scholarly journals Development of Students’ Sustainability Competencies: Do Teachers Make a Difference?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12594
Author(s):  
Katja Scharenberg ◽  
Eva-Maria Waltner ◽  
Christoph Mischo ◽  
Werner Rieß
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Motivational Beliefs ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
School Students ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
School Year ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

Sustainability competence is an important goal of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in school. It is therefore anchored in the education plans of almost all school tracks in Germany. However, empirical findings regarding ESD in schools are scarce. The present study thus examined how sustainability competencies of secondary-school students develop within the course of a school year. Based on a proposed framework model of sustainability competencies, we assessed (a) students’ sustainability-related knowledge, (b) their affective-motivational beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability, as well as (c) their self-reported sustainability-related behavioral intentions. Our sample comprised n = 1318 students in 79 classrooms at different secondary school tracks (Grades 5–8) in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany). Measurements were taken at the beginning and at the end of the school year after the introduction of ESD as a guiding perspective for the new education plan. We observed an increase in students’ sustainability-related knowledge but a decline in their affective-motivational beliefs and attitudes towards sustainability over the course of one school year. Multilevel analyses showed that, at the individual level, prior learning requirements as well as ESD-related characteristics (students’ activities and general knowledge of sustainability) proved to be the strongest predictors of their development. In addition, grade- and track-specific differences were observed. At the classroom level, teachers’ attitudes towards ESD as well as their professional knowledge were found to be significant predictors of students’ development. The higher the commonly shared value of ESD at school and the higher teachers’ self-efficacy towards ESD, the higher was the students’ development of sustainability-related knowledge and self-reported sustainability-related behavioral intentions, respectively. The significance of the findings for ESD in schools is discussed.

Does School Matter?

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Noona Kiuru ◽  
Minna Pietikäinen ◽  
Jukka Jokela
Keyword(s):  
School Climate ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Students ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
School Burnout ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Positive Motivation

School burnout can be defined as consisting of exhaustion due to school demands, cynical, and detached attitude toward one’s school, and feelings of inadequacy as a student ( Kiuru, Aunola, Nurmi, Leskinen, & Salmela-Aro, 2008 ; Salmela-Aro & Näätänen, 2005 ; Schaufeli, Martínez, Pinto, Salanova, & Bakker, 2002 ). The first aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which schools differ in school-related burnout. Moreover, the aim was to examine the extent to which school-related and background factors are associated with school burnout at the school level and at the individual level. The participants were 58,657 students from 431 comprehensive schools and 29,515 students from 228 upper secondary schools who filled in a questionnaire measuring their school burnout, school-related variables (i.e., negative school climate, positive motivation received from teachers, support from the school), and background variables (i.e., gender, grade-point average, socio-economic status, and family structure). The results revealed only small differences between schools in school burnout. Among the comprehensive school students the results at the school-level showed that negative school climate typical of the school was positively related, while support from school shared among school members was negatively related to school-related burnout. Among upper secondary school students, in turn, positive motivation received from teachers typical of the school was negatively related to school-related burnout. At the individual level, negative school climate was positively related, and support from school and positive motivation received from teachers were negatively related to burnout among both the comprehensive and upper secondary school students. In addition, girls and those with lower GPA experienced higher levels of school burnout compared to boys and those with higher GPA.

scholarly journals The conception of substitution of the equals sign plays a unique role in students' algebra performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emine Simsek ◽  
Iro Xenidou-Dervou ◽  
Ilyas Karadeniz ◽  
Ian Jones
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
The Other ◽  
School Students ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
School Year ◽  
Equals Sign ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Unique Predictor ◽  
Algebra Learning

Students’ conceptions of the equals sign are related to algebraic success. Research has identified two common conceptions held by children: operational and relational. The latter has been widely operationalised in terms of the sameness of the values on each side of the equals sign, but it has been recently argued that the substitution component of relational equivalence should also be operationalised (Jones, Inglis, Gilmore, & Dowens, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.05.003). In this study, we investigated whether students’ endorsement of the substitution definition of the equals sign is a unique predictor of their algebra performance independent of the other two definitions (operational and sameness). Secondary school students were asked to rate the ‘cleverness’ of operational, sameness, and substitution definitions of the equals sign and completed an algebra test. Our findings demonstrate that endorsement of substitution plays a unique role in explaining secondary school students’ algebra performance above and beyond school year and the other definitions. These findings contribute new insights into how students’ algebra learning relates to their conceptions of the equals sign.

scholarly journals Mapping Landscape Values and Conflicts through the Optics of Different User Groups

