Compulsory Education Students Research Articles

El aula de acogida y las clases de lengua en la mezquita: comparando estrategias académicas e identitarias en cataluña

A pesar del incremento de las dos últimas décadas de alumnado extranjero en la etapa obligatoria escolar, no se han alcanzado los mismos niveles de incorporación en los estudios postobligatorios. Los análisis de dispositivos pensados para la escolarización de parte del alumnado de nacionalidad extranjera han concluido que, en gran medida, los recursos y dispositivos para conseguir trayectorias de éxito escolar, han contribuido a procesos de segregación que determinan las posibilidades educativas. Sin embargo, el espacio escolar no es el único entorno de aprendizaje al que accede este alumnado, como es el caso de la mezquita, constituyendo dos experiencias clave de estos chicos y chicas que no ha sido abordada de forma suficiente ni comparativamente en la investigación. El trabajo que aquí se presenta añade una perspectiva comunitaria de las posibilidades de aprendizaje del alumnado extranjero no investigada en profundidad en el ámbito nacional, siguiendo las perspectivas de autores como Moll y González (2005), Gregory (2008, 2012), Kenner (2004). En concreto, se presenta una investigación etnográfica que se ha llevado a cabo en dos espacios formativos diferenciados, el aula de acogida en la escuela catalana y la mezquita. Este enfoque comparativo ha mostrado algunas de las estrategias que el alumnado de familias de origen marroquí y senegambiano, unos de los colectivos menos representados en la educación postobligatoria, desarrolla en su proceso de aprendizaje, transfiriendo conocimientos desde el ámbito comunitario al ámbito escolar y viceversa, y su impacto en las estrategias identitarias. A través del contraste entre las formas de aprendizaje, la participación o la agencia del alumnado en uno y otro espacio se quiere también avanzar en la reflexión sobre las limitaciones de la estructura escolar tal y como está pensada en la actualidad, y las posibilidades de mejora a través de una incorporación del saber comunitario.

El papel de la divulgación científica realizada por científicos en la formación de profesores

This article presents a case study conducted with a view to understanding future professors’ assessment of the educational role of science popularisation activities by scientists. An event coordinated by the CERN has been analysed, in which a student audience was acquainted with research production processes in particle physics. Through the prism of a sociological analysis, comprehension of the future professors’ senses and objectives when approaching popularisation activities is discussed, along with the educational aspects they consider to be acquired in the interaction with scientists. This article is a part of a larger research project devoted to the analysis of the discourse by scientists and students. It studies how cultural perspective training may be relevant for understanding that these practical activities are related to culture, thus treating science popularisation as a relevant tool for acquiring scientific knowledge and training compulsory education students.

Development of the writing skills of students in compulsory education in Spain

Acquiring writing skills requires an entire academic lifetime but acceptable levels of proficiency should be covered in compulsory education. This research verifies the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of writing skills in the Spanish education system. It compares both the development of knowledge and the associated difficulties in interviews with 40 students from the even years of primary and secondary education. Descriptive and correlational analyses were made, after coding their statements according to the theoretical model used. They revealed an unexpected stagnation, depending on the levels, with important educational implications.

CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LOS INTERESES INVENTARIADOS Y EXPRESADOS EN EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA

INTRODUCTION . The Vocational interest in the processes of advice and guidance, represents an essential aspect to assess given its key role in making career decisions. The existence of coherence between the expressed and inventoried interests may be an indicator of stability and vocational identity at the same time as an indicator of future career satisfaction and achievement. The proposed objectives in this study were: 1) To Identify the main characteristics of the inventoried and expressed interests of students in Secondary Education taking into account the course they were taking; 2) To check the strength of association and consistency between both. METHOD. The sample consisted in 2.322 subjects of Secondary Compulsory Education (ESO) students (52,8% female and 48,2% male) with a mean age of 14.68 years and a standard deviation of 1.29, from different areas of Spain. The study was of a descriptive and correlational nature. It used ANOVA and Chi-Square tests to check for differences between courses. EXPLORA (Questionnaire Vocational Guidance) was applied for inventoried and expressed interests. RESULTS . In regards to expressed intrests, there was an unequal distribution concerning the professional fields of Welfare Social and Scientific-Research which were the most chosen fields. In connection with the inventoried interests, the Social-Welfare and Artistic-Creative fields appear as the preferred fields. The consistency of the expressed interests and coherence between the expressed interests and the inventory was average, giving the case that both indices increased as students moved from one moves from grade level. DISCUSSION. The results obtained in connection with the coherence and consistency allow us to emphasize the appropriateness of assessing the interests expressed as inventoried and to develop interventions that improve both types of indexes so as to enhance the quality of decision-making.

