Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att öka vår förståelse kring vad barn och ungdomarbehöver för att klara skolan och lämna såväl grundskolan som gymnasiet med godkändabetyg. Detta främst utifrån vad ungdomar själva anser vara viktiga påverkansfaktorer. Någotvi menar är högst relevant för det sociala arbetet, inte minst det skolsociala, då utbildningbidrar till att förebygga social utslagning. För att uppnå vårt syfte utformade vi fyraforskningsfrågor; (1) Vilka personliga färdigheter eller förmågor är enligt elevernabetydelsefulla för att få godkända betyg? (2) Vilka faktorer i familj/närmiljön tänker elevernaär centrala för att få godkända betyg? (3) Vilka faktorer/insatser från skolans sida ansereleverna är centrala för att få godkända betyg? (4) Vilka faktorer anser eleverna har haft störstbetydelse för dem under den egna skolgången? I vår uppsats har vi valt att använda oss av enkvalitativ metod. Utifrån en semistrukturerad intervjuguide har vi genomfört intervjuer medfyra elever samt en lärare på en gymnasieskola i en medelstor svensk kommun. För attanalysera vår empiri har vi använt oss av systemteori, copingteori samt resiliensperspektivet.Vi ansåg att dessa teorier på ett fullgott sätt belyste såväl helheten som delarna och därmedtydliggör eventuella samband/ samspel vad gäller vilka faktorer som på ett positivt sättpåverkar de ungas studieresultat. Det resultat vi fick i vår empiri samstämde väl med dentidigare forskning inom området som vi tagit del av. I vår empiri framkommer stöd frånföräldrarna som den viktigaste påverkansfaktorn för att elever ska klara nå uppsatta mål förgodkända betyg, följt av individuella förmågor så som en svårdefinierad inre kraft samtlättlärdhet. Vad som blir tydligt för oss, vilket även teorierna stödjer, är att det inte helt enkeltgår att särskilja riskfaktorer från skyddsfaktorer. Huruvida en påverkansfaktor utgör en riskeller ett skydd för en individ avgörs i relation till den sociala omgivning där individenbefinner sig. / The purpose of this paper has been to increase our understanding of the needs of children andyoung adults in order to pass secondary and upper secondary school. We have put emphasizein the factors and elements young adults themselves find of importance, something we believeis highly relevant for social work, not least the school social, as education contributes toprevent social exclusion. To achieve our purpose, we formulated four questions of research;(1) According to the students, what personal skills or traits are useful in order for them to passschool? (2) According to the students, what factors in the family/immediate environment arecentral in order for them to pass school? (3) According to the students, whatfactors/interventions from the institution are central in order for them to pass school? (4)According to the students, what factors have been the most important for their success duringtheir own time in school? We have chosen to use a qualitative method in our paper. We haveconducted interviews with four students and one teacher in a mid-sized Swedish municipality,using a semi-structured interview guide. To analyze our empiric studies, we have used asystem theory coping theory and resilience theory. We believed that these theories wouldfully illustrate both the bigger picture, as well as the details, and thereby make visible anylinks/connections between factors which in a positive way influence study results. The resultswe derived from our empiric studies were concurrent with other research in the same field. Inour empiric research, we can see that support from the parents is the single most importantfactor for students to pass school, followed by individuals skills such as a loosely defined‘inner power’ and an ability to learn quickly. It has become evident to us- and this issupported by the theories- that it is not possible to separate risk factors from protectionfactors. Whether a factor can be classed as a risk or as protective for an individual depends on the social environment of that very individual.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, Institute of Higher Education Research and Development, 2007. / "2006" Bibliography: p. 167-173.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references (p.128-139).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 466-484). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka hur fem rektorer beskrev sina erfarenheter av att leda skolsocialt arbete i grundskolan. Detta är viktigt att studera då elevers skolproblematik har ökat både pedagogiskt och socialt. Med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer med rektorer från både kommunala och fristående skolor undersöktes vilken betydelse rektorers erfarenheter hade för hur de såg på det skolsociala arbetet. Studien omfattade även hur rektorer beskrev sin komplexa yrkesroll och om rektorerna hade upplevt någon förändring inom det skolsociala arbetet över tid. I litteraturen som låg till grund för denna uppsats framställdes det skolsociala arbetet som komplext och tidskrävande. Studiens huvudresultat och slutsats är att skolsocialt arbete idag omfattar en större del socialt arbete än tidigare, vilket tar tid och ekonomiska resurser från det pedagogiska arbetet. Vi frågar oss om detta kan vara en bidragande orsak till att kunskapsresultaten bland svenska elever har minskat. / Title: The future starts in school – Principals’ experience of managing school social work in elementary schools.The aim of this essay was to examine how five principals described their experiences of managing the school social work in elementary schools. This is important to study since student educational and social failure in school has increased. Using qualitative interviews with principals from both municipal and privately owned schools we examined how the principals’ experiences influenced the school social work. The study included how the principals described their complex professional role and if the principals had experienced any changes in the school social work over time. In the literature on which this essay was based on, school social work was described as complex and time consuming. The essay’s conclusion is that school social work today includes a lot of social work, which takes time and financial resources from the educational process. We question if this can be a contributing reason to the decrease in knowledge results among Swedish students.

