She Is Fierce

This chapter explores the use of Socratic Seminar as a tool to empower low-SES status girls in ELAR classrooms. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, it particularly examines the practice of Socratic Seminar in light of student engagement, the potential that Socratic Seminar holds, the unique needs of low-SES students, and the unique needs of female students. In light of this conceptual piece, concerns for both teachers and researchers emerge, particularly with regard to the gap in the literature and the need for future studies on Socratic Seminar when used for student empowerment.

Connection between Teacher Support and Student’s Achievement: Could Growth Mindset Be the Moderator?

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the system of education—gaps in students’ learning, their socioemotional and mental health problems and growing inequality have been recorded. These problems confront students from low socioeconomic status (SES) in particular, therefore supportive relationships with teachers are of great importance. The growth mindset, as a student’s belief that he or she can develop his or her capabilities, can help him or her cope with arising difficulties. Based on the first hypothesis, this study sought to establish whether teacher support is positively related to student’s achievement. Our second hypothesis is as follows: a student’s growth mindset moderates the positive effect of teacher support on students’ achievement; this relationship is stronger when the student’s growth mindset is higher. The research sample consisted of 163 students from municipalities of Lithuania that are regarded as socioeconomically disadvantaged. The research results show positive correlations between teacher’ support, student’s growth mindset and achievement. Additionally, the role of student’s growth mindset as a moderator between teacher support and the student’s achievement was established. Statistically significant differences between high-SES and low-SES students when comparing their growth mindsets and achievement prove that it is important to enhance confidence of low-SES students in their capabilities and the potential to develop them.

COVID-19 within families amplifies the prosociality gap between adolescents of high and low socioeconomic status

COVID-19 has had worse health, education, and labor market effects on groups with low socioeconomic status (SES) than on those with high SES. Little is known, however, about whether COVID-19 has also had differential effects on noncognitive skills that are important for life outcomes. Using panel data from before and during the pandemic, we show that COVID-19 affects one key noncognitive skill, that is, prosociality. While prosociality is already lower for low-SES students prior to the pandemic, we show that COVID-19 infections within families amplify the prosociality gap between French high school students of high and low SES by almost tripling its size in comparison to pre–COVID-19 levels.

Context Matters: Stress for Minority Students Who Attend Minority-Majority Universities

Research on college student stress has typically focused on institutions where the student population is predominately White and continuing-generation. This study explored student stress in a unique context—a public regional university where the majority of students are Latinx, first-generation (FGCS), and of low socioeconomic status (SES). Of the 355 participants in the study, 72.4% self-identified as Latinx and 59.7% were FGCS. Additionally, on a subjective scale of socioeconomic status (1 = lowest, 10 = highest), the mean response was 5.76 ( SD = 1.56). Participants (18 years old or older) who were enrolled in a first-year seminar course were recruited for this study. Through an online survey during Fall 2018, first-year students reported levels of perceived and experienced stress related to academic, economic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal concerns. Results of regression analyses indicated that most types of stress were predicted by students’ Latinx identity status and SES; FGCS status did not significantly predict stress. These findings highlight the need to explore solutions to address stress for Latinx and/or low SES students. Additionally, the study underscores the necessity of conducting research at educational institutions in which Latinx, FGC, and low SES students comprise the majority of the student body.

An Analysis of Education Reforms and Assessment in the Core Subjects Using an Adapted Maslow’s Hierarchy: Pre and Post COVID-19

Through the lens of an adapted Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I have analyzed (1) the impact of the three main educational reforms of the 20th and 21st centuries on culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD)and low-socioeconomic (SES)students in the core subjects up to the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) the efficacy of current classroom assessment practices, and (3) a brief reimagining of how changing equity standards in teaching and assessment post-COVID-19 could aid in CLD and low-SES students achieving a higher self-esteem level. I contend that student success, or self-esteem, can only be achieved by first satisfying the needs at the lower hierarchy levels. By analyzing CLD and SES students’ school experiences, educators and policy-makers can extrapolate the requirements for inclusive, rigorous, and responsive assessments that recognize students’ needs and utilize their cultural and linguistic diversity. As states begin the shift from remote learning back to face-to-face in the fall, more significant considerations of CLD and low-SES students must be ensured.

Best Practices of Principals to Increase Attendance in Low-Socioeconomic Status Rural High Schools

Securing attendance is challenging at rural high schools with a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic states (low-SES) households. Best practices of principals to achieve high annual attendance rates (> 90%) were studied. Interviews were held with principals from 8 of 12 high schools across rural West Virginia that met the eligibility criterion of 100% enrollment of low-SES students. Six best practices emerged. Rural schools striving to increase attendance could reduce student absenteeism by implementing best practices suggested.

Can Teachers’ Instruction Increase Low-SES Students’ Motivation to Learn Mathematics?

Students’ motivation in mathematics has been shown to predict their achievement and whether they pursue a later career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). To sustain equity in education, it is important that students are motivated for the STEM fields, independent of their background characteristics (e.g., gender and SES). Previous research has revealed that students’ motivation declines from primary to secondary school. The present study investigates whether this unwanted development may be related to students’ SES, and more importantly, what aspects of teachers’ instruction are related to student motivation for low, medium, and high-SES student groups in grade 5 and 9. We use data from students in grades 5 and 9 and their teachers who participated in TIMSS 2015 in Norway. Multilevel (students and classes), multi-group structural equation modelling is used to answer the research questions. In line with previous research from Germany and the USA, the results showed that SES is more important to student motivation in secondary than primary school, that low SES students’ motivation depends more on their teachers’ instructional quality than high SES students and that this dependency is stronger in secondary school than in primary school. The implications and contributions of the study are discussed.