State-funded Schools Research Articles

Universal basic education in Nigeria: can non-state actors make a difference?

PurposeAgainst the backdrop of falling standards and failing government policies in the education sector in Nigeria, this paper aimed to investigate how and why non-state actors can make a significant impact on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for universal basic education (UBE).Design/methodology/approachThis study draws from semi-structured interviews of 15 heads and proprietors – six state-funded schools, six faith schools and three other privately owned schools – to examine and compare the different motivations, guiding principles and overall impact of these actors in the education sector.FindingsReligious actors, along with private providers, are making a significant contribution to the provision of basic education in Nigeria. Students from faith schools tend to perform better academically and they also tend to be more disciplined and resourceful. However, because these schools are fee-paying, fewer households are able to access them.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need to facilitate better cooperation and knowledge transfer activities between public, private and faith schools. It also emphasises the need for better government commitment and investment in provision of resources and facilities, effort in regulating the curriculum and regular inspection and quality monitoring of public schools.Originality/valueThe study highlights, on the one hand, the superior capacity of non-state actors – especially religious actors – to deploy their vast social capital towards the mobilisation of funds and human resources. On the other hand, while they have made inroads in their share of total national school enrolment, non-state actors have not made significant impact on access to quality education, owing to high fees and entry barriers faced by poorer households.

Children’s perceptions on the benefits of school nature field trips

ABSTRACTNumerous publications demonstrate that outdoor and nature-based education benefit school children both physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially and may also promote pro-environmental behaviour. This study assesses the perceptions of 22 students aged 11 to 12 years old after a nature field trip. Such students attended a state-funded primary school and participated in an integrated school programme which aimed to promote environmental awareness and to help children value the natural and cultural heritage of their surroundings. After interviewing the school children in focus groups and analysing data through a coding process and comparison system within an interpretative paradigm, the results illustrate that contribution to field trips benefit children mostly emotionally and socially, while cognitive outcomes are less apparent. These results are particularly relevant in multicultural contexts similar to the one studied.

Academies, autonomy, equality and democratic accountability: Reforming the fragmented publicly funded school system in England

This article focuses on the transformative academies policy in England. Based on an analysis of documentary evidence, we argue that the policy has resulted in the fragmentation of the state-funded school system and stark variation between academies, with those within multi-academy trusts (MATs) having no legal identity. We examine the variation between funding agreements, the control by central government, the role of MATs and the governance of academies. We propose policy options to improve the current incoherent and fragmented set of provisions, including restoring the legal identity of schools in MATs and allowing academies if they so wish, to convert to maintained schools.

3D Visualization through the Hologram for the Learning of Area and Volume Concepts

This study aims to implement and evaluate a methodological proposal using the hologram as a teaching medium for the learning of concepts related to areas and volumes of geometrical bodies. The study has been carried out with a sample of 78 students in the third year of secondary education from a privately-owned but state-funded school in Madrid. Thirty-five students who have been taught traditionally formed the control group, and 43 formed the experimental group in which the methodology was implemented. To evaluate its goodness, we have used the Student’s t-test to assess the existence of significant differences between both groups. The results reported by the test show that there is a difference of 3.9 points between the scores of both groups which is significant at the level of 0.05. In addition, the user experience in the experimental group has also been evaluated to assess the students’ opinions of the hologram in the learning process. The overall results have assisted us in corroborating the efficacy of the hologram as a teaching medium.

Scenarios of cycling to school in England, and associated health and carbon impacts: Application of the ‘Propensity to Cycle Tool’

BackgroundThe Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) is a freely available, interactive tool help prioritise cycling initially launched in England in 2017 and based on adult commuting data. This paper applies the method to travel to school data, and assesses health and carbon benefits based on nationwide scenarios of cycling uptake. MethodsThe 2011 National School Census provides origin-destination data for all state-funded schools in England (N = 7,442,532 children aged 2–18 in 21,443 schools). Using this dataset, we modelled propensity to cycle as a function of route distance and hilliness between home and school. We generated scenarios, including ‘Go Dutch’ – in which English children were as likely to cycle as Dutch children, accounting for trip distance and hilliness. We estimated changes in the level of cycling, walking, and driving, and associated impacts on physical activity and carbon emissions. ResultsIn 2011, 1.8% of children cycled to school (1.0% in primary school, 2.7% in secondary school). If Dutch levels of cycling were reached, under the Go Dutch scenario, this would rise to 41.0%, a 22-fold increase. This is larger than the 6-fold increase in Go Dutch for adult commuting. This would increase physical activity from school travel among pupils by 57%, and reduce transport-related carbon emissions by 81 kilotonnes/year. These impacts would be substantially larger in secondary schools than primary schools (a 96% vs. 9% increase in physical activity, respectively). ConclusionCycling to school is uncommon in England compared with other Northern European countries. Trip distances and hilliness alone cannot explain the difference, suggesting substantial unmet potential. We show that policies resulting in substantial uptake of cycling to school would have important health and environmental benefits. At the level of road networks, the results can inform local investment in safe routes to school to help realise these potential benefits.

