Secondary Schools In Trinidad Research Articles

Students’ Argumentative Writing Proficiency at Two High-Performing, Traditional Secondary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

This paper presents a descriptive case study of students’ proficiency in argumentative writing prior to receiving instruction. Data were collected from students at two purposefully sampled traditional denominational schools, a boys’ secondary and a girls’ secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Teachers asked students to write an argumentative essay on a topic that they felt was within students’ prior knowledge. However, analysis of those essays revealed that most students needed “intensive support”; only 5.7% of writers needed “some support”. Findings pointed to the need for systematic instruction in argumentative genre features, audience awareness, use of discourse organizers, and cohesive devices. Fewer girls than boys required intensive support of their writing. The findings have implications for teachers’ pedagogical approaches to teaching argumentation, especially the amount of time that may be required for increasing students’ writing proficiency.

Investigating value added by secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago using multivariate ordinal hierarchical linear modelling

In this study, multivariate hierarchical ordinal linear modelling was used to compare the value-added contributions made by secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago towards student achievement in Mathematics and English Language. Results revealed that value-added contributions by denominational or government-assisted schools to students with average or higher secondary entrance scores were indeed greater than corresponding value added estimates to government schools. However, there was some reordering in the school rankings, based on value added towards students with lower entrance scores. In addition to school type, differences in socio-economic status, sex, and age were shown to contribute significantly to explaining variations in student achievement at the respective schools.

A Focus Group Approach: Exploring the Feasibility of a Mandatory, No-Credit Programme of Daily Structured Physical Activity in Secondary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

This study explores a possible solution for the growing problem of obesity in teenage school children. It examines the feasibility of introducing, as a solution to the obesity problem, a mandatory, no-credit programme of daily structured physical activity (P.A.) into the secondary school curriculum at all levels. Qualitative methods were used to gain insights into the desirability and support for such a programme and the logistics of implementing it. In the first phase of the research a Focus Group discussion was held with six secondary school Physical Education (P.E.) teachers to examine their opinions on these aspects – desirability, support, and logistics for such a programme. This group also articulated their expectations for what support from P.E. teachers, the most likely school personnel to be responsible for such a course, they anticipated would be given to this type of daily structured physical activity programme in secondary schools. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted, one with a retired P.E Sports Officer, an Advocate who had been instrumental previously in helping to introduce the current ‘for-credit’ subject of Physical Education and Sport into the secondary school curriculum, and the other with two current curriculum officers in the Ministry of Education. Thematic Analysis was employed to extract and confirm themes and sub-themes from both the Focus Group and the semi-structured interviews. In this paper, for the Focus group, a consensus matrix is used to summarize the salient information, the level of agreement among the participants for a particular sentiment expressed by any one speaker in the group. Ten thematic areas, which broke down further into 17 sub-themes, were extracted from the Focus group discussion. Among these were the current general state of P.E./P.A. in schools, differences in structured versus unstructured P.A., the implications of launching a compulsory P.A. program, the roles of P.E., P.E. teachers, the government, and parents in fighting obesity in secondary school children, the success of old solutions, and possible new solutions. The Advocate provided important information on the challenges and barriers which existed at the time of the prior introduction of the formal examinable subject on Physical Education, including the belief that this subject had not lived up to expectations. The curriculum officers, on the other hand, provided technical details and advice on the necessary steps for implementation of the type of programme which is the basis of this study. All participants agreed that the formal, examination –assessed subject, Physical Education and Sport, introduced into Trinidad and Tobago’s secondary schools in 2003, had not enhanced the amount of student engagement in physical activity, even for those reading that subject. The participants were almost unanimous in their views that there was reason to be concerned about childhood and adolescent obesity in schools and that more physical activity was needed.

USING ICT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHING – WHAT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO SAY?

Over the last decade and a half, classrooms have become swamped with a range of electronic devices. Technology will continue to be more efficient, more versatile and indeed more abundant in schools and in classrooms. This study explores the views of students and teachers on the effectiveness of ICT in science teaching in terms of (i) levels of enjoyment derived by students, and (ii) usefulness of ICTs to teachers for their teaching. A questionnaire was used to elicit the views of students and teachers in respect of a range of ICT-based classroom activities. Qualitative and quantitative data collected through the questionnaires from 12 teachers and 100 students involved in science teaching and learning at a selected secondary school in Trinidad were analyzed. The results show that students enjoy ICT interventions in their lessons and teachers rank it high in many respects but, both students and teachers agree that ICT loses its appeal when its use is arbitrary and ill-planned. Article visualizations:

A neocolonial warp of outmoded hierarchies, curricula and disciplinary technologies in Trinidad’s educational system

ABSTRACTI reappropriate the image of a space-time warp and its notion of disorientation to argue that colonialism created a warp in Trinidad’s educational system. Through an analysis of school violence and the wider network of structural violence in which it is steeped, I focus on three outmoded aspects as evidence of this warp – hierarchies, curricula and disciplinary technologies – by using data (interviews, documents and observations) from a longitudinal case study at a secondary school in Trinidad. Colonialism was about exclusion, alienation, violence, control and order and this functionalism persists today; I therefore contend that hierarchies, curricula and disciplinary technologies are all enforcers of these tenets of (neo)colonialism in Trinidad’s schools. I conclude with some nascent thoughts on a Systemic Restorative Praxis (SRP) model as a way of destabilizing the warp, by stitching together literature/approaches from systems thinking, restorative justice and Freirean notions of praxis. SRP implies that colonialism (and this modern-day warp) has rendered much psychic and material damage, and that any intervention to address structural violence has to be systemic and iterative in scope and process, include healing, be participatory and foster an ethic of horizontalization in human relations.

