The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of singing-integrated reading instruction on the oral reading fluency and motivation of elementary students in an after school program. Participants were third graders (n = 29) who attended the singing-integrated oral reading fluency (SI ORF) intervention twice a week for eight weeks. Components of the intervention included teacher-modeling of fluent oral reading, oral support, repeated reading and singing activities from a variety of children’s literature, and individual free-time. The adapted Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS; McKenna & Kear, 1990) measured recreational, academic, and composite reading attitudes. The Qualitative Reading Inventory – 5 (QRI-5; Leslie & Caldwell, 2011) measured the following fluency components: Word Recognition in Isolation (WRI), both Correct Automatic and Total Number Correct, Word Recognition in Context (WRC), and reading rate, calculated as Words per Minute (WPM). Pretests and posttests for components of both assessments were compared using paired-samples t – tests. Data analyses of adapted ERAS mean percentage scores revealed a statistically significant decline in recreational reading attitude, no statistically significant difference in academic reading attitude, and a decline that approached significance in participants’ overall reading attitudes. QRI-5 scores revealed a statistically significant increase from pretest to posttest in WRI Correct Automatic, WRI Total Number Correct, WRC, and reading rate scores. The after-school environment offered a viable option for SI ORF instruction and was free from restraints that can accompany high-stakes testing environments in the traditional school setting. Overall, participants were attentive and enthusiastic, particularly enjoying the singing and repeated lyrics components of the intervention.

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The aim of this study is to investigate Swedish senior high school students’ Extramural English (EE) activities and their beliefs about learning English inside and outside of the classroom. EE is defined as English language activities that learners are engaged in outside the classroom, and includes activities such as listening to music, reading, writing, speaking, surfing the Internet, playing computer games, watching TV, YouTube and movies (Sundqvist, 2009, p. 1). The study also investigated possible gender differences related to students’ reported EE activities, and their reported attitudes about English. This study is based on questionnaire data. Twenty students participated in this study. 9 of 10 participants indicated that they believed that they are learning most of the English they know outside of school by daily contact with popular EE activities such as listening to music, followed by surfing the Internet, reading, watching YouTube, watching TV, playing computer games, writing, speaking and lastly watching movies. Boys reported a greater exposure to EE overall compared to the girls, more specifically, in their contact with music, computer games and writing and speaking in an EE context. Most of the students reported positive attitudes to English both inside and outside the classroom, but overall students reported more positive attitudes to the English that they use in their free time. The study has found no strong gender differences concerning students’ attitudes to learning English.

Numerous studies had explored wide-ranging effects of childhood adversity. Yet, there is no known study that explores the impact of non-parental relationships (NPR) formed during the participation in out-of-school youth activities (OSYA), and future orientation (FO) on academic resiliency (AR) among people with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This study moved away from the deficit perspective and focused on the strengths of individuals rather than weaknesses. The study examined the impact of protective factors of OSYA, NPR, and FO using the Michael Ungar’s (2011) Socio-Ecological Model of Resiliency to better understand their role on AR among university students with ACEs. A quantitative approach, quasi-experimental design explored the research questions using only a single subject group, one-time post-test paper/web-based questionnaire (Creswell & Creswell, 2014). The following four hypotheses were conducted: Student-Staff Relationships formed in Out of School Youth Activities (NPR-OSYA) will positively correlate with FO; NPR-OSYA will differ between the No ACEs and Yes ACEs groups; FO will differ between No ACEs and Yes ACEs groups; NPR-OSYP and FO will predict higher AR among the Yes ACEs group. Results illustrated the complexity of the role of protective factors on AR among university students with ACEs. In conclusion, understanding the narratives of NPR-OSYP can help educators and counselor implement strategies to improve interaction and foster resilience among students who are struggling academically.

The increased demand for Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) has been linked to changes that have occurred in the family structure and work habits. OSHC programs operating on school sites under the management of a committee of parents and school representatives provide parents with one option to meet the needs for care of primary age children. This study examined the issue of OSHC from the perspectives of workers involved in the provision of services in government school sites in the ACT. Data were gathered by way of semi-structured interviews with nineteen coordinators from sixteen After School Care (ASC) centres. The data were analysed to find similarities in the experiences of workers interviewed. Extracts from the interviews are presented in the findings to illustrate the perceptions care givers have about their work and areas where changes can be made to improve the quality of ASC services. The study provides information on the factors affecting the provision of quality services and suggests possible directions for future planning and research in this area. The findings indicate that the care givers interviewed perceived their role as a positive influence in the lives of children and families. Care givers sought to provide relaxed environments for children after the school day. Many centres operated with the strong support of parents, schools and management committees. The findings suggest that ASC centres can and do operate successfully on school sites in the ACT and that care givers were generally happy with the level of service provided. However, variability in the facilities and support provided to centres was noted. The study concludes that real improvement to the quality of programs and support of workers is dependent on the introduction of nationally recognised standards in the provision of ASC.

