Mental health and loneliness in Scottish schools: A multilevel analysis of data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study

Adolescent loneliness and poor mental health represent dual public health concerns. Yet, associations between loneliness and mental health, and critically, how these unfold in school settings are less understood. Framed by social ecological theory, this study aimed to identify key predictors of adolescent mental health, and examine school-level variation in the relationship between loneliness and mental health.Cross-sectional data on adolescents from the 2018 wave of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC) in Scotland were used (N = 5,286). Mental health was measured as a composite variable containing items assessing: nervousness, irritability, sleep difficulties and feeling low. Loneliness was measured via a single item assessing how often adolescents felt ‘left out’. Multilevel models were used to identify key social ecological predictors of mental health, associations with loneliness, and between-school variation.Loneliness, as well as demographic, social, and school factors, were found to be associated with mental health. Schools accounted for around 8% of the variation in adolescents’ mental health, and the between-school difference in mental health was greater among adolescents with high levels of loneliness. Additionally, the negative effect of loneliness on mental health was stronger in schools with lower average mental health scores.The findings suggest that schools can play an important role in shaping adolescent mental health. Our study uniquely identifies that school-based interventions targeting mental health may be especially necessary among lonely adolescents, and programmes aimed at tackling loneliness may be more beneficial in schools with poorer mental health.

Does performance at the intercollegiate Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (MRCS) examination vary according to UK medical school and course type? A retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesThe knowledge, skills and behaviours required of new UK medical graduates are the same but how these are achieved differs given medical schools vary in their mission, curricula and pedagogy. Medical school differences seem to influence performance on postgraduate assessments. To date, the relationship between medical schools, course types and performance at the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons examination (MRCS) has not been investigated. Understanding this relationship is vital to achieving alignment across undergraduate and postgraduate training, learning and assessment values.Design and participantsA retrospective longitudinal cohort study of UK medical graduates who attempted MRCS Part A (n=9730) and MRCS Part B (n=4645) between 2007 and 2017, using individual-level linked sociodemographic and prior academic attainment data from the UK Medical Education Database.MethodsWe studied MRCS performance across all UK medical schools and examined relationships between potential predictors and MRCS performance using χ2 analysis. Multivariate logistic regression models identified independent predictors of MRCS success at first attempt.ResultsMRCS pass rates differed significantly between individual medical schools (p<0.001) but not after adjusting for prior A-Level performance. Candidates from courses other than those described as problem-based learning (PBL) were 53% more likely to pass MRCS Part A (OR 1.53 (95% CI 1.25 to 1.87) and 54% more likely to pass Part B (OR 1.54 (1.05 to 2.25)) at first attempt after adjusting for prior academic performance. Attending a Standard-Entry 5-year medicine programme, having no prior degree and attending a Russell Group university were independent predictors of MRCS success in regression models (p<0.05).ConclusionsThere are significant differences in MRCS performance between medical schools. However, this variation is largely due to individual factors such as academic ability, rather than medical school factors. This study also highlights group level attainment differences that warrant further investigation to ensure equity within medical training.

ANALISIS KESIAPAN PENERAPAN PEMBELAJARAN E-LEARNING MATA PELAJARAN GEOGRAFI DI SMA NEGERI 1 KUMELEMBUAI

The era of technology-based information encourages the world of education to take advantage of the process of learning activities. The best thing during the Covid-19 pandemic, the learning process is transforming from face-to-face learning in class to online-based. However, school factors, management, students, culture, and others affect the learning process, in the sense that it needs readiness in its implementation. The purpose of the study was to analyze the readiness of the application of the e-learning learning model in the subject of Geography. The research method used in this study is a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach. The focus and sub-focus of this research is the readiness to apply online learning in the subject of Geography. The results showed that the components in the application of e-learning, namely the principal, subject teachers were ready to carry out the learning. This is indicated by the fulfillment of readiness indicators, including schools that prepare supporting facilities and infrastructure, teachers who undergo information technology training and can apply them in subjects. Indicators that are not met are students who have difficulty accessing internet services, and getting internet credit or study quotas, but students have been able to adapt to e-learning learning activities. The fulfillment of most of the indicators for the implementation of e-learning, shows that SMA Negeri 1 Kumelembuai, South Minahasa Regency is quite ready to implement e-learning in geography subjects.

