Fostering intercultural understanding through secondary school experiences of cultural immersion

As a multi ethnic country, Malaysia consists of three major ethnic groups mainly Malays, Chinese, and Indians with unity as its building block. Although education is seen as the best medium for the three major ethnic groups to work together, contemporary research shows that there is lack of intercultural understanding among these three ethnic groups. Therefore, this study focused on a classroom intervention to investigate how Malaysian based English literature can be utilized to promote intercultural understanding among Form Four secondary school students via reading. This qualitative research design study collected data through focus group interviews and journal entry. This research explored intercultural knowledge among Form Four students through the Intercultural Reading Program (IRP). Findings indicate that the IRP intervention improved Form Four students’ level of intercultural knowledge. This research puts forward suggestions to the Ministry of Education such as integrating IRP in its secondary schools’ English Literature curriculum.

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‘I Failed to Work Hard’: Reasons for Secondary School Dropout among Muslim Men in Delhi

Contemporary Education Dialogue ◽

10.1177/0973184919882795 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 45-69

Author(s):

Aashti Salman

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Low Income ◽

School Dropout ◽

School Experiences ◽

Drop Out ◽

School Level ◽

Committee Report ◽

Self Employment ◽

Secondary School Level ◽

Muslim Men

This article aims to understand the reasons and experiences which contribute to dropout among Muslims in India at the secondary school level (grades IX–XII). The focus of this article is low-income Muslim men, who have left school at the secondary level, in a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood of Jamia Nagar, Delhi. The context of this article is set by the seminal Sachar Committee Report which highlights the educational disadvantages of Muslims, categorising their school dropout rates as ‘worrisome’. The findings of this article are partially consistent with previous research. In the final instance, the Muslim men in Jamia Nagar linked their school leaving to their personal failure: in terms of their inability to maintain interest in studies/failing to clear a grade. There was a strong value attached to hard work, which men felt they lacked, and this was cited as the reason for their personal failure in school. In the process of constructing this narrative, family experiences were downplayed. School experiences were singled out by men as not affecting their decision to drop out. Another striking finding of this study is the relationship between self-employment and the decision to drop out.

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The role of the host culture as a resource for developing intercultural understanding in a Dutch international secondary school

Journal of Research in International Education ◽

10.1177/1475240905054390 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 193-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Mandy Jackson

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Intercultural Understanding ◽

Host Culture

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Experiences of Turkish Cypriot, Kurdish and Turkish Youth in Creating Transnational Social Spaces in London Schools

BORDER CROSSING ◽

10.33182/bc.v3i1.523 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 15-27

Author(s):

Dogus Simsek

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Identity Formation ◽

School Environment ◽

School Experiences ◽

Social Spaces ◽

School Life ◽

Transnational Social Spaces ◽

Turkish Youth ◽

Turkish Cypriot

This paper focuses on the role of school in identity formation of Turkish Cypriot, Kurdish and Turkish youths (thereafter TCKT) living in London and explores the perceptions of young people about their school life, mainly focusing on secondary school experiences, and exploring the difficulties faced in their relations with peers. It also examines the forms of homogeneity and heterogeneity within the school environment, examining their influence on identity formation and the negotiation of transnational social spaces by TCKT youth. The homogeneity of schools in London prevents them from forming identities based on interaction with various cultures and, therefore, limits their ability to create transnational social spaces.

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Online “iDentity” Formation and the High School Theatre Trip

McGill Journal of Education ◽

10.7202/1038602ar ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 771-786

Author(s):

John M. Richardson

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Identity Formation ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Qualitative Case Study ◽

School Experiences ◽

Online Identity ◽

School Students ◽

Digital Revolution ◽

One Year

Over the years that I have taken secondary school students to the theatre, the the digital revolution has moved through schools, classrooms, and even theatres, calling into question my goal of contributing positively to students’ identity formation through exposure to live plays. Responding to calls to examine the ways in which young people’s online and offline lives are interwoven, a one-year qualitative case study of student theatregoers suggests that online settings feature prominently in students’ identity formation and that non-digital school experiences such as the theatre trip are often experienced in light of students’ digital lives. Traditional events such as a trip to the theatre are influenced by and combined with online experiences to contribute to a new “iDentity” formation.

