Education Commons^™

Factors Predicting Mathematics Achievement In Pisa: A Systematic Review, Xiaofang S. Wang, Laura B. Perry, Anabela Malpique, Tobias Ide

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has become the world’s largest comparative assessment of academic achievement. While hundreds of studies have examined the factors predicting student achievement in PISA, a comprehensive overview of the main predictors has yet to be completed. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of factors predicting mathematics performance in PISA. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development, we synthesized the findings of 156 peer reviewed articles. The analysis identified 135 factors that fall into five broad categories: individual student, household context, school community, education systems and macro society. The analysis …

Exploring Teachers’ Preparedness To Conduct Competency Based Curriculum Assessment In A Selected Secondary School In Taveta Sub-County Coast Region - Kenya., Milcah Emisiko Ashiali

Theses & Dissertations

The government of Kenya has been at the forefront of advocating for a Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) to ensure that the country can produce a workforce that competes with the current market which requires 21st-century skills. This has been seen by implementing CBC in schools and being focused on a learner- centered approach. CBC Assessment has been emphasized in the curriculum since teachers are required to know how learners are progressing at different grades and identify what competencies they must go and apply in real life. Study aimed at exploring how teachers are prepared to conduct CBC assessments in secondary …

Exploration Of Factors Contributing To Low Achievement Of Learners In Chemistry At Ordinary Secondary Level. A Case Study Of A Mixed Secondary School In Katrini Sub-County, Terego District, Uganda., Andrew Ababo

Theses & Dissertations

The performance of learners in the ordinary secondary section has been low over the years in Uganda. Many learners fail to pass chemistry at ordinary secondary level as such, very few students offer the subject at higher levels. The general purpose of this study was to explore factors contributing to low achievement of learners in chemistry at ordinary secondary section in a mixed secondary school in Katrini sub-county, Terego district, Uganda. A qualitative research approach with a case study design was applied. The sample size had twenty-two participants made up of ten females and twelve males in the following categories: …

What’S The Purpose?: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Purposes For Reading In Secondary Classrooms, Dianna Townsend, Hannah Carter, Rachel Knecht

Literacy, Language, and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Supporting the wide range of readers in secondary disciplinary classrooms can involve a number of helpful scaffolds and instructional routines, and the role of reading purpose may be particularly important. Research suggests that reading purposes impact reading processes and outcomes, and also that disciplinary experts have discipline-specific purposes for reading. In this qualitative-dominant, mixed-methods study, five high school classrooms were studied to explore what kind of purposes teachers establish for reading in the disciplines and how students perceive those reading purposes. Teachers’ (n = 7) reading purposes and related instruction were explored via observations and interviews, and high school …

Exploring The Influence Of One-On-One Peer Support On Academic Performance And Career Pathway Choice For Students With Visual Impairment: A Case Of A Selected Secondary School In Kilimanjaro Region, Gerald John Kimaro

Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the influence of one-on-one peer support on the performance and career pathway choice of students with Visual Impairment (VI) in secondary school. The study adopted a qualitative research approach with a case study design. The sampling was purposive and the sample size comprises four teachers (One academic teacher, the head of the special need department, one teacher from STEM and one teacher from the social science department) and ten students (five pairs of one-on-one peer support from Form three class). The study employed an interview guide, focus group discussion guide and document analysis protocol as the instruments …

Exploring Teacher Quality Of Mathematics Teachers: A Case Study Of One Government-Aided Secondary School In Ajuri County, Alebtong District, Aracha Jackson

Theses & Dissertations

This research looked at a public secondary school's mathematics teachers in Ajuri County, Alebtong district. To determine how mathematics teachers' activities from the standpoint of mathematics teaching and learning in secondary schools represent teacher quality, the research study used a qualitative method with a case study design. Purposive sampling was used to get the school of study and the data was obtained from two mathematics teachers who were also purposively sampled from the teachers in the school through the use of structured and semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and observations. The recorded data obtained were then transcribed into text, and classified …

Overcrowded Classrooms: Assessment And Evaluation Strategies By Science Secondary School Teachers In Kericho County- Kenya, Rutoh Dominic

Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated how science teachers have successfully conducted assessment and evaluation in overcrowded classrooms due to 100% transition in Kenya, and particularly, in Kericho County. Two objectivities guided the study: - to find out the strategies used by science teachers to conduct assessment and evaluation and to determine how science teachers cope with assessment and evaluation challenges in overcrowded classrooms. Purposive sampling was used to selected five science teachers instructing form three class in the sampled school. Simple random sampling was used to select 12 students who participated in the study to ensure everyone got a chance to be …

Improving The Reading Skills Of Struggling Secondary Students In A Real-World Setting: Issues Of Implementation And Sustainability, Susan Main, Susan Hill, Annamaria Paolino