Young People in Out-of-School Arts Education: The Influence of the Proximity of the Provision on Their Participation Decision

In this article we explore the influence of the geographical proximity of out-of-school arts education provision on the individual decisions of children and youngsters to enroll in an arts education course. The distance between the homes of the Belgian students in compulsory education and the nearest offering of out-of-school arts education (a network called Part-Time Arts Education [PTAE]) is calculated using population-wide administrative data. The results show a negative and nonlinear relation between distance and enrollment that affects young children in particular. Students with low socioeconomic status (SES) are not affected more by this factor than are other students. While students with a low SES live proportionally more in big cities, which are areas with a greater density of arts education provision, our analysis shows they still participate less in such programs than other students. When students with a low SES do participate, it is not in a course significantly nearer to their area of residence. As the distance to a specific PTAE course increases, only a small percentage of students are willing to substitute another course of study that is spatially closer. Therefore, distance is a barrier that is hard to overcome and often closes off the opportunity to participate in arts education. These findings have implications for policy decisions on the establishment of new educational facilities for arts education and on incentives to tackle the costs linked with traveling to art courses.

Validez y fiabilidad del Cuestionario de cibervictimización en estudiantes de Secundaria

This aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the Cybervictimization questionnaire (CBV), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess if adolescent have been the victim of aggression through a mobile phone or Internet. To test the factorial validity and criterion validity, and the internal consistency of the questionnaire, a sample of 2,490 students from Secondary Compulsory Education participated in this study. The students responded to the CBV and the Risk Factors Questionnaire for Cybervictimization (FRC). Confirmatory factor analyses were performed for investigation of the factor structure of the scale. The results show that both models tested, the one-factor model and multifactor-model, adequately represent the internal structure of the CBV. However, to be more parsimonious, the one-factor model is preferable. For criterion-related validity, the correlation between the CBV and the FRC was calculated. As a result of this, a significant correlation was found between CBV score and the six external criteria evaluated in the FRC questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency reliability of CBV was 0.85. These results demonstrate that the CBV is a valid and reliable tool to assess victimization in Secondary Compulsory Education students.

Development of Art Appreciation in 11–14 year‐old Students

AbstractModern art curricula derive from the assumption that visual arts education can be of a high quality only if productive and receptive artistic activities are implemented. In art education practice, we are able to follow incentives for artistic expression but pay less attention to developing art appreciation that is based on developing as subtle perceptions of artwork as possible. Students have few opportunities to observe, enjoy and understand artwork. This discussion presents the results of a study that monitored the development of art appreciation abilities of 11–14 year‐old students in Slovenian compulsory education. The level of art appreciation abilities is rather average and more developed with older students and girls. There were no statistically significant differences with regard to school stratum.

Literature research of the Nutrition Improvement Programme for Rural Compulsory Education Students in China.

To describe the Nutrition Improvement Programme for Rural Compulsory Education Students (NIPRCES) in China and to share the experiences of developing and implementing nationwide school meal programmes with other countries. The article is based on a literature review of technical documents and reports of NIPRCES and relevant national legislation, technical reports and studies on school nutrition, minutes of meetings and national conferences, and official documents of the National Office of Student Nutrition and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. People's Republic of China. Published papers, national policies, legislation and unpublished official documents. A total of 23 million rural compulsory education students were covered by NIPRCES. In the development and implementation process of NIPRCES, fifteen ministries and national committees were involved and an efficient collaborative mechanism was established. All NIPRCES-covered schools were required to serve meals on a daily basis. By the end of June 2012, the proportions of students choosing 'school feeding', 'food package' and 'family feeding' modes were respectively 64.0 %, 32.0 % and 4.0 %. The central government subsidized school meals annually by more than $US 2.5 billion and invested $US 4.8 billion on school kitchens to support this programme. The NIPRCES is a significant movement of governmental nutritional intervention in China. Food safety, financial security, decentralization and other potential concerns should be considered and lessons can be learned from other countries. Further relevant research and a nationwide monitoring and evaluation programme are needed.

The Effect of Family Background on Student Effort

Abstract Students from more advantageous family backgrounds tend to perform better than those from less advantageous backgrounds. But it is not clear that these students exert more effort. We build a model of students, schools, and employers to study the interaction of family background and effort exerted by the student in the education process. Two factors turn out to be key in determining the relationship between effort and family background: (i) the student’s attitude toward risk and (ii) how the student’s marginal productivity of effort depends on her family background. We show that when the degree of risk aversion is relatively low (high) compared to the sensitivity of the marginal productivity of effort, students from more advantageous family backgrounds exert more (less) effort. Empirically, we find that if parental education was reduced from holding a university degree to incomplete compulsory education, primary and secondary school students would exert around 21–23% less effort (approximately equal to a reduction of 2 hours weekly in homework). For primary school students we also find that marginal productivities of effort are higher for those from less advantageous family backgrounds.

