Students of Vietnamese Heritage

2019 ◽  
pp. 187-204
Author(s):  
Anh-Dao Tran ◽  
Hanna Ragnarsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Early School ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Studies of immigrant students in upper secondary school in Iceland often highlight low attendance rates and early school departure. This article interrogates this view through an exploration of the perspectives of 13 students of Vietnamese heritage in two upper secondary schools. The article mobilizes multicultural education which sees education as inclusive, insisting on valuing diversity and equal opportunity regardless of gender, religion, belief, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, disability, or other statuses. Analysis of interviews shows that students, despite their positive feelings towards their teachers and their belief that their teachers were trying to do their best, understood that they were perceived to be deficient due to their lack of Icelandic language proficiency. Teachers' perceptions were thus limited, and they overlooked the students' academic and heritage resources that could have provided advantages in the learning process and contributed to student motivation and attainment.

Students of Vietnamese Heritage

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-30
Author(s):  
Anh-Dao Tran ◽  
Hanna Ragnarsdottir
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Early School ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Studies of immigrant students in upper secondary school in Iceland often highlight low attendance rates and early school departure. This article interrogates this view through an exploration of the perspectives of 13 students of Vietnamese heritage in two upper secondary schools. The article mobilizes multicultural education which sees education as inclusive, insisting on valuing diversity and equal opportunity regardless of gender, religion, belief, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, disability, or other statuses. Analysis of interviews shows that students, despite their positive feelings towards their teachers and their belief that their teachers were trying to do their best, understood that they were perceived to be deficient due to their lack of Icelandic language proficiency. Teachers' perceptions were thus limited, and they overlooked the students' academic and heritage resources that could have provided advantages in the learning process and contributed to student motivation and attainment.

scholarly journals «Det handler om å finne sin egen form» Læreres profesjonelle handlingsrom - hvordan det blir forstått og utnyttet

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Helleve ◽  
Marit Ulvik ◽  
Kari Smith
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
International Study ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Målet med denne studien er å undersøke hvordan lærere forstår og tolker sitt profesjonelle handlingsrom og hvordan de, basert på denne erfaringen, har opplevd å nå sine egne mål over tid. Studien, som er del av en internasjonal studie, bygger på observasjoner, intervjuer og story-lines fra seks lærere ved tre videregående skoler. Lærerne er av ledelsen utpekt til å være lærere som utnytter det handlingsrommet de har og som selv tar styring på hvordan de praktiserer lærerjobben. Funnene viser at lærerne langt på vei tolker og endrer rammer og regelverk i tråd med egne mål – også lærere innenfor samme kontekst. De fleste lærerne opplever at de utnytter og har utnyttet et større handlingsrom enn de erfarer å ha med bakgrunn i rammer og pålegg. Dette resultatet skiller seg fra de to andre landene som deltar i den internasjonale studien. Konklusjonen er at kunnskap om læreres forståelse av sitt profesjonelle handlingsrom kan bidra til refleksjon over egen lærerrolle og til ny innsikt i skoleutvikling.Nøkkelord: profesjonelt handlingsrom, videregående skole, lærereTeachers’ professional space – How it is experienced and utilizedAbstractThe aim of the study is to examine teachers’ understanding and interpretation of their professional space, and how they experience having possibilities to practice their pedagogical beliefs throughout their careers. The study, which is part of an international study, is built on observations, interviews and story-lines from six teachers in three Norwegian upper secondary schools. These are teachers viewed by their principals as independent teachers exploiting their professional space when practicing teaching. Findings show that to a large extent teachers interpret and change frames and rules according to their own pedagogical beliefs. Teachers working in the same schools respond differently to school regulations. Most of the teachers claim to have more space than what they perceive external rules and frameworks allow for. This finding differs from the two other participating countries in the international study, in which obedience to external regulations was strong. The conclusion reached in this paper is that additional knowledge about teachers’ perceptions of their professional space will contribute to ways in which reflection of practice and professional role can be enhanced, and thereby support school development.Keywords: professional space, upper secondary school, teachers

