Small School Research Articles

Framing, classification, and conceptual linkages: What can interdisciplinary practice in small secondary schools contribute to the curriculum conversation?

AbstractThis article reports on the design of interdisciplinary units in five International Baccalaureate schools in Norway and Denmark, each with fewer than 100 students in their Middle Years Programme. The mixed methods study describes subject combinations and time frames of 37 enacted units and 111 hypothetical interdisciplinary units, and the qualitative perspectives of nine teachers, representative of the curriculum frameworks' eight subject groups, on the contribution of these school‐based units to student learning. In the special context of schools with logistically simple staffing structures, interdisciplinary units were consistently conceived and enacted as substantial units, typically implemented over 8 weeks. Subjects were usually paired using a common Key Concept and differentiated by Related Concepts. Although framing and classification were considerations in interdisciplinary planning, the quantitative data found nearly every pairing of the subject groups was feasible. Interdisciplinary units were consistently valued by teachers for helping students connect disciplinary knowledge and developing metacognitive skills that supported their future learning, and for enriching teachers' own pedagogical practice. As a pragmatic, sustainable approach that resolves the tensions posed by assessment of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, the strategies reported in this study suggest a ‘middle way’ for countering the disciplinary fragmentation associated with junior secondary education.

Research Trends in Physical Education in Small Schools

PURPOSE This study aimed to analyze research trends in physical education within small schools from 1992 to the present, offering insights and directions for future research in this domain.METHODS To achieve this objective, we gathered data from 22 domestic journals utilizing keywords such as “small school,” “combined class,” “farming and fishing village,” “physical education,” and “sports.” Subsequently, the collected data encompassing topics, keywords, methods, subjects, and research areas, were organized using Excel. We employed the Word-Cloud program for the analysis of frequency by period and subject words by period.RESULTS Trends in physical education within small schools were categorized into three primary aspects: subject, method, and research area. Firstly, concerning research topics, the predominant focus centered on the application of teaching and learning as well as the curriculum management, with less emphasis on pre-service and incumbent teachers. Secondly, research methods shifted from quantitative to qualitative approaches starting in the 2000s. However, the utilization of qualitative research methods displayed limited diversity. Lastly, we analyzed the research area by classifying it into the region where the research subject is situated and the region to which the researcher belongs. The Gyeongsang and Gangwon regions constituted the majority in both categories, with over half of the researchers hailing from Gyeongbuk.CONCLUSIONS This study underscores the growing necessity for research into physical activity within small schools, given the increasing proportion of such institutions. It offers valuable insights for future research endeavors in the realm of physical activity within small schools.

소규모 중학교 체육 공동교육과정 운영 사례 및 개선 방안 탐색

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the operation cases ofa small middle school joint Physical Education curriculum, and to explore improvement methods basedon the analyzed cases.
 Methods: Four teachers and four students from two schools located in the J region and operatinga small middle school joint Physical Education curriculum were selected as the study subjects, and data such as operation-related data, observation log data based on participant and non-participant observations, in-depth group interview data and unofficial story data were collected, categorized,analyzed and interpreted.
 Results: As far as the small middle school joint Physical Education curricula are concerned, tennis competition activities and group activities per level were performed using facilities near the two schools to ensure all students’ participation and interest and to overcome the disadvantages of small middle schools. Individualized instruction and interactive instruction were performed through team teaching activities per group led by professional instructors to better improve the advantages of small middle schools. The improvement methods are as follows: First, joint curricula must be planned through avoluntary sense of community along with teachers’ dedication and philosophies shared by the members. Second, it is necessary to derive a process of expanding and elaborating the scope of joint curriculato share and improve the concerns regarding events and joint curriculums among small middle schools. Third, for joint curricula to have a smooth implementation, it is necessary to construct a detailed instruction plan taking into consideration the autonomy of curricula, efficient system securement, andstudents’ individual characteristics and differences.
 Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the need for legitimacy and substantial operation ofthe small middle school joint Physical Education curriculum.

A SUMMARY OF RESEARCH ON THE LEADERSHIP OF PRINCIPALS IN RURAL SMALL-SCALE SCHOOLS

This study uses the literature analysis method to conduct a review. Enter the keywords "small rural schools" and "principal leadership" on China HowNet and Baidu Academics to obtain literature. The perspectives of the literature review on small rural schools are time dimension, value dimension, and element dimension; the perspective of principal leadership literature collation is the individual level and the organizational level; finally, it clarifies the literature context of top leadership in rural small-scale schools from three aspects. Comments on this research: First, most of the studies did not highlight the impact of "distance from the city" and "size" of rural small-scale schools on principal leadership; second, in small-scale rural schools, principals' "multi-role" seriously dilutes They are just "practices" of school leaders; third, they have not analyzed the leadership of small-scale rural school principals from the perspective of leadership theory.