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Reading difficulties have been associated with limited academic success and related social-emotional outcomes including anxiety and low motivation. Recent research on the educational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that children with poor reading skills were disproportionally disadvantaged. This growing number of students experiencing reading difficulties will require effective implementation of strategies to prevent long-term disadvantage, including in the challenging context of secondary schools where teachers are unfamiliar with reading instruction and constrained by timetabling of subjects and teachers. This research examined whether a Direct Instruction programme could be implemented with fidelity in the real world of a secondary school …

Going Beyond: Cyber Security Curriculum In Western Australian Primary And Secondary Schools. Final Report, Nicola F. Johnson, Ahmed Ibrahim, Leslie Sikos, Marnie Mckee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is no doubt cyber security is of national interest given the rife nature of cyber crime and the alarming increase of victims who have endured identify theft, fraud and scams. Curriculum within K-12 schools tends to be fixed and any modifications are subject to extensive consultation within a prolonged review cycle. Therefore, this report has gone beyond curriculum to explore the potential of national awareness campaigns and dynamic digital cyber security licences as alternative possibilities for instigation. The role of leaders in various school sectors and systems is critical for a successful roll out. This final report culminates from …

Young Adult And Canonical Literature Instruction In The High School Classroom: Assessing Students’ Reading Interest, Alexis Yang

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

In the high school English classroom, classic novels are taught as cornerstones of the curriculum. Although these canonical works such as To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) are revered for their literary merit, students often find them boring and skim through the readings or decline to read altogether. Young adult literature (YAL), a genre written for teens, may be an effective genre to teach in high school to boost students’ reading interest. This study aims to determine how teaching young adult literature in the high school classroom, as opposed to canonical works, might affect …

An Examination Of Emotional Resilience Among Athletic Trainers Working In The Secondary School Setting, Shaine Henert, William Pitney, Bethany Wood, Nicholas E. Grahovec, Tyler A. Wood

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Athletic training is a demanding profession that is a stressor for many practitioners. Emotional resilience allows Athletic Trainers (ATs) to persist in their roles and benefit from long and successful careers. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of emotional resilience of ATs working in secondary school settings and identify factors perceived to contribute to or mitigate one's emotional resilience. Method: A sequential explanatory mixed-method design using a cross-sectional online survey followed by in-depth interviews was used to gather information from 160 (16% response rate) secondary school NATA members - 97 (60.6%) female; 63 (39.4%) male …

The Cultivation Of Transformational Leadership In Secondary School Principals, Christian S. Overstreet

Dissertations

Due to the challenges schools and school administrators face in the 21st century, transformational leadership is considered the most effective approach to school leadership (Bonsu & Twum-Danso, 2018; Longwell-McKean, 2012; Valentine & Prater, 2011). The purpose of this explanatory, sequential, mixed-methods study was to investigate the importance of cultivating transformational leadership qualities and traits within secondary school principals through professional development opportunities, networking experiences, and mentorships. There has been a lack of research on the need to train in transformational leadership and whether or not it positively influences follower outcomes (Peters, 2014; Tafvelin, 2013; Udin, 2020). Phase one data were …

Schooling Black Males: Hegemonic Discourses, Structural Barriers, And Strategic Resistance, Cleo Wadley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black males have scored at the lowest levels of academic achievement compared to other racial groups in many Texas school districts. The achievement gap for this population of students has been explained by both material constraints and oppressive hegemonic discourses. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to understand how such barriers and discourses affected these students and how the students negotiated their experiences in school. This study was designed to describe the problem, its background and to discuss a relevant theoretical framework. This study examined the academic achievement data for Black males and the current literature on adverse …

Adolescents’ Perceptions Of School Counselling In Ibadan, Nigeria, Tolulope Bella - Awusah, Glory Oyewole, Ajibola Falaye, Olayinka Omigbodun

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

This study explored adolescents’ perceptions and experiences with school counselling in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. A total of 48 students between the ages of 14 and 19 years from public and private secondary schools participated in eight focus groups. Using a phenomenological approach, data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants described the role of a school counsellor as an adult support system and accessed counselling services mostly for academic purposes. Negative beliefs and experiences with the counselling process and preference for significant others were some barriers to seeking school counselling services. Personal counsellor attributes which facilitate supportive interpersonal relationships were desired. …

Secondary School El Teachers’ Classroom Language Proficiency: A Case Study In Bangladesh, Md. Abdur Rouf, Abdul Rashid Mohamed