School-Level Factors within Comprehensive School Health Associated with the Trajectory of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity over Time: A Longitudinal, Multilevel Analysis in a Large Sample of Grade 9 and 10 Students in Canada

(1) The majority of Canadian youth are insufficiently active, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) decreases substantially during secondary school. School factors within the comprehensive school health (CSH) framework may help attenuate this decline. This study aimed to examine how youth MVPA changes over a three-year period and evaluate the school characteristics associated with preventing the decline in MVPA over time, guided by the CSH framework. (2) This study uses COMPASS survey data from 78 secondary schools in Ontario and Alberta that participated in Year 2 (2013/14), Year 3 (2014/15), and Year 4 (2015/16), and 17,661 students attending these schools. Multilevel (linear mixed effects) models were used to determine the association between school-level factors and student MVPA (weekly minutes) over time, stratified by gender. (3) Both male and female students had a significant decline in MVPA across the 3 years, with a greater decrease observed among female students. Within the CSH framework, the school’s social environment, partnerships, and policies were associated with student MVPA over time, however the specific school factors and directions of associations varied by gender. (4) School-based interventions (e.g., public health partnerships) may help avoid the decline in MVPA observed in this critical period and support student health.

Sugar-sweetened beverages consumption among New Zealand children aged 8-12 years: a cross sectional study of sources and associates/correlates of consumption

Background The benefit of reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is widely accepted, but updated and in-depth data on New Zealand (NZ) children’s SSB consumption is lacking. The aims of this study were to describe beverage consumption, focusing on SSBs in primary school age children living in Auckland; to examine the association of selected socio-demographic, home, community and school factors and children’s beverage knowledge/attitudes with regards to beverage consumption; to explore the relationship between SSBs consumption and adiposity in children. Methods A cross-sectional, Auckland-wide survey of 578 school age children (8-12 years) was conducted using questionnaires to collect data on beverage consumption, beverage knowledge/attitudes, and selected socio-demographic and home, community, school factors. Body fat percentage (BF%) was assessed using bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Results Ninety-six percent of children consumed ≥1 serving of SSBs a week; with ≥5 servings reported by 62% of children. Of all SSBs assessed, consumption of ≥1 serving of sugar sweetened milk-based beverages (85%, mainly milk drinks made from powder) was most prevalent, followed by fruit juice (46%) and sugar-containing carbonated drinks (39%, mainly soft/fizzy drinks). Among unsweetened beverages, plain water was reported to be consumed < 2 times a day by 22% of children, and plain milk < 1 serving a day by 53%. Higher consumption of SSBs was associated with socio-economic disadvantage, non-NZ European ethnicities (Māori, Pacific, Asian, others), availability of SSBs in the home, frequent takeaway/convenience shop visits, children’s incorrect perception of adequate SSBs consumption frequency, and higher BF% (females only). School health policy and encouragement of children to consume un-sweetened beverages was not associated with SSBs consumption. Conclusions The consumption of SSBs is prevalent in NZ school age children, with higher consumption rates observed among those from socially disadvantaged areas. This high consumption is associated with higher BF% in females. Multi-contextual interventions to decrease SSBs should target children, and their families/environment, particularly those from socially disadvantaged areas.

How interactions between ADHD and schools affect educational achievement: a family-based genetically sensitive study

Background: Children with ADHD tend to achieve less than their peers in school. It is unknown whether schools moderate this ADHD deficit. Selection into schools poses a methodological problem.Methods: We linked data on ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity and parent-child ADHD polygenic scores (PGS) from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) to standardised test results and school identifiers. Using multilevel models, we estimated interactions of school effects with individual differences between students in inattention, hyperactivity, and ADHD-PGS. In our PGS analyses, we ruled out selection by adjusting for parental ADHD-PGS (a within-family PGS design). We then tested whether five measures of the social backgrounds of students at the schools explained any interactions. Results: Analysis of up to 23,598 students attending 2,579 schools revealed interactions between school and ADHD effects on standardised test results. The variability between schools in the effects of inattention, hyperactivity, and within-family ADHD-PGS on achievement was 0.08, 0.07, and 0.05 SDs, respectively. For example, a one SD increase in inattention changed achievement by -0.23 SDs (SE=0.009) on average, but in 2.5% of schools with the weakest effects, the value was -0.07 or less. Schools contributed more to achievement differences for students with higher levels of ADHD, explaining more than four times as much variance in achievement for children with high versus average inattention symptoms. School sociodemographic measures could not explain the ADHD-by-school interactions.Conclusion: Associations between ADHD and achievement are context dependent. Children with elevated ADHD symptoms and genetic risk perform better in some schools than others. Future research should identify specific school factors that support these students, potentially using the within-family gene-environment interaction approach introduced here.

