School stress – Scope of the problem and its symptomatology as perceived by students. Research findings

2018 ◽  
Vol 567 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-58
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Półtorak

The article concerns the problem of school stress. In the first part, theoretical issues are discussed: the most common definitions and understanding of stress, its causes, and effects. School stress is then characterized: its symptoms and main sources are presented as well as the consequences of excessive strain felt by students at school. The assumptions of empirical research on school stress as viewed by students are also presented. The research was conducted through a diagnostic survey on a group of 440 students aged 12–14. The article presents the results of the research on the problem of stress and its intensity in students’ daily school life. The data obtained in the research shows that the students experienced stress with different frequency and intensity. Most of the students experienced average and low levels of stress (ca 40% for each level), and 20% of the students were under high levels of stress. An increased number of highly stressed students was observed in middle schools compared to primary schools. Also, it was noticed that more girls than boys suffered from intense tension. Symptoms of stress – physiological, emotional, empirical, and behavioral ones - declared by the students are also presented. Interpretation and conclusions are made based on the analysis of the empirical material.

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-155
Author(s):  
Kgomotlokoa Linda Thaba-Nkadimene ◽  
Maletšema Ruth Emsley

The challenges of reading experienced by learners exerts a negative impact on reading for pleasure, and learners' outcomes. In an attempt to address such reading challenges, Reading Clubs were launched to promote reading for pleasure among South African youth. This study examines the influence of Reading Clubs on learners' attitudes to Reading for Pleasure and the outcomes thereof. The study was informed by the Top-Down Model of Reading and the Cultural Theory of reading for pleasure. Interviews were conducted in five purposively selected schools with five Sparker coaches and five teachers. The research findings reveal a positive influence of Reading Clubs on reading for pleasure and learners' outcomes. This is reflected through improved levels of reading for pleasure. This study ultimately recommends that schools learn from best practices of Reading Clubs, and that government strive to make Reading Clubs a sustainable project.


Author(s):  
Perpetua Kirby ◽  
Rebecca Webb

This chapter explores how Article 12 and the voice of the child are implemented. The chapter does so by making specific reference to ways in which children express themselves within two different English primary schools. The chapter introduces Article 12 as a commitment to giving due attention to children’s experiences. Using data vignettes, the chapter illustrates the value of paying attention to children by focusing on the micro moments of everyday school life. The chapter argues that children’s participation is necessarily political, suggesting that participation must be read as such and demonstrating how it is often subsumed within powerful dominant schooling discourses of conformity within different governmental climates that are regarded as beyond politics. The chapter identifies limited possibilities for transformation in the study’s research sites, discussed in terms of children achieving agency and enacting their own subjectivities. This is apparent even within the less coercive ethos of a school participating in the Rights Respecting Schools Initiative (UNICEF). The chapter argues that in order to open up possible transformational participatory spaces, adults in schools need to require opportunities to reflect together on the tensions within their own educational contexts and between supporting children’s participation and their conformity to wider schooling discourses. The chapter suggests that the provision of such opportunities will help to keep a focus on listening to children in line with the ambitions of Article 12.


2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Lina P. Valsamidou

In the present study we investigate, record and discuss icons with asocial content, their type, their signifieds and ideological significations,wishing to extract useful conclusions regarding the use of icons in schoolnewspapers as vehicles of social messages. The research material comprises intotal 252 images with a social content found in the columns of schoolnewspapers, whereas the collection of the sample was based on the study of 64school newspaper issues coming from 32 titles of primary school newspapers fromall over Greece that were published in 2004-2006. All in all, it appears that social iconic publications create theeditors’ vivid interest, as they find their way mostly in the inside pages ofnewspapers. The analysis of the icons as to their signifieds places emphasis onthe dominant ideological forms: the signifieds of historic anniversaries,school life and environmental education come before the others, which in turnsuggests the dominant ideological trends, history-school-environment/ecology:a triptych that emerges through the social-iconic choices of those involved inpublishing school newspapers.Keywords: visual social publications, schoolnewspapers, semiotic analysis, students-journalists


1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 26-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Marsden

This paper argues that despite 50 years of empirical research, the phenomenon of social contagion is still poorly understood. Social contagion research has produced an eclectic, largely confused and jumbled body of evidence that lacks any comprehensive organising principle or conceptual framework. Whilst the great majority of this empirical research has identified and confirmed existence of the social contagion phenomenon, results have been undermined because the phenomenon itself has been variously and ambiguously defined and operationalised. This has meant that the potential radical implications of social contagion research findings for an orthodox understanding of the human individual as a rational Cartesian agent, have been largely ignored. It is suggested that the emerging evolutionary paradigm of memetics may providea novel conceptual framework for understanding and explaining the empirical phenomenon of social contagion, by understanding it as the observable action of selfish memes replicating through a population. The article concludes by proposing a memetic theory of social contagion, and ends with a call for the synthesis of the two bodies to create a comprehensive body of theoretically informed research.


