scholarly journals Public school students at a clear disadvantage in English language vocabulary production

Káñina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-94
Author(s):  
Damaris Castro-García

The aim of the present study is to offer a comparative perspective on the level of attainment of productive vocabulary in three different high school settings in the Costa Rican educational system. The study compares the results obtained in two tasks that demand controlled production and free productive vocabulary from students who attend these schools. The vocabulary was measured through the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT) and a free composition, respectively. The first school is a school where content based instruction is implemented. The second school, a semi-private school, offers more hours of instruction of English as a Foreign Language than the minimum required by the Ministry of Education, although English is not used to teach non-language subjects. In the third school, a public school, the minimum number of hours officially required is offered to the students (532 hours). The results in the controlled productive vocabulary task and in the free composition favor, by far, the performance of the students who are taught using English as a medium of instruction. These results point to a much-needed change in the teaching methodology of EFL in Costa Rica, especially when it comes to the teaching practices implemented in most public schools.

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-122
Author(s):  
Augusta B. S. Oliveira Klebis ◽  
Osmarina Gomes Paiola ◽  
Samara Correia Lima

In the current context, government and civil society have been discussing commitments related to children ́s and youths ́right to education, expressed in the increasing ofthe daily length of permanencein public schools, beyond the six hoursa day. Thus, the main objective of this research is to bring to the debate the implications and challenges of the implementation of the IntegralEducation by municipalities. More specifically, it seeks: a) to discuss the concept of integral education through the view of several authors; b) to provide different experiences with integraleducation on the historical trajectory of Brazilian education; c) to reflect on the importance of integraleducation tothe development of subjectsin its various dimensions; d) to analyze the projectsfor integraleducation in the programs “Mais Educação”(linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Education) and “Cidadescola”(of the municipality of Presidente Prudente). To develop this study,the methodology chosen was the bibliographical research,with aqualitative approachto thetheoretical support of several authors, in addition to miningofficial documents on the programs analysed. We conclude that, although advances have been observed, it is still necessary to overcome many challenges to achieve the desired quality for an education that provides the human and social emancipation of public school students.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Bahramnejad ◽  
Abedin Iranpour ◽  
Nouzar Nakhaee

Abstract Background Recent evidence from Western countries suggests that private school students are more prone to drug use. Such an evidence is lacking in Muslim countries. The aim of this study was to examine whether the risk of drug use is higher in private schools than public schools. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted on 630 randomly selected 10th grade students of Kerman city, the center of largest province of Iran. Well-validated questionnaires regarding current, lifetime substance use, and perceived use by classmates were utilized. Substances included in the questionnaire were waterpipe, cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, opium, methamphetamine, and Naas. Drug Abuse Tendency Scale was used to measure the attitudes of students towards drug use. Results More than 82% of sample were public school students (n = 504). Ever use of cigarette, alcohol and marijuana was higher in private schools (27.6%, 39.0%, and 5.7%, respectively) than public schools (15.3%, 25.8%, 2.2%, respectively) (P < 0.05). The drug abuse tendency score was nearly higher in public school students (10.4 ± 9.4) than private schools (12.1 ± 9.9) (P = 0.090). Perceived prevalence of cigarette and marijuana use by classmates was higher among private school students. Conclusion Despite the popular belief that private schools are better than public schools regarding the risk of substance use, students who attend private schools are at a higher risk of turning to some drugs comparing to public schools in Iran.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Boulter

<p>This study added to existing data on home school effectiveness by comparing the academic achievement of 66 home school students with 66 of their grade-level peers in traditional public schools. The two groups of students were matched on gender, race, and grade level and were administered the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III. No significant difference in overall academic achievement was found between the groups.  Both home school and public school students had average or above average scores in reading, math, written language, and broad knowledge (science, social studies, and humanities).  The results further revealed a downward trend in math, reading and broad knowledge scores with increasing grade level. This trend suggests that home school and public school students experience a “developmental mismatch” between the changes that occur in adolescence and their school/home experiences, resulting in lower motivation, confidence, and academic performance.</p>


Author(s):  
Ojima Zechariah Wada ◽  
Aminat Opeyemi Amusa ◽  
Fiyinfoluwa Taiwo Asaolu ◽  
David Olatunde Akinyemi ◽  
Elizabeth Omoladun Oloruntoba