Explaining Gold-Mining and Non-Gold Mining Areas' Inequalities in Learning Achievements in Burkina Faso's Primary Education: A Decomposition Analysis

Research shows that learning achievements inequalities exist between students from gold mining areas and those from non-gold mining ones. However, there is no evidence on factors that explain this "new" geographic educational inequality. Exploiting the gold mining boom in Burkina Faso, this study employed re-centered influence function decomposition to explore students' background and school factors which explain these learning achievements inequalities and also estimate the proportion of inequalities explained by unmeasured factors. Findings suggest that, relative to student background factors, most of the learning achievements inequalities between the two types of areas are explained by school factors. Moreover, unmeasured educational factors explain a non-negligible proportion of the inequalities, higher for students on the lower and upper tails of the learning achievements distribution. Suggestions for policymakers are discussed based on the findings of the present study.

Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement and Implications for Subjective Well-Being During the Global Pandemic of Covid-19

School closures prompted by the global outbreak of COVID-19 have impacted children’s subjective well-being. In this context, a growing number of studies has pointed out that the experience of learning at home is an essential factor influencing their subjective well-being, raising the importance of parental involvement in the educational process of their children. This article explores the formal and informal parental practices of home learning during school closures period in 19 countries and their explanatory factors, with the further aim of discussing their implications for children’s subjective well-being. The study uses the International COVID-19 Impact on Parental Engagement Study (ICIPES) database and develops a regression analysis of family, child, and school factors predicting parental involvement in homeschooling. The main findings show that parents’ socioeconomic status is a critical predictor of both formal and informal parental practices. In addition, the results denote the impact of other factors, such as the level of parental confidence with the use of technology and children’s age and gender (in the case of informal activities). Based on these findings, the article discusses policy implications to promote parental involvement and children’s subjective well-being.

Is there a Relationship Between School Factors and Students’ Citizenship Education? The Cases of Latvia and Finland Based on IEA ICCS 2016 Data

In this research, the aim was to determine teacher- and school-level factors that are associated with students’ civic knowledge, future engagement in society as a citizen, opinions about future global issues and sense of belonging to their country. For that purpose, the research took IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2016) questionnaire data from Latvian and Finnish students (Latvia n = 3224, Finland n = 3173), teachers (Latvia n = 1933, Finland n = 2097) and schools (Latvia n = 137, Finland n = 174). The study used a subset of the teacher dataset that corresponds only to those teachers who teach civic and citizenship education lessons in school (Latvia n = 131, Finland n = 165). The research shows that there are some significant relationships with teacher- and school-level factors and four student factors: civic knowledge, future engagement, sense of belonging to their country and global problems (sustainability, violence and economy). The research supported by research application no. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/020.

The Influence of School Factors on Students’ Self-Concept: Findings from PIRLS 2016

In recent years, studies have put emphasis on school not only as an institution for academic achievement but also as an environment for social-emotional development, learning and shaping students’ attitudes and beliefs. There are studies that show the correlation between the environment and development of a child’s self-concept, as well as the correlation between self-concept and school anxiety. The studies have discovered very strong relationship between school success factors such as enjoyment, engagement and achievement and the school’s climate. However, there are many unknown answers to the question how significant the role of school is in shaping child’s awareness of self, self-confidence, self-concept, self-efficacy and self-esteem. The purpose of this study is, first, to analyse different studies on the impact of school on students’ self-concept, academic self-concept and self-efficacy and, second, to identify school factors that influence students’ self-concept from the PIRLS 2016 study. The research question is as follows: which school level factors influence students’ academic self-concept? Authors of this article used linear regression, correlation and frequency analysis of the International Association’s for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 data from 8 countries around the Baltic Sea. The results showed that the 4th graders’ academic self-concept in reading correlated with reading achievement and engagement in reading lessons, self-concept had a negative correlation with bullying, absenteeism from school and tiredness during school day. Overall, the authors of this article found that in the PIRLS 2016 study the direct impact of school factors on students’ academic self-concept in reading is very low.