Leveraging Experimental and Observational Evidence to Assess the Generalizability of the Effects of Early Colleges in North Carolina

Abstract Early college high schools (ECHSs) in North Carolina are small public schools of choice on college campuses that seek to promote attaining postsecondary credits in high school, college readiness, and postsecondary enrollment for underrepresented groups. Evidence from randomized control trials (RCTs) has shown positive effects of the ECHS model on important high school and postsecondary outcomes but appear to be underpowered to detect moderation effects. Furthermore, RCTs rarely address the key question of primary policy interest: Is the program effective on average across the population? This leaves us uncertain about (1) whether the early college intervention is a good strategy for helping to close enrollment and attainment gaps between under- and overrepresented groups, and (2) whether the expansion of the ECHS model will lead to the positive results that the RCT studies suggest. This study uses administrative data on all ECHSs in North Carolina including those that were part of a lottery study. This allows us to generate RCT estimates for the ECHSs in the lottery sample and quasi-experimental estimates for both the lottery and non-lottery ECHSs. We leverage this unique circumstance to generate estimates of the effect of ECHS on postsecondary outcomes that simultaneously maximize both internal and external validity. Specifically, because generalization depends on both moderation and sample selection, we (1) investigate sample selection, (2) conduct a moderation analysis to determine whether the effects of the intervention vary by key factors that also predict sample selection, and (3) produce a pooled estimate by extending a method called cross-design synthesis to incorporate both RCT evidence and quasi-experimental evidence. We find strong evidence that the positive results of the RCTs generalize to the full sample of ECHSs, which provides stronger evidence of effectiveness.

(Re)contextualizing the field. A Bourdieuian analysis of small rural school principal leadership in a post-conflict society

ABSTRACT As neo-liberal, economic and political fields increasingly contaminate the field of education, so a (re) contextualised understanding of the manifold and shifting social space small rural primary school principals occupy is of central importance to understanding practice. An understanding especially germane to a post-conflict divided and segregated society such as Northern Ireland. The paper draws on data from a mixed-method investigation including a survey of small rural school principals and case study research in five small rural primary schools. The findings are theoretically and conceptually informed by Bourdieu (1984) and his work on field, habitus and capital as a means to understand practice. The insight into principal practice that emerges is one that is, complex, fluid and uncertain; school leaders needing to negotiate diverse logics of practice as a response to the dominant fields in play at any given time. We contend that at one level, neo-liberal economistic imperatives and politicisation of education have led to a professional narrowing in principal leadership practice. While on another level, in a post-conflict Northern Ireland, we have arguably seen a professional widening, with principals afforded a leadership role potentially empowered to help balance cross-community religious tensions and facilitate peace and reconciliation.

Validity and Reliability of The Teacher Competency Instrument (TECOMS) for Small Schools in Malaysia : Rasch Model Analysis

Validity and Reliability of The Teacher Competency Instrument (TECOMS) for Small Schools in Malaysia : Rasch Model Analysis

“OPTIMIZATION” OF THE RURAL SCHOOL NETWORK: PROS AND CONS (CASE STUDY OF THE UVAROVSKY DISTRICT, TAMBOV OBLAST)

During the 2000-2010-s many rural schools faced the optimization process in Russia. In this context, the Tambov Region is of exceptional interest due to the highest rates of rural schools reorganization in 2001-2019. The aim of the study is to assess at a qualitative level the pros and cons of optimizing the educational infrastructure considering the example of the Uvarovsky district, typical for the Tambov region. Based on the field data collected in July 2022, the following positive consequences of optimization could be identified: the largest villages strengthen their position in the hierarchy of rural social services; the normative distance for transporting children (30 km) contributes to the preservation of small schools and their staff in remote villages. The problem of the staff shortage in rural schools could be solved using mixed full-time - distance learning format with the involvement of teachers from cities or large rural settlements, since during the COVID-19 pandemic, children mastered the curriculum in such format without reducing the quality of education. The main negative consequences are as follows: the rate of depopulation of small villages increases with the closure of branch schools; small schools located less than 30 km away from a larger school will be closed, and the daily commuting will have a negative impact on academic performance and general well-being of pupils. The discrepancy between registered and actual residents (including children) results in incorrect decisions at the regional level regarding the preservation of social infrastructure facilities, therefore updating information on those actually living in villages gains the utmost importance. The results of field data analysis for the Uvarovsky district of the Tambov region could be useful for further study of optimization processes in other moderately populated regions of Russia.

