Upper-primary Students Research Articles

Perceived Impact of Supplementary Private Tutoring on Students: the case of Upper Primary School Students

This study was aimed at assessing the perceived impact of supplementary private tutoring on upper primary school students of Ethiopia. To achieve this objective a cross-sectional survey research design was employed. Accordingly, four regions and one city administration were selected as sample regions by using simple random sampling method. Again from each region the capital town of each sample regions was selected as sample towns through purposive sampling technique. Then from each sample town three government and three private schools were selected by simple random sampling technique. Consequently, from each selected sample schools 50 percent of the students and all the teachers and the principal of the school were taken by purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected from sample students, teachers, and principals through the use of questionnaires, interview, and focus group discussion. The result reveals that the amount of money they pay is relatively big in Ethiopian context so that it is a burden for the family. On the other hand, supplementary private tutoring helps students understanding of the subject matter, provide different support and increase the self-confidence of the students, and improve students’ achievement result. Moreover, supplementary private tutoring did not consume students’ spare time, not result in social stigma of students, it is not boring, it did not requires much and extra effort, the work they do with their tutors is the same activity as they do in school and it did not confuse them.

Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievements of Upper Primary Rural Students in Relation to Their Gender, Family Type and Economic Class

Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievements of Upper Primary Rural Students in Relation to Their Gender, Family Type and Economic Class

A Qualitative Exploration of Primary School Students’ Experience and Utilisation of Mindfulness

Despite the increasing utilisation of mindfulness-based interventions in children, research investigating the impact of these interventions in children is still in its infancy. One significant gap in the literature is the general omission of the child’s voice in how they experience and benefit from mindfulness-based intervention. Therefore, the present study explored children’s experiences of a mindfulness-based intervention, as well as why and how they utilised mindfulness techniques. A semi-structured interview was undertaken with eight upper primary school-aged students after completion of a classroom-based eight-session mindfulness intervention. Thematic analysis elicited 11 key themes across the three research questions. Students generally liked the mindfulness-based intervention but preferred experiential over passive program components. Students utilised mindfulness techniques for emotion regulation, typically by focusing on their breathing, shifting their attention to the present, and using a smartphone application. These findings provide insights into factors contributing to program engagement and children’s use of mindfulness as a strategy for emotion regulation.

Effects of Direct Instruction and Strategy Modeling on Upper-Primary Students' Writing Development.

Strategy-focused instruction is one of the most effective approaches to improve writing skills. It aims to teach developing writers strategies that give them executive control over their writing processes. Programs under this kind of instruction tend to have multiple components that include direct instruction, modeling and scaffolded practice. This multi-component nature has two drawbacks: it makes implementation challenging due to the amount of time and training required to perform each stage, and it is difficult to determine the underlying mechanisms that contribute to its effectiveness. To unpack why strategy-focused instruction is effective, we explored the specific effects of two key components: direct teaching of writing strategies and modeling of strategy use. Six classes (133 students) of upper-primary education were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions, in which students received instruction aimed at developing effective strategies for planning and drafting, or control group with no strategy instruction: Direct Instruction (N = 46), Modeling (N = 45), and Control (N = 42). Writing performance was assessed before the intervention and immediately after the intervention with two tasks, one collaborative and the other one individual to explore whether differential effects resulted from students writing alone or in pairs. Writing performance was assessed through reader-based and text-based measures of text quality. Results at post-test showed similar improvement in both intervention conditions, relatively to controls, in all measures and in both the collaborative and the individual task. No statistically significant differences were observed between experimental conditions. These findings suggest that both components, direct teaching and modeling, are equally effective in improving writing skills in upper primary students, and these effects are present even after a short training.