AbstractThe aim of this essay is to identify English out-of-school activities among students with an immigrant background to find out to what extent English out-of-school activities have an impact on the students’ results at the National Test of English.An additional aim is to find out if English out-of-school activities are a way of integration outwards or vice versa if the lack of English out-of-school activities is a sign of integration inwards. The present study is based upon a questionnaire with closed questions, which was filled in by 54 third graders enrolled in the Child and Recreation Programme. The informants are divided into two groups, one of which is a control group of native Swedish students. The study showed a tendency that students with an immigrant background who are not involved in English out-of-school activities obtain lower grades in English and that they integrate inwards by using their native language on the Internet, listening to music and watching films from their home country. Furthermore, the study showed that there is a slight difference between native Swedish students and students with an immigrant background as regards computer habits.Keywords: English out-of-school activities, integration, third language acquisition, informal learning, computer habits, National Test of English, the third culture

Darbe atlikta teorinė papildomo ugdymo sampratos, mokinių laisvalaikio užimtumo poreikių tenkinimo bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose ir socialinio pedagogo dalyvavimo popamokinės veiklos procese analizė. Iškelta hipotezė, vaikų dalyvavimą popamokinėje veikloje tėvai, ugdantys pedagogai bei socialiniai pedagogai įtakoja tik iš dalies, jų pasirinkimą labiau lemia pasiūla, galimybės ir pačių apsisprendimas. Buvo naudojamas turinio analizės metodas, kurio tikslas - išsiaiškinti popamokinės veiklos mokykloje ypatumus, galimus trūkumus ir daromas klaidas bei socialinių pedagogų galimybes dalyvauti laisvalaikiou žimtumo tenkinime, atliekant atvirų klausimų ir interviu atsakymų turinio analizę. Anketinės apklausos metodu buvo siekta identifikuoti mokinių ir tėvų nuostatų į papildomąjį ugdymą raišką ir išsiaiškinti, kaip mokyklos vaidmenį, tenkinant laisvalaikio užimtumo poreikius, vertina patys proceso dalyviai. Tyrime naudoto interviu tikslas – gauti būtiną tyrimui informaciją apie neformaliojo ugdymo situaciją mokyklose, įvairius šio proceso ypatumus, mokytojų ir mokinių išgyvenimus, subjektyvią jų nuomonę apie socialinio pedagogo vaidmenį, tenkinant laisvalaikio užimtumo poreikius. Į tyrimą buvo įtraukti 454 asmenys. Anketinėje apklausoje dalyvavo 436 respondentai: 234 mokiniai ir 202 jų tėvai. Pusiau struktūruotame interviu buvo atliktas devyniose šalies mokyklose, kur buvo apklausti 9 mokyklų administracijos atstovai, kuruojantys neformalųjį ugdymą švietimo įstaigoje, ir 9 mokyklų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The paper deals with the theoretical analysis of additional education purpose, the schoolchildren’s spare – time entertainment participation in the comprehensive school and social educator participation in the out–of- school activity. Hypothesis: children’s participation in the out–of- school activity parents, teachers and social educator affects only partly, their choice determined by supply, opportunities and self determination. Content analysis was used to extracurricular activities at school find out the characteristics, shortcomings and mistakes, and opportunities for social educator to participate in spare – time entertainment to analyze the open questions and interview responses of content analysis. Questionnaire survey method was sought to identify schoolchildren’s and parent's attitudes towards the resolution of additional education and to explore how the role of the school, meet the needs of the entertainment, value participants themselves. Study used interviews aim to study the information about non-formal educational situation in the schools, teacher‘s and schoolchildren’s experiences, their subjective views on the social educator. The study included 452 persons. Questionnaire survey involved 436 respondents: 234 students and 202 parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in nine schools of the country, where were interviewed nine representatives of school administrations, the umbrella non-formal education in educational institution and nine school... [to full text]

This thesis explores how the inclusion of students’ out-of-school literacies in a secondary English classroom affects students’ engagement, motivation, and sense of community. A mixed case study and action research approach was used in which the researcher taught a semester long multi-grade senior English class which used hip hop as its core content. Data was collected using audio field notes, focus group, one-on-one interviews, and written communication. Findings revealed that students felt the inclusion of hip hop made this English class more relevant and meaningful to the students and helped to foster a strong sense of community among the class members. This study also found that student-directed curriculum, teacher vulnerability, and the inclusion of community members as mentors were very important to the students’ sense of community. This sense of community, however, did not extend beyond the classroom. / Graduate

The present study examines students’ use, attitudes and preferences, when it comes to EE (Extramural English). EE is defined as English language activities that learners are engaged in outside their ordinary language class, such as reading books, reading newspapers/magazines, watching TV, watching films, surfing the Internet, playing video games, listening to music, etc. The results of the study are based on data that was collected from Swedish upper secondary-school learners of English over a period of one term on several occasions. Information about students’ EE activities was collected by quantitative questionnaires, including both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The results showed that Swedish upper-secondary school students were engaged in many different extramural activities. The extramural activity that the students were most often engaged in, was watching English language movies. The second most popular extramural activity was watching TV-programs in English with Swedish subtitles. Furthermore, according to the surveyed upper-secondary students, most of their language skills they develop with the help of their Extramural contacts with the English language. These are for example understanding of spoken English, speaking English, understanding of English vocabulary and understanding written English. However, when it comes to the written English and the development of English grammar, it appears that the students see themselves as developing these language skills more successfully within the language classroom than in their free time. The results also showed that, whereas the above-mentioned extramural activities were preferred by both boys and girls, there were also some differences in their use of extramural activities. Whereas boys rather preferred such activities as "English-speaking role-playing or computer games", girls, according to their answers, preferred such activities as "reading texts in English". The results of this study have shown that, according to the students’ responses, there is no strong gender difference when it comes to attitudes about learning English in school versus outside the school.