Social Justice and Equity in the UK Education System

This article is a review of educational justice in the United Kingdom. Historical roots are investigated. The main existing problems are: (1) the dual system, (2) the equality of university admissions, and (3) remedial education opportunities for disadvantaged pupils. There are recommendations from parliament and nongovernmental organizations, which are considered in this article. A summary of their suggestions include (1) reduce economic inequality, (2) eliminate the distinction between independent and state-funded schools, (3) promote adequate market mechanisms, and (4) offer more remedial education.

What Does Leadership Look Like in Schools and Does it Matter for School Performance?

We consider the role played by school leaders in improving pupil attainment, going beyond previous studies by exploring the leadership roles of deputy and assistant heads and classroom-based teachers with additional leadership responsibilities. Using panel data for state-funded secondary schools in England for the period 2010/11-2015/16 we find academy schools typically employ more staff in leadership roles than community schools. Increases in the number of staff in leadership roles below headship level are associated, at least to some extent, with improved school performance in Single Academy Trusts, but this is not the case for schools that are part of Multi Academy Trusts. Our findings suggest that the potential benefits of distributing leadership within schools may only be realised when leaders have sufficient autonomy.

Ochrona praw mniejszości w II Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w świetle postanowień tzw. małego traktatu wersalskiego z 1919 r.

The Versailles system of the protection of national minorities’ rights was based on international agreements which had been imposed by the victorious powers of Entanta onto the former central states (except Germany), and on to the states formed after World War I. Compliance with the provisions of the minority treaties was covered by political and judicial guarantees from the League of Nations. The first of the series of minority treaties was the treaty signed by Poland on June 28, 1919, simultaneously with the peace treaty with Germany. The so-called ‘small treaty of Versailles’ obliged the Polish state to introduce the principle of equality before the law of all citizens regardless of nationality, to ensure freedom of religious practice, and to grant minorities specific language rights in education and the judiciary. The Jewish population obtained the right to celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday, and to run state-funded schools in Yiddish as a language of instruction. Treaty obligations for all minorities had been given the status of fundamental rights by including them in the March Constitution of 1921. Because the Polish state pursued an ethnic policy unfavourable to minorities, numerous violations of the treaty by its organs were the subject of petitions addressed o the League of Nations Council. The practice-oriented petition procedure allowed representatives of minorities to submit complaints, although the treaty granted the right to intervene to protect minority rights only to member states of the Council. On the initiative of Germany, cases concerning the violation of the rights of the German minority by the Polish state were examined by the International Court of Justice in Hague, which usually issued rulings unfavourable for Poland. Other minorities living in Poland did not gain such support from the Council member states, hence their petitions were dealt with as intended by the Polish government and did not end up in court. The fact that Germany was abusing the treaty guarantees to create an image of Poland as a country persecuting minorities served as an excuse for the Polish state to declare its cessation of applying the treaty obligations. The Declaration on September 1934 was one of the reasons why the Versailles system of the protection of minority rights, which in practice was an instrument of political interference of European powers in the internal affairs of other states, collapsed.

Clima motivacional percibido hacia el deporte y factores académicos en estudiantes universitarios de Granada

Este estudio de tipo descriptivo y corte transversal, realizado en una muestra de 490 estudiantes universitarios, tiene como objetivo analizar las relaciones existentes entre diversos factores académicos como el rendimiento escolar y la concesión de beca y el clima motivacional percibido hacia el deporte, empleando como principales instrumentos el cuestionario PMCSQ-2 y una hoja de auto-registro. Los resultados mostraron que la concesión de beca y la vía de acceso a la universidad no se relacionaban con el clima motivacional hacia el deporte. Por el contrario, se pudo observar que aquellos estudiantes que estaban matriculados en centros concertados o privados eran los que más se esforzaban para mejorar en la práctica deportiva, persiguiendo el reconocimiento desigual. Asimismo, se obtuvo que los participantes con mayores calificaciones preferían tener un papel protagonista en la práctica deportiva.

