The Schoolkid Self

The article considers the critical nature of elementary school experiences for children's emotional development. To do this, aspects of two theories are compared. One of the theories is from a recent doctoral dissertation on the subjective experiences of childhood. The other is developmental theory inherent in self psychology. There are concepts in both theories related to children's experiences in elementary school and implications for ways elementary schools can provide empathic environments supportive of healthy emotional development. The concepts are illustrated with children's narratives related to their school experiences, narratives which were part of the research data.     

A critical exploration of the school context for young adolescents completing primary education

Many schools have adopted relational approaches to attend to the social context in which learning transpires. More recently however, such approaches and their supporters have been criticized for not examining the school context in its entirety and the student experience within this context. The current research sought to critically explore young adolescents’ experiences within the context of their school. Fifteen year seven students in an Australian primary school were interviewed about their experiences of their school context. The data were analysed using a thematic analysis and a question-ordered matrix was constructed to aid the detection of themes and sub-themes from the data. Three major themes were identified as a result. These included: the people within the school context, the social roles of the adolescents’, and the values the school espouses. These findings suggest that there are a number of factors in addition to relational aspects within the school context that impact on young adolescents. This exploratory qualitative study offers a ‘counter adult-centric’ view of young adolescents’ experiences within their school. It also illustrates the potential value in transforming the school context to provide opportunities to experience influence, responsibility, self-determination, meaningful participation and community within the school.     

In‐School Versus Out‐of‐School Friendships and Academic Achievement Among an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Adolescents

Much of the research on adolescent friendships and school achievement has focused on in‐school friends, ignoring the potential effects of having out‐of‐school friendships. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between having relatively more in‐school friends and school achievement among a sample of over 600 12th grade students from ethnically diverse backgrounds. We found that adolescents with more in‐school friends, compared with out‐of‐school friends, had higher grade point averages (GPAs) and that adolescents with higher GPAs had more in‐school friends. These relations were mediated by academic experiences, including those shared with friends. However, as hypothesized, the social aspects of adolescents' friendships did not vary according to their percent of in‐school friends, attesting to the importance of considering both types of friendships in understanding adolescents' social experiences. None of the relations described varied according to gender or ethnicity.     

Childhood cancer survivors' experiences in school re-entry in South Korea: Focusing on academic problems and peer victimization

Childhood cancer survivors are confronted with numerous problems when they return to school after the completion of treatment. This study investigates the school re-entry experiences of childhood cancer survivors in South Korea. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 31 childhood cancer survivors who were between 15 and 39 years old and had completed all cancer treatments at the time of the study. Participants reported being excited about school re-entry, but also being fearful and concerned about their academic performance and peer relationships. The participants' school re-entry experiences were mostly impacted by their relationships with their peers and teachers. They expressed having had psychosocial problems related to school re-entry, such as feeling a sense of loss and a lack of social skills. Our study findings emphasize a critical need for supporting childhood cancer survivors, both academically and socially, in their transition to school.     

What Happens to Foster Kids: Educational Experiences of a Random Sample of Foster Care Youth and a Matched Group of Non-Foster Care Youth

Older youth often “age out” of foster care when they reach 18 or 21. Then what happens to them? How do their educational experiences during and after high school compare with children raised in intact families? This study used existing longitudinal data from 1980 through 1986 to investigate the high school and post high school experiences of a group of foster care youth and a matched group of youth living with at least one parent. The results were unequivocal: the foster youth dropped out of high school at a much higher rate and were significantly less likely to have completed a GED. The foster care high school graduates received significantly less financial assistance for education from their parents or guardians. Foster youth reported more discipline problems in school and experienced more educational disruption due to changing schools. They were significantly less likely to be in a college preparatory high school track. The adults in the lives of the foster care youth were less likely to monitor homework. These findings have important implications for child welfare policy and practice.     

Working parent friendly schools: the role of school instrumental support in work–family conflict

Instrumental support can foster or ameliorate parent experiences of work–family conflict. Based on theories relating social support to stress, a framework for considering how school support affects work–family conflict is proposed and tested. Parent experiences of instrumental support (school schedules, school service provision, and staff accessibility) and school demands on parents (volunteer and homework involvement) were investigated in relation to levels of work–family conflict. Work demands were related to both family-interference-with-work and work-interference-with family; family demands related only to time-based family-interference-with-work. Perceptions of school scheduling as supportive were related negatively to both time- and strain-based work-interference-with family, whereas perceptions of school transportation services were related to both time- and strain-based family-interference-with-work. No buffering effects of these types of support were found. Implications for how community organizations can play a role in ameliorating work–family conflict are discussed.     

