scholarly journals A full year COVID-19 crisis with interrupted learning and two school closures: The effects on learning growth and inequality in primary education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Haelermans ◽  
Madelon Jacobs ◽  
Lynn van Vugt ◽  
Bas Aarts ◽  
Henry Abbink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Education ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Standard Deviations ◽  
Learning Growth

After more than a year of COVID-19 crisis and the school closures that followed all around the world, the concerns about lower learning growth and exacerbated inequalities are larger than ever. In this paper, we use unique data to analyse how one full year of COVID-19 crisis in Dutch primary education has affected learning growth and pre-existing inequalities. We draw on a dataset that includes around 330,000 Dutch primary school students from about 1,600 schools, with standardized test scores for reading, spelling and mathematics, as well as rich (family) background information of the students. The results show a lower learning growth over a full year for all three domains, varying from 0.06 standard deviations for spelling to 0.12 for maths and 0.17 standard deviations for reading. Furthermore, we find that the lower learning growth is (much) larger for vulnerable students with a low socioeconomic background. This implies that pre-existing inequalities between students from different backgrounds have increased. These results are quite alarming and suggest that distance learning could not compensate for classroom teaching, although it prevented some damage that would have occurred if students had not enjoyed any formal education at all.

scholarly journals Achievement Gaps by Parental Income and Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Marie Jorde Sandsør ◽  
Henrik Daae Zachrisson ◽  
Lynn A. Karoly
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Achievement Gaps ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Parental Income ◽  
Standard Deviations

Socioeconomic achievement gaps measure the disparity in test scores between students from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds, commonly measured as a combination of parental income, education and occupation. However, educational data often limits the ability to create such measures of family background and link them to student test scores, leading researchers to arrive at different conclusions about levels and trends depending on the SES measure and estimation method. In this paper we disentangle the importance of each by using register data from Norway with precise measures of parental income and education. We show that results crucially depend on the SES measure, as parental income and education are not interchangeable measures of socioeconomic background. Achievement gaps by parental income in Norway are large, 0.55-0.93 standard deviations, and have increased by about 10% of a standard deviation over the 11-year time period we study, whereas achievement gaps by parental education are even larger, 0.86-1.15 standard deviations, but remain stable over the same period. Accounting for compositional changes in immigration decreases the magnitude of the gaps, whether measured by parental income or education, while trends remain the same.

Family Background, Parent Involvement, and Shadow Education Participation of Middle School Students: Empirical Analysis from CEPS2015 Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 893-905
Author(s):  
Xiang Gao ◽  
Haiping Xue
Keyword(s):  
Parent Involvement ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Shadow Education ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
School Students ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Education Participation ◽  
The Relationship

Using the 2015 data of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), the relationship between family socioeconomic background, parent involvement, and shadow education participation was explored through structural equations. The results showed that: parent involvement strengthened shadow education participation; parent involvement played a part in the mediating role in the influence of family socioeconomic background on shadow education participation. Parent involvement activates the advantage of family socioeconomic background. Families with high socioeconomic backgrounds are more active in participating in shadow education, and families of different strata are divided into opportunities for participation in shadow education.

scholarly journals Are Social and Ethnic Reading Inequalities Increasing During School Closures?—The Mediating Role of Parental Involvement in Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Weber ◽  
Christoph Helm ◽  
David Kemethofer
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Mediating Role