An Investigation into Teachers’ Perspectives of the Factors that Facilitate the Implementation of the e-CAL Curriculum Change Initiative in Trinidad and Tobago

In Trinidad and Tobago, there is a thrust towards technology integration into the curriculum as a means of improving student achievement. The one to one computing model was adopted in 2010 and the initiative is currently in its fifth year. The research study sought to discover the teachers’ perspectives of the factors which supported their implementation of the initiative. Five teachers were chosen from secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire. The findings revealed that factors critical to successful implementation of the eCAL curriculum change initiative were teacherrelated (teacher belief, teacher collaboration and support); innovation-related (need and relative advantage), and contextual factors (availability and accessibility of technical resources and technical support, principal leadership and teacher training and professional development). It is hoped that the findings from this study would augment knowledge in the curriculum policy arena in the Trinidad and Tobago context.

Everyday personal laptop usage in secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago

The e-Connect And Learn (eCAL) programme is a Trinidad and Tobago government-led initiative, launched in 2010, that grants personal laptop computers to students entering secondary school. The purpose of this paper is to provide a snapshot of how students are using these government-issued personal laptops 3 years after the programme’s launch. This paper explores the fissure between what the policy recommends and what is actually enacted in the context of laptop usage in the classroom. Data were drawn from 1,451 students, from 32 secondary schools across Trinidad and Tobago. Responses indicate that students are falling short of the expectations for in-class laptop usage and in schools where usage is less often but on a regular basis, laptops are mainly used for technology-related subjects. These findings not only suggest that students’ everyday personal laptop usage in the classroom is not in alignment with the eCAL programme goals, but also highlight some of the issues to be considered by other countries when implementing large-scale laptop programmes.

Secondary school students' knowledge of physical therapy: the trinidadian scenario.

Research in regions outside of the Caribbean shows that high school and college students' knowledge of physical therapy is lacking. There is no data reported to date for students in the Caribbean region. This study sought to evaluate Trinidadian secondary school students' knowledge of physical therapy, identify sources of knowledge and examine the relationship between knowledge and selected factors. A non-experimental cross-sectional analysis of relationships was conducted with 1427 students attending schools that were randomly selected from rural and urban locations in Trinidad. A questionnaire which required the students to identify selected tasks performed by physical therapists, grade the skill level associated with each task and identify sources of information was utilized. A total of 1353 questionnaires were returned, of which 1236 were eligible for analysis. The mean number of correct responses regarding knowledge of tasks conducted by a physical therapist was 6.47 ± 2.05 out of a total of 11. More than 50% of the respondents had incorrect responses for questions related to the skill level associated with each task. Seniors and students who were interested in health careers had significantly higher scores for knowledge of tasks performed by physical therapists (6.72 ± 1.94; 6.7 ± 1.81) than juniors and those who were interested in non-health careers (6.4 ± 2.07; 6.52 ± 1.99). The two most common sources of information from all categories of respondents were television (74.8%) followed by internet (54.6%). Students attending secondary schools in Trinidad are not well informed about physical therapy and strategies must be developed to address this.

Energy drinks and other dietary supplement use among adolescents attending secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago.

The objective of the present study was to determine the knowledge and practices among Trinidad and Tobago school-attending adolescents towards energy drinks (ED), alcohol combined with energy drinks (AwED), weight-altering supplements (WAS) and vitamin/mineral supplements (VMS) and their experience of adverse effects associated with such use. A cross-sectional, proportionate, stratified sampling strategy was adopted using a self-administered, de novo questionnaire. Secondary schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Students aged 15-19 years. Five hundred and sixty-one students participated, an 84% response rate; 43·0% were male, 40·5% East Indian and 34·1% mixed race. VMS, ED, WAS and anabolic steroids were used by 52·4%, 44·0%, 8·9% and 1·4% of students, respectively, with 51·6% of ED users using AwED. Predictors of use of AwED were males and students who played sport for their school (OR = 1·9; 95% CI 1·2, 3·2 and OR = 2·6; 95% CI 1·4, 4·7, respectively). Predictors of ED use were males and attendees of government secondary schools (OR = 1·7; 95% CI 1·1, 2·4 and OR = 1·7; 95% CI 1·2, 2·4, respectively). Side-effects, mainly palpitations, headaches and sleep disturbances, were reported in 20·7% of dietary supplement users. Many adolescent students in Trinidad and Tobago use dietary supplements, including ED and AwED, and about one-fifth of users experience side-effects. Identification of students at risk for ED, AwED and WAS use and education of students about the dangers of using dietary supplements need to be instituted to prevent potential adverse events.