Las características del desayuno en alumnos de educación obligatoria

El objetivo del presente estudio fue conocer las características del desayuno de los alumnos de educación obligatoria (tiempo, tipo de alimentos, compañía). La muestra estuvo compuesta por 345 sujetos, 223 alumnos de tercer ciclo de primaria y 122 alumnos de segundo ciclo de la E.S.O. El instrumento utilizado para la recogida de datos fue un cuestionario sobre las características del desayuno. Los resultados muestran que los niños/as de tercer ciclo de primaria desayunan mejor que los niños/as de segundo ciclo de la E.S.O. Siguiendo esta línea los niños desayunan mejor que las niñas en la etapa de educación obligatoria. El tiempo medio dedicado al desayuno es de 9 minutos y 31 segundos. El sitio preferido para hacerlo es en la cocinaacompañados por los padres y hermanos.

Mathematical Problem Solving in Training Elementary Teachers from a Semiotic Logical Approach

Abstract: The aim of this article is to consider the professional knowledge and competences of mathematics teachers in compulsory education, and to propose basic tasks and activities in an initial training programme in the framework of a global proposal for Immersion in the curriculum of the educational phase which the trainee teacher would go on to work in. Problem-solving, in this context, is considered as being an inherent part of mathematics and this is described in terms of problem-solving, establishing connections between concepts, operations and implicit processes in the mathematical activity (conceptual field) and their relationships problem-solving; and it is assumed that the learning of problem-solving is an integrated part of learning in mathematics.Keywords: Problem Solving, Teacher Training, Didactical Analysis, Semiotic Logical Approach (SLA).IntroductionThe analysis of the results obtained, in recent years, in different national (in Spain) and international assessments shows that the knowledge of mathematics (Problem Solving) of students in compulsory education (K-9 Grades) is insufficient in terms of the desired curriculum. What needs to be done to improve the learning and teaching of mathematics and, in particular problem solving in this educational stage? This question is addressed here by reflecting on the role played by teachers in primary and secondary education in the pursuit of an effective learning of mathematics and problem solving. At present, the initial training of teachers in primary and secondary education takes place within the European Higher Education Area, where primary school teachers need four years training and secondary school teachers are required to have completed a mandatory Professional Masters degree. This initial teacher training has a great opportunity for improvement.Problem solving in mathematics educationProblem solving has always been regarded as a basic component in the construction of mathematical culture. However, when mathematical knowledge is presented in its final state, what prevails is the conceptual organization of the objects of such knowledge in which problem solving appears again as a core of relevant mathematical knowledge. In the early eighties, in view of the primacy of the concepts and their properties as well as their algorithmic use, problem solving was vindicated as a key activity in the learning of mathematics, which has led to the development of an emerging theoretical and practical body of research in mathematical education, and a notable increase of its presence in the curriculum, either as a further block of contents or as cross content but specific to mathematics at the corresponding level (Santos-Trigo, 2007, Castro, 2008). The follow-up research on problem solving clearly shows that, despite all amount of effort, there are no significant data on the improvement in this on the part of the students and different questions arise ranging from the need to establish relationships and existing connections between the development of the understanding of mathematical contents and problem solving skills, to the need of having theoretical bases to guide problem solving (Lester and Kehle, 2003).Some authors such as Lesh and Zawojewski (2007), suggest that the rise of research in problem solving was very important between 1980 and 1990, and that some trends are presently aimed at putting an emphasis on critical thinking, technology and mathematical problem solving, and analysis of how mathematics is used in other sciences and professions that does not match the way mathematics is taught in school, or the development of problem solving in other settings or contexts such as situated cognition, communities of practice or representational fluency. These directions and perspectives in solving mathematical problems are, at the present, promising lines of research.The knowledge and professional skills of a mathematics teacherThe concern, from the point of view of mathematics education, regarding teacher's knowledge and professional skills has been and is, a constant research topic, and is based on the following conjecture: The knowledge and professional skills of the mathematics teacher must be acquired through different scientific domains: mathematics, mathematical didactics and educational sciences. …

Integrating Information

The case study reported here explores the processes involved in producing a written synthesis of three history texts and their possible relation to the characteristics of the texts produced and the degree of comprehension achieved following the task. The processes carried out by 10 final-year compulsory education students (15 and 16 years old) to produce their syntheses, including the integrations they verbalized while performing the task, were examined in detail with a double-analysis system. The results revealed a tendency for the students who engaged in more elaborative patterns to make more integrations and produce better texts. These students seemed to benefit more from the task in terms of comprehension. Conversely, the students who followed a more reproductive pattern by and large copied ideas from the source texts and achieved low levels of comprehension.

