Year-round Education Research Articles

Blended learning for the “multi-track” undergraduate students in Ghana in an adverse era

The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a paradigm shift in the status quo of education. Institutions globally migrated from traditional face-to-face (F2F) learning to online learning to achieve the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG 4). However, Ghana and its peer countries experienced unique challenges which hindered smooth online instruction delivery. Since 2017, Ghana has subscribed to a multi-track year-round education (MT-YRE) for its students at the Senior High School level because of limited physical capacity. In the wake of COVID-19 with its social distancing norms, the failure of online learning compelled some universities in Ghana to adopt the multi-track system temporarily for its undergraduates. In this phenomenological qualitative study, a snowball sampling technique was used to solicit interview data from undergraduate students (n = 20) in some selected universities on their perceptions of the MT-YRE and future education delivery. Thematic analysis suggests that blended learning is a way to mitigate the “challenge-ridden” online learning and as a solution to the MT-YRE. In the MT-YRE, learners experienced academic anxiety and complained about its intensive nature although there was a positive teacher-student relationship and peer-to-peer relations. They perceived their online experience in 2020 as ineffective and called for a blended modality of instruction for better social interactions. The rapid use of mobile technologies and social media was considered an enabler of blended learning. It is recommended that policymakers, school authorities, and educators implement a blended learning model tailored to the needs of learners post-pandemic.

Forgotten frontline workers in higher education: Aiding Ghana in the COVID-19 recovery process

The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 triggered a chain of events in the global education system; suspended onsite instruction; migration to online learning; adoption of mobile technologies for mobile learning, and diverse technological innovations. All this was done with the objective of adhering to COVID-19 lockdown protocols to speed global recovery from the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 crisis. In many countries, online learning became the only legal means to achieve lifelong and progressive education for over 91% of the world's student population whose education was at risk. Stakeholders in higher education (parents, students, teachers, and administrators) across the globe also became “frontline workers” in a collective effort to combat the spread of the virus. The study explores the integral role of these frontline workers in curbing the virus. The researchers draw from qualitative interviews involving twenty (20) tertiary students in Ghana who experienced a physical resumption of school in 2021. Findings suggest that a policy shift by school leaders led to the adoption of a multi-track year-round education (MT-YRE) system to promote social distancing. Students were provided with personal protective equipment (PPEs), teachers educated students on COVID-19 prevention and fostered good relationships with their students. Students adhered to institutional protocols to study. Parents also provided psychological and financial support. Policymakers in education should provide clear guidelines, resources, funds, and recognition to school stakeholders as they collectively tackle the virus to ensure economic, health, and education recovery post-COVID-19. Future studies should focus on how to establish a crisis-management framework for higher education.

Food and lifestyle education in Tuscan schoolchildren: 2018-2019 follow-up of a long-term campaign

Abstract Background Nutritional profile, physical activity level and sedentary behaviours, in preteen age, are determinants able to influence both short and long-term state of health, therefore succeeding in health education campaigns addressed to this age group is critical for the interested population. Is currently underway the multiannual follow-up of the Italian “sCOOL FOOD - Per un Futuro di tutto Rispetto” project of Monte dei Paschi Foundation of Siena, Tuscany, which offers year-round cycles of classes and workshops about the themes listed above. Our objective was to assess whether this intervention could significantly influence over time healthy, and unhealthy, behaviours of the participants. Methods We structured the follow-up as a prospective cohort study with one-group pretest-posttest design. We used the CAWI technique, building a questionnaire based on the Italian “OKkio alla Salute” survey, and collected data from the whole population of students enrolled in the project (in the school year 2018-2019 they were 3787, aged from 7 to 12) before and after the intervention. Afterwards, we conducted paired data analysis on the frequencies of specific behaviours. Results We analysed paired data from 310 respondents. Improvements were gained in: afternoon TV watching (OR 0.54; 0.34 - 0.84; p < 0.01), consumption of sweet (OR 0.39; 0.16 - 0.88; p < 0.05) and salty (0.42; 0.18 - 0.90; p < 0.05) snacks, attitude to play outdoors after school (OR 2.6; 1.21 - 6.04; p < 0.01), sedentary behaviour in leisure time (OR 0.27; 0.16 - 0.44; p < 0.0001), mean weekly sport activity (+0.14 days; +0.02 - +0.27; p < 0.05). No variable has deteriorated. Conclusions The improved compliance with healthy behaviours in the participants at this project suggests its viability as a health promotion campaign. Further parallel surveys on control groups are pending, in order to control potential confounders such as the seasonality of some habits and the awareness of the participants on the addressed subjects. Key messages A coordinated and cross-disciplinary food and lifestyle year-round education campaign at school can affect health determinants of children. School can correct unfavourable eating and lifestyle behaviours determined by family habits.

