The pressure to perform on standardized tests in the United States has become intense. Increased accountability has caused principals to think about their perceptions of standardized testing with regard to accountability measures, test validity, use of test data, impact of testing on the curriculum, and stress related to testing. The purpose of this study was to investigate kindergarten- through 12th-grade principals' perceptions of standardized testing. The study included 91 principals of Title I and nonTitle I schools located in 8 rural East Tennessee school districts. Data were gathered using a survey instrument to determine principals' opinions of standardized testing. There were 4 predictor (independent) variables in this study: Title I status of the school measured by status (Title I school and nonTitle I school), gender predictor variable, predictor variable of highest degree earned by principals (master's, specialist, and doctorate), and predictor variable of experience in current position (1-6 years, 7-14 years, and 15-39 years). The data analysis focused on 5 dimensions of standardized testing. The 5 (dependent) variables were: (a) general impact-accountability, (b) validity of standardized tests, (c) use of standardized tests in individualizing instruction, (d) impact on curriculum, and (e) stress related to standardized testing. The findings reflected that in general, principals had a positive view of standardized testing; however, the study showed that there was agreement among principals that standardized testing has limitations, particularly in the area of fairness to ethnic groups. The research indicated that principals use test data in many ways to improve their schools. Regardless of Title I status, gender, highest degree earned, and years of experience in current position, there were no significant differences in principals' opinions of standardized testing regarding the 5 dimensions of standardized testing.

The number of students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) classes has been increasing in Florida and across the nation over the last decade. However, this trend is not happening for traditionally underserved groups of students such as African Americans, Hispanics, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These minority groups are underrepresented in AP classes, while Asian and White students are overrepresented. This trend is alarming because there are qualified minority students who have a great chance of being successful in AP classes according to AP Potential data. For some reason though, these qualified minority and low income students are nevertheless not enrolling in AP classes. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether or not the extension of inviting messages to enroll in AP courses was dependent upon students' ethnic and/or socioeconomic background. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed to examine how the role of invitational theory affects minority student enrollment in AP classes. Mean scale scores from a survey were used to measure student attitudes about how welcoming and inviting schools were when it came to student recruitment into AP classes. T-tests and an analysis of variance were used to determine if there were differences in attitudes among students currently enrolled in AP classes, students of various economic means, and students of various ethnicities. Results from this study found that students already in AP classes felt very invited to challenge themselves in AP classes by teachers, administrators, parents, and peers. Richer students, Whites, and Asians also felt more invited to join AP classes than did poorer, African American, and Hispanic students, though these results were not statistically significant. To increase enrollment in AP classes, the overwhelming response from students was that schools should advertise the pros and cons of taking an AP class. Future research should examine students' perspectives regarding inviting school cultures in regions outside of the southeastern United States. Researchers should also focus on students in urban high schools as previous research has only examined student attitudes in rural and suburban high schools. Finally, future research should examine inviting school cultures from other stakeholders' perspectives such as parents and teachers.

