Secondary School Students Age Research Articles

Disabled students’ voices about their psycho-social and educational experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: an empirical study

This article presents a study about the psycho-social and educational experiences of disabled students during the COVID-19 pandemic, from quarantine and remote learning to the transition back to their schools. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 45 primary and secondary school-aged disabled students attending both regular and special schools in Greece. Despite the identification of some positive experiences, not all disabled pupils and in all cases were benefited from the measures implemented by the Greek government, as they voiced a range of educational, psychological, and social challenges. Further, disabled pupils’ accounts indicated that they were confronted with ableist discourses in the Greek educational policy and practices concerning the ‘support’ that was available. This study emphasises the need to listen to the voices of disabled students as a pathway to ensure their rights and promote their inclusion, empowerment, and resilience in crisis and no crisis times in their schools.

The Relationships of Oral Reading Fluency at Word, Sentence, and Passage Levels and Reading Comprehension in Chinese.

This study aims to expand our understanding of the relations of oral reading fluency at word, sentence, and passage levels to reading comprehension in Chinese-speaking secondary school-aged students. In total, 80 participants (46 males and 34 females) ranging from 13 to 15 years old joined this study and were tested on tasks of oral reading fluency at three levels, reading comprehension, and nonverbal IQ. Our results showed a clear relationship from fluency at the level of the word to the sentence and then the passage in oral reading fluency as well as both the direct and indirect importance of word-level oral reading fluency in reading comprehension. Only the indirect effect from word-level oral reading fluency to reading comprehension through passage-level oral reading fluency was significant. Our findings suggest that sentence-level oral reading fluency is the crucial component to reading comprehension in Chinese. Additionally, recognition of the potential value of unique features, such as syntactic awareness and word segment accuracy, that happen at the sentence level should be integrated into instructional activities for reading.

No Roadblocks in Low Earth Orbit: The Motivational Role of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) School Program in STEM Education

This study presents an investigation of the interaction with a role model and school students’ interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The interaction is in the form of a live question and answer contact with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Through the integration of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) School Program into the school curriculum as an external intervention, opportunities are provided for school students from anywhere in the world to ask their own prepared questions of the astronauts using two-way Amateur Radio. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which the ARISS Program is meeting its primary goal of enhancing school students’ interest in STEM subjects and to analyse any changes in student interest towards STEM subjects and STEM based careers attributed to the ARISS program. Data were collected through a mixed methods research model using pre- and post- event online questionnaires, from 236 students and 31 teachers, representing 4 schools, and 29 ARISS Volunteers. Case Study students and teachers were chosen from Canada, Germany, and the United States. Very high ARISS excitement levels were exhibited by the students and teachers from all case study schools. A t-test was used to determine the significance of student pre- and post-event interest and excitement levels, and while science was the only subject with a significant difference, there was a noticeable positive trend in the change in student STEM interest within all subject areas. There were twice as many students reporting an increase in STEM interest than not at the conclusion of the ARISS event. Participant teachers unanimously reported that astronauts, male and female, are a significant positive role model for school students, and that the ARISS program was of value to their students. More primary aged students exhibited a positive STEM interest change than secondary aged students. A positive change in STEM subject interest within secondary school age students exists pointing to the ability of the ARISS program to motivate older students. This research confirms that the ARISS program has a significant and positive impact on students where an integrative partnership with the school curriculum is achieved. This research has contributed to the existing literature surrounding the impact of inspirational expert role models on the motivation levels of students to pursue STEM based studies and careers.

Prevalence and correlates of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants among upper secondary school students in Iceland

The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) among upper secondary school students in Iceland, given a paucity of research conducted beyond the US and among younger student populations. National, cross-sectional data from N = 10,199 upper secondary school students ages 16–20 (49.9% female), collected as part of the larger survey Youth in Iceland 2018, were analyzed. Results revealed a lifetime NMUPS prevalence of 5.6%. Participants with a history of NMUPS were more likely to be male, report lower grades, inattention problems at school, depressive and anxiety symptoms, lower parental monitoring and support, and a lifetime history of other substance use, compared to participants without NMUPS history. Regression analyses demonstrated that when accounting for covariates, inattention problems at school significantly associated with NMUPS. Consistent with prior studies, these findings suggest inattention problems contribute to NMUPS. Despite limitations, these findings may help inform drug use prevention and intervention policy. Longitudinal research is needed to examine directional relationships.