In Greek we trust! Παίζοντες μανθάνομεν

AbstractThis article presents the method used in Elliniki Agogi, a private small school that teaches the Ancient Greek language as an extra-curricular activity. Over the 29 years of experimenting with educational material, methods, books and exercises, teaching Ancient Greek as a living language seems like the only method that really works for the students. It is immersive, experiential, educational and fun, but most important, it makes students love what they learn; by loving, they keep wanting to come back. By coming back, they repeat. By repeating; they learn. And by learning Greek as a living language, they never forget it. This is our school's aim: to make our students love the language. Experiential learning is highly valued and applied through visits to archaeological sites, and reviving important historical events. But this is only the beginning; playing, drawing, acting, foreign exchanges, educational trips, digital programs, collaborations with foreign institutions and educational organisations come alive in Elliniki Agogi, a small school that was founded 29 years ago in Greece and has joined worldwide efforts in changing the way Greek is taught in order to promote its true, timeless, precious wisdom. In Elliniki Agogi a combination of teaching Greek as a living language and activities that include play and fun, a method as old as time, shows exactly the reason way the words ‘play’ (παιδιά) and ‘education’ (παιδεία) derive from the exact same root word: παῖς (child). Educational material is also provided in order to further enhance and deepen children's knowledge.

O.6.3-5 A national audit into the different levels of typical school provision of physical education, physical activity and sports in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract International guidelines recommend sixty-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (PA) daily for adolescents (WHO, 2020). Prevalence of physical inactivity is high and is regarded as a leading risk factor for death worldwide, contributing to the onset of non-communicable diseases with just 20% of adolescents meeting the recommended PA guidelines (Guthold et al., 2020). Physical inactivity cost $67.5 billion worldwide in 2013 and is estimated to reach over €110 billion in 2030 (WHO, 2022). Despite the worldwide adoption of school PE, PA and sport policies to promote PA and health, paralleled with significant investment, a gap in the literature exists that audits the different levels of typical school provision of PE, PA and sports. Participating schools (n = 112) completed the validated PE, PA and sports provision evaluation index. A One-way ANOVA with Tukey Kramer's Post-Hoc test was performed to examine variation in the demographic profile relative to the indicators of provision. A proposed grade for each indicator of provision was established using a standardized, international grading system. Half of schools had no outdoor all-weather surface (54.5%). Two thirds had no facilities to accommodate active transport (66.1%). One in five felt the percentage of the budget given towards PE, PA and sports was inadequate (19.6%). Regarding indicators of provision, partnerships received the lowest grade (C-) while facilities and equipment received the highest grade (B-). Provision scores for personnel were significantly higher for mixed schools (girls/boys) in comparison to girls schools. Provision scores for budget and partnerships were significantly higher for larger schools (>800) then small schools (<300). The evidence suggests that while there has been a significant shift in focus both in policy development and the availability of financial resources to enhance typical school provision of PE, PA and sports for adolescent health, considerable modification of existing provision is required to potentiate positive impact.

Modelling andin situobservation of broadband acoustic scattering from the Silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea)in Lake Victoria, East Africa

AbstractLake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, and fish from the lake are a vital food resource for millions of people living around it. The silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea), a small schooling pelagic species known in Tanzania as “dagaa” contributes ca. 55% to the total annual catch (ca. 0.51 million tonnes (MT) in 2014). The acoustic target strength (TS, dB re 1 m2) of dagaa, a key factor for biomass estimation, is however not well described, and is a major source of uncertainty in biomass estimation. In this study, we developed a Kirchhoff-ray mode (KRM) model to predict the TS of dagaa at standard fisheries survey frequencies. The model was based on the morphology of the body and the dual-chambered swimbladder, as obtained from X-ray images of fish ranging in total length (TL) between 2.8 and 5.4 cm. The results suggested that the swimbladder (which comprises 2.6 to 8.2% of body volume) accounts for ca. 65 to 90% of the total backscattering at 120 kHz. The predicted TS was highly dependent on tilt angle, varying by 14.0 dB at 120 kHz across the tilt range 65–115˚ (where 0˚ is head up and 180˚ is tail up), and TS variability with tilt generally increased with increasing frequency. The tilt angle of acoustically tracked individual fish indicated a distribution of tilt angles with a mean and s.d. of 93.5 and 15.1°. Our model suggested a new tilt-averaged TS–TL relationship for dagaa [$T{S}_{120\ kHz} = 19.49\log ( {TL} ) - 70.3$], which leads to a TS 1.5 dB higher than the value in the relationship presently used to estimate stock biomass. The new relationship will lead to a substantial reduction (by ca. 30%) in estimated biomass. The discrepancies between the mean relative frequency response of the in situ measurements of backscatter from dagaa and the KRM model predictions were in the range of -2.9–3.1 dB at frequencies from 45 to 250 kHz. The KRM modelling and in situ broadband measurements of dagaa will be beneficial for acoustic identification and behavioural studies of dagaa, and will enable improved biomass assessment, thereby underpinning sustainable long-term management.