Editorial

We are very pleased to bring you Volume 47, issue 2 of The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. The theme of this year's NAIDOC week was ‘Because of her we can’ so it is appropriate that the first article in this volume focuses on the gendered stories of pathways through university by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Using Ahmed's work on ‘wilfulness’, Rennie explores the resilience, resistance and persistence of seven female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education students and considers the ways they negotiate pathways and success through university. Bright and Mackinlay also draw on the concept of ‘wilfulness’ to report on the successes and failures of a research project exploring mentoring programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander preservice teachers. They suggest that tensions are always present between the need to comply with the expectations of a Western academic institution while engaging in a wilful pursuit of the kinds of resistance that may be necessary in attempts at decoloniality. Also drawing on a decolonial lens, McDowall explore how preservice teachers position themselves and how they consider their relationships and ethical responsibilities in the field of Indigenous education. Pre-service teachers in different context are the focus of Torepe and Manning who examine the lived experiences and various challenges confronting this group of experienced Māori language teachers working in English-medium, state-funded schools.

Alumnado rechazado por sus compañeros en Educación Infantil: prevalencia, diferencias de género y relación con problemas externalizados || Children rejected by their peers in Kindergarten education: Prevalence, gender, differences and association with externalizing problems

Una de las claves para un desarrollo psicosocial saludable es tener amigos y sentirse aceptado por las personas que para uno son significativas. Sin embargo, existe un porcentaje significativo de estudiantes que son rechazados por sus iguales, lo cual puede conllevar importantes consecuencias negativas para su bienestar y desarrollo. Las causas por las que un alumno puede ser rechazado son variadas. En este estudio se explora específicamente la relación entre agresividad y rechazo. El presente trabajo, por tanto, parte de dos objetivos. Por un lado, identificar el porcentaje de alumnado rechazado en una muestra de estudiantes de Segundo Ciclo de Educación Infantil. Por otro lado, comprobar si existen diferencias en relaciones sociales y problemas externalizados en función del tipo sociométrico. Para ello, se seleccionaron ocho aulas de segundo ciclo de Educación Infantil compuestas por 160 alumnos, entre los cuatro y los seis años de edad, de tres centros de Asturias (dos públicos y uno concertado). Además, en el estudio participaron las ocho maestras tutoras de los ocho grupos. Los instrumentos de recogida de información fueron un test sociométrico de nominaciones positivas y negativas, que se aplicó al alumnado; y una versión reducida de las Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales cumplimentada por las tutoras. Los resultados muestran la existencia de un porcentaje significativo de alumnado rechazado. También muestran que el alumnado rechazado presenta más problemas externalizados y problemas de interacción social que sus compañeros más aceptados en el grupo. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de estos resultados.

Geographical mobility of UK trainee doctors, from family home to first job: a national cohort study

BackgroundThe UK faces geographical variation in the recruitment of doctors. Understanding where medical graduates choose to go for training is important because doctors are more likely to consider practicing in areas where they completed postgraduate training. The wider literature also suggests that there is a relationship between origin and background, and where doctors wish to train/work. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the geographical mobility of UK medical graduates from different socio-economic groups in terms of where they wish to spend their first years of postgraduate training.MethodsThis was an observational study of Foundation Programme (FP) doctors who graduated from 33 UK medical schools between 2012 and 2014. Data was accessed via the UK medical education database (UKMED: https://www.ukmed.ac.uk/). Chi-square tests were used to examine the relationships between doctor’s sociodemographic characteristics and the dependent variable, average driving time from parental home to foundation school/region. Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) were used to estimate the effects of those factors in combination against the outcome measure.ResultsThe majority of doctors prefer to train at foundation schools that are reasonably close to the family home. Those who attended state-funded schools, from non-white ethnic groups and/or from lower socio-economic groups were significantly more likely to choose foundation schools nearer their parental home. Doctors from disadvantaged backgrounds (as determined by entitlement to free school meals, OR = 1.29, p = 0.003 and no parental degree, OR = 1.34, p < 0.001) were associated with higher odds of selecting a foundation schools that were closer to parental home.ConclusionThe data suggests that recruiting medical students from lower socioeconomic groups and those who originate from under-recruiting areas may be at least part of the solution to filling training posts in these areas. This has obvious implications for the widening access agenda, and equitable distribution of health services.