From spring 2020 many countries throughout Europe and beyond temporarily closed schools to tackle the spread of the coronavirus. First studies indicate that these school closures resulted in lower learning gains compared to learning gains in preceding years and widened social and ethnic disparities by affecting disadvantaged students more strongly than their more advantaged peers. Moreover, during school closures, parental involvement in distance learning is regarded as crucial for successful learning, especially for younger children. In the current study, we examine whether social and ethnic disparities in the reading achievement of primary school students widened during COVID-related school closures in spring 2020 and whether increased disparities are mediated by parental involvement in distance learning. We use data from 409 Austrian 2nd graders, whose teachers participated in an ongoing study on the use of learning progress assessment. Adopting a within-subject design, we first compare the effects of social and ethnic family background on reading achievement during a pre-lockdown period with the respective effects during a lockdown period of similar length. Controlling for pre-lockdown reading differences, we found that low socioeconomic status and non-German language use at home negatively predicted post-lockdown reading achievement, indicating that post-lockdown disparities were larger than expected due to disparities at pre-lockdown. In contrast, we found no such effects during the pre-lockdown period. Second, a series of mediation models did not provide any support for the hypothesis that parental involvement accounted for family background effects on reading achievement during the lockdown period.

Social Influences - a Psychological Phenomenon in the Choice of Further Course of Education and Career

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-53
Author(s):  
Petr Hlaďo
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Compulsory Schooling ◽  
Lower Secondary School ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
School Students ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Psychological Phenomenon ◽  
Research Findings

The aim of this overview study is to synthesize Czech, Slovak and foreign empirical findings on the choice of further course of education and career. Attention is focused specifically on social influences as a psychological phenomenon affecting this decision-making process in lower secondary school students at the end of compulsory schooling. The main attention is paid to the roles of parents and family, particularly the influence of family background and family processes. Another issue is the influence of peers, teachers and career counsellors on the choice of further course of education and career. The synthesis of research findings is based primarily on an analysis of research papers published in journals.

scholarly journals Attitudes towards math in primary school students: Differences depending on the grade and gender

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-132
Author(s):  
Antonio Valle ◽  
Bibiana Regueiro ◽  
Isabel Piñeiro ◽  
Benigno Sánchez ◽  
Carlos Freire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Perceived Competence ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Grade 5 ◽  
Anxiety Levels ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Negative Feelings

The main aim of this study is to check whether there are differences in some variables related to attitudes towards math in primary school students according to the course and gender. The sample consists of 897 students of the fifth and sixth year of primary education (50.2% boys and 49.8% girls). The results indicate that the boys, compared to girls, have a higher perceived competence in math, they are more intrinsically motivated extrinsic and exhibit lower levels of anxiety. As for the differences in terms of this variable, the results indicate that students in grade 5 have a higher perceived competence for math, perceive most useful, are more intrinsically motivated to this subject and show anxiety levels and some negative feelings toward the lower than grade 6. Therefore, girls show a "profile" of less adaptive than men conditions, both in terms of their perceived competition as their motivation towards math and also in terms of the emotions associated with this matter. As for the differences depending on the course, students from grade 5 are those with a much more positive attitudinal and motivational conditions than grade 6.

Do primary school libraries affect teenagers’ attitudes towards leisure reading?

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522098335
Author(s):  
Pamela McKirdy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Family Background ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
First Year ◽  
Noisy Environments ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Leisure Reading ◽  
Reading For Pleasure

This study explores how New Zealand primary school students’ experiences of school libraries affected their attitudes towards reading for pleasure once they entered secondary school. Two hundred and seventy-six students in their first year at high school completed a survey asking about their primary school libraries. The students were asked to self-identify as keen readers, occasional readers or non-readers. The results were analysed in a spreadsheet, considering variables such as attitude to reading, former school and family background. The students were mainly positive about their libraries, but were bothered by cramped and noisy environments and books they perceived as babyish. Students from schools with a librarian were more positive about reading for fun than those from schools where the library was not prioritised. Students from a family background where reading was encouraged were more likely to maintain a positive attitude to reading by the time they reached high school.

scholarly journals Relationship between Social Skills and Happiness: Differences by Gender