Ethnicity, body image perception and weight-related behaviour among adolescent females attending secondary school in Trinidad

The correlates of body image perception among an ethnically diverse group of adolescent females attending secondary school in Trinidad were investigated. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among adolescent females from selected secondary schools in Trinidad. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic items and standardized psychometric instruments. Two hundred and fifty-one students participated in the survey with an ethnic composition as follows: Indo-Trinidadian (35.9%), Afro-Trinidadian (28.7%), Indo-Afro mixed Trinidadian (21.9%) and other (13.5%). The results suggest that 2.4% of the participants reported having a medical diagnosis for an eating disorder Indo-Trinidadians had significantly greater body dissatisfaction than Indo-Afro-mixed Trinidadians but not more than Afro-Trinidadians (p = 0.04). Also, a significantly higher proportion of Indo-Trinidadians engaged in binge eating behaviour compared to the other ethnic groups (p < 0.001). Afro-Trinidadians were more likely to use vomiting as a mean of weight control compared to Indo- and Indo-Afro-mixed Trinidadian (p < 0. 05). Fifty-one per cent of participants had a negative body image perception. Altered body image perception was associated with a significant higher mean Body Shape Questionnaire BSQ 16 score (p < 0.001) and increased likelihood of reporting being diagnosed with an eating disorder (OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.78, 2.31; p = 0.01) compared to non-altered body image state. Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) score was positively correlated with Drive-for-Thinness (p < 0.001) and BSQ16 (p < 0.001) scores and inversely correlated with the Rosenberg self-esteem score (p = 0.012). In this group of adolescents, there are ethnic differences in the level of concern over body image and associated eating, and weight-related behaviour.

Body image of adolescents in a multi-ethnic Caribbean population.

To examine the perceptions of body size among adolescents in Trinidad and to determine whether there were ethnic differences. Cross-sectional survey. Secondary schools in Trinidad. A stratified random sample of 1139 adolescents, aged 14-17 y. Silhouettes of different body sizes were used to determine perceptions of body size, while weights and heights were measured to determine actual body size. A total of 1090 students (96% response rate) participated, comprising 578 (53%) females. The main ethnic groups were South Asian (49%), African (25%) and persons of mixed ethnicity (23%). The calculated body mass index (BMI) indicated that 14% were thin, 73% normal and 13% overweight; however there was a preponderance of thinness among South Asian males (28%). Whereas 68% of students correctly identified their body size, South Asian males were also more likely to overestimate their body size than the other adolescents, ie they were thinner than they thought. Overall, 64% of the sample was satisfied with their current size, but thin South Asians were more likely to be satisfied with their size than other thin adolescents (P=0.04), while overweight Africans were more likely to be satisfied than other overweight persons (P=0.03). The majority of the sample associated the normal body size with good health, but the majority also associated the overweight and obese silhouettes with wealth. In addition, 40% of them associated the male overweight and obese silhouettes with happiness. Although the prevalence of overweight/obesity was not high, the perception of the Trinidadian adolescent that obesity was associated with wealth, and to a lesser extent happiness, and the satisfaction of the overweight African females with their size, were all causes for concern.

Improving the status and prestige of post-colonial secondary schools in a developing nation: The marketing approach

In many countries of the Third World the structure of secondary education is dichotomized. On the one hand there are traditional grammar schools that predate decolonization, and on the other a new breed of schools has emerged during the period of political independence. Maintaining their traditional reputation for excellence, the grammar schools attract, but are not limited to, students demonstrating the highest levels of academic proficiency. They are the schools where children of the local élite are usually in attendance. The newer post-colonial secondary schools are usually attended by students of lower academic performance, the majority of whom come from lower class families. Post-colonial secondary schools lag far behind their traditional grammar school counterparts in academic performance. In Trinidad and Tobago some serious criticisms have been levelled against the newer post-colonial type of secondary schools. Their reputation and status in the local society have been low, and several efforts at melioration have been attempted by the Government, without much success. The paper therefore attempts three main tasks. It examines some of the major problems faced by post-colonial secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago, critically reviews some of the efforts made by Government to improve the status and prestige of these schools, and suggests the strategy of marketing educational institutions as a means by which melioristic transformation of these institutions may be achieved. A speculative analysis of certain issues likely to be affected as a result of implementation of the marketing strategy concludes the paper.

We Are All Activists: An Interview With Merle Hodge

HODGE: I was born in Trinidad, one of four girl-children. With the aid of a government scholarship I went to secondary school in Trinidad, and then with the aid of another government scholarship I went to the University of London, where I studied French Language and Literature-and Latin! In 1962, I left Trinidad for London nine days after Trinidad became independent. I did post-graduate work on writers of the French Caribbean and the French Colonies in Africa. I also spent some time in France and visited other European countries while I was there. I worked in a children's home in Denmark for some time. Crick, Crack, Monkey got written between England, Denmark, and France.

Teaching Spanish in the Secondary School in Trinidad, West Indies: A Curriculum Perspective

Teaching Spanish in the Secondary School in Trinidad, West Indies: A Curriculum Perspective