Year Of High School Research Articles

Profiles of Career Indecision: A Person-Centered Approach with Italian Late Adolescents

Choosing career paths in today’s contemporary labor market complexity is becoming more and more challenging for adolescents and young people. Career indecision could take over, and assessing its facets could guide career interventions to support the career decision-making process. To create increasingly tailored career guidance interventions, using a person-centered approach, this study aimed to understand whether profiles of late adolescents based on their career decision-making difficulties might be circumscribed. A total of 776 Italian late adolescents took part in this study. The assessment of career decision-making difficulties was conducted through the Career Decision-Making Questionnaire (CDDQ). To determine the optimal number of profiles, a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) using the stepwise approach was used. Moreover, a multinomial logistic regression was conducted to study whether school grade and sex predicted profile membership. LPA revealed a four-profile model: “Lower Indecision” (Profile 1, 39%), “High Indecision” (Profile 2, 23%), “Very High Indecision” (Profile 3, 7%) and “Moderate Indecision” (Profile 4, 31%). Being enrolled in the last year of high school significantly predicted belonging to Profile 2 and Profile 3. Practical implications were discussed in light of these findings.

Trajectories of Perceived Parental Psychological Control and the Longitudinal Associations with Chinese Adolescents' School Adjustment across High School Years.

Past research supports the detrimental effects of parental psychological control on adolescent school adjustment in both emotional and academic domains. However, how psychological control changes during adolescence, and how such developmental course is related to adolescent psychological well-being and academic functioning are unclear. The direction of effects between parenting and child behaviors is also inconclusive. This 3-year longitudinal study addressed these research gaps by using five waves of survey data on 710 Chinese adolescents of high school ages (Mean age at T1 = 15.54 years, SD = 0.45, 50% males). Using latent growth curve models and latent class growth analysis, the majority of adolescents (about 63%) reported gradual increases of parental psychological control in the first 2 years of high school but a slight decline afterwards, while the other 37% perceived low and stable levels. Results from parallel latent growth modeling suggested that trajectories of psychological control were positively related to developmental trends of internalizing problems (i.e., depression and anxiety) and maladaptive academic functioning, but negatively associated with the trajectory of adaptive academic functioning, as indexed by intercept-intercept and slope-slope associations. The random-intercept cross-lagged models further revealed that psychological control was predictive of adolescent anxiety and lower adaptive academic functioning, and bidirectionally associated with maladaptive academic-related beliefs and behaviors at the within-person level. Taken together, these findings highlight the crucial role of parental psychological control on adolescent school adjustment in the Chinese cultural context and support the reciprocal model of parent-child interactions.

Escape room as a stimulus for experimental activity

In the article, we focus on the stimulation of pupils' experimental activity using escape rooms. The text includes a division of escape rooms into six genres. In one of the genres, we also included the activity of the escape room created by us. By using the escape room we created, we tried to find out whether escape rooms are a suitable tool for stimulating pupils to do experimental activities in physics classes. We conducted a survey with pupils in the third year of an eight-year high school (13-14 years old). The number of pupils varied (18-19) as the survey was conducted over two weeks. We created a questionnaire consisting of seven questions. The questions were about pupil emotional engagement while doing experiments. We determined the suitability of the teaching tool for stimulating pupils using the answers to the questions from the questionnaire, which are related to the stimulation of experimental activity. We also compared the activities - Escape Room and Experiments given by a question using a comparative questionnaire. From the pilot survey, we found that escape rooms stimulate pupils to experiment more than the commonly used experiments given by a question in physics classes.

Approaching Temporal Dynamics in the Dimension-Level Associations Between Career Adaptability/Ambivalence and Internalizing Symptoms Among Chinese Adolescents Throughout Their High Middle School Years.