Motivating teachers’ commitment to change through transformational school leadership in Chinese urban upper secondary schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 735-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Context ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Commitment To Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers’ commitment to change and the effects of organizational and teachers’ factors on teachers’ perception of transformational school leadership in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. Design/methodology/approach – The paper mainly uses quantitative methods to explore the relationships between different constructs. The author asks: to what extent can transformational school leadership practices in the urban upper secondary schools of a particular Chinese city explain the variation in teachers’ commitment to change during curriculum reform? What are the effects of organizational and teachers’ factors on teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership? Findings – The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the effect of transformational school leadership was moderate when transformational school leadership and teachers’ commitment to change were treated as single variables. Four dimensions of transformational leadership practice together explained the moderate effects on four dimensions of teachers’ commitment to change, among which the effect of managing the instructional program was the most prominent. The results of multiple regression analysis also revealed that variables like culture, strategy, environment, and teachers’ age had significant relationships with teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership. Culture, environment, strategy, structure, and teachers’ factors such as age and grade taught had moderate effects on different dimensions of teachers’ perceptions of transformational school leadership. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to explore the effects of transformational school leadership on teachers’ commitment to change in the Chinese urban upper secondary school context. The findings contribute to educational management in China and similar contexts, and this study advances knowledge and furthers the understandings of the transferability of theories to different contexts.

scholarly journals Exploring the washback effects of a high-stakes English test on the teaching of English in Spanish upper secondary schools

2010 ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Amengual Pizarro
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
High Stakes Tests ◽  
The Past ◽  
Language Tests ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Teaching Curriculum ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

In the past decades, there has been a growing interest in the effects of language tests, especially high-stakes tests, on teaching and learning referred to as ‘washback'. In fact, high-stakes tests have started to be exploited to reform instruction and achieve beneficial washback. This paper focuses on the washback effects of a high-stakes English Test (ET) on the teaching of English. The main goal of this study is to examine the washback effects of the ET on the following aspects of teaching: curriculum, materials, teaching methods, and teaching feelings and attitudes. The study also attempts to discover teachers' perceptions towards the introduction of a speaking and a listening component in the design of the new ET due to be implemented in 2012. The overall findings, collected from a questionnaire carried out among 51 secondary teachers, indicate that the ET is clearly affecting curriculum and materials. Results also reveal that the ET appears to influence teachers' methodology. Furthermore, most of the teachers believe that the introduction of a speaking and a listening component in the new ET design will help solve the mismatch between the communicative approach they seem to value and the skills so far evaluated in the ET.

Perspectives on Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice in Education in Four Nordic Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Hanna Ragnarsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Fundamental Values

The article addresses some fundamental values in education and their implications in the Nordic countries, such as equity, democracy, social justice and inclusion, while its main aim is to introduce and discuss main findings from case studies in pre-, compulsory and upper secondary schools that are part of the Nordic research project; Learning Spaces for Inclusion and Social Justice: Success Stories from Immigrant Students and School Communities in Four Nordic Countries. The aims of the research were to 1) to understand and learn from the experiences of immigrant students and children who have succeeded academically and socially; and 2) explore and understand how social justice is implemented in equitable and successful diverse Nordic school contexts and other learning spaces. The research is grounded within theories of critical multicultural education and culturally responsive pedagogy. Findings reveal a variety of successful educational practices on all three school levels while some challenges also exist.

scholarly journals On Assessing Laboratory Work

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
Aija Ahtineva
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Systematic Study ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Laboratory Work ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Learning Method ◽  
Current Frame ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Evaluation Models ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

As an integral part of scientific way of thinking, practical laboratory tasks are a pivotal part of chemistry education. element of chemistry education. The first section begins with a discussion of how to assess laboratory work according to the current frame curricula for comprehensive and upper secondary schools. The second section discusses laboratory work as a learning method. Several studies have shown, that laboratory work is used mostly to liven up the lessons and to arouse interest rather that to teach something in a goal oriented way. The systematic study on what students learn from laboratory tasks has begun as recently as the 2000s. This paper focuses on the results of two separate studies. In interconnected papers, Abrahams and Millar (2008) as well as Abrahams and Reiss (2012) analyze learning in laboratory tasks using a 2 x 2 effectiveness matrix for practical work. Lewthwaite (2014) discusses the teachers’ choice of laboratory tasks. Both studies highlight the influence of evaluation practices on learning. At the end section, the paper presents some tasks and evaluation models suited for comprehensive and upper secondary school chemistry education. These tasks are based on the levels of learning and taxonomy of leaning presented by Doran and colleagues (2002).