Gender Identity Within the Prisoner's Dilemma

Understanding all sorts of factors that play into social and moral dilemmas such as the prisoner’s dilemma is necessary to understand decision making on all fronts. These dilemmas are manifestations of many decisions from every day (deciding what to eat for dinner) to life-changing (a nuclear war treaty). To identify if there is a link between gender identity and levels of cooperation and the expectations of a partner in the prisoner’s dilemma, this study uses quantitative data collected from high school students taking the AP English Language and Composition course at a small high school in the midwestern United States. Using a game-like replication of the prisoner’s dilemma using point values instead of jail time, this study examines the relationship between gender and the decision of an individual to either “share the points” (cooperate) or “steal the points” (defect) in two environments, one with face-to-face interaction with partners and another with total anonymity. This study also tests the relationship between the gender of the assigned partner and the decision of an individual to “share” or “steal” in the environment of face-to-face interaction. The study shows that females have significantly higher rates of cooperation in both environments (with interaction and without) and that players have a significantly higher rate of cooperation when partnered with a female player.

Understanding Legal Duties: Are High School Athletic Directors Properly Prepared?

The legal duties of high school athletic directors are an under-researched area of sport law. Millions of dollars are paid out annually due to the negligence of high school athletic program administrators, justifying a deep dive into further understanding high school athletic director legal awareness. Utilizing research related to an established 14 legal duties for high school athletics, the authors created a survey to contribute to the limited existing research related to high school athletic director legal awareness.
 The survey went to a geographically balanced sample of states and the athletic directors within these states. A total of 349 responses were captured. A Rasch analysis identified the most challenging duties for high school athletic directors to manage were areas such as keeping practice plans on file and advising students of warning labels on equipment. Areas that high school athletic directors were better equipped to manage were transportation of students to practice and competition, and ensuring equipment meets industry standards.
 Multiple regression analysis revealed that smaller schools are most challenged in legal duty awareness due to limited resources (e.g., financial and personnel). Research should continue to build in this area by evaluating other variables that may impact the ability to comply and explanations for the level of awareness of directors.

The "Classes on the net" research project: The involvement and opinion of parents

This paper focuses on the involvement of parents in the “Classes on the net” research project and their opinion and suggestions about this project. “Classes on the net” is a hybrid model, based on the idea of working with classrooms as Knowledge Building Communities This educational model can improve the management of small and isolated classes characterized by multigrade classes. In “Classes on the net”, delocalized classes aim to design a common disciplinary path involving student groups in parallel in the same activities by adapting calendars, spaces, and teacher roles. Teachers of delocalized classes share cooperative educational practices such as “pairs aidants/peer supporters”, “mentorat/mentoring” or “delocalized equipe” by using Video conferencing and Knowledge Forum.
 “Classes on the net” model was tested for the first time in Italy in the Abruzzo small schools in the school year 2020/2021. The experimentation involved 12 small schools, 11 digital animators, 31 teachers, and 6 observers (school principals). This experimentation did not originate during COVID-19 to address the issues that the pandemic generated but was planned and started before the advent of emergency, obviously, the experimentation was influenced by COVID-19. The present paper, after the literature review concerning remoteness and parenting in small and rural schools and home- school partnership in rural educational settings, will introduce the “Classes on the net” model and present the focus group result held with parents. The focus group took into consideration parent-school relationship, parents and information and communication technology, and the involvement of parents in the research project and their opinion about it.