Despite the well-established associations between adolescents' internalizing symptoms and career development, it still remains unclear whether adolescents' internalizing symptoms are precursors or consequences of their career adaptability/ambivalence. Subtler nuance inherent within such association also await to be revealed, because internalizing symptoms and career development have been primarily treated as broad constructs, despite the multifaceted nature of both. To narrow such gaps, this study examined the potentially dynamic associations among career adaptability, career ambivalence, and internalizing symptoms using three-wave longitudinal data. The study collected data from 3196 Chinese adolescents (52.72% girls, mean age = 15.56 years, SD = 0.58) at Wave 1, with 2820 (attrition rate = 11.76%) participating in Wave 2 and 2568 (attrition rate = 8.93%) in Wave 3. The measurement invariance suggested that there were no significant differences across both waves and genders. This study approached associations at both broader construct levels and subtler dimension levels. Results of cross-lagged path models at broader construct levels demonstrated a unidirectional association between internalizing symptoms and career adaptability. Results of models at subtler dimension levels indicated a series of transactional links over time between career adaptability dimensions/ambivalence and depressive symptoms in particular. Career adaptability dimensions and career ambivalence predicted later anxiety symptoms rather than the reverse. Group model comparisons showed no difference across waves and genders. These findings shed light on the dynamic nature of the associations during adolescence between career adaptability/ambivalence and internalizing symptoms, particularly at subtler dimensional levels, which should be considered in relevant clinical and educational practices.

Associations of body composition with physical activity, nutritional intake status, and chronotype among female university students in Japan

BackgroundHaving higher muscle mass in early adulthood is an important factor in preventing sarcopenia. However, university students undergo lifestyle changes compared to their high school years, which may lead to changes in body composition, such as an increase in body fat and a decrease in muscle mass. The study aimed to investigate the association between body composition and lifestyle behaviors, including chronotype, among Japanese female university students, due to the prevalence of underweight among young females in the country.MethodsThe physical activity level (PAL), daily dietary intake status, morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ) score, and body composition of 230 students were assessed in this cross-sectional study. Body composition was measured using a multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer, and body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (%BF), and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were determined.ResultsIndividuals who were evening type (ET) had a higher %BF and lower SMI than those who were non-ET, but no differences in body weight or BMI were found. Although ET individuals had lower total energy intake, protein intake, and PALs than non-ETs, the differences were small. However, multiple regression analyses showed that SMI was significantly positively associated with MEQ and PAL, and %BF was significantly negatively associated with MEQ and PAL.ConclusionThese results suggest that female university students with lateness of chronotype and low physical activity have a body composition imbalance resulting in higher body fat and lower muscle mass. Therefore, young females may need to take chronotype-specific measures (especially ET individuals) to help them maintain an appropriate body composition.

Virtual experiment on platonic solids for teaching space-time quantization

The work presents the virtual experiment on Platonic solids in a complementary way, where its importance is crucially used for the treatment of the teaching of the quantization of space-time via loop quantum gravity. The research was part of one of the studies carried out with 23 students in the 3rd year of high school in São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The project is part of several introduced subjects on modern and contemporary physics, as well as frontier research topics. The student starts to have a student-researcher posture and based on Ausubel and Bruner's learning theories, they develop significant learning and receive new information and concepts at the elementary level, conditioning them to a critical and reflective posture. We use the experiment in which students interactively learn three-dimensional shapes, calculate surface area and volume and discover mathematical properties of shapes, necessary knowledge that covers the discussion of the theory. Subsequently, they carried out the skills test and we collected data from the students' operations to present the scenario of innovation and reflection on the possibility of introducing research topics in physics, but with appropriate language for the audience of interest according to Bruner's learning theory.

Methods and associations of suicidality in Kenyan high school students: clinical and public health implications.