Child welfare clients and school satisfaction

Despite long-standing knowledge about child welfare clients' poor educational outcomes, we know less about these vulnerable young people's situation in school. This article addresses school satisfaction among upper secondary students who have been in contact with the child welfare services. These child welfare clients' school satisfaction is compared with their peers' satisfaction. The results from a survey indicated that the majority of child welfare clients were satisfied with school but that they were less satisfied with school than were their peers. The results showed that the association between school satisfaction and positive school experiences explains a large part of this difference. Among students who reported they were doing well in school, had supportive teachers and friends at school, the difference in school satisfaction between child welfare clients and others was small. Among students who did not report similar positive experiences in school, difference in school satisfaction between child welfare clients and their peers was more substantial. These results show that school can be a good place for child welfare clients, but that facilitating support from teachers, increasing opportunities for making friends at school, and working to develop the child welfare clients' academic performances are important as efforts to improve school satisfaction.     

Korean students’ minority schooling experience in Japan

A qualitative study conducted in western Japan examined the perceptions of Korean students in Japanese junior high school to identify factors contributing to a consistently low high school advancement rate compared to mainstream Japanese students. Fourteen people were interviewed about their Korean students’ experiences in Japan. The findings of this study suggest that factors contributing to the low high school advancement rate among Korean students cluster around three themes: (1) discrimination experienced in society at large and at school, (2) assimilation to become more like the Japanese, and (3) inconsistent cultural and insufficient academic support given by the school and teachers. Findings from this study indicate how the power structure in a social context of schooling influences minority students’ learning and also confirmed in part Ogbu and Cummins’ theories of how power relations between the subordinated and the dominant affect minority students’ schooling experiences and learning.     

Learning to Be Invisible

Abstract

This study is based on E-mail interviews with 27 self-identified lesbian and bisexual female high school students. The interviews were conducted in an informal style over a period of several months, permitting the participants an opportunity to respond to a series of questions, as well as voice any other concerns relevant to their school experiences. This process involved three distinct objectives: (a) to define the forms of homophobia and heterosexism in the high school environment, (b) to explore ways in which homophobia and heterosexism have impacted the participants, and (c) to propose ways to combat heterosexism and homophobia in high schools. This paper gives voice to these young lesbian and female bisexual students so that readers may develop a better understanding of the realities of their experiences in school.     

School-Based Intergenerational Programs

Abstract

This paper focuses on experiences learned from being involved in the development of a sustainable school-based intergenerational program that simultaneously incorporated lifespan education into a Grade 2-3-4 curriculum. The program operated in an Australian primary school. A model was developed through this initiative that involved a tripartite collaborative partnership between school, university educators, and the primary school community (in particular its older adults). Older adult volunteers from the school's community were invited to teach students. Program monitoring consisted of contextual and observational analysis ensuring the program was sensitive to school culture and took account of participants' experiences. This monitoring process occurred throughout the planning, development, and implementation stages. Although school educators were always pressed for time, all participants actively contributed to the program. All of the educators saw purpose and worth in having the program. Ongoing support from teachers, the principal, and university personnel plus the provision of additional resources contributed to high student involvement and the overall success of the initiative. Having a school-based coordinator was found to be necessary, yet, for school educators, problematic because of constraints on their time. The findings from this project indicate that the older adult volunteers were enriched by their involvement in the program and able to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. As well, the study suggests that educators would be better prepared for implementing this area of learning opportunities if lifespan education were provided in their undergraduate and post-graduate courses as well as in professional development initiatives.     

Exploring Underlying Dimensions of Social Connectedness in the Experiences of Suspended Young People from Ethnically Diverse Populations in the USA

In the USA, out‐of‐school suspension leaves numerous young people in transition, caught between the school and their communities. A limited body of literature neither documents the experiences of suspended young people from ethnically diverse populations nor provides insight into the spaces they occupy. This study used an exploratory mixed methods design to identify psychological, social and spatial dimensions of social connectedness in the experiences of suspended young people participating in a community intervention. The study aimed to explicate social connectedness as a protective factor and how underlying dimensions of social connectedness construct sites of recovery for suspended young people.     

