How Much Choice is Enough? Parental Satisfaction with Secondary School Choice in England and Scotland

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
AVEEK BHATTACHARYA
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Parental Satisfaction ◽  
Policy Goal ◽  
The World ◽  
British Experience ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Governments around the world have sought to promote school choice, not just in order to improve educational outcomes, but also because such choice is believed to be intrinsically valuable: parents are believed to want to choice and to feel empowered by it. This article empirically evaluates the intrinsic value of school choice, comparing the attitudes and experiences of parents in England (where expanding choice is an explicit policy goal) and Scotland (where policymakers tend to play down choice), combining an online survey with in-depth interviews. While the overwhelming majority of parents in both countries express a desire for some school choice, only a minority want choice primarily for intrinsic reasons. Rather, most believe it is necessary to avoid negative outcomes for their children. Moreover, while parents in England tend to say they have more choice than their Scottish counterparts, they are no more satisfied with the level of choice that they have. Indeed, they tend to be more cynical, fatalistic and disempowered. Based on the British experience, school choice policies have not been successful in promoting intrinsic value.

scholarly journals Escaping the “virtual promenade” – new trends in use of social networks by members of generation “z"

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 37-55
Author(s):  
Tomislav Levak ◽  
Snježana Barić Šelmić
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
School Students ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
The World

The aim of this paper is to determine whether the younger population in Croatia is following the dominant world trends in the use of social networks as extremely widespread communication platforms. Namely, although the Facebook community currently consists of as many as two billion users and is still convincingly the most popular social network in the world, it has already been noted that members of the so-called generation Z (people born after 1995) across the world are increasingly abandoning or minorizing Facebook and turning to other social networks. To this end, the authors used the comparative method to investigate the use of several contemporary social networks and current trends in the world and Croatia, using the necessary theoretical framework. Also, during May of 2017, the authors conducted a research into online habits and attitudes on social networks – which has not yet been done in Croatia, in the authors' knowledge – by means of an online survey among secondary school students, members of generation Z, in several major and smaller Croatian cities: Zagreb, Osijek, Krk and Korčula. The results of the research confirmed the initial hypotheses of the authors: young people are increasingly leaving Facebook as a “virtual promenade”, largely because older generations began using it, including their parents; they are mostly turning to social networks that offer a prevalence of photographs over text, primarily Instagram and Snapchat. In addition, no significant differences were found between members of generation Z in larger urban areas on the continent and smaller urban areas on the Adriatic islands, when it comes to their preferences.

scholarly journals Factors influencing wellbeing in young people during COVID-19: A survey with 6291 young people in Wales

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260640
Author(s):  
Michaela James ◽  
Hope Jones ◽  
Amana Baig ◽  
Emily Marchant ◽  
Tegan Waites ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Asian Ethnicity ◽  
The World ◽  
Mixed Ethnicity

COVID-19 infection and the resultant restrictions has impacted all aspects of life across the world. This study explores factors that promote or support wellbeing for young people during the pandemic, how they differ by age, using a self-reported online survey with those aged 8–25 in Wales between September 2020 and February 2021. Open-ended responses were analysed via thematic analysis to provide further context. A total of 6,291 responses were obtained from 81 education settings across Wales (including primary and secondary schools as well as sixth form, colleges and universities). Wellbeing was highest in primary school children and boys and lowest in those who were at secondary school children, who were girls and, those who preferred not to give a gender. Among primary school children, higher wellbeing was seen for those who played with lots of others (rather than alone), were of Asian ethnicity (OR 2.17, 95% CI: 1.26 to 4.3), had a safe play area (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.67 to 2.56) and had more sleep. To support their wellbeing young people reported they would like to be able to play with their friends more. Among secondary school children those who were of mixed ethnicity reported lower wellbeing (OR: 5.14, 95% CI: 1.68 to 15.79). To support their wellbeing they reported they would like more support with mental health (due to anxiety and pressure to achieve when learning online). This study found self-reported wellbeing differed by gender, ethnicity and deprivation and found younger children report the need for play and to see friends to support wellbeing but older children/young people wanted more support with anxiety and educational pressures.