Most evidence on suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts comes from Western countries; prevalence rates may differ in other parts of the world. This study determined the prevalence of suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts in high school students in three different regional settings in Kenya. This was a cross-sectional study of 2652 high school students. We asked structured questions to determine the prevalence of various types of suicidality, the methods planned or effected, and participants' gender, age and form (grade level). We provided descriptive statistics, testing significant differences by chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests, and used logistic regression to identify relationships among different variables and their associations with suicidality. The prevalence rates of suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts were 26.8, 14.9 and 15.7%, respectively. These rates are higher than those reported for Western countries. Some 6.7% of suicide attempts were not associated with plans. The most common method used in suicide attempts was drinking chemicals/poison (18.8%). Rates of suicidal thoughts and plans were higher for older students and students in urban rather than rural locations, and attempts were associated with female gender and higher grade level - especially the final year of high school, when exam performance affects future education and career prospects. Suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts are prevalent in Kenyan high school students. There is a need for future studies to determine the different starting points to suicidal attempts, particularly for the significant number whose attempts are not preceded by thoughts and plans.

Symptoms of Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome are Common in Community-Dwelling Adults.

The consensus criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), the possible in vivo clinical syndrome associated with significant repetitive head impacts, have only been minimally studied to date. This study examined the prevalence of the proposed core clinical features of TES in a sample of healthy adults. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted through ResearchMatch, a national health volunteer registry. Participants were assessed for symptoms of TES based on the 2021 consensus criteria, including prior repetitive head impacts and core clinical features. Additional health information (e.g., concussion history, psychological health, sleep, chronic pain) was also evaluated. The consensus proposed research criteria for TES (i.e., reporting at least one progressive core clinical feature of TES, as in progressive difficulties with episodic memory, executive functioning, or neurobehavioral dysregulation) were applied to the sample. Out of 1100 participants (average age = 53.6 ± 17.7 years, 55% women), 34.6% endorsed one or more progressive core clinical features of TES. Participants with a significant history of contact sports (i.e., ≥ 5 years total, with ≥ 2 years in high school or beyond) had similar rates of endorsing a progressive core clinical feature of TES compared to those without significant histories of repetitive head impacts (36.4% vs 32.8%, respectively, χ2 = 0.52, p = 0.47). A significant history of repetitive head impacts in sports was not associated with endorsing a core clinical feature of TES in univariable or multivariable models (p > 0.47), whereas current depression/anxiety (odds ratio [OR] = 6.94), a history of psychiatric disorders (OR = 2.57), current sleep problems (OR = 1.56), and younger age (OR = 0.99) were significant predictors of TES status in a multivariable model. In a subsample of 541 participants who denied a lifetime history of contact sports, other forms of repetitive head impacts, and concussions, approximately 31.0% endorsed one or more progressive core clinical features of TES. Additionally, 73.5% of neurotrauma-naïve participants with current anxiety or depression reported at least one core progressive feature of TES, compared with 20.2% of those without clinically significant depression/anxiety symptoms. A considerable proportion of adults without a significant history of repetitive head impacts from sports endorsed core TES features, particularly those experiencing mental health symptoms. Having a significant history of contact sports was not associated with endorsing a core progressive clinical feature of TES, whereas other health factors were. These findings underscore the need for validating and refining TES criteria in samples with and without substantial neurotrauma histories.

미소 대안학교 졸업생의 학교 경험과 삶의 특성 이해

Objectives In this study, I aimed to represent the school curriculum image from the memories of graduates of an alternative school that has passed 20 years and analyze it for the purpose of understanding their lives based on that image. Methods As a qualitative research case study, in an alternative school, I selected one teacher and nine graduates as participants. I described, analyzed, and interpreted the school experiences and memories of current life from the teacher and graduates, focusing on the images and sustainability of the schooling in terms of meaning. Results In the school curriculum the participants lived a unique daily life that pursued independence, aimed to being together in a community capable of ecological circulation, and purposed to have ability of self-directed learning. They faced challenges during the high school years when trying to enter mainstream society, experienced conflicts between academic life and reality during university, and attempted to live by participating in society in their own way. Conclusions The experiments conducted by the specific alternative school had both positive and negative impacts on the lives of the graduates. In their lives, there were efforts to attain agency, and they were striving to find their own ways to overcome the barriers of reality. It became evident that the educational curriculum of the alternative school under study was another form of school that conveyed specific values and ideologies.