Maanasa: An early individualized remedial educational intervention model for scholastic backwardness among upper primary students

Background: Scholastic backwardness is called as the learning achievement which is below the expected for a given age, cognitive skills, and schooling. Early identification and remedial measures are to be initiated at school level to control its lifelong impact. Objective: The objective of this study is to evolve an early individualized, remedial educational intervention model for the scholastic backwardness among upper primary students at the school level by the resource teachers. Materials and Methods: Whole upper primary students of the four government schools of the South Maararikkulam Grama Panchayath constituted the study population. The scholastic backwardness among them was identified and referred to specially trained resource teachers who were appointed in the schools under Maanasa project. They were graded as mild, moderate and severe category based on the level of scholastic backwardness. Children were given 1 academic year of individualized educational intervention along with inclusive education. Apart from these interventions, families of the identified students were given psychosocial interventions to create a learningfriendly atmosphere in their families. Learning skills of the scholastically backward students were re-assessed at the end of academicyear. Results: Out of total 629 students, 147 had scholastic backwardness (23.7%). Among these, 68 had mild, 60 moderate, and 19 had severe scholastic backwardness on reading skill grading. Psychosocial problems including alcoholism, domestic violence, quarrelsome events, and abandoned family were noticed among 48.7% of the parents of scholastically backward students. Reassessment at the end of academic year showed improvement of scholastic skill among 52.38% of the students. Conclusion: The present study proves that scholastic backwardness can be successfully approached and intervened at school level itself by impartingindividualized educational interventions by trained resource teachers. The parents should be taken into confidence for successful intervention.

The role of triangulation in sensitive art-based research with children

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the critical role of triangulation to create authentic analytical frameworks amidst contradictory participant narratives in sensitive art-based research (ABR) with children.Design/methodology/approachMultiple qualitative case study research included three months of participant observation, individual semi-structured teacher interviews and open-ended art-based interviews using the Draw-Write-Narrate method (Ogina and Nieuwenhuis, 2010) with upper primary students in two schools in Kirinyaga County, Kenya.FindingsThe art-based approach to student interviews, combined with participant observation and teacher interviews, provided a child-centred process that illuminated students’ understandings and experiences while minimizing risks to participants. Its application requires researchers to recognize data collection and analysis as subjective processes that strongly benefit from triangulation to interpret a diversity of perspectives that may not easily align.Originality/valueAs ABR with children increases in popularity, it is important to identify challenges in the process of analysis and meaning-making. This paper identifies triangulation as a valuable tool for handling the challenge of diverse perspectives from child participants, particularly in conducting sensitive research that may increase the likelihood of contradictory narratives.

Practices of effective writing teachers

This study analyses the practices of nine New Zealand teachers of upper primary and middle-school students (N = 210) whose classes had consistently shown gains in writing far greater than normative expectations. Data from observations of three writing lessons and related interviews with each teacher, plus interviews with three focus students after each lesson, were considered in relation to learner gains in writing. To analyse these data, a content analysis matrix was constructed from selected writing research literature, yielding eight dimensions of effective practice: expectations; learning goals; learning tasks; direct instruction; responding to learners; motivation and challenge; organisation and management; and self-regulation. Instructional moves associated with each were defined. There was a significant association between three dimensions (learning tasks, direct instruction and self-regulation) and learner gains. Analysis also indicated that these effective teachers of writing employed an interconnected range of instructional moves in a strategic and flexible way. Instructional actions and activities are particularly effective if regarded as purposeful by learners and if they include meaningful opportunities for learner involvement. The findings detail strategies for generating higher than anticipated gains by learners.

Study on Effectiveness of Lecture and Smart Class Method of Teaching on Academic Achievements among Upper Primary School Students

This is an experimental study conducted on the upper primary school students in the district of S.B.S Nagar, Punjab. The study was conducted on the students of 6th and 7th class of an international School. Total of 100 students were enrolled for this experimental study who met the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into 2 equal groups by simple randomization technique. They received either the lecture method teaching or the smart class method teaching. For conducting the experiment, the investigator used pre-test and post-test comparison group design. For collection of data, a structured questionnaire and a structured teaching programme was used. t-test was used for analysis and interpretation of the data. The results of the study revealed that the lecture method of teaching was more effective as compared to a smart class method of teaching.