Remote Schooling During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Rural Latino Caregiver Perspectives and Experiences

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic forced more than 50 million students and their families to adapt to remote schooling. Most disrupted were communities of color, who faced multiple and overlapping inequalities in digital and equipment access, exposing and exacerbating existing disparities. Conducted in a small rural school district, this study surveyed the experiences of rural Spanish-speaking Latino caregivers. A total of 104 caregivers responded to a survey assessing caregiver digital literacy and access, school support, caregiver-teacher relationship and communication, and caregiver values, expectations, and teaching efficacy. Findings highlighted wide disparities in digital access and availability of equipment or devices compared to recent reports of more affluent White caregivers. Findings also highlighted that strong caregiver-teacher relationships were important for helping caregivers to navigate children’s instruction during remote instruction. While student learning losses have yet to be fully assessed, hints at the full impact of school closures for rural linguistically and culturally diverse families are available from other countries, and they suggest that learning losses will be much greater for children from disadvantaged families than the population at large.

Do small high schools affect rates of risky health behaviors and poor mental health among low-income teenagers? Evidence from New York city

ABSTRACT We evaluate the impacts of small high schools on youth risky behaviors and mental health in New York City, using a two-sample-instrumental-variable approach to address endogenous school enrollment. We find heterogeneous effects. School size, overall, has little effect. Among students most likely to attend small schools opened after an educational-achievement-oriented reform, however, diagnoses of violence-associated injuries and mental health disorders increased. Among students most likely to attend traditional small schools opened prior to the reform, pregnancy rates and diagnoses of mental health disorders declined. School focus is more important than school size as a determinant of student well-being outcomes.

Organization and methods of conduct of physical education lessons in the complete classroom of the experimental school with an individual and differentiated approach to learning

An important task of the development of education in Ukraine in the 21st century. is the creation of an effective system of education and upbringing of young people. Today, education in Ukraine faces many problems, one of which is the preservation and reorganization of understaffed schools. Today, the concept of "small school" is an integrative one, which covers a variety of general educational institutions that differ in the types of activities, operating conditions, number of students studying in them, national and social composition, and territorial location. According to the definition of encyclopedic sources, a small school is a school without parallel classes, with a small contingent of students, where, as a rule, students of two, three or four classes are united in one class-set. One teacher works with a complete class.
 Small-staffed schools significantly complicate the acquisition of a full-fledged education for children from the village, but the state cannot refuse their services in the coming years. Meanwhile, due to the objective processes characteristic of the village, the school in its activity goes far beyond the educational functions, playing the role of the center of the spiritual and cultural life of the village. Very often, the school in the village is the only center of communication and interaction of students, a center of qualified information support. In addition, the modern rural school with a small number of students has unique opportunities for the revival of national educational traditions, the organization of the educational process on the basis of folk pedagogy, which corresponds to one of the main conditions for the development of a national school. An important prerequisite for quality education in the countryside is the improvement of the educational process.

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Small Pelagic Fish Schools in the Western Algerian Coast

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Small Pelagic Fish Schools in the Western Algerian Coast

A Pioneer in Caribbean History: Franklin Knight Reflects on Cuba

Lillian: Let's start with you telling a little about yourself.Franklin: I was born in 1942 in Jamaica. I went to elementary school, of course, and took the mandatory “Eleven-Plus” general examination in 1953. I then left elementary school and for a year attended a small private high school with my two older brothers. The school system was a little different from the United States. I know that well, because when I came here and told a group of Wisconsin school kids that I had spent six years in high school, they said, “You must have been very dumb.” To which I replied that “that was not the opinion of my teachers.” I didn't realize then that in the United States students spend four years in high school. In Jamaica we spend six, combining middle and high school years. You get in at age 12 or 13 and graduate at 18 or 19.

Hunting of the Reef Needlefish Strongylura incisa (Belonidae) for Small Schooling Pelagic Fishes on Shallow Lagoonal Reefs of Innafushi Mini-Atoll (Indian Ocean, Maldives, Ari Atoll)

The tactics of the reef needlefish Strongylura incisa while hunting for small schooling pelagic fishes is described and photographically documented for the first time. Small flocks of reef needlefish enter the lagoon of the mini-atoll through passages in the reef at the beginning of the tide to hunt small schooling pelagic fishes, which move over the reef into the lagoon of the mini-atoll. In the lagoon, needlefish spread, and part of the flock (only a few) enter the reef itself, while the main part of the flock continues to move along the edge of the lagoonal reef in the direction of schools of small pelagic fishes moving through the reef and cuts the schools into supra-reef and lagoonal parts. Then the reef needlefish move onto the reef and begin to solitary hunt prey at a depth of only 10–15 cm. At such an insignificant depth a school of small pelagic fish loses the ability to turn synchronously. When attacking by a reef needlefish, members of the former school make individual chaotic movements and thereby become easier prey for the needlefish. However, hunting in shallow reef waters poses risks of collision with coral branches on the bottom for the reef needlefish.