The impact of out-of-school science activities for primary school children on science knowledge, interest and later academic choices: an evaluation study

Although a growing number of young people are choosing to undertake non-compulsory education, there is concern that not enough are electing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. Research has suggested that out-of-school science activities, research participation and a child’s family interest can increase both knowledge of and interest in science, resulting in a higher likelihood of studying a science, technology, engineering and mathematics subject at an advanced level. However, the majority of research to date has been conducted with secondary school-age students. This study investigated the impact of Summer Scientist Week, an annual out-of-school science engagement event for 4–11-year-olds and their families held at the University of Nottingham, UK. This event introduces primary school-age children to psychology-related research and activities about the mind and brain. Findings from interviews conducted with children and parents at the event, as well as survey data from previous attendees aged 14–17 years, indicated an increase in knowledge and interest in science that was maintained over several years, influencing choices in A-level subjects. This is the first study to demonstrate the positive impact of out-of-school science activities in primary school-age children, and its sustained influence on later academic choices in secondary school.

Creativity and Artificial Intelligence-A Student Perspective.

Creativity is a core 21st-century skill taught globally in education systems. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being implemented in classrooms worldwide, a key question is proposed: how do students perceive AI and creativity? Twelve focus groups and eight one-on-one interviews were conducted with secondary school-aged students after they received training in both creativity and AI over eight weeks. An analysis of the interviews highlights that the students view the relationship between AI and creativity as four key concepts: social, affective, technological and learning factors. The students with a higher self-reported understanding of AI reported more positive thoughts about integrating AI into their classrooms. The students with a low understanding of AI tended to be fearful of AI. Most of the students indicated a thorough understanding of creativity and reported that AI could never match human creativity. The implications of the results are presented, along with recommendations for the future, to ensure AI can be effectively integrated into classrooms.

Urine Screening and 9 Years' Medical Record System Follow-Up Among School Students in Wenzhou, China.

School urinary screening programming can be useful for the early detection of renal and urinary disorders. However, urine screening is not included in the school health check-up in our region. Therefore, from February 2012 to March 2021, 12,497 school students were screened for urinalysis, and a long-term follow-up took place via an electronic medical record system. Among these screened students, 719 (5.75%) positive individuals received a repeat urinalysis 2 weeks later. During the 9-year medical record system follow-up period, 5 children had renal biopsies and 2 children had a diagnosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), while the remaining 3 children were diagnosed with thin basement membrane disease (TBM), primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS), and were suspected of C3 glomerulopathy, respectively. By this, calling for the school urine screening program as a physical examination item for primary and secondary school-aged students will contribute to enabling early detection of urine abnormalities and allow for early treatment.

The Effectiveness of a Suggested Mentoring Program Using Cascading Relaxation and Recreational Sporting Activity to Reduce the Level of Aggressive Behavior Among Secondary School Students Ages 16 to 18 Years An Experimental Study on Male Students of Sidi Saada Secondary School, Relizane, Algeria

This study aims to find out the effectiveness of a psychological counseling program using sequential relaxation and recreational sports activity on reducing the level of aggressive behavior as a feature of both physical and verbal types among secondary school students. The study contained two homogeneous and equal groups, one experimental and one controlled, and the researchers applied the proposed program to the experimental sample of (35) students (males) first year secondary level while the control group underwent the regular program, the researchers used the experimental approach because it was appropriate for the nature of the study and its objectives. The duration of the program was limited to (08) weeks and 01 educational units per week, the duration of each unit (75 minutes) and included the units of the proposed program on (cascading relaxation exercises - recreational sports activities). The results of this study showed statistically significant differences in the post measurement between the members of the experimental sample and the control sample in the post measurement, where the level of aggressive behavior decreased in both physical and verbal types for the members of the experimental sample. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the increase in cholesterol triglycerides and some parameters of body structure affected the level of health status as well as body composition in students.

A systematic review of the academic achievement of primary and secondary school-aged students with developmental language disorder.