A Study on Multiple Intelligences of Students with Hearing Impairment

Multiple Intelligences emphasizes the training of students to solve problems in their academic life. As students don’t learn and achieve in same way, they cannot be assessed in a uniform fashion. Therefore, it is important that a teacher should develop intelligence profiles for each students knowing how each student learn, will allow a teacher to make more informed decisions on what to teach and how to dissipate information. Thus the main purpose of this study is to determine the multiple intelligences of upper primary school students with hearing impairment. A group of 120 students with hearing impairment were selected from the population of primary school students with hearing impairment, using two stage sampling technique. Normative Survey Research method was utilized by the researcher to determine the multiple intelligences of students with hearing impairment. In order to collect data regarding the multiple intelligences of students, the researcher adopted and modified Thomas Armstrong’s Multiple Intelligence Scale. Reliability of the modified and translated scale in terms of Cronbach alpha was 0.82. Independent t test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze quantitatively the collected data. Findings of this study reflect that there is a significant difference in verbal, interpersonal and bodily/kinesthetic intelligences among students with hearing impairment. This study suggested that students should be given training to develop logical and intrapersonal intelligence, in order to enhance their self, and to achieve the set goals in their life.

Cyberbullying Bystanders

Cyberbullying is a relatively new and serious form of bullying with negative social and emotional effects on both victims and perpetrators. Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying is a social phenomenon and often unfolds in the context of a large network of bystanders. This study examined gender and age of cyberbullying bystanders out of 2109 upper primary and secondary school students in Australia. The actions the bystanders took when a peer was cybervictimised were analysed. The results of the study suggested bystanders to cyberbullying were most likely not to do anything or help the person cyberbullied at the time. Girls were more prosocial in helping students who were cyberbullied than boys. In addition, those students who knew someone who was bullied in both ways were more likely to tell their parents and friends about it than those who knew someone who was cyberbullied only. Implications for prevention and intervention in cyberbullying are discussed.

The impact of the ‘writers’ workshop’ approach on the L2 English writing of upper-primary students in Lebanon

ABSTRACT The aim of the action research reported here was to examine the differential effects of the ‘writers’ workshop’ approach on the L2 (English) writing skills of upper-primary students with varying writing abilities. The participants were 31 fifth-grade students (17 boys and 14 girls) aged 10–11, who followed L2 English writing instruction based on the ‘writers’ workshop’ approach at a private primary school in Beirut, Lebanon. The writers’ workshops were conducted twice a week over a period of eight consecutive weeks. An opinion essay served as a pre-test and a post-test in order to gauge writing improvement. Findings revealed statistically significant improvement in students’ writing-related outcomes across all writing ability groups. However, the writers’ workshops intervention was found to result in a differential group effect: generally, above-average writers benefitted more than less-proficient writers. This was particularly clear in relation to the content component of their essay writing.

‘So you can’t blame us then?’: gendered discourses of masculine irresponsibility as biologically determined and peer-pressured in upper-primary school contexts

ABSTRACTIn a global climate increasingly shaped by neoliberal agendas that privilege meritocratic individualism, it is apparent that society as a whole and educational policy-makers and practitioners in particular expect students to take more ‘responsibility’ for their own learning and behaviour at school. In the Australian context, as elsewhere, schools are seen as sites in which students should develop and practise responsibility for self and others in ways that are enterprising, productive, civic-minded, and in accordance with social norms. Yet, few studies have critically examined how the concept of responsibility features in the everyday, taken-for-granted, discursive practices of policy-makers, teachers and students. This paper discusses findings from an ethnographic study concerned with how the discursive constructions of responsibility in three regional Australian primary schools shape upper-primary students’ understandings and experiences of responsibility for self and others. Using the theoretical insights of Michel Foucault, Emmanuel Levinas and Judith Butler to interpret data, I argue that gendered discourses of biological determinism and peer pressure work to reinforce the misconception that violence and irresponsibility are ‘naturally’ masculine traits.

Inquiry and groups: student interactions in cooperative inquiry-based science

ABSTRACTScience education research has recommended cooperative inquiry based science in the primary science context for more than two decades but after more than 20 years, student achievement in science has not substantially improved. This study, through direct observation and analysis, investigated content-related student interactions in an authentic inquiry based primary science class setting. Thirty-one upper primary students were videotaped working in cooperative inquiry based science activities. Cooperative talk and negotiation of the science content was analysed to identify any high-level group interactions. The data show that while all groups have incidences of high-level content-related group interactions, the frequency and duration of these interactions were limited. No specific pattern of preceding events was identified and no episodes of high-level content-related group interactions were immediately preceded by the teacher’s interactions with the groups. This in situ study demonstrated that even without any kind of scaffolding, specific skills in knowing how to implement cooperative inquiry based science, high-level content-related group interactions did occur very briefly. Support for teachers to develop their knowledge and skills in facilitating cooperative inquiry based science learning is warranted to ensure that high-level content-related group interactions and the associated conceptual learning are not left to chance in science classrooms.