중･고등학교 시기 사교육 및 자기주도학습 시간의 종단적인 변화에 따른 집단 분류 및 대학교 시기의 핵심역량에 대한 영향 분석

This study explored the impact of private learning and self-regulated learning time during middle and high school years on core competencies during the first university year, utilizing data from the 5th to 9th waves of the Korean Educational Longitudinal Study. A sample of 2,946 students entered universities in the 9th wave was analyzed. Employing a multivariate growth mixture model, students were classified into four types based on their longitudinal patterns of private learning and self-regulated learning time. Analysis of factors influencing the classification of each type revealed that students’ individual factors and family factors collectively influenced private learning and self-regulated learning time. Additionally, differences in core competencies during the first university year across each type indicated that students with higher self-regulated learning time during middle and high school exhibited higher levels of core competencies during university. This study is significant in that it analyzes students’ longitudinal patterns of learning time by considering both private and self-regulated learning time, and it highlights the importance of structuring learning time during middle and high school to cultivate high levels of core competencies.

Students' perezhivaniya and engagement in English language learning

Perezhivanie, i.e., emotional lived experience, is a psychological structure for understanding dynamic influences derived from personal and social sources. In this study, two Japanese university students' perezhivaniya (plural) of English learning in their final year of high school and first two years of university studies were examined using a dataset containing a semi-structural interview, informal interviews and a series of classroom observation. This paper describes these students' perezhivanyia of English learning and explains their engagement as 1. in-the-moment responses anchored in personally significant events or moments; and 2. beyond-the-moment refractions during re-visitation of these events. Language learning engagement is therefore experiential, situated and reflective from a perezhivanie perspective. The findings indicate that students' changing engagement in English learning cannot be fully understood if it is removed from the irreducible unit of perezhivanie.

Adolescents' Knowledge and Attitudes about Contraception, Sexuality, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Pelvic Health

Background: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) can cause serious health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and cervical cancer. Adolescents and young adults are particularly vulnerable to STIs due to risk-taking behaviors, multiple sexual partners, and inconsistent condom use. Our study aimed to examine the knowledge about contraceptive methods and sexually transmitted infections, and attitudes toward sexual health education among adolescents in Croatia. Methods: The participants were high school students aged 16 to 18 years. The study was conducted at Antun Gustav Matoš Gymnasium, Zabok. We obtained study data via an anonymous survey. Results: The study included 204 adolescents in their final years of high school. The total number of adolescents who had sexual intercourse was 47 (23%). The percentage of sexually active female and male adolescents was 21% and 27%, respectively. In the surveyed group of adolescents, 86% had never heard of subcutaneous progestin implants and 72% had never heard of contraceptive sponges. All adolescents had heard of oral contraceptives and condoms. In the surveyed group of adolescents, 58% had never heard of trichomoniasis and 10% had never heard of HSV. All adolescents had heard of HIV and syphilis. A total of 147 (72%) of the surveyed adolescents believed it as necessary to provide health education in schools. Conclusion: The initiation of sexual activity among adolescents in Croatia remains unchanged when compared to previous studies. Their current knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive methods should be improved through continuous, well-designed, and comprehensive sexual health education.

Patterns of integrating the Seal of Biliteracy into the school context

AbstractThe Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) is a high school graduation credential that recognizes US students in their final year of high school who have demonstrated proficiency in English and at least one other language. SoBL implementation has been shown in many contexts to be governed by local policy arbiters, who interpret the state policy to provide access to the SoBL to students. Additionally, scholars have suggested that the discourse surrounding the SoBL has been permeated with neoliberal logic that prioritizes individual success and economic advantage. This study investigates how these themes play out in the implementation of the SoBL in 16 schools across Iowa, diverse in size, location, and student linguistic profiles. Findings indicate that the implementation of the SoBL was influenced by the local context and local policy arbiters, and how the SoBL, in turn, influenced the arbiters' perspectives and practices related to language learners and language instruction.