THE GENESIS OF CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT TRENDS AND PROSPECTS IN THE POLITICAL REFORM OF MODERN COUNTRIES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF RUSSIA AND FRANCE)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
MARIETA EPREMYAN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Reform ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Political ◽  
Development Trends ◽  
Conservative Ideology ◽  
The World ◽  
Christian Conservatism ◽  
The Future ◽  
Conservative Policy ◽  
Depth Interviews

The article examines the epistemological roots of conservative ideology, development trends and further prospects in political reform not only in modern Russia, but also in other countries. The author focuses on the “world” and Russian conservatism. In the course of the study, the author illustrates what opportunities and limitations a conservative ideology can have in political reform not only in modern Russia, but also in the world. In conclusion, it is concluded that the prospect of a conservative trend in the world is wide enough. To avoid immigration and to control the development of technology in society, it is necessary to adhere to a conservative policy. Conservatism is a consolidating ideology. It is no coincidence that the author cites as an example the understanding of conservative ideology by the French due to the fact that Russia has its own vision of the ideology of conservatism. If we say that conservatism seeks to preserve something and respects tradition, we must bear in mind that traditions in different societies, which form some kind of moral imperatives, cannot be a single phenomenon due to different historical destinies and differing religious views. Considered from the point of view of religion, Muslim and Christian conservatism will be somewhat confrontational on some issues. The purpose of the work was to consider issues related to the role, evolution and prospects of conservative ideology in the political reform of modern countries. The author focuses on Russia and France. To achieve this goal, the method of in-depth interviews with experts on how they understand conservatism was chosen. Already today, conservatism is quite diverse. It is quite possible that in the future it will transform even more and acquire new reflections.

International School in Informatics “Junior” for IOI Training

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 187-193
Author(s):  
Marina S. TSVETKOVA ◽  
Vladimir M. KIRYUKHIN
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
International School ◽  
International Training ◽  
Internet Resources ◽  
Thirtieth Anniversary ◽  
The World ◽  
Training Event ◽  
School Computer

In 2018 the IOI will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. Over these three decades, not only the world secondary school Olympiads in informatics community have been formed, which covers more than 80 countries from all continents, but a formation of an united methodological space of the school Informatics started also. This space allows many countries today to develop school computer science education, using the experience of other countries, materials from the IOI conference journal, sites of computer science contests, and other Internet resources. This article describes a model for organizing an international training event for juniors – International School in Informatics “Junior” – ISIJ.

Income or Culture? Examining the Determinants of Subjective Wellbeing in an International Sample

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Garg
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Regression Coefficient ◽  
Marginal Utility ◽  
Economic Class ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The World ◽  
Diminishing Marginal Utility ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: The aim of this paper was to examine the relationship between income, subjective wellbeing, and culture among people from a higher socio-economic class across the world. Rationale: Ed Diener proposed the law of diminishing marginal utility as an explanation for differences in subjective wellbeing among different income groups across different countries (Diener, Ng, & Tov, Balance in life and declining marginal utility of diverse resources, 2009). Thus, people with higher incomes would experience less subjective wellbeing due to income, and culture should emerge as a significant predictor. Method: Data from this study came from another study (https://siddharthgargblog.wordpress.com/2019/07/14/love-for-money/). I used an online survey to collect data on annual income in US dollars, subjective wellbeing (WHO-5), and country of residence (Indicator of Culture). 96 responses (Indians = 24, Foreigners = 72) were entered in IBM SPSS and a regression analysis was conducted. The raw dataset used in this study can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8869040.v1Results: ANOVA showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between Indians and foreigners on levels of subjective wellbeing. Linear regression shows the regression coefficient of culture to be significant (Beta = -.254, p = .014) but the regression coefficient of income was not found to be significant. The overall model was found to explain 8.2% of the variance in wellbeing.Conclusion: The sample of this study is too small to make any kind of generalization; it does lend a little bit of support to the idea of diminishing marginal utility of income on subjective wellbeing and provides a rationale for further research.

scholarly journals Where news could not inspire change: TRT World as a party broadcaster

Journalism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146488492110334
Author(s):  
Mona Elswah ◽  
Philip N. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Media Freedom ◽  
Editorial Policies ◽  
The World ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Media Market

Turkey has vastly increased the scale of its investment in public diplomacy tools. Although Turkey is considered one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists, its media market is one of the fastest-growing in the world. In 2015, the Istanbul-based English-language TRT World was launched with the slogan ‘where news inspires change’, The channel promised to provide impartial coverage of global news, with its experienced journalists addressing global audiences. In this study, we investigate the interplay between public diplomacy and editorial policies at TRT World. After conducting in-depth interviews with TRT World journalists, we argue that the channel has shifted its style from being Turkey’s public diplomacy tool into becoming the AKP’s voice to the world. By examining TRT World, this study provides a framework to understand how international broadcasters operate in countries where media freedom is restricted.