The Qualitative Report

The study reported here aimed to examine the classroom language proficiency (CLP) of secondary school (SS) English language (EL) teachers in Bangladesh. It is obvious that the EL teachers in a non-native English-speaking context like Bangladesh need to have a very good oral proficiency in the target language (TL) as part of their content knowledge so that learners can take them as models and classroom teaching-learning is effective. Following a multiple case study approach, data were collected from six SS EL teachers as primary informants and four head teachers (HTs), three teacher trainers (TTs), and one curriculum expert (CE) as …

درجة امتلاك معلمي التكنولوجيا بالمرحلة الثانوية بغزة لكفايات التقييم الإلكتروني من وجهة نظرهم. The Degree Of Acquiring E-Assessment Competencies Among The Technology Teachers In The Secondary Stage In Gaza From Their Perspective, سامح العجرمي

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology

هدف البحث إلى الكشف عن درجة امتلاك معلمي التكنولوجيا بالمرحلة الثانوية بغزة لكفايات التقييم الإلكتروني من وجهة نظرهم، وأثر كل من متغيرات: (النوع الاجتماعي/ المؤهل العلمي/ عدد مرات استخدام التقييم إلكتروني) في ذلك. استخدم الباحث المنهج الوصفي التحليلي لتحقيق أهداف البحث، وأعد استبانة مكونة من (36) فقرة موزعة على ثلاثة محاور، وتم تطبيقها على عينة بلغ عدد أفرادها (167) من معلمي ومعلمات التكنولوجيا بالمرحلة الثانوية بغزة، وأظهرت نتائج البحث حصول محور إعداد الأسئلة الإلكترونية على الترتيب الأول في درجة امتلاك معلمي التكنولوجيا كفايات التقييم الإلكتروني، بينما حصل محور إعداد الاختبارات الإلكترونية على الرتبة الثانية، وحصل محور ملف الإنجاز الإلكتروني على …

Teacher Sensemaking In Times Of Crisis: A Case Study Of The Teaching Of High School Ethnic Studies Classes During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Black Lives Matter Protests, Kay Flewelling

Dissertations

This is a study about secondary ethnic studies classes within the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, a novel coronavirus caused dramatic changes in society, and social protests erupted in the United States in response to violence against people of color. This period of dual crises created a collective period of turbulence for educators in the United States as schooling moved to emergency virtual environments. Though the impact of this time is not yet understood, early indicators suggest that existing educational inequalities for students of color will be exacerbated. This study explored ethnic studies teacher sensemaking to understand how teachers adapted their …

Student Views On Starting High School, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

Forums held with students in Years 6, 7 and 8 in Australia on the topic of starting high school have shed light on what concerns them the most about the transition process, and what has been helpful to them along the way. Here, we share some comments from the students.

Teaching Writing To Middle School Students With Disabilities: A Merc Research Brief, David Naff, Jennifer Askue-Collins, Julie S. Dauksys

MERC Publications

This research brief by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium explores peer reviewed literature about effective strategies for teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities. It answers the following questions: 1) Why is it important to teach writing? 2) What is the nature of the challenge in teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities? 3) What interventions help with teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities? and 4) What strategies are utilized in the MERC region for teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities?

Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Motivating Students To Learn Science, Davis Jean-Baptiste, Damian Maher

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Motivation in science learning is important, given increasing necessity for scientific and critical literacy. The purpose of this article is to examine secondary science pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) beliefs about motivating students to learn science. A mixed method study was conducted with 73 secondary science PSTs across Australia. A web-based survey and interviews were used to gather data. Turner et al.’s motivation theory (2011) is used as a framework to analyse the data. The findings indicate that the PSTs believed that competence, belongingness, and meaningful learning were factors involved in motivating students. These findings are critical as they are relevant to …

Cyber Security Curriculum In Western Australian Primary And Secondary Schools: Interim Report: Curriculum Mapping, Nicola Johnson, Ahmed Ibrahim, Leslie Sikos, Cheryl Glowrey

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Cyber-crime poses a significant threat to Australians—think of, for example, how scams take advantage of vulnerable people and systems. There is a need to educate people from an early age to protect them from cyberthreats.

Consistent with the increasing prevalence of cyberthreats to individuals and organisations in Australia, the national Australian curriculum has been updated (version 9.0) to include specific content for cyber security for primary and secondary students up to Year 10. Endorsed by Education Ministers in April 2022, the Western Australian School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) completed a detailed audit of the endorsed Australian Curriculum version 9.0 …

Fourth Voices Conference On Teaching Stem With Song, Lawrence M. Lesser

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The fourth VOICES (Virtual Ongoing Interdisciplinary Collaborations on Educating with Song) conference will be held September 26, 2021, with its Sunday date especially targeting those whose teaching schedule precludes attendance on a weekday. This online-only conference explores the use of song to teach STEM content at the college or secondary school level and will include reviewed interactive sessions, video-posters, and discussions of interest to both practitioners and researchers.