Food and lifestyle education at primary and secondary school: an Italian project on health promotion

Abstract Background Nutrition and life styles have a crucial role as health determinants. In particular, an intervention on eating habits and physical activity/inactivity does heavily influence obesity and overweight prevention, alongside associated diseases. Preteen and teenage profile is critical for developing the state of health in adulthood, and it is heavily determined by the sociocultural family background. For this reason, school could become an important actor in health promotion, in the form of coordinated and cross-disciplinary courses about food and behaviors. The aim of the study is to verify the effect of an intervention of food education in several schools. Methods This cross-sectional study, originated from the “sCOOL FOOD” project of Monte dei Paschi Foundation of Siena, involves schools of southeastern Tuscany, Italy. The project currently engages various classes from primary and secondary schools in which year-round awareness campaigns are conducted. The activities consist in theory classes and workshops held by professionals or teachers of the school previously trained for the purpose. A same questionnaire was administered to families before and after each campaign, exploring eating habits, lifestyle and biometrics. The data analyzed so far date from October 2017 to May 2018. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed on the distributions of children BMI classes, defined according to IOTF cutoffs, obtained exclusively from participants who submitted both questionnaires. Results 308 paired records of data were collected as mentioned above. We found that, after the campaign, children BMI classes distribution shift towards reduction was statistically significant (z=-2.053; p < 0.05). Conclusions Since the intervention was able to influence a childhood health determinant, it could be an opportunity to compensate those family dynamics that could lead towards health disadvantages in adulthood. Key messages A coordinated and cross-disciplinary food and lifestyle year-round education campaign at school can impact on health determinants of children. School can correct unfavorable eating and lifestyle behaviors determined by family habits.

The effects of multi-track year-round education on the delivery of senior high school education in Ghana. Lessons from global MT-YRE systems

The debate on the effects of Multi Track Year-Round Education (MT-YRE) on educational outcomes remains unresolved in the conventional literature. Nevertheless, Ghana has introduced an MT-YRE in 400 schools to allow graduates from Junior High Schools, who for space constraints, would not have continued their formal educational journey, to enrol in Senior High Schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the prospects and challenges of the MT-YRE on educational outcomes and discuss their implications for educational policy in Ghana. The data used in the study were obtained through a review of literature from databases such as the Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), Ebsco, ProQuest and JSTOR and from grey sources such as institutional websites and online media publications. The results from a synthesis of the literature show that the MT-YRE has the prospects of increasing student enrolment while cutting down the cost of infrastructure provision. For instance, the literature indicates that student enrolment at the Senior High School level in Ghana has increased significantly with the introduction of the MT-YRE. However, other literature indicate that the MT-YRE affects educational outcomes negatively. It results in scheduling difficulties among families and denies students the opportunities to take summer jobs. A review of the Ghanaian MT-YRE reveals other challenges, which inlcude high administrative cost (employing more teachers) and poor academic performance of students (as a result of increased contact hours leading to behavioural problems caused by fatigue and boredom). The authors argue that poor academic performance among students is likely to defeat the government’s Free SHS policy. This is because parents are likely to pay higher fees to enrol their non-performing wards in remedial classes. The cost of the lost years for these students may be difficult to quantify. Following the challenges identified, there is the need for educational policy makers to strategically plan towards the development of technical and vocational education to help accommodate the increasing students’ enrolment. Finally, the progress of the MT-YRE should be carefully monitored and evaluated to guide future decision making.

Single-track year-round education for improving academic achievement in U.S. K-12 schools: Results of a meta-analysis.

Research shows that over summer break, students forget approximately 1 month of learning in math and reading; furthermore, some studies find that low-income students lose ground relative to peers. Year-round education (YRE) redistributes schooldays to shorten summer. Prior analyses pooled single-track YRE (academic intervention in which all students attend school on a common calendar) and multitrack YRE (fiscal intervention countering overcrowding, in which groups of students attend school on staggered schedules). Systematic search of 22 online databases in summer 2017 yielded 494 de-duplicated results; 81 warranted full-text examination. After applying selection criteria, nine studies met criteria but did not report data that allowed effect size calculation. Thirty studies constituted our analytic sample. Studies needed to be of K-12 single-track YRE (not multitrack, not a mix of single- and multitrack, and not a study that did not specify track), with no accompanying extended instructional time. Studies needed to be from 2001 to 2016, include outcome data, and include a comparison group. We extracted 55 math g, 58 reading g, 29 math odds ratio, and 27 reading odds ratio effect sizes. Students at single-track YRE schools show modestly higher achievement in both math and reading-by a magnitude similar to estimates of summer learning loss-but comparable proficiency. Unexpectedly, the effect was no greater for historically disadvantaged students. Math effects may be larger in middle than elementary school, but the reason is unclear. Importantly, studies of schools that shortened summer to the fewest weeks showed the largest effects in both subjects.