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1306
Author(s):  
Hana Vavrouchová ◽  
Petra Fukalová ◽  
Hana Svobodová ◽  
Jan Oulehla ◽  
Pavla Pokorná
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
University Students ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Lower Secondary School ◽  
School Students ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Landscape Values ◽  
The Individual

The paper presents the results of the study on participative mapping of landscape values and conflicts and a subsequent interpretation of the indicated localities from respondents’ point of view. The study focused on younger groups of landscape users—lower-secondary-school students (aged 11–15) and university students (aged 20–25)—in comparison with experts’ points of view. The research presumed that the perception of landscape values and issues are determined by age, level of education and by experience in the field. The study was conducted in the southeastern area of the Czech Republic (49° N, 16° E) via online data collection. Based on the obtained records, we conclude that, in terms of the typology of the valuable and problematic locations, the individual groups of respondents did not differ significantly and the selection of location types was similar across all groups. Lower-secondary-school students rather identified cultural values associated with everyday activities, and the descriptions contained emotional overtones. University students preferred natural values associated with formal values based on general consensus or conflicts associated with society-wide impacts. The experts base served as the benchmark for other groups.

scholarly journals Investigation of secondary school students’ cognitive structure about the concept of atom through the drawing techniqueOrtaokul öğrencilerinin atom kavramına ilişikin bilişsel yapılarının çizim tekniği ile incelenmesi

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 984
Author(s):  
Özlem Eryılmaz Muştu ◽  
Sare Ucer
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Full Text ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Cognitive Structure ◽  
English Summary ◽  
The Internet ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Year ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Drawing Technique

In the current study, the purpose is to determine the secondary school students’ cognitive structure related to the concept of atom by using the drawing technique. The study was conducted with the participation of 90 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in 2016-2017 school year. The students were asked two open-ended questions to illustrate the concept of atom in their minds and to explain where they have learned the information expressed in their drawings about the atom so that the atom models in their minds could be elicited. The students’ responses to these questions were categorized by means of qualitative analysis and frequencies were calculated for them. At the end of the study, it was determined whether the atom models drawn by the students are false or acceptable. It was seen that the students rarely illustrated nucleus and electrons in their drawings and they usually drew spheres. Moreover, the students stated that they learned this information mostly from different textbooks or the Internet. Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file.  ÖzetÇocuklar, etraflarında olan olaylara karşı aşırı meraklıdırlar ve kavramlara kendileri kişisel anlamlar yüklemektedir. Öğrencilerin kavramları anlayabilmeleri için kavramların zihinlerine doğru bir şekilde kodlanması gerekmektedir. Bu çalışmada; ortaokul öğrencilerinin atom kavramı ile ilgili bilişsel yapılarının çizim tekniği ile belirlemesi amaçlanmıştır. 2016-2017 eğitim öğretim yılı bahar döneminde gerçekleştirilen çalışma; 5., 6., 7. ve 8. sınıflarında  öğrenim görmekte olan toplam 90 ortaokul öğrencisiyle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada öğrencilerin zihinlerindeki atom modellerini belirlemek amacıyla atom kavramı ile ilgili bir çizim yapmaları ve bu çizdikleri şekle ait bilgiyi nereden öğrendiklerini ifade edebilmeleri için iki adet açık uçlu soru sorulmuştur. Öğrencilerin verdikleri cevaplar nitel analiz yöntemiyle kategorilere ayrılmış ve frekans değerleri elde edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda öğrencilerin çizdikleri atom modellerinin yanlış veya kabul edilebilir seviye olduğu belirlenmiştir. Öğrencilerin çizimlerinde nadiren çekirdek ve elektronlara yer verdiği genellikle küre şeklinde çizim yaptıkları görülmektedir. Ayrıca öğrencilerin bu bilgilere genellikle farklı ders kitaplarından veya internetten öğrendiklerini ifade ettikleri tespit edilmiştir.

scholarly journals Reflection on exam grades to improve calibration of secondary school students: a longitudinal study

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-317
Author(s):  
Marloes L. Nederhand ◽  
Huib K. Tabbers ◽  
Joran Jongerling ◽  
Remy M. J. P. Rikers
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Third ◽  
School Year ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Actual Grade ◽  
Calibration Accuracy ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Grades provide students with information about their level of performance. However, grades may also make students more aware of how well they have estimated their performance, their so-called calibration accuracy. This longitudinal quasi-experimental study, set in secondary education, examined how to increase students’ awareness of the accuracy of their grade estimates in order to improve their calibration accuracy. During an entire school year, students from year 1, 2, and 3 provided grade estimates after each of their French exams. Subsequently, when students received their grades, the level of reflection support on their earlier estimates was manipulated. The first group of students just received their grade, the second group had to calculate the difference between their estimate and the actual grade, and the third group also had to reflect on reasons for a possible mismatch. We expected that more reflection support would lead to more improvement in calibration accuracy. Results showed that providing grade estimates already improved calibration accuracy over the school year, regardless of level of reflection support. This finding shows that asking for grade estimates is an easy-to-implement way to improve calibration accuracy of students in secondary education.