The Effects Of Standards-Based Grading And Strategies For Implementation: A Review Of Literature, Kayla Veenstra

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Grading systems in many secondary schools often follow a traditional system where students accumulate points from many different components in class which are then weighted to equate to one letter grade representing everything. More school leaders are beginning to recognize faults that traditional grading can have in lacking clarity, coherence, and validity in what grades report of student learning in a course, and therefore, are turning to a standards-based grading system. Transforming an entire grading system in a secondary school is a major undertaking that can have many implications. However, it is challenging for school leaders to be prepared for …

Education About Gender-Based Violence: Opportunities And Obstacles In The Ontario Secondary School Curriculum, Catherine Vanner

Education Publications

This article examines the Ontario secondary school curriculum’s inclusion of opportunities to teach about gender-based violence, drawing on analysis of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Canadian and World Issues, and Health and Physical Education curricula and seven teacher interviews. Analysis applies Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis to show that opportunities for teachers to address gender-based violence issues exist, but the use of discourses that emphasize critical engagement with gender-based violence concepts are limited to upper level optional courses. Given their prevalence in Canada, gender-based violence issues should be positioned in the curriculum as essential knowledge, and taught with recognition of the …

Understanding Teachers' Choice For Implementing The Flipped Classroom Model, Daphney Phillip

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The flipped classroom model has been proven to impact students' learning positively, but many educators are reluctant to implement the flipped learning model in their classrooms. There are few studies addressing educators' choice to implement the flipped classroom model at the middle school level. This qualitative study aimed to explore teachers’ choices for implementing the flipped learning model, to provide evidence-based practices and recommendations for the creation of a support system, and to help create a support system to assist teachers to use the flipped learning model successfully. The study centered on two questions regarding how teachers described their choices …

School Leadership And Whole- School Support Of Struggling Literacy Learners In Secondary Schools, Margaret K. Merga, Saiyidi Mat Roni, Anabela Malpique

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The needs of struggling literacy learners beyond the early years of schooling warrant greater attention. For struggling literacy learners to attain their academic, vocational, and social goals, schools should position literacy as a whole school priority and enhance opportunities for student literacy learning across all learning areas. However, it is not known if literacy is typically supported as a whole school commitment in contemporary secondary schools. This paper draws on survey data from the Australian nation-wide 2019 Supporting Struggling Secondary Literacy Learners (SSSLL) project. Findings suggest that many mainstream secondary school teachers do not perceive that there is a whole-school …

Digital Labour And Temporal Priorities Within A Secondary School, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Digital devices and ubiquitous online access contribute to the nature and amount of digital labour conducted by school staff. Drawing on more than 40 interviews with staff at one Australian secondary school, the general nature of this digital labour is presented, then Clancy’s notion of temporal autonomous spaces is introduced and applied to theorise why some teachers used digital technologies constantly in their teaching. The article highlights how some teachers invested their time in learning about and using digital technologies because it enhanced their sense of autonomy and increased their sense of freed time. It theorises how teachers who invest …

Ninth-Grade Students' Motivation For Reading And Course Choice, Mckenna Lyn Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to better understand how 9th grade honors and general education language arts students valued reading, and to discover if there were any connections between the types of reading values, expectancies for success, and the student’s ultimate language arts course selection. This study was grounded in the expectancy-value theory and considered all 4 task values including utility, attainment, intrinsic, cost, and the expectancies (e.g., past experiences and reader identity) of the participants as well. First, a survey was administered to 9th graders (N = 118) enrolled in either a general language arts …

Student Wellbeing And Open Studio Process In The School Curriculum, Maria Kim

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study aimed to explore whether Open Studio Process (OSP) increased wellbeing of middle and high school students when facilitated by teachers as a part of the regular art curriculum. It was hypothesized that OSP might increase the sense of wellbeing among middle and high school students as well as facilitating teachers. The research was conducted as a mixed methods study in South Korea where students need preventative interventions for their wellbeing. The researcher trained eight teachers to facilitate OSP and five of them implemented it with their classes for seven sessions. Quantitative data (K-YSR; pre- and posttest) were collected …

How Do Student And Secondary School Characteristics Explain College English I Completion In A Rural Arkansas Community College?, Jessica Rohlman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges serve diverse populations that may not be as academically prepared as at four-year institutions. Accountability of higher education institutions is ever-increasing in importance, so understanding the contributing factors to student success is critical. Students bring a unique set of characteristics to the community college, including individual traits and secondary school experiences. Many studies have examined these characteristics at large urban or mid-western institutions, but few in rural settings. Rural areas of the United States have lower rates of educational attainment than other areas, which often translates to lower incomes. It is the mission of community colleges to train …