Masking Attendance: How Education Policy Distracts from the Wicked Problem(s) of Chronic Absenteeism

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Childs ◽  
Richard Lofton
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Chronic Absenteeism ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Comprehensive Education ◽  
Opportunity Gaps

Traditionally, education policy focuses on reforms that address class size, teaching and learning within classrooms, school choice, and changes in leadership as ways to improve students’ educational outcomes. Although well intentioned, education policy can distract from the multi-layered causes that impact achievement and opportunity gaps, and how students’ life circumstances can affect their school attendance. Students who miss school frequently are less likely to be impacted by even the most robust and comprehensive education reforms. This paper discusses how the root causes of chronic absenteeism are complex and that policy distractions can stifle solutions to solve school attendance issues. As a wicked problem, chronic absenteeism, requires a conceptual framework that helps to organize policy responses within all levels of the educational system, as well as expansive to include other social sectors within public policy.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown Measures on Quality of Life among Italian General Population

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Stella Epifanio ◽  
Federica Andrei ◽  
Giacomo Mancini ◽  
Francesca Agostini ◽  
Marco Andrea Piombo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
World Health Organization Quality ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world in the year 2020 has put a strain on our ability to cope with events and revolutionized our daily habits. On 9 March, Italy was forced to lockdown to prevent the spread of the infection, with measures including the mandatory closure of schools and nonessential activities, travel restrictions, and the obligation to spend entire weeks in the same physical space. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on quality of life (QoL) in a large Italian sample, in order to investigate possible differences in QoL levels related to both demographic and pandemic-specific variables. A total of 2251 Italian adults (1665 women, mainly young and middle adults) were recruited via a snowball sampling strategy. Participants were requested to answer to an online survey, which included demographic and COVID-related information items, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). The results showed statistically significant differences in QoL depending on a number of variables, including sex, area of residence in Italy, and being diagnosed with a medical/psychiatric condition. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess QoL during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, therefore the present findings can offer guidelines regarding which social groups are more vulnerable of a decline in QoL and would benefit of psychological interventions.

scholarly journals Influence of boarding secondary school environment on HIV positive students in South Western Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Bernard Kihumuro ◽  
David Jolly Muganzi ◽  
Elton George Wandira ◽  
Racheal Alinaiswe ◽  
Jovitah Joselyne Nanyunja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Key Informants ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Negative Coping ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background The number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive adolescents in secondary school has increased over the years. Little is known on how the students cope to the pressures and demands of their academic and health lives in the boarding secondary schools. This study explored the factors surrounding their anti-retroviral therapy adherence as well as their experiences. Methods We did a qualitative study that employed in-depth interviews amongst purposively selected 19 HIV positive adolescent students in boarding secondary school and seven key informants. Key informants were members of boarding secondary school staff directly taking care of the adolescents living with human immune virus and had spent at least two academic terms in that school. The study participants were recruited from four health facilities in Bushenyi district, southwestern Uganda, and key informants from five boarding secondary schools in Bushenyi. These were engaged in in-depth interviews using an interview guide. Data was transcribed, coded and the content analyzed thematically. Results Adolescents living with human immunodeficiency virus in boarding secondary school face challenges similar to adolescents outside boarding school settings. However, some challenges are unique to them. Students faced numerous barriers which made it difficult to adhere to their medication. Stigmatization in its different forms was also a major challenge amongst students. Willingness disclosure of serostatus was beneficial to the students since it guaranteed support while at school; facilitating adherence and better living. However, students were uneasy to disclose their status. Some students adopted negative coping mechanisms such as telling lies, escaping from school, and class to access medication. Conclusions Adolescents in boarding secondary schools face similar challenges as compared to their counterparts with some being unique to them. Few school mechanisms help these students to cope while at school. Limited disclosure has proven useful but some adolescents have opted not to disclose their status and hence used negative coping mechanisms. These challenges need to be addressed and a safe environment to encourage limited disclosure should be made.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document