Psychosocial stressors are indicative of challenges associated with the social and environmental conditions an individual is subjected to. In a bid to clearly understand the present gaps in school sanitation, this cross-sectional study aimed to identify the sanitation-related psychosocial stressors experienced by students in a Nigerian peri-urban community and their associated impacts. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 400 students from 10 schools. The students to toilet ratio were 1,521:0 and 1,510:0 for the public-school boys and girls, respectively, and 74:1 and 70:1 for the private-school boys and girls, respectively. Furthermore, public-school students had a significantly higher average stress level (P < 0.001, η2p = 0.071) and a significantly higher proportion of students experiencing school absenteeism (P < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 4.8; 95% confidence interval [C.I] = 2.7–8.2), missed classes (P < 0.001; OR = 5.8; CI = 2.8–12.0), long urine/fecal retention time (P < 0.001; OR = 2.9; CI = 1.8–4.7), open defecation practice (P < 0.001; OR = 4.2; CI = 2.5–7.1), and open defecation-related anxiety (P < 0.001; OR = 3.6; CI = 2.0–6.5). Moreover, the inability to practice menstrual hygiene management was significantly associated with student-reported monthly school absence among girls (P < 0.001; OR = 4.5; CI = 2.2–9.4). Overall, over 50% of the respondents had reportedly been subjected to at least 14 of the 17 stressors outlined. The most prevalent stressors identified were concerns about disease contraction, toilet cleanliness, toilet phobia, privacy, and assault/injury during open defecation/urination. In conclusion, results show that the absence of functional sanitation facilities purportedly has a grievous effect on the mental, physical, social, and academic well-being of the students. This was clearly seen among public-school students. Subsequent sanitation interventions need to be targeted at ameliorating identified stressors.


2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Churchill

In February 1899, the Committee of Physical Culture of the Chicago Public School Board approved an intensive “anthropometric” study of all children enrolled in the city's public schools. The study was a detailed attempt to measure the height, weight, strength, lung capacity, hearing, and general fitness of Chicago's student population. Through 1899 and 1900, thousands of Chicago's primary, grammar, and high school students had their bodies closely scrutinized, measured, weighed, tested, and, in a few cases, diagrammed. What the School Board members wanted to know was the “fitness” of the student body. Were Chicago public school students—many recently arrived immigrants from eastern and southern Europe—vital and vigorous children who could become energetic modern workers and citizens (Figure 1)?


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donya Khalili ◽  
Arthur Caplan

Every September, millions of parents around the country herd their children into pediatricians’ offices with school immunization forms in hand. Their kids have already received a dozen or more shots before the age of two, and, depending on the state in which they live, a dozen more may await them over the ensuing decade. To protect public health, states require that parents have their children immunized before they are permitted to attend public or private school, but the rules vary for homeschooled children. With the spectacular growth in the number of homeschooled students, it is becoming more difficult to reach these youth to ensure that they are immunized at all. These children are frequently unvaccinated, leaving them open to infection by diseases that have been all but stamped out in the United States by immunization requirements. States should encourage parents to have their homeschooled students vaccinated by enacting the same laws that are used for public school students, enforcing current laws through neglect petitions, or requiring that children be immunized before participating in school-sponsored programs.


1996 ◽  
Vol 79 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1155-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara M. Yarnold

This analysis examined inhalant use by 482 adolescents in Dade County, Florida public schools in 1992. Probit analysis indicated factors associated with increased probability of use included peers' use of inhalants, earlier grades (Grades 7 and 8), ready access, and a family member with a drug or alcohol problem. Adolescents were slightly more likely to use inhalants if they knew of the associated risks.


AILA Review ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 36-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Sayer

Abstract There has been a rapid global expansion of English instruction in the early grades in public school curricula. Particularly in so-called developing countries, the increase of and its shift from exclusively private to public education is linked to the idea that acquiring English promotes personal, social, and economic development. The author takes one case of a recent early English program, the national program in Mexico, and argues that it is a representative case of a language education programme and policy organized around neoliberal principles. The policy’s stated goal is to address issues of access and equity for public school students; however, findings indicate that the actual processes of teaching and learning at the classroom level remain highly stratified across social class lines. An analysis of English lessons in schools at different points on the socioeconomic spectrum illustrates that instruction is preparing children with certain types of skills and dispositions congruent to their class position and revealing the hidden curriculum of work in early English education.


2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (Special Edition) ◽  
pp. 129-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bisma Haseeb Khan ◽  
Sahar Amjad Shaikh

Over the past decade, Pakistan has seen the rapid growth of a third sector in education: shadow education. According to the Annual Survey of Education Report (2013), 34 percent of private school students and 17 percent of public school students undertake private tuition in Punjab. Anecdotal evidence suggests that private tuition has a positive impact on learning outcomes. Keeping this in view, it is possible that private tuition, rather than a difference in schooling quality, is driving the observed learning gap between public and private schools? This study employs a fixed-effects framework, using panel data from the Learning and Educational Achievement in Punjab Schools (LEAPS) survey, to quantify the impact of private tuition on learning outcomes in public and private schools. We analyze the demand and supply dynamics of the shadow education market in Punjab, and find that private tuition has a positive significant effect on learning outcomes, specifically for public school students. For English, much of the learning gap between public and private schools is explained by the higher incidence of private tuition among private school students, but this is not the case for mathematics and Urdu. We also find that private tuition is predominantly supplied by private school teachers, but that they do not shirk their regular class hours to create demand for their tuition classes, as is normally believed. On the demand side, private tuition acts as a substitute for receiving help at home. Moreover, it supplements formal education rather than substituting for low-quality formal schooling.


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