No description available.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) put many interventions in place to provide quality education to all schools, but barriers still remained in low-income communities. Most barriers developed due to inadequate resources such as: poor teacher training, lack of community involvement, lack of transportation, poor service delivery and sustainability within the community. Numerous communities suffered discrimination in the form of unjust distribution of social benefits and resources. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), however, expects all learners to follow the same curriculum and achieve the same type of quality education. This is impossible when schools have inadequate resources. The aim of the research was therefore to explore how teachers understood the concept of quality education through their lived experiences at a low-income school. This exploration took into account what teachers viewed as contributing to or hindering a quality education, both at personal and interpersonal levels in the school. It also considered how the school system, the WCED and the social environment contributed to positive or negative outcomes regarding quality. This was important as teachers were seen as the key agents towards change in quality education. Social constructionism and a social justice approach provided the foundation of this research and enabled the voices of previously disadvantaged communities to be heard. In keeping with the theoretical frameworks of the study, a qualitative, interpretivist research approach was used. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and focus group discussions as well as individual interviews were used to generate data. Digital audio recordings were made of the group and individual sessions, which were then transcribed. The data collected in this study were analysed through thematic analysis. The research findings indicated that teachers experienced numerous barriers with regards to contextual factors and unjust distribution of resources. Furthermore, teachers reflected that with good pedagogy they were able to maintain quality education, by teaching a curriculum that was relevant to the context of the learner, even when resources were limited. This process was very time-consuming and not cost-effective. However, even though teachers were able to recognise the barriers present in their school they insisted that there were many positive aspects to working in a low-income school. These findings led to recommendations that were centred largely on meeting some of the support needs of teachers in low-income communities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Wes-Kaapse Onderwysdepartement (WKOD) het baie intervensies in plek gestel om gehalte-onderrig te verskaf aan alle skole, maar baie hindernisse was steeds teenwoordig in lae-inkomste gemeenskappe. Baie van die hindernisse het ontstaan as gevolg van onvoldoende hulpbronne soos: swak onderwysopleiding, gebrekkige gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid, onvoldoende vervoer, swak dienslewering en volhoubaarheid in die gemeenskap. Daar was teen talle gemeenskappe gediskrimineer in terme van ongelyke verspreiding van sosiale voordele en hulpbronne. Die Kurrikulum- en Assesseringsbeleidsverklaring (KABV) verwag egter dat alle leerders dieselfde kurrikulum volg en dieselfde tipe gehalte-onderrig behaal. Dit is onmoontlik om te bereik indien skole onvoldoende hulpbronne het. Die doel van die navorsing was dus om onderwysers se konsep van gehalte-onderrig te verstaan deur hulle beleefde ervaring in ʼn lae-inkomste skool te ondersoek. Die ondersoek het in ag geneem wat onderwysers beskou het as ʼn bydrae of ʼn hindernis tot gehalte-onderrig, op sowel persoonlike as interpersoonlike vlak in die skool. Daar is ook gelet op watter positiewe of negatiewe invloede die skoolsisteem, die WKOD en die sosiale omgewing op gehalte-onderrig het. Dit word as belangrik geag omdat onderwysers gesien word as die belangrikste agente vir verandering in gehalte-onderwys. Sosiale konstruksionisme en ʼn sosiale geregtigheidsbenadering is die grondslag van hierdie navorsing en stel die stemme van voorheen benadeelde gemeenskappe in staat om gehoor te word. In ooreenstemming met die teoretiese raamwerke van die studie is ʼn kwalitatiewe, interpretivistiese navorsingsbenadering gebruik. Die deelnemers is deur middel van doelgerigte steekproeftrekking geselekteer en fokusgroepbesprekings en individuele onderhoude is gebruik om data te genereer. Digitale klankopnames is gemaak van die groep- en individuele sessies, wat toe getranskribeer is. Die data wat in hierdie studie ingesamel is, is ontleed deur middel van tematiese analise. Die navorsing het aangedui dat onderwysers talle struikelblokke ondervind het met betrekking tot kontekstuele faktore en onregverdige verspreiding van hulpbronne. Verder het onderwysers weerspieël dat hulle met goeie pedagogie in staat was om gehalte-onderwys te beoefen deur die kurrikulum binne die konteks van die leerder te onderrig, selfs wanneer hulpbronne beperk was. Hierdie proses het egter baie tyd in beslag geneem en was nie koste-effektief nie. Selfs al was onderwysers in staat om die struikelblokke in hul skool te herken, het hulle steeds die positiewe aspekte van werk in ʼn lae-inkomste skool uitgelig. Hierdie bevindinge het gelei tot aanbevelings wat grootliks handel oor ondersteuning van die onderwysers in lae-inkomste gemeenskappe deur vervulling van hulle behoeftes.