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"All We Got to See Were Factories.": Scoping Maori Transitions from Secondary School

10.26686/wgtn.16969717.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Moana Erika Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

School Experiences ◽

Complex Nature ◽

School Transitions ◽

Self Confidence ◽

Schooling Experiences ◽

Kaupapa Māori ◽

To Come ◽

The Impact ◽

Out Of School

<p>The primary purpose of this research is to scope the reflexive journey of a selected group of Maori as they recall their experiences of secondary school transitions. The already complex nature of this transition from school is further exacerbated by the identification of these people as Maori. The treatment of Maori students, particularly in relation to their secondary school experiences and its impact on transition, is a major concern for this research. The research methodology privileged by my thesis is kaupapa Maori theory. Secondary school transitions for rangatahi Maori is tenuous. By framing this thesis within kaupapa Maori methodology, the intention is to recognise the impact of dominant ideology on the schooling experiences of Maori and how it ultimately determines school transitions. This scoping study is based on the interviews of research participants as they reflect on their experiences as rangatahi Maori transitioning from school. In particular, these interviews highlight how rangatahi Maori work through the complexities they are confronted with whilst in the transitory phase between completion of secondary schooling and post-school opportunities. Information gathered from the interviews constitutes the findings of this thesis. The findings reveal that schooling experiences and more specifically, treatment of Maori students by teachers, play a significant role in transitioning for young Maori. Negotiating the already complex pathway out of school is doubly problematic for rangatahi Maori who also have to come to terms with a culture of failure, perpetuated at secondary school and reinforced by out of school experiences. This research contends that marginalisation of rangatahi Maori in New Zealand secondary schools creates an alternate experience, whereby actions of resistance and agency are employed as they look to position themselves into post-school opportunities. Of significance, is the human quality of determination that allows rangatahi Maori to stand firm, despite the entrenchment of low self-confidence and motivation through indifferent school and transition systems. Such pathways create choice for rangatahi Maori due to a lack of support from these systems, not because of it.</p>

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The representation of research in the national curriculum and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of research, its function, usefulness and value to their lives

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.7449.1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 1442

Author(s):

Kay Yeoman ◽

Laura Bowater ◽

Elena Nardi

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Scientific Method ◽

Research Question ◽

National Curriculum ◽

School Experiences ◽

Field Trips ◽

Chi Square ◽

Research School ◽

England And Wales ◽

Chi Square Test

Young people’s views on research, how it’s conducted and whether it’s important, influences the decisions they make about their further studies and career choices. We investigate how research is represented within the English national curriculum and the examination boards because we recognise that what is being taught influences secondary pupil views on research. We use questionnaire data to focus particularly on pupil perceptions of research in the sciences and the scientific method. The questionnaire was a 25-item Likert Scale (1-5) distributed to seven collaborating schools. We received 2634 returns from pupils across key stages 3, 4 and 5. We also asked teachers to complete the questionnaire to reflect how they thought their pupils would respond. We received 54 teacher responses. Statistically significant differences in the responses were identified through a chi-square test on SPSS and the interpretive part of our analysis considers how the term ‘research’ appears in the national curriculum for England and Wales and the three main English exam boards. The main theoretical construct that informs our analysis is Angela Brew’s 4-tier descriptor of perceptions of research (domino, trading, layer, journey). We use this framework to map the national curriculum for Science in England to establish the when, what and how research is presented to school pupils in England and Wales. We highlight and discuss certain pupil views on: research as involving the identification of a research question; research as a means to confirm one’s own opinion; research as involving the generation of new knowledge and the collection of new data, such as interviews and questionnaires as well as laboratory work, field trips and library searches. We also discuss pupils’ statements of confidence in their ability to do research, school experiences of research, perceptions of difficulty and importance of research to future career choice.

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