Do Jamaican Principals' Leadership Styles Correlate to Violence in School?

The increase of violence among young people in the high school environment has become a concern among parents and educators alike. A study was designed to address whether there is a relationship between the leadership styles of principals and violence in secondary schools in rural Jamaica. Based on a correlational design survey of 414 teachers from 61 schools in five parishes, seven leadership styles were correlated with the amount of violence at each school. The result showed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.88) at the p < .05 level was observed in autocratic leadership in the Parish of St. Ann. A moderate significant correlation was recorded in St. Catherine in democratic leadership (r = -52) at the level of p < 0.01.

New Principals' School Culture Awareness and School Change

An influx of new principals having improved base-entry qualifications has raised some concerns about principal-school ‘fit' in Trinidad and Tobago. This chapter encompasses findings on three new principals' professional judgment in relation to their leadership and its impact on their schools, focusing on their school culture awareness. A multi-method case study approach is adopted. Findings suggest that the new principals' school culture awareness is indirectly associated with school change, having informed both what they attended to (their improvement foci) and how they did that (leadership practice and strategies).

Designing a Flipped Classroom in a Higher/Teacher Education Context in the Caribbean

Set in a tertiary level environment for adult learners, the process involved in flipping a classroom is elucidated. This chapter is not a research paper, but rather a primer that can assist the reader to implement the flipped model in their own practice. The chapter sets out to discuss our experiences with Flipped learning in the Caribbean and what we learnt from it. Is it useful in our Caribbean Higher Education context? Will it assist Caribbean students to mastery of their subjects? Benefits can include an increased ability to use active learning strategies, to focus on higher level thinking activities, and to maximise use of faculty-student time. The chapter covers the rationale and theory of the Flipped method, and its positioning in the context of learning strategies. It then covers the instructional design facets of developing a flipped course, including the instructional materials, so that the entire process focuses on structuring the learning experience. It discusses the experiences of the authors in implementing the flipped model in their own practice, and the lessons learned from that experience. The environment necessary to implement the method is discussed, as well as best practices in the use of tools, assessment, evaluation, all drawn from the experiences of the authors.

School Culture, Effectiveness and Low SES in Trinidad

This chapter presents a cultural diagnosis of three schools of differing effectiveness states – ‘excelling', ‘mostly effective' and ‘under academic watch' within Trinidad, which face socio-economic challenges. It utilizes a multi-method, multiple case study approach and presents an adapted conceptualization of school culture, which is used as an analytical framework to diagnose the professional orientation of teachers within the cultures of the participating schools. Findings reveal that teachers' professional orientation, particularly their dispositions and psychological states, are critically important to many aspects of schooling, including students' orientations and their academic performance and achievement.

Teachers' Experiences Implementing the Continuous Assessment Component of the Secondary Entrance Assessment at a Primary School Facing Challenging Circumstances

There is a lack of research within the Trinidad and Tobago context about teaching practices within schools facing challenging circumstances. Furthermore, proponents of the current assessment reform have not considered whether the CAC initiative may compound the challenges teachers in these contexts experience. This study utilized a qualitative case study design that aimed at exploring teachers' experiences implementing the CAC under the difficult conditions they confront at their school. The findings revealed seven major themes: slow teacher buy-in; inadequate front end training: dysfunctional support systems; parental apathy; contextual barriers and ad hoc implementation. These findings suggest that teachers did not buy into the CAC because of deficiencies in training, parental support, and external support systems.

High-Stakes Testing in Saint Lucia

The question of selection of students into secondary school is important for the education system in Saint Lucia. Education officials are faced with the arduous task to assign students to a particular secondary school based on merit and school choice. The paper explores St. Lucian Common Entrance teachers' perception of the changes in the eleven plus examination for students' advancement to secondary schools. A qualitative methodology was used to capture teachers' stories about the changing face of the eleven plus examination and their roles in the implementation of the new partial zoning initiative. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with teachers from the eight educational districts in Saint Lucia to give their opinion on the changing face of the Common Entrance Examination. Results reveal that the teachers were generally pleased with the changes in the CEE and welcomed the partial zoning initiative. Although they believed that the partial zoning would benefit the communities, they expressed reservations about the public awareness on the initiative and the preparation of secondary schools to handle the changes. Teachers recommended an effective public awareness campaign and intense dialogue with parents of children involved so that they would make informed choices on the matter.