Peer-led intervention to prevent and reduce STI transmission and improve sexual health in secondary schools (STASH): protocol for a feasibility study

BackgroundYoung people in the UK are at highest risk of sexually transmitted infections and report higher levels of unsafe sex than any other age group. Involving peer supporters in intervention delivery is acceptable to students and effective in reducing risk behaviours via ‘diffusion of innovation’, particularly where peer supporters are influential in their networks. Informal peer-led interventions offer a useful alternative to peer-led didactic teaching, which has shown limited effects. Building on the successful ASSIST anti-smoking intervention, the ‘STis And Sexual Health’ (STASH) intervention involves identification and recruitment of the most influential students as peer supporters, training and support to these students by specialist trainers, positive sex and relationships messages, spread by peer supporters to their friendship groups in person and via social media.Methods/designThis protocol describes a feasibility trial of the STASH intervention in six schools. It builds on an earlier study phase of intervention co-development using patient and public involvement (PPI) activities, followed by a pilot of intervention components and evaluation tools in one school. Participants are fourth year (S4) students (aged 14–16) in state-funded Scottish secondary schools who have received some level of teacher-led sex education. The previous cohort of S4 students (those completing S4 in the year prior to the intervention) will serve as controls. Data will be collected from controls (month 16), baseline (month 20–21) and follow-up (month 27–30) via a web-based questionnaire, which will measure (and test the reliability of) primary outcome measures for a phase III trial (delayed initiation of/abstinence from sex and consistent condom use), secondary outcomes and mediators of sexual behaviour (including school climate and social networks). The main feasibility outcome is whether the study meets pre-set progression criteria regarding feasibility and acceptability, measured largely via a process evaluation (basic measures in all 6 schools and in-depth in 2-4 schools). An economic evaluation reporting costs alongside consequences will be conducted.DiscussionThis study will inform decisions on the feasibility, design and sample size for a phase III effectiveness trial to assess whether the STASH intervention is effective in reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections in young people.Trial registrationISRCTN97369178

‘…we don’t bring religion into school’: issues of religious inclusion and social cohesion

This paper examines the approaches of cultural and religious inclusion at one small state-funded primary school situated in suburban Australia. The school community is experiencing high levels of racialised, gendered and religious conflict. Through case study data from leaders and teachers, we illustrate the potential and limitations of these approaches and consider their location within the notions of secularity and Christian privilege that characterise Australia’s public education system. The paper is situated within the context of current anxieties around social conflict and unrest especially in relation to religious racism or Islamophobia and amid calls for the introduction of a multi-faith education in Australian public schools. Against this backdrop, we highlight key tensions and difficulties confronting schools in their efforts to be inclusive towards creating a climate of social cohesion.

A matter of time? Gender equality in the teaching profession through a cross-national comparative lens

ABSTRACT This article draws primarily on a dataset of 60 semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers working in English and French state-funded secondary schools. Informed by feminist sociological theories of work and education and a cross-national comparative perspective, it explores the mechanisms leading to the production of gender inequalities in a profession which is often thought of as egalitarian or even favourable to women: teaching. A multi-level approach is adopted, which considers how the macro-social, meso-social and micro-social dimensions of the social world interact with each other and lead to the production of context-specific gender patterns, with specific attention to the effects of the spatio-temporal regimes of teaching which prevail in each country.

“I can’t cope seeing my kids … hearing these kinds of prayers.” Parents’ rationale for choosing state-funded Muslim schools in the Republic of Ireland: an ethnographic study

ABSTRACTThe population of Muslims living in the Republic of Ireland has increased significantly in recent years. Despite Muslims being one of the fastest growing minorities in the country, there is a paucity of research on the educational choices of Muslim parents. This study draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2013 and 2014. Based on semi-structured interviews, this article focuses on the views of Muslim parents and teachers from two Muslim state-funded primary schools in Ireland. The interviews revealed that, for most parents, the schools’ Islamic ethos was an underlying motivation for enrolling their children at Muslim schools. The findings also demonstrate the negative reasons of their choices, such as the lack of accommodation and the feelings of isolation they and their children experienced in non-Muslim schools, which further heightens the perception that Muslim schools in Ireland act as safe environments that protect the cultural and religious identities of Muslim children. The article concludes with some considerations for future research.