The ability to communicate is a fundamental skill required to participate in school. Students with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) have persistent and significant language difficulties that impact daily functioning. However, the impact of DLD on the academic achievement of primary and secondary school-aged students has received limited attention. A systematic review of the empirical research published between 2008 and 2020 was undertaken to identify studies that have examined the academic achievement of school-aged students with DLD within curriculum areas. A total of 44 studies were identified that met inclusion criteria for review. Students with DLD demonstrated difficulties with academic achievement across all measured curriculum areas compared to their typically developing peers. Most studies focused on literacy skills, including reading, spelling, writing and narratives. The performance of students with DLD was heterogeneous with individual students demonstrating relative strengths in some areas of academic achievement. The implications of these results for educational practices and future research are discussed.

Development of a secondary school-based digital behaviour change intervention to improve tooth brushing

BackgroundDental caries in adolescents remains a significant public health problem with few oral health promotion interventions aimed at reducing dental caries in secondary school-aged students. Previous oral health and mobile health (mHealth) research has suggested the need for the development of a school-based behaviour change intervention incorporating a digital component. This study aimed to describe the development process of a behaviour change intervention to improve the oral health of students aged 11–16 years attending secondary schools in the UK.MethodsA six-step process was used to develop the complex intervention informed by behaviour change theory and involving students, young people, parents and teachers in the process. The steps were: (1) identifying the target behaviours, namely tooth brushing with a fluoride toothpaste (2) identifying the theoretical basis and developing the causal model (3) reviewing the relevant literature and developing the logic model (4) designing the intervention with young people, parents and school staff (5) specifying the intervention content and (6) translating this content into features of the intervention and piloting.ResultsThe resultant intervention included a quality-assured classroom-based session (CBS) (guided by a lesson plan and teaching resources), delivered by school teachers which was embedded within the school curriculum. This CBS was followed by a series of (Short Message Service) SMS texts delivered twice daily to student’s mobile telephones with the content, duration and timing of the messages informed by involvement of students and young people.ConclusionsAn intervention to improve the oral health of secondary school students through improved tooth brushing was rigorously developed based on behaviour change theory and work with young people, parents and school staff. Further research is needed to evaluate the outcomes and processes involved following the delivery of this intervention.BRIGHT Trial Trial Registration ISRCTN12139369.

Features of the methodology in the course of classes with students of secondary school age who have deviations in the intellectual sphere

The organization of the process of physical education of students of special (correctional) educational institutions of the VIII type has its own contradictions in relation to the use of adaptive physical culture tools and their theoretical and methodological validity. The issues of using modern health-improving technologies and adapted types of motor activity for students of secondary school age with intellectual disabilities in the process of adaptive physical education are not fully disclosed.

Readability formulas: An analysis into reading index of prose forms

Text comprehension will suffer if the readability level is not accessible to the students. Readability formulas predict text complexity, assisting in appropriate text selection that complements students’ reading abilities to improve their language development. Therefore, the study aims to find out the reading index of the prose forms in the literature component catered to lower secondary school students ages 13 and 14 years old in Form One (seventh grade) and Form Two (eighth grade) classrooms in Malaysia. The reading index is measured by using four readability formulas which are Dale-Chall, Fog, SMOG, and Flesch-Kincaid that focuses on the words, sentences, syllables, and polysyllable words. These formulas are used to predict the level of difficulty of the prose forms. The reading index calculated from these readability formulas reveals the grade level of the prose forms. The grade level indicates the best age for reading and understanding the prose forms. Two prose forms were chosen as samples in the study. A passage is chosen from each prose form to be uploaded using the online tool. The indices obtained from the readability formulas predicted that both of the prose forms were below students’ reading age. The study implicates reading index must be taken into consideration in literary texts selection because it is an indicator of the years of education that an individual requires to comprehend the literary text clearly. Suitable reading material at students’ age level can enhance literature learning and teaching in the ESL classroom.