Honouring the Voices of the Ancestors - A Personal View of the Effect of Māori Language Immersion Education in Aotearoa-New Zealand

Many studies have been undertaken which focus on identifying factors which impact on the participation and achievement of Māori students in post compulsory education and factors contributing to Māori success in tertiary education. (Jefferies, R. 1997; Tiakiwai, S.J. 2001; Nikora, L. W., Levy, M., Henry, J., & Whangapirita, L. 2002; Greenwood, J., & Te Aika, L. 2009), One of the factors identified as an institutional barrier is a lack of recognition of Māori culture and language. This article discusses the importance of university Māori language students being able to write their assignments, dissertations and theses not only in the Māori language, but in their own tribal dialects. Using a case-study approach of the authors’ personal experiences of primary, secondary and tertiary education, the case-study will focus specifically on the place of the authors’ tribal identity and dialect in this process. Dialect will be illustrated through samples of work submitted for the authors BA (Hons) dissertation, MA and PhD. This will also demonstrate the importance of writing in the community language, when conducting research on a topic related to that community, and this will be discussed in terms of reflecting a commitment to the survival of that community language and to increasing the corpus of work being produced in the Māori language.
 
 This case-study, adopting a narrative approach, will demonstrate a positive outcome for both a university and a Māori student when a) the university provides the right pathways, policies and processes to empower Māori students to write in their native tongue; and b) the student has the courage and tenacity to continue writing in the Māori language and in their dialect, as a minority in the institution.

Variables Psicológicas Moduladoras de la Autodefinición del Perfil en Procesos de Acoso Escolar: El papel del género y el curriculum escolar

Interactions between gender, adapted vs. non-adapted curricula, and a number of scholar violence-related factors are studied. Gender and curricula were considered independent variables. Some instruments were applied, including questionnaires of impulsivity, empathy, pro-social behaviour and anti-social behaviour, all them considered as dependent variables. Sample was composed by 295 students of secondary compulsory education (high-school, 44% male). The interactions between factors were analysed using inter-subject Manova statistics. Results show that curricula are not a relevant factor to understand violence. Typology of violence developed by subjects, role in bullying process, opinion about victims and opinion about fighting are relevant factors for bullying. Gender has too significant effects in typology of violence and opinions. Girls are more pro-social and emphatic and boys are more impulsive and isolated. Key words: Bullying, antisocial behaviour, prosocial behaviour, academic curricula, gender differences.

Restauraciones dentales en escolares del Distrito Sanitario Alcalá la Real-Martos (Jaén)

To evaluate 4-6 years later the state of dental fillings in 6-8 year old school-children treated at a health centre. Monitoring of a cohort with intervention. Alcalá la Real Health Centre (Jaén). In the school years 94-95 and 95-96 a total de 88 second-year EPO (compulsory primary education) students received at least one occlusal silver amalgam filling in their first permanent molars. 4-6 years later, 78 students, who had had 157 fillings, were examined. Silver amalgam fillings in first permanent molars. The success or failure of the fillings was measured. The failure rate was 11.5% (95% CI, 6.0-17.0), with authentic failures (marginal infiltration, recurrent caries, broken filling and broken tooth) (58.8%) predominating over false failures (caries elsewhere) (41.2%). Neither sex, age when the filling was inserted, dental arch (upper or lower), nor the index of temporary caries at the start were statistically linked to the failure of fillings. In clinical terms, the health centre has an adequate level of efficacy 4-6 years after inserting simple silver amalgam fillings in 6-8 year old school-children.

Medical education for students in compulsory education: the conception of the preparation of three graded textbooks and preliminary evaluation of lectures using these textbooks

The school pharmacist in our hospital pharmacy used three graded textbooks about medicine for students at the Sukagawa School for the Health-Impaired (Fukushima Medical University Hospital Branch (H. I. school)). A revised textbook for 4th-6th grade elementary school students containing 12 important items of information about medicine, a new picture textbook for 1st-3rd grade elementary school students, and a new textbook containing practical data for junior high school students were prepared by supplementing original information with illustrations, simplified expression and large type face. Additionally, the pronunciation of Chinese characters was included in the textbook for the 1st-3rd grade elementary school students. In this study, 9 students from H. I. school and 37 students from Koyase junior high school took part in a questionnaire and an examination evaluating the usefulness of the lectures, and these textbooks, in regard to the student's recognition and understanding of medicine. Most students answered that the lectures and textbooks helped them to understand medicine. Furthermore, the results of the examination indicated that the students had a general understanding of medicine. In conclusion, we suggest that it is important for students in compulsory education to learn about medicine, and that according to the preliminary result of questionnaires and examinations, both the lectures and textbooks were useful to help the students to understand more about medicine.