The role of green chemistry activities in fostering secondary school students' understanding of acid–base concepts and argumentation skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mageswary Karpudewan ◽  
Wolff Michael Roth ◽  
Devananthini Sinniah
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Green Chemistry ◽  
Chemistry Curriculum ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
School Students ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Base Concept ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Individual

In a world where environmental degradation is taking on alarming levels, understanding, and acting to minimize, the individual environmental impact is an important goal for many science educators. In this study, a green chemistry curriculum—combining chemistry experiments with everyday, environmentally friendly substances with a student-centered approach that includes student–student discussion—was tested for its potential to increase the understanding of acid–base concepts and argumentative skills. A quasi-experimental design was chosen intended to take into account teacher/school nested effects. The study involved three classes of 150 16 year old Form Four students (1 experimental,N= 50; 2 control,N= 100) from two Schools A and B serving students from the same sociocultural and economic backgrounds taught by two teachers (Teacher A in School A taught 1 experimental and 1 control; Teacher B in School B taught 1 control). An ANCOVA with a pre-test as a covariate showed a statistically significant treatment effect as measured by an acid–base concept understanding test. Additionally, qualitative analysis of an Argumentation Skill Test (AST) shows that the experimental students used higher levels of argumentation skills following treatment than their peers in the two control classes. Implications are discussed for integrating green chemistry into the secondary school chemistry curriculum to teach the content on acid–base and green chemistry as a tool to assist the construction of arguments.

scholarly journals Teacher Attitudes and Collaboration towards the Concept of Student-Centered Lesson

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natela Baghatrishvili ◽  
Nino Modebadze
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods ◽  
Positive Effect

The article is based on a needs assessment carried out at Telavi Public School N7 to understand teachers' attitudes towards student-centered learning strategies. In particular, it examines how intensively and effectively student-centered approaches are integrated into the teaching process and how teachers interact with each other in student-centered learning. The study was carried out in the 2018-2019 academic year, but the inspiration for the study was the Directorate's informal participation in the educational process during the 2017-2018 academic year. A mixed type of study with quantitative and qualitative methods was used to test the hypotheses. To further investigate the problem and identify a common need, teachers from Telavi State School No. 7, as well as elementary and secondary school students, participated in the study. The interventions were carried out after the completion of the first phase of the study. Observing and analyzing teacher activities helped us assess the effectiveness of our problem-solving and needs-based interventions. The study highlights the fact that creating a collaborative atmosphere between teachers has a positive effect on the learning process. The study found the importance of fostering a culture of collaboration among teachers through the use of diverse resources, activities and challenging classroom assignments. Students' views, opinions and feelings about such lessons were also determined. As a result of the analysis, conclusions were drawn that allow recommendations to be made for identifying and solving similar problems and needs.

scholarly journals DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AS A MEANS OF DEVELOPING CONNECTED SPEECH IN REMOTE LEARNING

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (34) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.V RYBAKOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
Educational Processes ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
New Material ◽  
Differentiated Learning ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Independent Work ◽  
Remote Learning

The article is devoted to the study of the development of educational processes of a student through an individual educational trajectory in remote learning conditions. On the basis of an individual educational trajectory, the teacher can present the level of readiness of children to perceive specific educational material in remote learning conditions; foresee difficulties in assimilating new material and performing differentiated tasks in remote learning conditions; analyze the effectiveness of individual and differentiated learning, and students will be able to analyze and evaluate the ways and results of their own independent work in remote learning conditions. The work presents one of the promising problems of modern pedagogy: what are the pedagogical conditions for implementing the individual educational trajectory of a student as a means of developing his skills in coherent speech. One of the tasks of research in this area will be the task of developing, theoretically substantiating and testing in experimental work pedagogical conditions that ensure the effectiveness of the individual educational trajectory of the student in remote learning as a means of developing coherent speech. The author of the article believes that the development of speech activities of schoolchildren in remote learning conditions will be more effective if their individual educational trajectory is implemented taking into account an individualized and differentiated model of stimulating speech activities, as well as a set of general and specific pedagogical conditions for organizing the educational process

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