Factors affecting alcohol drinking behaviour among secondary school students in Vientiane Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundThis study investigated alcohol consumption prevalence among adolescents in school settings in Lao People's Democratic Republic and identified factors associated with alcohol consumption to establish better school-based interventions.MethodsSelf-administered questionnaires containing items assessing alcohol drinking behaviour and underlying factors were administered to 393 secondary school students ages 10–19 y. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict factors associated with drinking behaviour.ResultsFifty-eight percent of respondents reported ever drinking alcohol. Among the drinkers, 52.6% were light drinkers, 16.8% were moderate drinkers, 27.0% were heavy drinkers and 3.5% were very heavy drinkers. Older age group (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 5.2 [95% confidence interval {CI} 2.6 to 10.1]); peer pressure, particularly when more than two-thirds of friends drank alcohol (AOR 8.0 [95% CI 2.2 to 29.5]); and siblings’ drinking behaviour (AOR 2.8 [95% CI 1.4 to 5.5]) were positively associated with alcohol use, while no permission to drink at home (AOR 0.2 [95% CI 0.1 to 0.6]), uncertain of permission to drink at home (AOR 0.06 [95% CI 0.02 to 0.1]) and never attempting to buy alcohol (AOR 0.2 [95% CI 0.1 to 0.4]) were negatively associated with respondents’ alcohol use.ConclusionsBy the age of 19 y, most participating students had started drinking alcohol. One-third of them were permitted to drink by family members and drinking was strongly accelerated by peer pressure. Educational programmes are needed for adolescents attending school and their families that employ peer learning to raise awareness of the ill effects of alcohol use.

Do conditional cash transfers increase schooling among adolescents?

In several Latin American countries, conditional cash transfer programmes are a proven means of alleviating poverty in the short term and promoting education of children from disadvantaged families in the longer run. While the effectiveness of the Brazilian Bolsa Família for children’s education outcomes up to 15 years of age has been widely documented, its contribution to the promotion of students of secondary school age has not been fully explored in light of the programme’s expansion to 16-17 years olds in 2008. In this paper, I draw on Brazilian National Household Sample Survey data and use a difference-in-differences approach already applied in research in the context of Bolsa Família extension. Whereas these data were previously examined to detect intent-to-treat (ITT) effects due to insufficient information on treatment status, in this study I rely on a classifier method to additionally estimate average treatment effects on the treated who belong to families supposedly receiving Bolsa Família cash transfers. The results suggest that school attendance rates for 16-year-olds are particularly increased in the Brazilian Northeast, although the estimates are not significant when further time periods are taken into account. As comparably poor but non-recipient households have larger and consistently significant gains of school attendance, the effect on adolescent’s education directly caused by the expansion of Bolsa Família remains ambiguous and thus cast doubt on the specific parallel trend assumption. In addition, no long-run ITT effects of the programme’s expansion on school participation among 16 year old teenagers are found.

Программа развития музыкальной культуры учащихся среднего школьного возраста в классе народных инструментов

The development of the musical culture of the individual remains one of the most important actual problems at the modern stage of the development of pedagogy. Ways to develop the musical culture of modern schoolchildren engaged in institutions of additional education in the class of folk instruments were identified in the course of work, based on the analysis of scientific research in the field of musical culture. However, in scientific and pedagogical literature, insufficient attention is paid to the program for the development of musical culture, which would include all carefully considered components of the educational process and thereby ensure the effectiveness of this process. The article presents a similar program, developed and tested during experimental and practical pedagogical activities in the class of folk instruments. The work also presents indicators and criteria for assessing the formation of musical culture among students of secondary school age in the class of folk instruments.

To investigate the relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Subjective Wellbeing among Rural and Urban, Scheduled Caste and Non-Scheduled Caste School Students

It has been drawn from extensive literature and community-based studies that in developing nations Socioeconomic status (SES) is a strong predictor of mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, Socioeconomic status can affect the subjective wellbeing of school students in different ways. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between Socioeconomic status and subjective wellbeing (SWB) in a sample (n = 480) of senior secondary school students age ranged from 15-18 years, almost equal number of male and female participants belonging to urban and rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, India. The subjects were administered with measures of SES and SWB. The findings of the study revealed a negative correlation between SES and SWB, where SC and NSC, school students differ in SWB according to the low and high SES and this difference was noticeable among urban and rural students as well. The research implications recommend government and non-government organizations should come forward and look at the policy formulation and law enforcement in a strict manner for the upliftment of socio-economically deprived students in urban and rural backgrounds of Himachal Pradesh.