School closures and their implications for student outcomes: evidence from Lithuania

ABSTRACT This paper studies the effect of school closures on student outcomes in the Lithuanian context. Using administrative student-level data from 2013–2017 and propensity score matching, we create a balanced sample of control and treatment groups. In contrast to other studies, we focus on students in the final years of high school, possibly eliciting the upper bar of the disruption effect. We also follow students after high school graduation, providing evidence on labour market outcomes. We find that school closure has a small, negative effect on only some exam outcomes and the probability of enrolling at a university, suggesting that the disruption effect is small even for students in the final years of high school.

Outsiders Within: How Do Black Girls Fit into Computer Science for All?

Objectives. At the K–12 level, “CS for All” initiatives across the country strive to increase equitable access to and participation in computer science (CS). However, there are many open questions about the implementation and effectiveness of these initiatives, including the extent to which exposing young people to CS early on can shape their longer-term CS interest and engagement. In this article, we examine CS participation among 6th–8th-grade Black girls and assess whether CS participation during middle school shapes CS interest and engagement during their first year of high school. We focus on Black girls in the hopes of developing a more nuanced and rigorous understanding of computing experiences at the intersection of racism and sexism in this field. Participants. The focal group of students in this study are 6th–8th-grade Black girls from New York City. We employ a comparative lens in this article, contextualizing the CS experiences and outcomes of Black girls to Latinas, Asian, and White girls, as well as Black boys. Study Method. We primarily rely on quantitative data for this article, applying a critical lens to our analyses and interpretation. More specifically, we conduct descriptive analyses of course-taking patterns as well as survey data that focus on student attitudes and beliefs about CS. We then carry out inferential analyses of students’ administrative records examining how, if at all, middle school CS participation is related to high school outcomes for Black girls. We employ a comparative lens and rely on qualitative data to make sense of our results. Findings. We find that, troublingly, Black girls in the district are disproportionately less likely to receive CS instruction in middle school. Black girls are also less likely than Black boys, Latinas, and White girls to feel that they belong in CS. However, Black girls in CS courses report similar levels of engagement, family, and peer support, as well as value for CS relative to other students in the district. Finally, we find that participation in CS courses in middle school does not increase the likelihood that Black girls will select high schools that offer CS courses or take a CS course during their first year of high school. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that to increase equitable access and participation in CS, it is not enough to simply expose students to CS coursework. We call for sustained attention to the experiences that Black girls have in their CS classes as well as broader structural barriers that might shape CS course-taking.

‘It's mostly an accompaniment to something’

‘It's mostly an accompaniment to something’

Ethnobotanical knowledge in state schools and family health teams of Juazeiro do Norte – CE: a case study

Ethnobotany refers to the study of the relationship between man and plants as well as their mode of use. This popular knowledge is part of the history and culture of peoples from its origin to the present day, and is passed on generation after generation, representing a more accessible alternative to treat illnesses. Some communities develop sacred rituals involving the medicinal power of plants, and scientifically, it is from the chemical compounds present in them that new drugs are produced. The aim of this study was to investigate the ethnobotanical knowledge of students in the second year of high school and of biology teachers in the EEM José Bezerra Menezes, EEMTI Figueiredo Correia and EEEP Professor Moreira de Sousa; the Health Agents working in FHS 30 and 52 and the Nurse responsible for the team that works at São Lucas Maternity Hospital, in the municipality of Juazeiro do Norte, southern Ceará. The highest number of citations was found for the plants Peumus boldus Molina (37.41%), Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex Britton & P. Wilson (28.78%), Mentha spicata L. (20.86%) and Matricaria recutita L. (12.95%). This study is expected to find out which medicinal plants are most used by the researched communities as well as their mode of use, in addition to contributing to this knowledge being better shared among the population.

