Chap. 6 Flashcards
(40 cards)
school size
- large schools have a more varied curriculum and diverse extracurricular activites
- student achievement is higher in more intimate schools
- smaller schools encourage encourage participation, this develope more skills and abilities
- smaller school students are more likely to hold leadership positions, do things that make them feel confident and diligent
- more inequalities of education exists in larger schools
schools within schools
- subdivisions of the student body within large schools created to foster feelings of belongingness
variations in class size
- research findings have been misinterpreted by politicians who began emphasizing importance of small classes
- there are similar academic outcomes in classes of 25 - 35 students
- tutoring and highly individualized instruction is exception
age grouping and school transitions
early - mid 20th century canada
- 8 yrs of primary school, followed by 4 yrs of high school education
age grouping and school transitions
1920s
- propsoed jr high school
- grade 7,8,9
age grouping and school transitions
2nd half of 20th century
- 6 yr elementary
- 6 yrs jr high
- 3 yrs hs
age grouping and school transitions
more common now
- elementary school (k-7)
- middle (6-8)
- high (9-12)
- all school transitions come with some stress
- some propose an 8-4 system to reduce the # of transitions (which would require larger school sizes)
transition to middle or jr high school
- small frog in a large pond
- coincides with puberty
- teachers typically shift to focusing more on content, less on guidance and support
- interest in school decreases
- school related anxiety increases
transition to hs
- more bureaucratic and intimidating
- less chance to get to know teachers
- students can have a weaker sense of belonging
- view school enviroment more -‘ve
2ndary v. elementary schools
- middle teachers are: less likely to trust their students and feel confident about teaching abilities, but more likely to emphasize discipline and believe that students’ abilities are fixed
- developmental mismatch between what ados need and what they get from teachers
- bureaucratic organization and anonymity of jr high schools may have -‘ve effect on teachers
- cultural stereotypes may have -‘ve influence on teachers
individual difference in the extent of transitional problems
- not all students experience the same degree of stress related to school transitions
- students who have more academic and psychosocial problems before making a school transition have more problems coping with it
- inner city ados have few economic resources may be particularly at risk for the -‘ve effects of school transitions
- boys, ethnic minority students, and students from low SES families are more likely to become disengaged from school
- parental support and involvement are associated with better adjustment during school transitions
tracking
- practice of seperating students into ability groups
- they take classes with peers at the same skill level
- schools who do this can be either more exclusive/inclusive/meritocratic
pros and cons of tracking
- allows teachers to design class lessons that are more finely tuned to students’ abilites
- account for mastery of certain basic skills
- remedial track students generally receive poorer quality education, not just different education
- socialized only with peers from the same track
- may discriminate against poor and ethnic minorities
“on the wrong track”
- early track placements results in a difficult-to-change educational trajectory
- tracking in one class may lead to tracking in others due to scheduling
- more advanced tracking has more challenging instruction, better teaching, critical thinking classroom activities
- net effect is an increase in preexisting academic differences
- some expections exist, with lower tracks taught by exceptional teachers
the effects of tracking on student achievement
- studies of the effect of tracking have produced a complicated answer with variety of shown effects
- both implementation and “detracking” are controversial
- teachers may sort based on ability without formal tracking (this results in raised expectations and evaluations for high-ability students and lowered expectations and evaluations for low-ability students)
performance orientation
- lower esteem
- lower care for the school system
- single out high achievers
- students focus on competition for grades
- outcomes seen as signs of ability
mastery orientation
- stress effort, improvement
- increases student interest
- personal efficacy
individual goal orientation
- students who have mastery orientations are more interested, show more long-term learning, and deeper learning strategies
- performace-approach orientation predicts higher grades, but not in the long term
- performance-avoid orientation is associated with defensice and harmful strategies
school climate more generally
- demandingness - high expectations for students for academic and behavioural performance
- responsiveness - students feel respected and heard by teachers
- low-low = indifferent
- low R - high D = authoritarian
- high R-low D = undulgent
- high-high = authoritative (the best)
classroom climate
- various aspects of the school climate have important effects on students’ learning and achievement (how teacher interact with students, how class time is used, the standards and expectations teacher hold for students)
- all of these aspects are more important than school size, ethnic composition, approach to ability group, or age group combination
the best classroom climate for ado
- responsive and demanding
- +’ve with supportive and demanding teachers
- moderate degree of structure
- cooperation (not competition) between students
- respectful and caring teachers
school climate and bullying
- bullying is more likely in schools with unsupportive/harsh teachers, disorderly climate, and little respect for students
- the role of school climate has raised legal questions about schools’ legal responsibility for failing to take steps to prevent bullying
- experts recomment implementing evidence-based, anti-bullying programs, mental health service referrals, training for personnel, policies that make it easier to report bullying, and prompt investigations of bullying
teacher expectations and student performance
strong correlation exists between teacher expecations and student performance because teachers’ expectations:
- are often accurate reflections of their students’ abilites (which explains ~80% the relation)
- create self-fulfilling prophecies (which explains ~20% the relation)
- might be stronger for academically weaker students
teachers might do the following (6)
- consciously and unconsciously base their expectations in pt on students’ ethnic and socioeconomic background
- call on affluent or white students more
- have lower expectations and hold stereotypes about minorities
- give undeserved +’ve feedback to minority students who have done poor work
- make it difficult for minority students to attain academic accomplishment that permits upward mobility
- high achievement expectations from parents help protect students from the impact of low teacher expectations