African American and Hispanic students and students from families with lower income are particularly at-risk for differential academic achievement and dropout. When students underachieve at school or dropout, they often face severe consequences such as increased risk of incarceration and unemployment. School social workers strive to prevent poor academic achievement and the associated negative outcomes. In recent years, federal and state education policy has focused on reducing disparities in academic achievement through the creation of policies that use high-stakes testing requirements to hold schools accountable for student learning. Research studies on teacher perceptions of high-stakes testing indicate that it is having a negative impact on their job tasks and on school systems. However, there are few studies that examine school social worker perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing. This study examines school social workers’ perceptions about high-stakes testing. Specifically, it assesses school social worker perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on school systems and how school ratings and student performance might influence these perceptions. It also examines school social workers’ perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on their abilities to perform their work tasks. The study sample is drawn from respondents to the Texas School Social Work Survey (n=177). Data were analyzed through secondary data analysis using factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings indicate that school social workers perceive high-stakes testing as having a largely negative impact on school systems and their job tasks. School social workers who predominantly worked with students from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to have negative opinions about the impact of high-stakes testing on their job tasks. School social workers from schools with lower school ratings and those who felt that the students on their caseload tended to struggle on high-stakes tests had more negative perceptions about the impact of high-stakes testing on school systems. Results indicate the need for school social workers to become more involved in education policy and macro practice, to connect their services to improved academic outcomes for students, and to find new ways to provide school social work services in the “age of accountability.” / text

Tron på den egna förmågan (self-efficacy) och upplevelsen av kontroll (locus of control) påverkar människors agerande och bedömningar av sina möjligheter. Syftet med undersökningen var att öka förståelsen för hur studenter från psykologlinjen i Stockholms Universitet bedömde sina chanser att få ett arbete direkt efter utbildningen. Fyra studenter deltog i undersökningen och data samlades genom kvalitativa halvstrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visade att möjligheterna till att få arbete efter examen ansågs vara goda men att den praktiska tjänstgöringen för psykologer, PTP, sågs som en flaskhals. Erfarenhet, kontakter, ålder, kön och utbildningsinriktning ansågs kunna påverka möjligheterna till att få en PTP-tjänst och påverkade också deltagarnas bedömning av sina chanser. Vidare visade resultatet att studenterna upplevde glädje för att börja arbeta med sitt yrke men också osäkerhet inför att lämna det trygga studentlivet. Med teorierna om self-efficacy och locus of control ökades förståelsen för deltagarnas bedömning av sina möjligheter. Med den kognitiva strategin optimism tolkades deltagarnas känslor inför övergången till arbetslivet.

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a grant proposal and identify a potential funding source for the purpose of expanding a cross-age mentoring program to increase school participation and decrease dropout rates of students in one high school and middle school in San Antonio, Texas. The program is designed to target and strengthen non-academic factors such as family connectedness, community involvement, and self-esteem which have been shown to contribute to school dropout rates. An extensive literature review increased knowledge about dropout rates among Hispanics and individuals who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and provided information about evidenced-based mentoring programs that the grant writer then used to design a best-practice program. A search for potential finding sources via the internet resulted in the selection of Kronkosky Charitable Foundation as the best funding source for this project. A grant was then written to support the expansion of a cross-age mentoring program at Harlandale High School and Harlandale Middle School in San Antonio, Texas.</p>

<p>Various barriers affect the academic performance and educational attainment of some Latino students. Barriers include poverty, discrimination, educational inequity, immigration issues, language issues, and parental factors. Previous research identified family school involvement as a way to promote academic success and college attainment for Latino adolescents. The purpose of this thesis was to develop and seek funding for a family involvement program for Vista Charter Middle School located in Los Angeles, California. The goal of the program is to increase parent involvement for Vista Charter students to promote improved school performance and support for postsecondary education. Research on existing parent programs, their effects, and collaboration with school personnel were used to inform the development of this proposed program. Neither the actual submission and/or funding of this grant project were required for the successful completion of this project. </p>