scholarly journals UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE INTEGRATING MECHANISMS AND IMPORTANCE OF STEM EDUCATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-557
Author(s):  
Eman A. AlMuraie ◽  
Norah A. Algarni ◽  
Nidhal Sh. Alahmad
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
School Science ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Secondary School Science ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Integration Mechanisms

This study aimed to recognize upper-secondary school science teachers’ perceptions of the meaning, importance, and integrating mechanisms of science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) education, taking in to account the differences between the science teachers’ perceptions according to their specialties, years of experience, and degrees. A closed-ended questionnaire was distributed among 700 science teachers (biology, physics, and chemistry) in Riyadh, and 255 teachers responded. The results showed a strong alignment in the upper-secondary school science teachers’ perceptions of the meaning and the importance of STEM education, although there was less of a consensus regarding the integrating mechanisms. There were statistically significant differences in the physics teachers’ perceptions of STEM meaning, although there were otherwise no significant differences by specialty in the science teachers’ perceptions of the importance of STEM education and its integration mechanisms. Furthermore, the teachers showed no statistically significant differences in STEM’s meaning, importance, or integrating mechanisms according to their years of experience. Based on the results, recommendations included intensifying professional development programs on utilizing technology, engineering, and mathematics in learning science concepts and application. Keywords: integration mechanisms, science teachers, STEM education, teachers’ perceptions, upper secondary school

scholarly journals Young People’s Attitudes to Attractive Work, During and After Upper Secondary School

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ing-Marie Andersson ◽  
Kristina Gunnarsson ◽  
Ann Hedlund ◽  
Gunnar Rosén
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
School To Work ◽  
After School ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Job Stability ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Employee Identification ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column">Attractive work has been defined as a job position which an individual wants, where the employee experiences job stability and where employee identification and dedication are fostered. The present study is aimed at increasing knowledge about attitude changes to work during young people’s transition from school to work-life. A closed cohort, consisting of 225 pupils from graduating classes in 10 upper secondary schools in Sweden, was studied. The most significant result was found in the pupils’ expectations regarding work attractiveness while they were still attending school and in the subsequent year, after they had finished school. During school attendance, there were no differences between the groups, while those who did not find employment after school greatly reduced their demands regarding attractive work.Those who managed to get a job maintained the same level of expectation as during their school years, in terms of requirements for an attractive job. </div></div></div>

scholarly journals Teachers’ approaches to genetics teaching mirror their choice of content and avoidance of sensitive issues

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Aivelo ◽  
Anna Uitto
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Human Genetics ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Biology Textbooks ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Hereditary Disorders

AbstractThe skills required to understand genetic phenomena and transfer knowledge to real world situations are an important part of 21st century scientific literacy. While socio-scientific issues (SSI) are increasingly emphasised in science curricula, teachers have low interest in adopting SSI in teaching. Little is known about how teachers choose content for their teaching, although this process translates curricula to teaching practice. We explored how teachers choose content and contexts for biology courses on cells, heredity, and biotechnology by interviewing ten Finnish upper-secondary school teachers. We studied how the teachers described teaching on genetically modified organisms, hereditary disorders, and human traits. Teachers’ perceptions on genetics teaching were classified to Developmental, Structural and Hereditary approaches. The approaches were connected not only to the teachers’ perceptions of the more important content, but also teacher inclinations towards teaching genetics in the human context and perceptions of students’ interest in different topics. Teachers’ justified their choices by national, local school, and teacher’s personal-level factors. While teachers mentioned that SSI are important, they were never mentioned among the important contexts. Nevertheless, some teachers embraced teaching genetics in the human context while others avoided them. Teachers justified their avoidance for personal and pedagogical factors, such as their competence in dealing with these contexts. Experience played a part in the approach that teachers had, and contrary to the results of previous research, the less experienced teachers were more open to discussing human genetics. We conclude that curriculum development is important to encourage teachers to adopt more SSI-oriented teaching.Disclosure statementTuomas Aivelo has participated in writing biology textbooks for upper-secondary school biology for eOppi Oy. None of the teachers involved in this study used biology textbooks from eOppi Oy.

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