Attitudes of Prospective French Teachers Towards School Experience and Teaching Practice Courses

Education is an important concept that prepares society for change and pushes development. The teacher, who is one of the basic elements of the education phenomenon, has important duties. Accordingly, the teacher has a very important place in the life of the students. The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes of the prospective French teachers towards School Experience and Teaching Practice courses and to reveal whether their attitudes differ according to the gender factor. The research has been conducted by means of a descriptive survey model and was carried out with the participation of 18 volunteer students (10 females, 8 males) studying at the department of French Language Teaching of the Faculty of Education at Anadolu University. The quantitative data of the study has been collected with a 5-point Likert-type scale consisting of 30 items. Moreover, in addition to the scale, the opinions of the students on the School experience and Teaching Practice courses have been collected by means of 5 open-ended questions drawn up by the researcher. The qualitative data acquired in this study has been reviewed through the document analysis method. According to the obtained data, it has been determined that the students had positive opinions about these courses. In addition, their attitudes towards ‘School Experience’ and ‘Teaching Practice’ courses have a very high average. This research shows that, these courses make significant contributions to the professional development of students. However, no significant difference was observed in terms of the gender factor based on the opinions of the participants with respect to the aforementioned courses.

The Columbus Linguistics in High School experience: Fits and starts as a prelude to success

We report here on our efforts to incorporate linguistics into the high school curriculum in a large midwestern metropolitan area through a university-based initiative — Linguistics in High School (LxHS) — spearheaded by the Department of Linguistics at The Ohio State University. We offer a brief history of the project, and explain our strategy of targeting non-public schools and the practical nature of the reasoning behind this decision. We chronicle the ups and downs of our efforts, ultimately reporting on our success with implementing a linguistics course and a linguistics club at a small local STEM-oriented high school. This partnership between the school and the Linguistics Department has allowed, among other things, for on-site visits by the students to phonetics and sociolinguistics labs. By presenting our challenges, strategies, failures, and successes, we hope that others may be encouraged to evaluate how they can make a difference in their locale and with the resources they have.

The Anxiety Caused by Secondary Schools for Autistic Adolescents: In Their Own Words

Secondary schools are increasingly becoming inclusive of all students whatever their individual needs, but we question whether teachers understand enough about specific needs in order to effectively support all their students. Research indicates that autistic students often struggle with aspects of school (conformity; social communication; sensory challenges; bullying) but very few studies ask autistic adolescents about their experiences. One of the key elements of the school experience for autistic adolescents is the levels of anxiety experienced by many students on a daily basis. This research set out to explore the extent to which autistic students in secondary schools in the UK were able to recognise and reflect on their own anxiety. The eighteen participants in this co-produced qualitative study took part in semi-structured interviews planned by a team of autistic and non-autistic researchers. The themes that emerged from this study, in terms of triggers for anxiety, included other people’s behaviour, fear of the unknown, and sensory sensitivities. A theoretical view of their difficulties concurs with the concept of intolerance of uncertainty. Our data suggest that autistic students continue to experience high levels of anxiety throughout their secondary education, despite supports put in place by some schools. Strategies are highlighted that could be implemented by all schools to promote truly inclusive settings.

Exploring the Role of the Rock and Water Programme in the Improvement of Māori and Pacifika Boys' Engagement with School