2468 CTSI 500 Stars Initiative (CTSI of SE-Wisconsin)

2468 CTSI 500 Stars Initiative (CTSI of SE-Wisconsin)

Rebound Body Mass Index Growth in Year‐Round Elementary Education Students of Largely Hispanic Descent Undergoing Obesity Interventions

Body mass index (BMI) increases when students are away on summer vacation. Evaluation of serial BMI measurements on year-round students allows new insight into the reasons children gain weight seasonally. The 206 first and second graders of 2-year-round elementary schools with obesity intervention programs were weighed and measured every 6 months from April 2011 until April 2013. BMI and BMI percentiles were recorded. Children <50th, 50th to 85th, and 85th to 95th BMI percentiles showed significant accelerated winter gains in BMI (p = 2.6 × 10(-7), p = 6.8 × 10(-10), and p = .0007, respectively) compared with the previous summers. Accelerated BMI growth of the second summer was absent when compared with the previous winter BMI changes in children <95th percentile (p = .48, p = .81, and p = .93). For children >95th percentile, BMI gain continued without significant changes year-round. School-wide interventions to induce BMI growth limitations are associated with significant rebound BMI gain with possible wintertime augmentation in nonobese children of year-round education programs. Obese children do not display rebound BMI gain, BMI seasonal change, or BMI limitations in response to school-based interventions. School weight control programs should consider off-campus sources of weight gain and be vigilant for rebound and delayed seasonal BMI gains.

Student Segregation and Achievement Tracking in Year-Round Schools

Twenty-five percent of California's elementary schoolchildren attend schools operating on nontraditional, staggered, overlapping attendance calendars collectively referred to as multitrack year-round education (MT-YRE). This case study reveals substantial differences in the characteristics of students and teachers across the four attendance tracks of eight MT-YRE schools in one large California school district. Analyses of Stanford Achievement Test data, controlling for student and teacher characteristics, reveal strong association of achievement with student demographic, programmatic, and teacher segregation within these MT-YRE schools. These findings suggest that MT-YRE readily (re)segregates students within schools and thereby inhibits access to equal educational opportunity relative to traditional and nontraditional single-track school calendars.

Contrasting Experiences of White Students and Students of Color in a Year-Round High School

This evaluation study centered on a Year-Round Education (YRE) program in an urban high school located in a large metropolitan city. Approximately 50% of the in the school were students of color. The primary purpose of the study was to examine factors that might influence students' levels of participation in the intersession programs the YRE program provided. The results suggest that levels of participation in intersessions are likely to vary as a function of students' gender, race, grade level, and level of academic achievement. The current era of educational reform has presented us with many ideas, instructional strategies, programs, and policies to be considered-some and some old. A critical question many educational researchers seek to answer is whether the research findings and ideas they advance can make a significant contribution to the effective education of all students. One of the ideas that has resurfaced and gained momentum in this press for reform is the call for an alternative school calendar. Another reconfigures the traditional nine months of instruction and three months of summer vacation into one of the many different versions of a year-round calendar. Most proponents refer to the various forms that this reconfiguration of the school calendar can take as year-round education (YRE).1 The origin of the year-round calendar dates back to 1904 when a four quarter was introduced in Blufton, Indiana. That beginning was followed by a slow, but steady growth in the number of year-round schools nationwide that would last until World War 11, when the need for more person power to support the war effort overshadowed the appeal of more promising school calendars (NAYRE, 1997). Over the past 15 years there has been a mild explosion in the number of year-round schools. This dramatic increase has apparently been fueled by school boards' quests for new ways to address the problems of overcrowding in schools and/or apparent declines in students' academic achievement. States, school districts, and individual schools seemingly have been encouraged by the research findings to date, which suggest that a shift to year-round calendars may lead to improvements in student outcomes and cost effectiveness in schools. The National Association for Year-Round Education (NAYRE, 1997) reports that since the 1985-86 school year, the number of states implementing year-round education schedules has grown from 16 to 39; school districts has grown from 63 to 546; and individual schools has grown from 411 to 2,856. However, it should be quickly noted that California accounts for slightly more than one-half of the year-round schools nationwide (N = 1,498 schools), with Texas and Arizona also converting to year-round schools at disproportionate rates. Nevertheless, it is evident that this dramatic increase in the number of year-round schools extends well beyond that of a regional trend. This retesting of an old idea has all of the earmarks of a national trend that bears close watching. There are two basic configurations of YRE calendars; namely, the and calendar. In schools adopting the multi-track plan, subpopulations of are grouped into different instructional blocks and vacation schedules. At any given point in time, one or more these subpopulations is off-track (i.e., on a vacation). In this way, it is possible to accommodate more in a given building over the course of the full calendar year. The single-track calendar, on the other hand, typically divides the school calendar into four, nine-week instructional blocks, with each block followed by a three-week intercession or vacation (NAYRE, 1997). It is not clear which of these options is most popular. Weaver (1992) suggests that the multi-track schedule is the most popular because the school can increase its enrollment, ease overcrowding, and enjoy cost savings. He further asserts that this is a particularly desirable approach to urban schools in the Southwest where rapid increases in student enrollments are resulting in severe overcrowding. …