Systematic Tracking of Malaysian Primary School Students’ ESL Reading Comprehension Performance to Facilitate Instructional Processes

This study was conducted to systematically track and benchmark upper primary school students‟ ESL reading comprehension ability and subsequently generate data at the micro and macro levels according to individual achievement, school location, gender and ethnicity at the school, district, state and national levels. The main intention of this initiative was to provide information to assist ESL teachers about their students‟ reading ability and to determine students' reading comprehension performance standards. The auto generated data is expected to facilitate classroom instructional process without necessitating teachers to prepare test materials or manage data of their students‟ reading comprehension track records. The respondents were 1,514 Year 5 students from urban and rural schools from a district in northern Malaysia. The idea was conceptualised through a series of tests and development of the Reading Evaluation and Decoding System (READS) for Primary Schools. The findings indicated that majority of the respondents were „below standard‟ and „at academic warning‟. We believe the generated data can assist the Ministry of Education to develop better quality instructional processes that are evidence based with a more focused reading instruction and reading material to tailor to the needs of students.

Malnutrition Scenario among School Children in Eastern-India-an Epidemiological Study

Background: Twenty years after the implementation (1995) of the mid-day-meal program to improve nutritional status and academic efficiency among school-children, under-nutrition remained a major concern in India. Efforts to quantify the problem and identify its determinants were handful, especially in the eastern part of the country. Thus the purpose of this study was to determine the burden and predictors of under-nutrition among primary and upper-primary school-children in eastern India. Methods: Using stratified cluster random sampling with proportional recruitment, a multistage cross-sectional study was conducted involving all twenty educational districts of West Bengal, a highly populous state in eastern India. During 2014-15, using structured questionnaire, standard anthropometry and laboratory testing a representative sample of 24,108 primary and upper-primary students from the whole state of West Bengal were interviewed and assessed. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted using SAS-9.4. Results: Among 24,108 recruited students aged between six and thirteen years, prevalence of under-nutrition was alarmingly high (about twenty-three percent). Furthermore, over half of the students (fifty-four percent) were at-risk of developing malnutrition. On the other hand, only seventeen percent students had ideal nutritional status. Odds of being malnourished were higher among male students (compared to females), those belonging to younger age (studying in primary compared to upper-primary classes), Muslim religion (with reference to Hindus), and under-privileged caste (in comparison with general caste) as well as those residing in rural areas (as opposed to urban). Parental education was negatively associated with the likelihood of under-nutrition. Those who had more than three siblings, unemployed father and students whose mother died were more likely to be under-nourished. Conclusions: Prevalence of under-nutrition was high among school-children in the study area. School-based interventions targeting high-risk, under-privileged children, especially in rural areas with lower parental education and poor level of sanitary practices seemed to be urgently required.

Assessment of social determinants and prevalence of tobacco use among upper primary school students of Ahmedabad city, Gujarat, India