Discourses about grades and competency-based evaluation: Exploring communicative and situated meanings at an Italian high school

AbstractGrades are the universal tool for measuring students’ performance at school. However, other competency-based evaluation methods have shown to have a stronger impact on the learning quality. We investigated how different methods are collectively represented and discursively constructed among students at an Italian high school class. Thematic analysis was applied to 4 focus groups of about one hour conducted with 18 students (F = 12, M = 6) attending the second year of a scientific high school, at the end of the second year of “At School Beyond the Grade” project. The main themes emerged were linked to the cultural and communicational meanings constructed around each method, showing how they are used for different purposes and yet stay strictly related. Comments were used in a self-reflective manner to improve learning competencies individually. Grades were used to communicate with others their position as a socially shared code. The emerged narratives show the students’ expectations about the way teachers manage evaluation tools and their struggles on translating one into the other. Considerations on the shared ideal of both methods as complementary were discussed in terms of intercultural, identity and learning process.

On the complex relationship between resilience and hair cortisol levels in adolescence despite parental physical abuse: a fourth wave of resilience research.

To understand the family's role in adolescents' mental health development and the connection to neurodevelopmental disorders related to experienced parental physical abuse, we first explored resilience pathways longitudinally and secondly, connected the identified patterns to adolescents' hair cortisol levels that are rooted in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as the main stress response system and connected brain structure alterations. We analyzed longitudinal online questionnaire data for three consecutive high school years (from seventh to ninth grade) and four survey waves from a representative sample of n = 1609 high school students in Switzerland on violence-resilience pathways. Furthermore, we collected students' hair samples from a subsample of n = 229 at survey wave 4. About 30% of the participating adolescents had been physically abused by their parents. Out of the overall sample, we drew a subsample of adolescents with parental abuse experiences (survey wave 1 n = 509; survey wave 2 n = 506; survey wave 3 n = 561; survey wave 4 n = 560). Despite the odds, about 20-30% of adolescents who have experienced parental physical abuse escaped the family violence cycle and can be called resilient. By applying a person-oriented analytical approach via latent class and transition analysis, we longitudinally identified and compared four distinct violence-resilience patterns. We identified violence resilience as a multidimensional latent construct, which includes hedonic and eudaimonic protective and risk indicators. Because resilience should not solely be operationalized based on the lack of psychopathology, our latent construct included both feeling good (hedonic indicators such as high levels of self-esteem and low levels of depression/anxiety and dissociation) and doing well (eudaimonic indicators such as high levels of self-determination and self-efficacy as well as low levels of aggression toward peers). The present study confirmed that higher cortisol levels significantly relate to the comorbid pattern (internalizing and externalizing symptoms), and further confirmed the presence of lasting alterations in brain structures. In this way, we corroborated the insight that when studying the resilience pathways and trajectories of abused adolescents, biological markers such as hair cortisol significantly enhance and deepen the understanding of the longitudinal mechanisms of psychological markers (e.g., self-determination, self-esteem, self-efficacy) that are commonly applied in questionnaires.

Substance use and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a longitudinal approach

ObjectiveTo describe the changes in alcohol and drug use by Brazilian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic (April-August 2021), and to analyze the relationship between alcohol use changes and psychiatric symptomatology. MethodsA secondary analysis with a longitudinal approach was performed with data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial, conducted in 73 public middle schools in three Brazilian cities, to evaluate the effectiveness of a drug use prevention program. The sample included 535 students (61% girls; Mage = 15.2 years). Data were collected pre-intervention (February-March 2019), after 9 months (November-December 2019), and after 26 months (April-August 2021), when the students were in their first year of high school. The authors analyzed drug use prevalence (alcohol, binge drinking, tobacco, inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, and crack) in a lifetime, past year, and past month periods, and the association between alcohol use change subsamples with psychiatric symptoms. Logistic regressions were adjusted by sex, age, socioeconomic status, city, and group (control and intervention). ResultsThe present findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in past-year substance use and in past-month substance use frequency, despite the gradually increased (but decelerating) prevalence of lifetime use. However, some adolescents initiated, maintained, or increased the frequency of their alcohol use. Mainly, they were more likely to present behavioral problems, as well as symptoms of inattentive hyperactivity, and peer and emotional problems. ConclusionsDespite the extensive decline in substance use during the pandemic period, these results suggest an association between previous mental health conditions and behavioral risk factors, leading to increased alcohol consumption and behavioral disorders manifestations.