本研究之研究目的為以「經濟弱勢兒童」為對象、「學校生活經驗」為範疇，試圖「由兒童個體本身」出發，探究經濟弱勢兒童的學校生活經驗（對學校的態度、人際適應、學習適應、常規適應及自我概念情形），期能穿透經驗地了解經濟弱勢兒童的想法與感受，由其立場、角度體察其在教育歷程中的需要，以提供教育工作者及福利政策實務更多來自經濟弱勢兒童本身的觀點。 本研究採「質性研究方法」與「個案研究方法」，以參與觀察為主，訪談與實物蒐集為輔，蒐集一位來自經濟弱勢家庭的國小高年級兒童的學校生活經驗相關資料。分析後依序呈現其在學校生活經驗的諸多面向—對學校的態度、人際適應、學業適應、常規適應及自我概念情形。 來自經濟弱勢家庭的故事主角，透過各種生理、行為及心理上的表現，表達對學校內畏懼事務的無力與恐懼，形成對學校「懼學、拒學」的態度。而長期遲到及未能持續上學，不只影響了她的學習表現，更使其從班級活動中漸漸被排除，尤其當老師視其為特殊分子而以標準外的態度相待，即使是出自善意，卻使弱勢者的處境更形孤立，同儕對其弱勢身分的烙印更加強烈，班級裡的「社會排除」使其由主流分離，面臨了更加邊緣的弱勢處境。然而，老師的愛心關懷、善意協助卻無助改善其學校生活，中產階級與經濟弱勢階級的價值差異及未經理解的企圖改變，致使師生間未能產生實質交流，本故事的主角依然朝氣蓬勃地拒絕上學。而逃避上學的結果則使其在學習上不得輪迴的永處失敗區，儘管在看似絕望的學習態度下，偶仍有學習動機，但面對強大、難以招架的習得無助感，幾乎使她喪失信心，失去勇氣，形成對上學無助又無奈的態度。在常規適應上，安份守己、「不會惹事」是她最引以為豪的事，然而所謂的安份守己、「盡量」不惹事卻也隱含了對同學欺侮和輕蔑態度的忍耐壓抑，及對學校或老師能主持正義或終止欺凌失去信心。此外，長期處於孤單、被排除及習得無助感的打擊，面對學校生活，她也出現抑鬱、自我貶抑的情況。 最後，除了對研究初衷的反省與思考，亦分別對教育實務與後續研究提出若干建議。在教育實務上，除設置「學校社會工作師」協助家庭、教師和學校整合地處理弱勢兒童問題外，亦可減輕教師教學事務負擔，以增進班級導師和經濟弱勢學生的互動品質，而教師亦應試以「轉化型知識份子」的角色，協助經濟弱勢兒童自我增能，並思考如何突破種種結構體制上的限制，創造一個可協助弱勢者「增能」的學習體制。在後續研究上，建議未來相關研究，可在理解之虞，更進一步探究學校場域中，教師和經濟弱勢兒童的師生關係、互動歷程及在互動歷程中如何協助其增能的可行策略，並對經濟弱勢兒童的街頭世界進行認識與理解。 / The purpose of this study is to explore the school experience (including attitude toward school, interpersonal adaptation, academic adaptation, regulation adaptation, and self-concept) of an economically disadvantaged child who is a high-grade elementary school student from a low-income family. Educators and welfare policy makers can refer to this study to better understand the outlook and feelings of children from similar backgrounds. This is a qualitative case study that uses participant observation as the main source of data, complemented by interviews and document analysis. After collecting the relevant information on this economically disadvantaged child, her school experience is presented in accordance with her attitude toward school, interpersonal adaptation, academic adaptation, regulation adaptation and self-concept. The character of this story expresses her powerlessness and fear in school physically, behaviorally and psychologically, and exhibits fear and unwillingness with respect to her studies. She is often tardy and is unable to attend school regularly. This not only affects her academic performance, but also results in that she is tending to be excluded from class activities by classmates, especially when the teacher gives her special treatment. By treating her differently, even if out of goodwill, the teacher is making her situation worse in that her classmates increasingly identify her as belonging to a “minority group”. In a sense, exclusion in the classroom is no different from social exclusion. Though teachers are willing to help, there is still no improvement in her school life. It seems that value differences between the middle class and the economically disadvantaged, as well as attempts to bring about change without fully understanding the circumstances in a student’s life, are not conducive to effective teacher-student communication. She is energetic, yet resists going to school and shows a poor academic performance. Even though she occasionally exhibits motivation for learning, the sense of helplessness she brings from home robs her of confidence in her schooling. In regulation adaptation, she takes pride in abiding by school rules and staying out of trouble. However, this implies that she might be enduring bullying from her classmates and that she lacks confidence in the ability of her teachers and her school to prevent it. Due to the resulting sense of isolation and helplessness, she exhibits depression and self-deprecation in her school life. In addition to a discussion on the original intent of this study, recommendations for educators and for future studies are also offered. In education practice, school social workers can help families, teachers and schools to collectively address the problems that disadvantaged children face. At the same time, we should lighten the burden on teachers and improve relationships between teachers and economically disadvantaged students. Furthermore, teachers should try to be “transformative intellectuals” who can empower these children, by considering methods that can surpass the limitations of contemporary institutions. In future studies, researchers may explore teacher-student relationships, interactive processes between teachers and economically disadvantaged children, as well as feasible strategies that can empower economically disadvantaged children. Another topic for future studies would also be to understand the street life of economically disadvantaged children.

