findings reflect that the promotion of social competencies in lower secondary school may foster positive classroom relationships and academic engagement, mainly via perceived social awareness for behavioral engagement or via emotional support from teachers for both dimensions of academic engagement.

What Characterizes Nordic Research on Initial Teacher Education: A Systematic Scoping Review

The main objective of this systematic scoping review is to shed light on ITE research in the Nordic countries during the past decade. The review includes 830 studies, following established procedures. Based on our analyses we find that Nordic ITE research is mainly on ITE for the compulsory and upper secondary school years. Researchers use qualitative data, view studies, and cross-sectional studies more than other methods and designs, and show more interest in STEM, pedagogy, and 21st century skills. A digital gap map accompanies this article and provides insight into future research needs.

Longitudinal links between need for cognition, achievement goals, and school grades: Testing a mediation hypothesis

Individuals high in need for cognition are successful in achievement situations. According to motivation and personality theories, achievement goals might mediate the positive link between need for cognition and achievement. Testing this hypothesis, we investigated the longitudinal relation between need for cognition and grades, and its mediation via achievement goals across the last three secondary school years. We considered students' cognitive abilities, socio-economic status, and gender as covariates. 476 German students were followed from Grade 11 (t1; M = 16.43 years, SD = 0.55) to Grade 13 (t4). Longitudinal structural equation models revealed reciprocal relations between need for cognition and grades. We did not find hints on the mediating role of achievement goals. The findings underline the importance of need for cognition in school by showing that need for cognition predicts changes in grades independently from achievement goals and above cognitive abilities, SES, and gender.

School's out for summer-Differences in training characteristics between adolescent biathletes of different performance levels.

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively describe the longitudinal changes of training variables in adolescent biathletes based on performance level. Thirty biathletes (15 men and 15 women) were included in the study and categorized as either national level biathletes (NLB, n = 21) or national team biathletes (NTB, n = 9). Retrospective training data was collected from training diary covering the biathletes' four years (Y1-Y4) as student-athletes at upper secondary school. Training data was divided into physical and shooting training variables. A linear mixed-effect model was used for comparing the difference of the performance group and year of upper secondary school on training characteristics. The NTB group achieved a greater annual training volume than the NLB group, especially during Y4 (594±71 h·y-1 vs 461±127 h·y-1, p < 0.001), through an increase in duration of each session and by completing more weekly training volume during the general phase (13.7±4.6 vs 10.0±4.9 h·w-1, p = 0.004). No difference was observed in relative training intensity distribution between the groups. The total number of shots fired was also greater for the NTB (9971±4716 vs 7355±2812 shots·y-1, p = 0.003). There was an equal frequency in illness and injury for both the NLB and NTB. Accordingly, the results of the present study describe longitudinal changes of biathlon training in adolescent biathletes that also may affect performance development.

Drop in, drop out, or stay on: Patterns and predictors of panel attrition among young people

Longitudinal transition studies are central to youth research but face particular challenges owing to panel attrition. While adolescents can be easily reached through institutions, their lives change after they leave school. Consequently, keeping them in further panel waves becomes more difficult. This methodological paper explores factors that are related to different patterns of panel attrition. In addition to general factors of survey participation associated with socio-demographic variables, such as gender and social background, we also consider aspects related to the survey topic which could influence patterns of attrition, such as career choice, and the survey experience (i.e., the evaluation of the questionnaire in the first wave). We use data from a five-wave panel study with young people in Vienna. About 3000 respondents participated in the first survey wave during their last year in general-track secondary school (2017–2018 academic year), and they were then surveyed annually over the next four years (2019–2022). We find that a group of respondents remain continuously in the panel, while some drop out permanently at some point and others drop out temporarily but drop in again later. Based on logistic regression models, the results show that gender, migration background, parental occupational status, and school grades are related to patterns of attrition. The survey experience in the first wave is partly related to these factors. Our results can inform future studies regarding causes for and consequences of panel attrition.

