Interest in school science and technology (S&T) remains an important issue as it is linked to achievement and the intention to pursue studies or careers in S&T. Around the world, a number of studies ...have shown that interest in S&T declines with school years. However, some divergences from the general trend have been demonstrated in certain contexts, sub-periods, or for closely related subconstructs. We administered 2,628 questionnaires to students in grades 5 through 11 in the province of Québec, Canada. The questionnaire explored many factors (including out-of-school and school-related preferences, difficulty, importance, frequency), allowing us to track these closely related variables for a seven-year period. Among others, the results show a general degradation in-school S&T factors but an improvement in out-of-school S&T variables and of interest in S&T studies and careers. S&T is perceived as increasingly difficult and valuable compared with all other subject matters taken one-on-one. Some shorter fluctuations are analysed and interpreted in comparison with the evolution of certain teaching practices.
Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we analyze the phenomenon of "classroom WhatsApp groups", in which a teacher and students from a particular classroom interact with one another, while specifically ...focusing on the student perspective of these interactions. Background: The instant messaging application WhatsApp enables quick, interactive multimedia communication in closed groups, as well as one-on-one interactions between selected group members. Yet, very little is known about the extent, nature, and purposes of these practices, the limitations and affordances, the type of discourse and conflicts that develop in these spaces, and the extent to which it affects teacher-student interactions outside of WhatsApp (e.g., the social climate in class, the teacher's status, teacher-student and student-student relations), especially from the students' perspective. Methodology: Our methodology combines questionnaires, personal interviews, and focus groups with Israeli secondary school students (N = 88). Contribution: The present study adds to the expanding body of empirical research on social media use in educational settings by specifically focusing on a heretofore underexposed aspect, namely, secondary school student-teacher communication in the popular instant messaging application WhatsApp. We report on findings from the student perspective and discuss the advantages and limitations of this form of communication sphere, and on the social functions of the different classroom WhatsApp groups in secondary school students' everyday life. Findings: The combined findings reveal that classroom WhatsApp groups have become a central channel of communication for school-related topics. It is used primarily for organizational purposes (sending and receiving updates and managing learning activities), as well as a means for teachers to enforce discipline. Students mentioned many advantages of WhatsApp communication, such as easy access, the ability to create communities, the ability to safeguard personal privacy, and the communication format (written, mediated, personal, or group). However, they also recognized limitations (i.e., communication overload) and challenged teacher ability to monitor and affect student interactions in social media, even when they are present in these WhatsApp classroom groups. Finally, we report on the role of parallel, sans-teacher WhatsApp groups, which are characterized as back stage discourse arenas that accompany the front stage offline classroom activities and the "official" classroom WhatsApp group. Recommendations for Practitioners: The combined findings of this study indicate how WhatsApp-based, joint teacher-student groups can serve a variety of educational purposes, namely, organizational, instructional, and educational-disciplinary. In addition, and in spite of teachers concerns, students are aware of the challenges inherent to the use of WhatsApp for communication with their teachers. Some of the main characteristics that prevent teachers from using other ubiquitous digital communication media, such as Facebook or Twitter, are not relevant when it comes to WhatsApp. Both teachers and students view WhatsApp as a favored channel of communication because of the low exposure to personal information and minimal invasion of privacy. Future Research: The qualitative methodology of this paper limits the ability to generalize the current findings to other contexts and population groups. Future research should preferably explore the generalizability of our findings to larger sections of teenage populations. It should also explore similarities and differences with other age groups. Finally, the present study was set in a particular country (Israel). Local norms of cellphone use and of appropriate teacher-student interaction, as well as locally developed media domestication patterns, may differ from country to country and/or from one cultural group to another. Future research should then include and compare the current findings with data from different countries and cultures in order to complete the picture.
Although efforts are being made to bring science closer to secondary school students, science is still mostly perceived within stereotypic frameworks, hindering students' identification with it. In ...this paper, we claim the role that arts-based approaches can play in science education to break these biased views and understandings and generate a more motivating science learning experience. For that purpose, we analyse research conducted with students from two secondary schools in Barcelona participating in a science education project applying drama-based activities within an inquiry process with early-career researchers. More specifically, we explore students' perceptions of science and their attitudes towards learning science at school and pursuing scientific careers. We then evaluate and discuss how the triad 'researchers' interaction - scientific inquiry - artistic creation' can potentially challenge their storylines about science and bring science learning closer to them. Findings suggest that the evaluated approach contributed to progress in this direction through two mechanisms: creating new rapports with science by offering a creative, inclusive and interactive learning experience, and broadening students' perceptions in terms of what implies to do science and who can do it.
In this paper we investigate whether computer programming has an impact on high school student's reasoning skills, problem solving and self-efficacy in Mathematics. The quasi-experimental design was ...adopted to implement the study. The sample of the research comprised 66 high school students separated into two groups, the experimental and the control group according to their educational orientation. The research findings indicate that there is a significant difference in the reasoning skills of students that participated in the "programming course" compared to students that did not. Moreover, the self-efficacy indicator of students that participated in the experimental group showed a significant difference from students in the control group. The results however, failed to support the hypothesis that computer programming significantly enhances student's problem solving skills.
This study aimed to know the effect of environmental pollution module on the environmental worldview in senior high school. This type of research is quasi-experiment. The research instrument was a ...scale of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP). This research conducted at SMAN 1 Lembar. The research subjects were 54 students of class XI Mathematics and Natural Science. Samples were taken by cluster sampling with the equality test. The analysis of data used One-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed there was the effect of the environmental pollution module on the environmental worldview in senior high school with p-value < .005.