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7929
Author(s):  
Carlos Salavera ◽  
Pablo Usán
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Subjective Happiness ◽  
School Students ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Subjective Happiness Scale ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the relationship between social skills and happiness in 1st-year Teaching School students, as well as possible gender differences. The sample comprised 243 Teaching School students (Primary Education) in Zaragoza, including 110 men (45.27%) and 133 women (54.73%), aged 18–25 (average age 20.23 years; s.d. = 1.586). In order to analyse the relationship between social skills and subjective happiness, the Scale of Social Skills and Subjective Happiness Scale were used. While men scored higher in all social skills-related factors, women scored higher in all factors related to happiness. The study shows that factors such as self-expression in social settings and the ability to say no and cut off social interactions have a direct and significant effect on happiness among men, while self-expression in social settings and the ability to express anger led to a higher perception of happiness among women. Similarly, situations such as asking for and defending rights have an indirect and significant effect in men, reducing their levels of happiness. In the case of women, no social skills factors were found that led to lower happiness. It may be concluded that significant gender differences exist, although broader and lateral studies are needed in order to examine the relationship between gender identities, social skills and subjective happiness more in depth, and thus, understand the effect of these constructs in the development of personality.

scholarly journals The Effect of Family Background on Student Effort

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1337-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoë Kuehn ◽  
Pedro Landeras
Keyword(s):  
Parental Education ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
Marginal Productivity ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Effort ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
University Degree ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Students from more advantageous family backgrounds tend to perform better than those from less advantageous backgrounds. But it is not clear that these students exert more effort. We build a model of students, schools, and employers to study the interaction of family background and effort exerted by the student in the education process. Two factors turn out to be key in determining the relationship between effort and family background: (i) the student’s attitude toward risk and (ii) how the student’s marginal productivity of effort depends on her family background. We show that when the degree of risk aversion is relatively low (high) compared to the sensitivity of the marginal productivity of effort, students from more advantageous family backgrounds exert more (less) effort. Empirically, we find that if parental education was reduced from holding a university degree to incomplete compulsory education, primary and secondary school students would exert around 21–23% less effort (approximately equal to a reduction of 2 hours weekly in homework). For primary school students we also find that marginal productivities of effort are higher for those from less advantageous family backgrounds.

Let’s tweet again? Social networks and literature achievement in high school students

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-64
Author(s):  
Gian Paolo Barbetta ◽  
Paolo Canino ◽  
Stefano Cima
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
School Students ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Internet Connections ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The availability of cheap Wi-Fi internet connections has encouraged schools to adopt Web 2.0 platforms for teaching, with the intention of stimulating students’ academic achievement and participation in school. Moreover, during the recent explosion of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis that forced many countries to close schools (as well as offices and factories), the widespread diffusion of these applications kept school systems going. Despite their widespread use as teaching tools, the effect of adopting Web 2.0 platforms on students’ performance has never been rigorously tested. We fill this gap in the literature by analyzing the impact of using Twitter as a teaching tool on high school students’ literature skills. Based on a large-scale, randomized controlled trial that involved 70 schools and about 1,500 students, we find that using Twitter to teach literature has an overall negative effect on students’ average achievement, reducing standardized test scores by about 25 percent of a standard deviation. The negative effect is stronger on students who usually perform better.

Assessing the health information source perceptions of tweens using card-sorting exercises

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth St. Jean ◽  
Natalie Greene Taylor ◽  
Christie Kodama ◽  
Mega Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Information Source ◽  
After School ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
School Students ◽  
Sources Of Health Information

As young people are increasingly turning to the Internet to meet their information needs, it is imperative to investigate their perceptions regarding various potential sources of health information. A series of card-sorting exercises were administered to new participants in an after-school programme (HackHealth) to find out which sources of health information these greater Washington DC metro area middle school students would turn to, which they would not and their reasons behind these judgements. The findings revealed that participants were very aware of the importance of trustworthiness when looking for health information and they valued both professional expertise based on formal education and expertise born of personal experience with a particular health condition. However, they also valued convenience, ease and speed, and sometimes sacrificed information quality. Some important implications of these findings for healthcare and information professionals are identified and suggestions for future research in this area are offered.

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