Year-round university education: an experiment to extend the teaching year

In 1993, the Flowers Committee of Enquiry into the Organisation of the Academic Year recommended that universities consider extending the teaching year by use of the summer period. With HEFCE funding, the University of Luton operated an experimental summer semester for the summers of 1996, 1997 and 1998. At Luton, year- round provision has a long tradition within the health care and nursing areas of the University (following on from custom and practice within the health service). For other disciplines, the summer is seen as a break from teaching to be used for holidays, conferences, research and academic updating. The summer teaching experiment included all four of the University's faculties and focused particularly on the needs of the University's part-time students most of whom are returning to study and who have family and work commitments. The initiative has been subject to close evaluation including surveys of academic staff attitudes and of full and part-time student views. Evaluations have included those who have not been involved in the initiative as well as those who have already participated. Part-time students generally support the summer semester since it allows for faster progression and continuity of study. This article presents results from the evaluation and discusses the opportunities and problems associated with extending the university teaching year into the summer.

For the Record: The Evidence on Year-Round Education

(1998). For the Record: The Evidence on Year-Round Education. Kappa Delta Pi Record: Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 84-88.

The Irony of Year-Round Schools: Mexican Migrant Resistance in a California Community During the Civil Rights Era

This study examines the politics of year-round education in a California community during the early 1970s. As one of the few school districts in the nation to experiment with the concept, and one of the first to test it that served a large Mexican migrant student clientele, the findings show that Mexican Americans challenged the 45-15 year-round plan because they were excluded in the decision-making process and because it conflicted with the employment pattern of Mexican migrant agricultural workers. Whereas most studies have primarily focused on middle-class concerns in urban and suburban environments, this article gives special attention to how Mexican migrant resistance differed from conventional accounts.

Year-Round Education: A Case for Change

Year-Round Education: A Case for Change

Year-Round Education: The Controversy and Research Evidence

Year-round education has enjoyed successes and weathered criticisms over the years. Recent calls for education reform has brought it under considera tion again. Is it more trouble than it's worth ?

180 day barrier: issues and concerns.

Legal and educational issues related to year-round education for handicapped individuals are discussed. A review of legal developments supporting 12 month education and an historical exploration of the goals of compulsory schooling demonstrate the inherent conflict between providing a free appropriate education to all handicapped children and the existence of the 180 day rule. Additional arguments in support of year-round schooling are based on the concerns of parents and teachers, as well as the apparent methodological advantages to avoiding lengthy breaks in programing for the severely handicapped children. Finally, it is suggested that the concept of year-round schooling is not inconsistent with the goals of mainstreaming and the need of severely handicapped individuals to have the opportunity to generalize learned skills.

Issues In Year-Round Educationby Mossie J. Richmond, Jr. North Quincy, Ma: The Christopher Publishing House, 1977. 170 pp. $8.95

Issues In Year-Round Education<i>by Mossie J. Richmond, Jr. North Quincy, Ma: The Christopher Publishing House, 1977. 170 pp. $8.95</i>

Year-Round Education—For What?

Year-round education is doomed to fail, believes this educator. She feels that 12 months of the same kind of schooling we are offering today will only extend our existing problems.

A Year-Round Education Plan for All Grade Levels

Schools adopt year-round plans for a host of reasons, writes this author, who feels that today's fuel shortages and other conservation concerns further justify schools' operating 12 months of the year.

BULLETIN: YEAR‐ROUND EDUCATION

Journal of School HealthVolume 44, Issue 2 p. 103-103 BULLETIN: YEAR-ROUND EDUCATION First published: February 1974 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.1974.tb05211.xCitations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume44, Issue2February 1974Pages 103-103 RelatedInformation