School experiences of pupils with physical impairments over time

This article focuses on the experiences of seven youths with physical impairments within primary and secondary school. Overall, participants considered secondary school to better accommodate their needs, although limited accessibility and flexibility complicated their possibilities for participation. The emphasis was not placed on the completion of educational activities, but rather on whether or not the pupils had the opportunity to engage in selected activities alongside their peers and were actively consulted in the implementation of these activities. The stability versus change in the views of the youths was of interest, especially how they interpreted certain school experiences compared with when they were younger.     

The influence of a multicultural teacher education program on teachers’ multicultural practices

This study examined the multicultural classroom practices of two novice secondary English teachers employed by the same US school district that serves a diverse student population. Findings indicated a high level of consistency between the teachers’ intended multicultural practices and their implemented practices. Based on classroom observations, both teachers implemented the general multicultural practices of critical pedagogy, real life application, student choice, multicultural literature, individual student attention, cultural physical adaptation, active learning and cooperative grouping. The factors supporting multicultural infusion were the teachers’ previous experiences with diverse populations, the teachers’ own previous meaningful high school experiences and the teachers’ backgrounds that were similar to their students. The impeding factors were the structure of the school, time constraints, racism and tracking.     

Perspectives of Looked after Children on School Experience — a Study Conducted among Primary School Children in a Children’s Home in Singapore

Singapore is known for its well‐developed public education. Although there have been prolific studies and advancement in pedagogy of different groups of learners, the progress has yet to capture the interest of children in residential care, and their educational needs remain a field lacking in discussion. This study seeks to give these children a voice by answering three main questions: (1) What have the children experienced in school? (2) How do they feel about these experiences? (3) To what extent are the children’s experiences and feelings related to their background?A mixed‐method approach that encompasses both quantitative and qualitative instruments has been employed to find out from the Primary School children in a local Children’s Home their perspectives on school experience. The findings reveal that looked after children do encounter greater challenges in school because of their unique background and lack of resources. Most of them would need to rely on the authorities in both the school and the Home for support if better experience and performance in school are to be achieved.     

“Our Kids Aren’t Dropping Out; They’re Being Pushed Out”: Native American Students and Racial Microaggressions in Schools

ABSTRACT

Poor graduation rates, truancy rates, and standardized tests results have been presented as indicators of a school crisis among Native American youths. This crisis, however, relies on ahistoric and deficit models of intervention, which imagine academic success as an individual- or family-level phenomenon. Responding to Reyhner’s (1991) suggestion to assess the role of schools and teachers in working to push students out of school, we explored the experiences of Native American youths in schools. This article documents findings from a community-based mixed-methods study. It establishes not only the significant prevalence of microaggressions for Native American youths in schools but it also presents the unique discriminatory experiences and aspects of those microaggressions. We suggest that these microaggressions play a role in school climate and push-out and provide suggestions for research, professional development, and social action.     

American Indian High School Completion in Rural Southeastern Montana1

Factors related to dropping out of school are examined among a rural population of American Indians in southeastern Montana. Analyses assess the relative effects of community location, type of school, and student, family, and school variables on dropout behavior. Findings reveal the importance of students' community residence, parental education, and school experiences. The effects of these factors vary by school, however, suggesting that schools create different environments, opportunities, and relationships with specific communities that affect school outcomes. This research suggests the need to examine interactions among schools and Indian students, their families, and communities to understand school dropout patterns.     

Learning to respect

In this article, "learning to respect" is considered both as a condition for the creation of a safe learning environment and as a condition for "learning to live together" in a democratic society. Learning to respect is not a subject like mathematics or history. As far as the school is concerned, pupils learn to respect through experiences with interactions within the classroom and the school. This paper explores some of the consequences for school policy and teachers' skills.     

Voices from Segregated Schooling: towards an inclusive education system

Romantown LEA, like other authorities in England and Wales, is adopting a policy of 'inclusion' in providing education for young disabled people. The reorganisation has involved the closure of Adamston, an all-age school for pupils with physical disabilities. This article addresses the meaning of 'inclusion' from the viewpoint of disabled people who have experienced segregated education. We draw first on the literature to offer an analysis of the documented views of survivors of special schools. Secondly, we explore the views and experiences of Adamston pupils prior to the closure of the school. In presenting what clearly represents a wide range of experiences we seek to take the debate beyond the sterile analysis of 'pros and cons' of special schools. We argue that voices from experiences of segregation are central in constructing 'inclusion' and essential in any process of change towards an education system which is truly inclusive.