Opening the GATE to Improving College Students' Human and Psychological Capital through Higher Education Funding

Higher education has a positive effect on students' and society's human and psychological capital. However, higher education funding is an issue for both students and Government. Qualitative study, using interviews, presents the views of 81 students at a technical vocational tertiary educational institution in Trinidad on the Government Assistance for Tertiary Education. Demographic information indicates that 47 students belonged to nuclear families, 62 students completed the Caribbean Secondary Schools Examination Council (CSEC), and 31 were first generation tertiary level students. Most participants indicated that their mothers were employed in the service industry and most participants indicated “none” for their fathers' occupations. Findings from the data, after coding, were: 1) improvement of human capital- relief from financial burdens, national service, continuation of GATE; 2) betterment of psychological capital- hope/self-improvement, career, and optimism. Recommendations made are for a more expansive study with students currently in the program as well as those who have benefitted from GATE.

Teachers' Knowledge about Asthma and Asthma Management in Inclusive Classrooms in Trinidad and Tobago

Although most students who suffer from asthma and asthmatic conditions are enrolled in the regular education setting at all levels of the education system in Trinidad and Tobago; there is no formal training at any level of the teacher education/training system which addresses the need for teachers to acquire knowledge about asthma and asthma management. Both international prevalence figures and informal local estimates suggest the presence of students with asthma in every single classroom. This study investigated the knowledge about asthma and asthma management of primary school teachers in Trinidad and Tobago. The main question was – What do primary school teachers in Trinidad and Tobago know about asthma and asthma management? A random selection of 96 teachers from varied backgrounds participated in a two-part survey about their asthma knowledge and asthma management knowledge. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis which indicated that while teachers had basic knowledge in some areas of asthma and asthma management, they lacked substantial knowledge about asthma and the management of asthma. Tests of between-subjects effect for age and years of teaching experience and asthma knowledge indicated no difference for various groups. A difference emerged when between-subject effects were analysed for sex, family history and asthma management knowledge.

Prevalence Estimates of Behavior Problems in Primary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

There is tremendous concern about the behavior of students in schools today, to the extent that teachers have become extremely concerned about the loss of teaching time and have developed general frustration with behavior management in and outside the classroom (Trinidad Express, 2014). Therefore, the need to put the spotlight on problem behaviors by way of initial inquiry has arisen. This chapter presents a quantitative investigation of behavior problems in primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. After eight weeks of in-service training, the following three areas of problem behaviors were examined by a group of 14 teacher-researchers: 1) conduct problems; 2) attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome; and 3) under-activity syndrome. Data were collected and initially analyzed across the eight school districts in Trinidad and Tobago, using the ASCA-H Behavioral Rating Scales for Elementary Schools. The findings indicate significant behavior problems at every level and in every district of the school system, with notable differential by gender. There was less variability in class level and educational district. Recommendations for policy and future research point primarily to a need to channel urgently, critical resources into further inquiry and implement interventions guided by evidence-based strategies.

Professionalism among Jamaican Educators

The issue of professionalism among Jamaican educators has occupied a significant portion of much discourse. In this chapter, the author discusses a small-scale study that sought to answer two main questions: What are the perspectives of the Jamaican teachers regarding professionalism and are Jamaican teachers professional? The aim of which was to generate information that the relevant technocrats within the education sector can use to inform decision making. Through convenience sampling, a cross-sectional survey was done to solicit responses across a select college and two high schools. Participants responded to these questions through a specifically designed questionnaire. The question of whether Jamaican teachers are professional was still unanswered. However, more efforts should be expended to ensure that teachers uphold professional standards, become acquainted with their code of ethics and improve the levels of compliance with these professional codes and standards. In the meantime, educators should be encouraged to continuously seek and engage in professional development activities to augment their personal and professional growth; as well as the growth and development of others. This chapter discusses professionalism among Jamaican educators and highlights the professional principles and code of conduct, daily practices of Jamaican educators, and their perspectives on teacher professional development, and wider stakeholder impact. The author challenges educational leaders to mobilize educators to attain higher levels of excellence and professionalize teaching by ensuring conformity with established standards and code of conduct.