Author(s):  
Njuguna Jane Ngoiri

The objective of the study was to describe appropriateness of modal auxiliary verbs in class six written English. The study focused on the use of English modal auxiliary verbs by class six pupils from diverse language backgrounds in Kenyan primary schools. Modal auxiliary verbs are difficult as their use entails syntactic and semantic appropriateness. As such, most pupils often find themselves unable to use this complex linguistic feature in written English. In spite of this, there is no known documentation that focuses on modal auxiliary verbs among children. It is this gap that the current study sought to fill. Forty pupils were randomly selected from four primary schools in Nakuru County. Data was elicited by means of written composition and grammar exercises. Further, it was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively and presented in the form of graphs and tables. The Representational Theory of The Mind was used to explain the research findings. The findings revealed that modal auxiliary verbs are indeed difficult and their appropriate use present difficulties in pupils' written work. It was therefore recommended that learning of English should be meaningful. In order to enrich pupil's mental representations pupils should be exposed to a linguistically rich environment to enhance acquisition and learning. It is hoped that these findings will be of benefit to school stakeholders in ensuring that appropriate learning environment is created for pupils. Additionally, it could be a reference for researchers interested in language use at the school level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-115
Author(s):  
Dáša Porubčanová ◽  
Lenka Pasternáková

AbstractIntroduction: The study deals with occurrence of aggressiveness of pupils from socially disadvantaged environment. It describes the socially disadvantaged environment and the level of aggression of pupils from such environments. The text describes the most important results of the research.Methods: Within the research, a survey was carried out, monitoring the level of aggression of the majority pupils compared to the pupils from socially disadvantaged environment. The survey was carried out personally based on a monitoring scheme of aggression of the pupils from socially disadvantaged environment. The research has been made by direct observation within 60 teaching hours at the level of 1st and 4th grade.Results: The findings, which we have acquired through observation, showed that the age and maturity of younger pupils’ organisms adapts to the model of social environment. Pupils from less stimulating social environments may become the victims of aggressive attacks in various forms more frequently. Types, forms and manifestations of aggression, equally subject to influence of the environment, in a school environment at the level of 10-year-old students are perceived as some form of entertainment. They join the attack on the victim for acceptance or they have the same preferences as the group. It often happens without consequences or attempts to eliminate these signs, because the seriousness of the attack is not ascribed.Discussion: We were interested in the differences of aggression level of the majority pupils compared to the pupils from socially disadvantaged environment in the first and the fourth year of a primary school.Limitations: The results apply only to students in the first level by using of the observation method.Conclusions: As substantial and significant for pedagogic experience, we consider implementing the research findings as well on the higher level of pupils’ education and to define further correlations between aggressive behaviour and socially disadvantaged environment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Ahmad Yani ◽  
Rudi Ahmad Suryadi ◽  
Nurrohman Nurrohman

The research aimed to analyze the study of Islamic law regarding slaughter and stunning, and provide an assessment of the benefits of the slaughter and slaughter results. The research method is a library study in which the process is by collecting book data and other reading sources. Data sources in the form of fiqh references and ICU fatwas, accompanied by empirical research findings on stunning. The main references are obtained from al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuhu, al-Haram wa al-Haram, Kasysyaf al-Qina’, and several books of hadith and fiqh. The research found that stunning is permissible by paying attention to temporary fainting animals, does not cause death and permanent injury, aims to facilitate slaughter, and not to torture animals. Slaughter by conventional means is recommended. The benefit is based on the indicator that animals die faster. Opinions of Ulama and ICU Fatwa encourage the slaughter manually without stunning.


1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 279-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIS KATSIYANNIS ◽  
GREG CONDERMAN ◽  
DAVID J. FRANKS

Inclusion, which promotes educating all students with disabilities in the general education classroom setting, has triggered an intense debate in the field of special education. the purposes of this study were to highlight issues regarding inclusion, present findings on state practices on inclusion, and explore implications for practice and further research. findings from state surveys indicated great variety in state policy, acceleration in inclusion activity, a commitment to providing inservice and technical assistance, emerging teacher certification guidelines specific to inclusion, and minimal empirical research regarding the benefits of inclusion.


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