The development of social science motivation across the transition to high school education

AbstractThe present four-wave longitudinal study examines the cross-lagged associations between adolescent students’ intrinsic value, self-concept of ability, and expectations in social sciences during and after the transition from compulsory secondary education to the Spanish high school. 2.032 students enrolled in the last three years of secondary school and the second year of high school education participated. The analyses showed that the associations between the different motivational dimensions declined during the transition to high school education. In addition, students’ self-concept of ability strongly predicted the other two aspects of motivation. Moreover, males and students from higher SES backgrounds and with high academic performance at the beginning of the study experienced higher intrinsic value, self-concept, and expectations in social sciences than females and students from lower SES families and with a lower level of performance. The results are discussed from the viewpoint of their theoretical and practical implications related to youth motivation and career planning.

Completion of upper secondary education: Predictions of the psychosocial learning environment and academic achievement

BackgroundLack of upper secondary school completion (dropout) is a serious concern. Psychosocial factors of the learning environment, such as perceived emotional support from teachers and loneliness among peers remain largely unstudied as predictors of completion. AimsThe main aim of this five-year longitudinal study was to investigate whether psychosocial learning environment factors experienced early in upper secondary school contribute to the likelihood of school completion; either directly, or indirectly via academic achievement. SampleParticipants were 1241 upper secondary school students in Norway. MethodsA longitudinal panel design combining register data and student self-reports was implemented. Register data included GPA from the end of lower secondary school, GPA from the end of first of year of upper secondary school, and upper secondary school completion. Self-reports included perception of emotional support from teachers and loneliness among peers in the first year of upper secondary school. Control variables were gender, study track, and immigrant background. A structural equation model with completion (vs. dropout) as the outcome was estimated in Mplus. ResultsAn indirect positive effect on completion was found for emotional support from teachers, mediated by subsequent academic achievement. A direct negative effect on completion was found for loneliness among peers. Among students with pronounced loneliness, completion rate was 10 percentage points lower than among those reporting no loneliness. ConclusionsLoneliness among peers was identified as a substantial risk factor for school dropout. On the other hand, findings indicate that sufficient perceived emotional support from teachers can promote completion.

Does Schooling Have Lasting Effects on Cognitive Function? Evidence From Compulsory Schooling Laws.

This study assesses whether an additional year of secondary schooling has lasting causal effects on cognitive function. I use data from Understanding Society, the largest longitudinal household study in the United Kingdom, and exploit quasi-experimental variation in schooling from the 1972 raising of the school-leaving age in England and Wales. This reform increased the minimum secondary school‒leaving age from 15 to 16 years. Cognitive function outcomes were measured when participants were aged 48 to 60. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design, I show that remaining in school until age 16 improved working memory by one third to one half of a standard deviation. I find limited evidence for causal effects on verbal fluency and measures of numeric ability. Analyses of potential mechanisms showed statistically significant effects of remaining in school until age 16 on the type of occupation entered immediately after leaving school and at older ages. These patterns are consistent with basic education improving cognitive outcomes through occupation choice. The findings are robust to sensitivity analyses.

Comparative Analysis of Three Data Mining Tools in the Allocation of Senior Secondary Students into Departments for Career Path

Abstract: Choosing a career path in life begins with studying the right subject combination at the secondary school level. The Nigerian educational system of 6-3-3-4 which makes a student to spend 6 years in pry education, 3 years in junior secondary school, 3 years in senior secondary school and 4 years in the university makes it mandatory for such a student to choose a department of study at the point of entry into the senior secondary school (SSS). It is at this point that a decision is made consciously or unconsciously by the students about life career as the choice of department determines the choice of course of study at the university level later. Students and their parents/guardians often take this decision without any scientific guide which in most cases leads to a wrong choice of career path. In this study, three data mining tools, WEKA, RapidMiner and Orange were employed with three algorithms each to determine the most appropriate tool with the best result in the allocation of senior secondary school (SSS) students to various departments of study. The best algorithm methodology that classified the dataset in WEKA was Random Forest with an accuracy of 100% predicting 308 students correctly. In RapidMiner the best algorithm methodology was Naïve Bayes with an accuracy of 82.9% correctly predicting 73 students. Thereafter, Orange gave the best algorithm methodology to be Random Forest at 98.7333% predicting 304 students accurately. Our study shows that the optimum algorithm suited for the application software implementation to allocate SS1 Students into Department was Random Forest, having highest rates in the Accuracy. Though Orange has additional feature of being able to visualize the output of all the three results in one interface at a glance, and also shows outcome visualizations in various plots and graphs, WEKA’s highest predictive measure of 100% places it above all and makes it the tool of choice with Random Forest being the best algorithm.