CHALLENGES COUNSELORS FACE IN EFFECTING SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KIAMBU COUNTY, KENYA

School counseling is intended to help students overcome problems, which usually mitigate their academic performance in schools. Helping students adjust emotionally, physically, mentally, and socially enhances good academic performance. In achieving this goal of counseling especially in schools, the government has previously committed resources towards establishing counseling programs in schools. However, the reality on the ground is that there are few established counseling programs as well as few counselors to implement the said programs and this has posed a challenge to the counsellors in their effort to offer counseling to assist students to enhance their academic achievement. The aim of the study was to establish the challenges counselors face in affecting school counseling programs for academic achievement of secondary school students in Kiambu County. The objective of the study was to find out if counsellors faced challenges while offering to counsel for academic achievement. To achieve this objective the study used primary data collected from a sample of 80 secondary school-age going students from 8 schools, 8 counselors, and 8 academic deans of students from the sampled schools. The study was qualitatively done and self-determination theory was used to guide the study. Findings indicated that counselors encountered personal and professional challenges in the course of their counseling duties. For personal challenges, all counsellors (100%) reported having a difficult time balancing between teaching and counseling, all counselors (100%) noted they had insufficient time for counseling since little time was set aside in the school programs for counseling, (63%) said they had no specific rooms dedicated for counseling students, (63%) felt that the big number of students seeking counseling was a challenge while 100% stated dual relationship as a tough challenge. In regard to professional challenges, (100%) of the counsellors stated that none was compensated for extra counseling duties, (75%) had insufficient skills in academic counseling, (50%) had little support from subject teachers and from parents, 100% indicated little support from school administrators, 100% cited increased workload, 100%, lack of formal recognition from Teachers Service Commission that employs teachers and 50% felt that counselors inclusivity in school discipline committee posed a challenge. The study concluded that school counseling programs are commendable because they increase students’ academic achievement. However the study has established that school counselors should be equipped with appropriate counseling skills, their workload should be reduced and that school administration should encourage greater cooperation between teacher counselors and other members of staff as well as with parents and guardians, in order to make the counselors effort more productive. Further studies should be conducted to investigate how the school administration can be actively involved in supporting counseling programs in schools.

The influence of gender and family educational background on leisure satisfaction among Spanish adolescents

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of gender and family educational background on the leisure satisfaction of Spanish secondary school-age students (12-16 years). The research design consisted of a quantitative study in the form of a questionnaire (the reduced version of Beard and Ragheb’s (1980) Leisure Satisfaction Scale), which was completed by a sample of 1887 secondary school students in Galicia (Spain). The results indicate a moderate level of satisfaction with leisure activities among the teenagers surveyed, with significant variations observed in relation to gender and parental educational level. Girls from families with a low level of educational attainment were found to be more likely to pass up leisure opportunities than boys, revealing a double gap (educational and gender-based) with regard to leisure satisfaction and a greater risk of precarious leisure. Future research in this area should focus on the development of Leisure Education programmes for children and adolescents.

PHYSICAL READY AS A FACTOR MEDIUM GIRL STUDENTS HEALTH SCHOOL AGE

The article presents the results of pedagogical testing of motorreadiness of female students of secondary school age based on the requirements ofstate standards and health tests "Barchina"

The Impact of the Educational Potential of School on Successful Development of the Motivation-value Attitude to the Learning Activities of Students

An analysis of the state of education at school leads to the conclusion that, in the secondary school age, the individual enters a new period of development and the definition of personal values changes. The psychological characteristics of students of this school age make it more urgent to develop the motivation and value of students of secondary school age in their educational activities. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to seek and explore conditions that encourage motivation to maintain interest in the cognitive activities of students. The article at the theoretical and empirical level proves that the level of development of motivation and cognitive activity depends on the conditions of education and upbringing defined pedagogical conditions that have the greatest impact on these personal characteristics. The authors identified the following conditions: training using the research method, based on the leading type of activity, taking into account the personal interests of students, building individual educational routes, by filling them with non-formal education funds as part of extra-time activities. These studies make a theoretical contribution to pedagogical science. The validity of the provisions is also proved by empirical research (questionnaires, observations, testing). The experimental study also applied mathematical methods to the results of the experiment (of variation, Whitney U-test). The results obtained by the authors can be useful for further research into the development of motivational and value attitude to cognitive activity of secondary school students in a digital educational environment.