<p>The aim of this study is to explore boys’ achievement within a New Zealand secondary school. More specifically the focus of this research has been to look at the impact that an intervention programme – Rock and Water, has in improving boys’ engagement within a school. This study has explored how school engagement is defined and how it has an effect on boys. This research looked at how the school experience differs for Māori and Pasifika boys. Using secondary sources of data, this study examined how education fits within society as a form of social control and has attempted to position the school experience within containment theory. Factors considered were the dynamics within these programmes and the role teachers’ play in improving engagement. This research has specifically identified how intervention programmes might be used as a tool with schools pedagogy to raise Māori and Pasifika boys’ participation and engagement with school. A qualitative methodology was employed for this research, focusing on one New Zealand College. Primary sources of data were student questionnaires and individual student interviews. Questionnaires and interviews were also carried out with two of the teachers/facilitators delivering the programme. This study found that student engagement was improved as a consequence of their participation in the Rock and Water programme. For Māori boys, the opportunity to have fun and to connect with their peers was significant and identified by the participants in this study. For Pasifika boys, the results were mixed, those participating enjoyed it and said that it improved their engagement with school, the reasons behind why were not revealed in significant detail for this group. The pedagogies incorporated in the intervention programme (Rock and Water) had similarity with those advocated as part of Te Kōtahitanga. The weaving of Maori tikanga such as Ako, Manaakitanga and cultural performance helped in creating an environment whereby the boys participating were valued as being culturally located. For the teacher/facilitators, the initial aim of participating in the Rock and Water programme was to introduce an intervention that addressed issues of behaviour management. However as the programme grew in popularity and a space was created within the curriculum, the teacher/facilitators commented on the changing dynamic within the group. An identity based around shared values and experiences in the group was evolving. Over time this was utilised to promote participants into tuākana roles. Similarly, the embedding of the Rock and Water into the school curriculum led to it becoming part of the schools kaupapa or vision. Future challenges based on this study are to examine in greater detail the impact that the programme has in improving academic outcomes for Māori and Pasifika boys. The link between improved engagement and achievement is implied in participant responses, but quantitative data was not produced or explored due to the methodology chosen.</p>

Exploring the Role of the Rock and Water Programme in the Improvement of Māori and Pacifika Boys' Engagement with School

<p>The aim of this study is to explore boys’ achievement within a New Zealand secondary school. More specifically the focus of this research has been to look at the impact that an intervention programme – Rock and Water, has in improving boys’ engagement within a school. This study has explored how school engagement is defined and how it has an effect on boys. This research looked at how the school experience differs for Māori and Pasifika boys. Using secondary sources of data, this study examined how education fits within society as a form of social control and has attempted to position the school experience within containment theory. Factors considered were the dynamics within these programmes and the role teachers’ play in improving engagement. This research has specifically identified how intervention programmes might be used as a tool with schools pedagogy to raise Māori and Pasifika boys’ participation and engagement with school. A qualitative methodology was employed for this research, focusing on one New Zealand College. Primary sources of data were student questionnaires and individual student interviews. Questionnaires and interviews were also carried out with two of the teachers/facilitators delivering the programme. This study found that student engagement was improved as a consequence of their participation in the Rock and Water programme. For Māori boys, the opportunity to have fun and to connect with their peers was significant and identified by the participants in this study. For Pasifika boys, the results were mixed, those participating enjoyed it and said that it improved their engagement with school, the reasons behind why were not revealed in significant detail for this group. The pedagogies incorporated in the intervention programme (Rock and Water) had similarity with those advocated as part of Te Kōtahitanga. The weaving of Maori tikanga such as Ako, Manaakitanga and cultural performance helped in creating an environment whereby the boys participating were valued as being culturally located. For the teacher/facilitators, the initial aim of participating in the Rock and Water programme was to introduce an intervention that addressed issues of behaviour management. However as the programme grew in popularity and a space was created within the curriculum, the teacher/facilitators commented on the changing dynamic within the group. An identity based around shared values and experiences in the group was evolving. Over time this was utilised to promote participants into tuākana roles. Similarly, the embedding of the Rock and Water into the school curriculum led to it becoming part of the schools kaupapa or vision. Future challenges based on this study are to examine in greater detail the impact that the programme has in improving academic outcomes for Māori and Pasifika boys. The link between improved engagement and achievement is implied in participant responses, but quantitative data was not produced or explored due to the methodology chosen.</p>

School-Bus Taking for Students with Disabilities: Who’s On-Board?

Taking the school bus has long been an integral part of the school experience in the U.S. However, not much is known about how school transportation relates to getting to school each day, particularly for students with disabilities. This study used ECLS-K: 2011 to explore two issues. First, we examined what characteristics are associated with taking the school bus, comparing students with and without disabilities. Second, we evaluated the link between taking the school bus and absenteeism for these groups. In the first set of findings, school bus taking is differentiated by student and family characteristics, as well as by urbanicity. We find no major differences in characteristics associated with taking the bus between students with disabilities and students without. As for the second set of findings, students with more common disability diagnoses had fewer absences compared to both students without disabilities as well as those with lower incidence diagnoses, suggesting that taking the bus is related to better attendance behaviors for some students with disabilities. Implications are discussed.