This paper focuses on the learning experiences of lower attaining boys attending Stone Acre, a non-selective state Secondary school in England, and how these were shaped by teachers' gendered beliefs ...and practices. It argues that despite changes in our theoretical understandings of gender, those found in the context of everyday practice in schools may continue to be rooted in biological understandings of masculinity that tend to reinforce rather than challenge assumptions of deficit. It argues that these interactions form part of a gender regime that also includes the lower-status learning spaces disproportionately occupied by lower attaining boys, with selective grouping practices and the curriculum both contributing to the limiting understandings of boys' educational potential that are ultimately reflected in persistently gendered patterns of attainment. The small number of boys who took part in this study clearly recognised the less favourable positioning of boys as a group. Despite this, they went on to achieve beyond expectations, suggesting that they maintained some agency as learners. Teachers at Stone Acre were also under pressure to ensure achievement against performance threshold levels, suggesting that there may have been some mitigating, trickle down effects. The paper concludes that there is a continuing need for teachers to develop more inclusive understandings of masculinities and of the effects of these on everyday practices in schools.
Academic integrity is part of the process that explains the communication of information in an ethical manner. Although the prevalence of dishonest acts at university has been noted, it is an aim of ...the educational system to analyse what motivates them from an age prior to their incorporation into university studies. The aim of this work is to collect the visual‐narrative representation of academic plagiarism made by secondary school and university students, as well as to analyse their perception of it and discover the keys that explain this malpractice. A participatory study was carried out, in which two high school students took on the role of co‐researchers in training. Information is collected from 178 students from three schools in Spain and Portugal through participatory photography or Photovoice. It is analysed with Maxqda22 software in two stages: (1) deductive analysis of the narratives, identifying categories and thematic codes, in a participatory way with the trainee researchers; and (2) inductive analysis of images and metaphorical expressions. The results allow us to outline three representations of the action of copying: as a punishable act, as a picaresque act and as a quick and easy opportunity for the student. This classification reveals the issues that dominate the discourse of the participants, suggesting the effects and causes that aggravate the commission of plagiarism: the simplicity of the process and the possibility of not being detected.
Most scholars have argued that student engagement positively predicts academic achievement, but some have challenged this view. We sought to resolve this debate by offering conclusive evidence ...through a meta-analysis of 69 independent studies (196,473 participants). The results revealed
that (a) there was a moderately strong and positive correlation between overall student engagement and academic achievement, and an analysis of the domains of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement showed that almost all had a positive correlation with students' academic achievement;
and (b) a moderator analysis revealed that the relationship between student engagement and academic achievement was influenced by the method of reporting engagement, cultural value, and gender. Furthermore, the relationships of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement with academic
achievement were influenced by reporting method for engagement, cultural value, or gender.
Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become more central to education because of demand from educators, parents, students, and business leaders alongside rigorous research showing broad, positive ...impacts for students and adults. However, all approaches to SEL are not equal. Systemic SEL is an approach to create equitable learning conditions that actively involve all Pre-K to Grade 12 students in learning and practicing social, emotional, and academic competencies. These conditions require aligned policies, resources, and actions at state and district levels that encourage local schools and communities to build the personal and professional capacities of adults to: implement and continuously improve evidence-based programs and practices; create an inclusive culture that fosters caring relationships and youth voice, agency, and character; and support coordinated school-family-community partnerships to enhance student development. Promoting social and emotional competencies-including the abilities to understand and manage emotions, achieve positive goals, show caring and concern for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions-are important for success at school and in life. In this article, we summarize key concepts and evidence for systemic SEL. Next, we explain interrelated Theories of Action and resources developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to implement and continuously improve systemic SEL in schools, districts, and states. We discuss research on nested, interacting settings and processes involved in systemic SEL at proximal (classrooms, schools, families, and communities) and distal (districts, states, national, and international) ecological levels. We conclude with recommendations for future SEL research, practice, and policy.
Public Significance Statement
A systemic approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) creates equitable learning conditions that actively involve all Pre-K to Grade 12 students in developing social, emotional, and academic competencies. Decades of research shows these competencies lead to beneficial outcomes at school and in life. Creating these conditions requires aligned policies, resources, and actions at state and district levels to support a coordinated learning process through school-family-community partnerships to enhance student development.
There is a close relationship between chemistry and physics in the context of atomic structure, which is usually covered in both courses at the secondary-school level. However, little emphasis has ...been put on determining whether the students developed correct understanding of the quantum structure when they studied it in both the courses. The purpose of this study was to reveal - by using the concept mapping tool - the cognitive structures used by twelfth-grade students to understand atomic structure. One hundred forty-five students from three secondary schools in Ankara, Turkey participated in the study. The qualitative content analysis technique was employed to analyse concepts, levels of connection, and linking phrases in students' concept maps drawn for the atom. The analysis results revealed that the students had a limited understanding of the quantum structure of the atom, even after studying the topic in chemistry and physics courses. They relied on classical ideas to understand atomic structure. The results suggest that concepts related to atomic structure should be appropriately used not only within a particular subject (e.g. physics) but also across the two subjects to help students understand the scientifically correct atomic structure. Further, several other implications for secondary-school science teaching are discussed.
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