Education Developments in Thailand

The 6-3-3 pattern of educational system of which the first 6 years are compulsory has been used in Thailand since 1978. The recent extension from 6 to 9 years of compulsory education has been described as an effort to produce better quality manpower in order to respond to the nation's economic and technological development. Another important development in recent educational practice is an attempt to put an end to the disparity in quality between the urban and rural schools. This is to ensure that the necessary manpower will be of the same quality. The author also argues that all concerned parties should curb their heated debates, at least for the time being, on the inequality between students graduating from schools under the new compulsory education program and students graduating from the normal secondary school system, gaining access to higher education. The demand for equal access to tertiary education should be the next issue to be tackled, soon after the necessary manpower has reached the level required.

地理教育シンポジウム 現代世界における地理教育の意義を考え―地理教育改善への提言―

This symposium was organized to discuss the findings of the Second Geography Education Committee of the Association of Japanese Geographers under the joint auspices of The Japanese Association of Professional Geographers. Today we face very serious global problems such as environmental pollution and changing international relations, which must be important themes in geography education. Many geographic educators in Japan, however, have not learned how to present these issues and problems in a geography class. The members of the Second Geography Education Committee examined and discussed three themes initially, and then the findings were presented and discussed in this symposium as follows. (The names followed by asterisks are those of the authors who served as reporters.) (1) K. Yoshida* and H. Iwamoto: The significance of place-name study in the classroom: a pilot survey of place-name recognition among the public (“non-geographers”) The authors surveyed through questionnaires 200 adults regarding place-names in Japan which are recognized as essentiall learning for students in compulsory education. Almost all respondents answered that students should learn the names of the four big islands, the eight regions and the forty-three prefectures of Japan. As a consequence, they concluded that the minimum essentials of place-names, which would be extracted by a full-scale survey, should be included in a geography curriculum. On the other hand, T. Ohtani commented that it was inappropriate to pick out and discuss only place-names without further context. He emphasized that it is very important for geographic educators to consider what to teach in a geography class. While some participants agreed with him, others said that minimum essentials of place-names should be taught. (2) N. Tanikawa* and A. Ohno: How geographic educators can contribute to environmental education The authors emphasized that many geographic educators have dealt with environmental pollution in their classes, while professional geographers have not discussed this issue in academic geography. According to their opinion, students can appreciate the environment and even develop a sense of environmentalism after attaining an understanding of the mechanisms of nature and society. They therefore suggested that geographic educators can promote environmental education through teaching both physical and human geography in their geography classes. M. Nakayama commented that students can understand the environment through the landscape when considering the relationship between nature and human life. Many participants were involved with the discussion of how geography education could contribute to environmental education. Some others pointed out that many professional geographers did not join in on discussions of the environmental issues. (3) Y. Nishiwaki* and K. Hirasawa: Cross-cultural understanding in geography education The authors suggested that geographic educators should help students develop their world view in the context of a world geography class. This is even more important in today's world since students receive an increasing amount of information regarding different world regions through the mass media. It therefore behooves geographic educators to assume a more active role in clarifying and developing these initial, incomplete and sometimes misleading impressions presented to children through mass media. In their opinion, it is necessary for students to view cultural differences with a sympathetic understanding. This is especially true now since developments in various regions of the world have global implications. In short, people worldwide are becoming increasingly influenced by international events. It was also emphasized that geographic educators should foster a greater student awareness of cultural conflicts and changes common to various societies in the world.

Sex-Atypical Occupational Aspirations in Finland

Abstract: Nummenmaa, A.R., Nummenmaa, T. & Vanhalakka‐Ruoho, M. 1987. Sex‐Atypical Occupational Aspirations in Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 31, 99‐111. The occupational system in Finland is clearly segregated by sex, while the rate of employment and the educational level are about the same for both sexes. The occupational aspirations of comprehensive school students completing the 9th year of compulsory education and high school students completing the 12th year of education were investigated. The sex‐typing of aspirations of males resembles closely the situation among those now employed. The girls are willing to take longer educational routes for both vertical and horizontal mobility, the latter term here meaning sex‐atypical occupations. There are relationships with school performance, personality, and family background.