Chap. 6

Question 1

school size

Answer 1

• 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

Question 2

schools within schools

Answer 2

• subdivisions of the student body within large schools created to foster feelings of belongingness

Question 3

variations in class size

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

age grouping and school transitions

early - mid 20th century canada

Answer 4

• 8 yrs of primary school, followed by 4 yrs of high school education

Question 5

age grouping and school transitions

1920s

Answer 5

• propsoed jr high school
• grade 7,8,9

Question 6

age grouping and school transitions

2nd half of 20th century

Answer 6

• 6 yr elementary
• 6 yrs jr high
• 3 yrs hs

Question 7

age grouping and school transitions

more common now

Answer 7

• 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)

Question 8

transition to middle or jr high school

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

transition to hs

Answer 9

• more bureaucratic and intimidating
• less chance to get to know teachers
• students can have a weaker sense of belonging
• view school enviroment more -‘ve

Question 10

2ndary v. elementary schools

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

individual difference in the extent of transitional problems

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

tracking

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

pros and cons of tracking

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

“on the wrong track”

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

the effects of tracking on student achievement

Answer 15

• 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)

Question 16

performance orientation

Answer 16

• lower esteem
• lower care for the school system
• single out high achievers
• students focus on competition for grades
• outcomes seen as signs of ability

Question 17

mastery orientation

Answer 17

• stress effort, improvement
• increases student interest
• personal efficacy

Question 18

individual goal orientation

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

school climate more generally

Answer 19

• 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)

Question 20

classroom climate

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

the best classroom climate for ado

Answer 21

• responsive and demanding
• +’ve with supportive and demanding teachers
• moderate degree of structure
• cooperation (not competition) between students
• respectful and caring teachers

Question 22

school climate and bullying

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

teacher expectations and student performance

Answer 23

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

Question 24

teachers might do the following (6)

Answer 24

1. consciously and unconsciously base their expectations in pt on students’ ethnic and socioeconomic background
2. call on affluent or white students more
3. have lower expectations and hold stereotypes about minorities
4. give undeserved +’ve feedback to minority students who have done poor work
5. 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

Question 25

the importance of student engagement

Answer 25

• students and teachers influence each other
• effective teachers can engage and excite their students
• engaged and excited studentd can motivate their teachers to be more effective
• student engagement (the extent to which students are psyo committed to learning and mastering the material rather than simply completing the assigned work)
• student disengagement comes in different forms (behaviour, emotional, cognitive)

Question 26

boring classes, bored students

Answer 26

• students frequently say that they are bored while in school
• need more discussion than work/routinized/rigid structure
• found more in high-achieving schools
• research shows that students are engaged when tecaher provide opportunities for students to display their competenices
• schools let kids display feelings, they fell more belonging and work is more authentic

Question 27

out of school indluences on student engagement

Answer 27

• peer group’s support, valuves, and norma also exert an important influence
• ado who freinds support academic achievement are more likely to feel connected to school
• students whose parents are involved in school activites, enourage academic success, and use authoritative parenting do better in hs

Question 28

off to college or uni

Answer 28

• ~75% of canadian teens go onto postseconday education
• changing demographics (now more women than men)
• canada has a broad mix of postsecondary options compared to other countries (has benefits and drawbacks)

Question 29

the forgotten “half”

Answer 29

• ados who finish hs but not postsecondary
• canadian society puts a lot of pressure on attaining postsecondary edu (ie. trades)
• some offer apprenticeship programs
• not enough of this type of program

Question 30

the rise and fall of the student worker

Answer 30

• before 1925, most teens (except for the affluent) entered the workforce full time by 15
• ados were either students or workers (not both)
• the US edu and child labor laws were passed (stay in school until 16, restricted ado’s work opportunities)
• 1940, ~3% of hs students worked during the school yr

Question 31

growth of retail and service sectors of the economy

Answer 31

• teens were called upon to fill the positions
• worked for low wages and short shifts
• american hs students : part-time jobs rose dramatically during the 1970s

Question 32

recent trends in ado work

Answer 32

• ~30 yrs ago, educational reformers began calling for tougher standards in hs
• students began taking harder classes with more homework to prep for uni
• the recession in the early 2000s resulted in unemployed adults being hired over teens
• growth of new tech expanded potential lesiure activities for teens
• student emplayment in other industrialized countries varies widely

Question 33

ados who work

Answer 33

• many canadian hs students work part time (over 2/3, economic downturn will likely reduce that rate)
• boys work an average of 14.5 hr/week
• girls work an average of 13.6 hr/week
• most earn minimum wage

Question 34

the ado workplace today

Answer 34

• majority of teens are emplayed in retail and service industries (older hold formal jobs like restraunts, younger have informal jobs like babysitting)
  the ado work enviroment
• usually repetitive, montonous, intellectually unchallenging
• some stressful or dangerous
• not necessarily tedious for teens

Question 35

researchers have addressed 3 broad questions with relation to employment and ado development

Answer 35

1. whether working helps ado develop a sense of responsibility
2. whether working interferes with other activities (ie school)
3. whether workinf promotes the develpment of undesirable behaviours (ie drug and alcohol use)

Question 36

the development of responsibility

Answer 36

• little research supports the popular view that holding a job makes ados more responsible
• some data indicates high rates of misconduct on the job
• people’s recollection are more +’ve regarding learned skills than research supports
• money management is a +’ve effect
• psyo development impact depends on the job

Question 37

the impact of work on schooling

Answer 37

• the issue is how many hours
• working long hours affects attendence, participation, extracurriculars, spendning time on homework, and lower grades in school
• work more than 15-20 hrs a week affects: lower grades, less involvement in school, higher dropout rates
• those who work an moderate amount earn better grades than those who work over 20 hrs or not at all

Question 38

the promotion of problem behaviour

Answer 38

• working doesn’t deter teens from delinquency
• working long hours can be associated with an increase in aggression, school misconduct, precocious sexual activity, and minor delinquency
• ^ there is a variety of possible explanations tho

Question 39

where does the money go

Answer 39

• most teens are not saving for edu or contribute to household expenses
• having a working teen in the house can increase household expenses
• teen typically spend money on clothing and entertainment
• premature affluence (disposable income and few responsibilities)

Question 40

benefits and drawbacks of teen employment

Answer 40

• little effect on self esteem/mental health
• those who work a lot get lower grades
• jobs reduce time with fam and freinds
• earnings often spent on clothing and entertainment
• premature affluence (haveing money, but little expenses)