No description available.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The importance of increased accessibility to higher education for non-traditional students has been recognised globally. In South Africa, a strong drive exists to provide access to students who were previously excluded from higher education because of the apartheid history. Stellenbosch University attempts to contribute to redress and transformation through, amongst other initiatives, the SciMathUS Bridging Programme (Science and Mathematics at the University of Stellenbosch). The SciMathUS Bridging Programme provides access to educationally disadvantaged students to higher education. Even though these students gained access to higher education, they were struggling to succeed. Many questions about the functioning of specifically educationally disadvantaged students in higher education are still unanswered. This study aims to find answers to some of these questions, namely what are the major challenges educationally disadvantaged students face at a predominantly white, Afrikaans university and how do they function within the university. The research is a narrative ethnography with the focus on the experiences of seven former SciMathUS students at Stellenbosch University. The data was collected by means of unstructured interviews, student journals as well as social media over a period of four months. Narratives about the seven students’ experiences on campus were compiled and analysed within the framework of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model by focusing on the reciprocal and dynamic interactions of the students within their campus systems. The analysis of the narratives showed limited interactions in the academic, social and residential contexts and revealed that these students faced academic, financial, linguistic, social and administrative challenges, which led to very high stress levels. They struggled to become part of the academic practice and responded by functioning on the periphery of the university system. The implications of providing access to educationally disadvantaged students to higher education, and particularly Stellenbosch University, are threefold. On a theoretical level, gaps in current theory on student development and support were identified. On a substantive level, a disjuncture between university policies and initiatives, and the real-life experiences of the students existed and systemic changes in the academic, social and residential contexts are imperative. Finally, on a practical level, the narratives of these students provided insight into their experiences and highlighted the need for the reconsideration of current practices around teaching and learning, language, admission, re-admission, financial support, tutoring and mentoring, and social life, particularly in residences. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belang van groter toeganklikheid tot hoër onderwys vir nie-tradisionele studente word wêreldwyd erken. As gevolg van die apartheidsgeskiedenis, is daar in Suid-Afrika ‘n grootse poging om aan studente wat voorheen uitgesluit was, toegang tot hoër onderwys te verleen. Die Universiteit Stellenbosch poog om ‘n bydra te lewer tot die regstelling en transformasie, onder andere, deur die SciMathUS Brugprogram (Science and Mathematics at the University of Stellenbosch) wat aan onderwysbenadeelde studente toegang tot hoër onderwys verleen. Alhoewel hierdie studente toegang tot hoër onderwys verkry het, sukkel hul om sukses te behaal. Baie vrae oor die funksionering van spesifiek onderwysbenadeelde studente in hoër onderwys is steeds onbeantwoord. Hierdie studie poog om antwoorde te vind op van hierdie vrae naamlik, wat is die grootste uitdagings wat onderwysbenadeelde studente aan ’n hoofsaaklik wit, Afrikaanssprekend universiteit in die gesig staar en hoe funksioneer hul binne die universiteit. Die navorsing is ’n narratiewe etnografie met die fokus op die ervarings van sewe voormalige SciMathUS studente aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch. Die data is oor ’n tydperk van vier maande deur middel van onderhoude, studentejoernale en sosiale media versamel. Narratiewe oor die sewe studente se ervarings op kampus is saamgestel en binne die raamwerk van Bronfenbrenner se ekologiese model ontleed deur op die wedersydse en dinamiese interaksies van die studente in hul kampus- sisteme te fokus. Die ontleding van die narratiewe het beperkte interaksies binne die akademiese, sosiale en residensiële kontekste aangedui en het getoon dat die studente akademiese, finansiële, taal, sosiale en administratiewe uitdagings in die gesig gestaar het, wat tot hoë stresvlakke gelei het. Hul het gesukkel om deel te word van die akademiese praktyk en het daarop reageer deur op die rand van die universiteitsisteem te funksioneer. Die implikasies van toegang tot hoër onderwys, en meer spesifiek die Universiteit Stellenbosch, aan onderwysbenadeelde studente, is drieërlei. Op ’n teoretiese vlak is gapings in huidige teorie oor studente-ontwikkeling en -ondersteuning geïdentifiseer. Op ’n substantiewe vlak het daar ’n gaping bestaan tussen universiteitsbeleide en -inisiatiewe en die werklike ervarings van die studente en is sistemiese veranderinge in die akademiese, sosiale en residensiële kontekste nodig. Laastens, op ’n praktiese vlak het die narratiewe van die studente lig gewerp op hul ervarings en die behoefte aan die heroorweging van huidige praktyke rondom onderrig en leer, taal, toelating, her-toelating, finansiële ondersteuning, tutor- and mentorskap en sosiale lewe, spesifiek in koshuise, beklemtoon. / FIRLT Committee