scholarly journals Teaching Science in Rural Elementary Schools: Affordances and Constraints in the age of NGSS

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-30
Author(s):  
Doron Zinger ◽  
Judith Haymore Sandholtz ◽  
Cathy Ringstaff
Keyword(s):  
Rural Schools ◽  
Elementary Science ◽  
Science Instruction ◽  
Teaching Science ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Rural Elementary Schools ◽  
Survey Responses

Providing science instruction is an ongoing priority and challenge in elementary grades, especially in high-need rural schools. Nonetheless, few studies have investigated the factors that facilitate or limit teachers’ science instruction in these settings, particularly since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards. In this study we investigated affordances and constraints to elementary science instruction in high-need rural schools. Data sources included semi-structured interviews and survey responses from 49 teachers from 30 different rural schools. Through a primarily qualitative analysis, we identified four teacher reported categories of affordances and four categories of constraints to teaching science. One category of affordances, access to a variety of outdoor science resources, and one category of constraints, high levels of isolation, were closely tied to the nature of rural schools. The other affordances and constraints are broadly recognized factors influencing science instruction. Implications for supporting rural teachers’ science instruction are discussed.

scholarly journals Early Elementary Science Instruction: Does More Time on Science or Science Topics/Skills Predict Science Achievement in the Early Grades?

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 233285841986108 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Chris Curran ◽  
James Kitchin
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Science Achievement ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Elementary Science ◽  
Science Instruction ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
Early Elementary ◽  
Learning Trajectories ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Using Data

Recent evidence points to the early elementary grades as a pivotal point for the development of science learning trajectories and achievement gaps. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, this study estimates the degree to which time spent on science and the breadth of science topics/skills covered predict science achievement in the earliest grades of elementary school. Using regression along with school fixed effects and student fixed effects models, we find suggestive evidence in some models (student fixed effects and regression with observable controls) that time on science instruction is related to science achievement but little evidence that the number of science topics/skills covered are related to greater science achievement. These results are generally consistent across student subgroups. We discuss the implications for early science policy and practice.

scholarly journals TEACHERS’ SENSE OF SELF-EFFICACY: A STUDY OF ENGLISH TEACHERS IN MALAYSIAN RURAL SCHOOLS

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (43) ◽  
pp. 01-12
Author(s):  
Ameiruel Azwan Ab Aziz ◽  
Noraini Said ◽  
Chelster Sherralyn Jeoffrey Pudin ◽  
Kamsilawati Kamlun
Keyword(s):  
Rural Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Environmental Influence ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Context Specific

Teaching English as a second language (TESL) in rural schools remains a prominent issue in Malaysia. Many teachers in rural areas struggle with the seemingly insuperable difficulties associated with their underperforming rural schools in English, which is yet to be addressed significantly. This study explores ten English teachers’ sense of self-efficacy of those serving in rural schools. The lived experiences of the participants were explored through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The data gathered were analysed thematically to gain insights into the phenomenon. Three results of this study revealed the rural environmental influence aspects of teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, the context-specific nature of rural teachers’ sense of self-efficacy, and the blended philosophical concepts of social support, unswerving commitment, social obligation, and social-emotional benefits as significant driving forces to retain serving rural schools. The study’s results could contribute incrementally to the advancement of knowledge on TESL in rural schools by providing insights into the subject and context-specific descriptions.

scholarly journals An exploration into the opportunities and constraints for career progression into leadership roles for School Business Managers in the state sector in England

2021 ◽  
pp. 089202062199967
Author(s):  
Josephine Marchant
Keyword(s):  
Career Progression ◽  
The State ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Business Managers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
State Sector ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
School Business ◽  
Survey Responses

Drawing on data from 116 survey responses by School Business Managers, and 7 semi-structured interviews with education professionals carried out between October 2017 and February 2018, this article reports on findings from a research project focussing on the opportunities and constraints for career progression into leadership roles for School Business Managers (SBMs) in the state sector in England. The article considers the differing roles and responsibilities of SBMs, how leadership is perceived in schools, the visibility of the SBM role, career aspirations of the SBMs who were surveyed, and the perceived constraints to progression to leadership roles. Analysis of the data was carried out using an inductive research approach using mixed methods. Snowballing was used to obtain a meaningful sample size for survey responses. Interviewees were chosen on the basis of judgement sampling. The sampling design for the survey and the interviews was one of non-probability. Findings suggest that leadership roles for SBMs do exist but that there are considerable constraints to these being achieved, not least the lack of appetite amongst SBMs to do so.

Suicidal ideation in an ethnically mixed, highland Guatemalan community

2021 ◽  
pp. 136346152097693
Author(s):  
Carla Pezzia ◽  
Luisa M. Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Survey Responses

Reported suicide rates in Latin America remain low, but there is evidence to suggest they may be increasing, particularly among indigenous populations. To better understand who may be at risk for suicide, we examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation and explored factors contributing to suicidal thoughts in an ethnically mixed, highland Guatemalan community. The data presented in this article are from a mixed methods ethnographic field project conducted over 15 months from 2010 to 2011 in Panajachel, Guatemala. We surveyed a random sample of 350 community members. Survey questions included standardized modules from the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, as well as questions on experiences of violence and mental health care. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 self-selected survey participants with current suicidal ideation. These interviews included questions regarding survey responses, experiences of mental illness, and access to mental health care. A total of 55 survey participants (N = 350; 15.7%) scored positive for suicidality. Ethnic identity, gender, psychiatric illness, and experiences of violence were all correlated to suicidal ideation. Qualitative interview data highlight distinctions between genders within prominent themes of religion, family, experiences of violence, and seeking resources. Three key findings emerged from our research that are relevant to the literature: 1) ethnic identity may be both a critical risk and a protective factor for suicide in some indigenous people; 2) intersections between violence and gender highlight different patterns in suicidal ideation; and 3) high rates of suicidal ideation and other psychiatric comorbidities underscore the need for greater access to mental health services.

Rural schools have always been inclusive: the meanings rural teachers construct about inclusion in Chile

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Carmen Gloria Nuñez ◽  
Mónica Peña ◽  
Bryan González ◽  
Paula Ascorra ◽  
Andrea Hain
Keyword(s):  
Rural Schools ◽  
Rural Teachers

scholarly journals Standing in the Gap

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia L. Hardré
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Motivational Climate ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
The Face ◽  
Multi Level

Rural schools face the challenges of motivating and retaining students, often in the face of severe resource constraints. This paper synthesizes fifteen years of the author’s rural research on secondary students’ school-related motivation, distilling it into strategic principles for rural teachers and administrators. Effective motivational knowledge and strategies supported by both theory and research can help school staff fill the gap between potential and actual student achievement. Multi-level strategies for motivating individuals and groups include elements of classroom instructional practice, interpersonal relationships, and the broader school motivational climate including policy. By motivating students effectively, teachers and administrators can bridge the gap between what students do achieve and what they could achieve.  

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