Understanding Christianity: exploring a hermeneutical pedagogy for teaching Christianity

ABSTRACT Disagreements about how Christianity should be taught in state-funded school RE have a long history. In this article we take England as a case study and examine the debates that have arisen about the legitimacy of a theologically based pedagogy following the publication of Understanding Christianity, a resource inspired by recent developments in academic theological hermeneutics. We particularly focus on the question whether or not pupils should be treated as insiders or outsiders. Drawing on Anthony Thiselton’s notion of responsible hermeneutics, we argue that this offers a robust model for an academically rigorous approach to teaching Christianity in schools that enables pupils to be both insiders and outsiders in the hermeneutical process. We then illustrate how Understanding Christianity has attempted to embody this aspiration.

DHA-enriched re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil supplementation and oily fish consumption enhance red blood n-3 fatty acid index in Omani pre-adolescent schoolchildren

Dietary habits of Omani population particularly of children and young adults have changed significantly. Consumption of imported calorie-dense foods, vegetable oils, milled and polished grains and carbonated beverages have become the norm. Concomitantly, there has been an exponential increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The impact of the westernisation of eating habits on children has not been evaluated. We have investigated blood fatty acid profile of male (n = 125) and female (n = 160) children aged 9 and 10 (9.8 ± 0.4) years enrolled from three state-funded schools. The schools, which are homogenous with respect to socio-economic background of their pupils, were randomised into fish oil (n = 98), oily fish (n = 82) or control (n = 105) group. Subsequently, the children were given during morning tea break for 12 weeks: 1. DHA-enriched re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil capsule with cheese/salad sandwich (fish oil group), 2. Lightly grilled oily fish with salad (fish group) or 3. Cheese/salad sandwich (control group). At baseline, the males had higher myristic, palmitic and oleic and lower adrenic acids than the females (p < 0.05). There was no difference in n-3 fatty acid index (4.86 ± 1.95 vs. 5.12 ± 1.67, p > 0.05) or AA (14.6 ± 1.9 vs. 14.9 ± 1.8, p > 0.05) between the genders. There was no difference in any of the fatty acids between the three groups at baseline. Post-intervention, the oily fish group had lower n-3 fatty acid index (EPA + DHA, 6.03 ± 1.39 vs. 6.60 ± 1.63, p < 0.05) and higher AA (15.2 ± 1.8 vs. 13.7 ± 2.0, p = 0.0001) and n-3 DPA (1.40 ± 0.27 vs. 1.07 ± 0.22, p = 0.0001) compared with those who received fish oil capsules. In both the fish oil and oily fish groups, fatty acid index correlated positively with AA (r = 0.394, p = 0.0001; r = 0.231, p = 0.038) and negatively with total saturated (r = - 0.816, p = 0.0001; r = - 0.439, p = 0.0001) and total mono-unsaturated (r = - 0.431, p = 0.0001; r = - 0.231, p = 0.037) fatty acids. Although seafood is an integral part of traditional Omani cuisine the children had a low level of n-3 fatty acids index. There is a need to address this nutritional insufficiency through school feeding programme, targeted intervention with n-3 fatty acid enriched food products and/or family education programme.

An online survey of young adolescent girls' use of the internet and smartphone apps for mental health support.

Adolescents are digital natives, with the majority now owning their own smartphones and having internet access. Although the internet and smartphone applications (apps) can provide mental health support, little is known about how young adolescents use digital technology for mental health purposes. There are many digital health resources available for young people, but the assumption that they will be open to use them has been largely untested. We aimed to explore how adolescents with and without raised symptoms of anxiety, depression and problematic eating use the internet on smartphones/tablets and mental health apps. The Bristol Online Survey tool was used to deliver an online survey to 775 girls aged 11-16 years, attending a state-funded secondary school in the south-west of England. The survey was completed in class during the winter term of 2017. A total of 98.7 and 97.4% used the internet and apps, respectively, although only 6% had used any mental health apps. Of those with raised mental health symptoms, 15-17% used or were using a mental health app, with 48.5% reporting that they would not use a mental health app. Young female adolescents are avid users of the internet and apps but are not using digital technology for mental health purposes. Addressing concerns about digital technology are necessary to maximise the effect it can have on child and adolescent mental health. None.

Marathon Kids UK: study design and protocol for a mixed methods evaluation of a school-based running programme

IntroductionSchools are promising settings for physical activity promotion; however, they are complex and adaptive systems that can influence the quality of programme implementation. This paper presents an evaluation of a...