Background: Today’s adolescents are tomorrow’s citizens. Pandemic levels of tobacco use in children and adolescent have been reached. Violence within the family, stressful life events, negative peer influence, and so on are significantly associated with tobacco use and high-risk behavior. Objective: (1) To study the sociodemographic profiles of the adolescent school students; (2) to study the social determinants responsible for tobacco addiction among adolescents; (3) to study the prevalence of tobacco consumption among them; and (4) to study the relationship between tobacco consumption and other associated variables. Materials and Methods: By using multistage sampling method, a cross-sectional study was carried out among adolescent school students of Ahmedabad. According to the global study of Shah and Jathal (Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2006), the prevalence of tobacco users was 14.6%; a sample size was calculated, and 2,842 adolescent school students studying in 18 municipal and grant-in-aid schools from all geographical zones of Ahmedabad were enrolled. Predesigned, structured questionnaires were given to students to be filled and collected back for data analysis. For raising awareness, health education session was organized by using audiovisual aids (PowerPoint presentation) regarding harmful effects of tobacco. Data were analyzed by using appropriate statistical software. The study was conducted during February 2013 to December 2014 after obtaining ethical consideration from the Education Officer of Ahmedabad city and principals of the respective schools by considering them as a legally acceptable guardian. Result: Prevalence of tobacco use was 12.2%. The prevalence of tobacco use among boys was 16.2%; among girls, it was 6.5%. Use of both forms of tobacco and smoking was two- to threefold more in boys when compared with girls. Students initiated tobacco use as early as 8 years in either sex; 400 (14.1%) students motivated others to initiate chewing and 78 (2.7%) for smoking. About 19.8% students revealed their family members as tobacco consumers and 1,001 (35.2%) students have ever bought tobacco products either for themselves or for others. Among them, 124 (4.4%) were buying tobacco products daily, and 643 (65%) were asked to buy tobacco products by their family members. Half of the consumers confessed that they are unable to quit. All these factors influence the tobacco consumption among the young students. Conclusion: This study found a significant association of tobacco use by the adolescents with family, which had one or more members who consume tobacco. Evident gender difference (male predominance) was also observed in tobacco use. Peer pressure and just for enjoyment were found the most common factors for tobacco consumption practices amongst school students.

Prevalence of refractive error among school-going children of Imphal, Manipur

Background: Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of eye problem and the second cause of blindness worldwide. Among children aged 5–15 years, 12.8 million are visually impaired because of refractive errors. Objective: To assess the magnitude of refractive error among school-going children of Imphal, Manipur, India, and to determine the association between refractive error and variables such as sex, dietary habits, family history, and daily activities such as watching television and using computers. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among upper primary school students (students of classes six and seven) of Imphal from June 21, 2014 to July 8, 2014. Sample size was calculated to be 267. Cluster sampling method was used to select the study participants. Snellen chart, Roman test type chart, and pinhole were used to detect refractive error. Analysis was done using χ2-test and Fisher’s exact test. P value of

Impact of whole-school education for sustainability on upper-primary students and their families

At a time when efforts have been made to include integrated sustainability education in Australian schools via the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI), this multiple comparative case ...

Acquisition of Basic Science Process Skills among Malaysian Upper Primary Students

This study aims to determine whether there are significant differences in the acquisition of basic science process skills by gender, school location and by grade levels among upper primary school students. Using an established 36-item Basic Science Process Skills test that assesses the skills of observing, communicating, classifying, measuring, predicting and inferring with appropriate reliability and validity, the instrument was administered to 220 respondents - 80, 80 and 60 in Years 4, 5 and 6 respectively, drawn from two urban and two rural national primary schools in Perak. The data were analysed by gender and by location using an independent samples t-test, and by grade level using one-way ANOVA. The findings indicated that while there was no gender difference, significant differences in the basic science process skills were found between rural and urban students, favouring the latter, in terms of observing, communicating, classifying and inferring. The significant grade level differences were only observed between Year 4 and Year 6 students, favouring the latter, in terms of measuring, predicting and inferring. Possible reasons for the differences observed are discussed.

Using think-aloud protocol analysis to gain in-depth insights into upper primary school children's self-regulated learning

Recently, research considering SRL among primary school students has increased since it has been acknowledged that even young students can regulate their learning. However, in-depth and longitudinal information regarding upper primary school children's SRL is still lacking, especially of students at risk of school failure. Through a longitudinal multiple case study eight at-risk students were followed during two successive school years by using think-aloud protocols (six measurement occasions). The results confirm that at-risk upper primary students do engage in SRL, however on a rather superficial level. Moreover, their strategy use remained rather stable over time. Furthermore, differential results in the Sudoku and text studying task confirm that SRL can vary across tasks and domains. Regarding the assessment of SRL, the current study illustrates that think-aloud protocols are valuable tools to provide in-depth information, while also indicating the need for a multi-method design, especially in order to grasp motivational aspects of SRL.