The Impact of Typical School Provision of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sports on Adolescent Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Systematic Literature Review

AbstractTypical school provision of physical education, physical activity and sports, which is reflective of the school’s response to the national curriculum, available resources and school ethos, may impact adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Systematic literature reviews have not yet considered this impact. The Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsychINFO, ERIC and MEDLINE databases were searched for relevant literature (2000–2022) pertaining to adolescents aged 12–18 years in secondary schools. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria, including thirteen interventions, five cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies. Included studies contributed 108 reported effects, that examined depression, anxiety, self-esteem, self-efficacy, wellbeing, life satisfaction and positive mental health. Anxiety was the most frequently reported outcome, with 59% of the reported findings found to be non-significant, 24% significantly positive, 12% significantly negative and 6% reporting a negative trend but with no test of significance. Evidence supported the impact of physical education on adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Significantly positive effects were linked to interventions with minor modifications to typical provision such as the integration of teacher workshops and/or implementation of curriculum models. This suggests the importance of supplementing typical school provision of physical education to positively influence future impact.

Economic complexity and income inequality in EU countries

The article studies the relationship between economic complexity and income inequality across EU countries from 1995 to 2020. The analysed period characterises high globalisation in which “new” EU countries experienced a high transformation of their productive structure. Production structure largely determines income distribution and, thus, income inequality. We employed panel data methodology to assess the relationship between economic complexity and income inequality. To control for economic activity and education, GDP per capita and average years of secondary schooling are also included in the analysis. Expectedly, our findings point to the correlation between economic complexity and income inequality in EU countries. However, the results also indicate an opposite effect between the “old” EU member states and a group of “new” EU member states. This finding suggests that “new” EU members needed more economic complexity in the observed period to reduce income inequality.

Preventing Loneliness and Reducing Dropout: Results from the COMPLETE Intervention Study in Upper Secondary Schools in Norway.

This study examines the impact of interventions aimed at improving psychosocial health on students' perception of a caring school climate, their feelings of loneliness, and school completion in Norwegian upper secondary education. Two intervention conditions were tested: a universal single-tier intervention focused on improving the psychosocial school climate: the Dream School Program, and a multi-tier intervention combining the Dream School Program with a targeted measure, the Mental Health Support Team. The direct and indirect effects of these interventions on school completion were analyzed using structural equation models (SEM), with data from 1508 students (mean age at Time 1: 17.02 (SD = 0.92); 60.7% girls; 72.1% Norwegian-born). The results indicated that loneliness levels did not differ significantly between the intervention conditions. However, students in the multi-tier intervention group reported a significantly higher perception of a caring school climate compared to those in the single-tier intervention group. The multi-tier intervention group had a lower rate of school completion compared to the control group and the single-tier intervention group. The SEM analysis revealed that the multi-tier intervention reduced loneliness in the second year of upper secondary school by promoting a caring school climate in the first school year. In contrast, the single-tier intervention was associated with increased loneliness due to a decrease in the perception of a caring school climate. The implications of these findings are discussed.

“They’re coming to us and we don’t have any training” - Professional learning approaches for secondary Australian school year advisors: a call for support

ABSTRACT Secondary school year advisors fulfil an important relationship-building, middle leadership position in schools. Although responsible for supporting the wellbeing of students with a range of academic, social, and emotional needs, there is limited research into year advisor’s role and the support provided for these educators. This qualitative study provides insight into year advisors’ perceptions of professional learning that prepared them to support student wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with secondary school year advisors in New South Wales, Australia, investigating their training experiences and views on navigating the expectations of their role. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis revealed key themes capturing the limited provision of formal training for year advisors and the perception that training was insufficient for responding to students’ mental health needs. Year advisors reported relying on self-sourced informal training methods including collaborative partnerships, practice-based learning and independent investigation, to manage situations encountered when supporting students. Findings reveal a disparity in formalised professional learning opportunities across schools and year advisors’ desire for systematic, role specific, formalised training, especially for supporting students’ mental health.