Chapter 9: School, Mentors, Media Flashcards
What is different about school now for children vs. before?
- Children today spend more time in school than ever before
- Children are also beginning school at younger ages and staying until older ages
What is the informal school agenda?
- Teaching the rules, norms, and values children need to get along in society
- Helping children develop the skills they need to interact with their peers
How does school help develop a sense of community?
Sense of community develops from teachers, children, and school staff sharing goals and values and supporting each others’ efforts
What do children who have a strong sense of school as a social community have?
- more positive attitudes toward school
- exhibit more prosocial behavior
- have fewer maladaptive behaviors
What is collective efficacy?
shared belief in power or confidence to achieve something. Children who have a strong sense of school as a community experience the effects of collective efficacy.
Do large and small schools differ in the variety of activities they offer?
Large and small schools do not differ much in the variety of activities they offer
Is participation in extracurricular activities higher in big schools or small schools?
higher in smaller schools
In small schools:
–more positions than students to fill them
and greater sense of obligation to participate
What are large schools associated with?
- Less extracurricular participation
- Less student attachment to the school
- Higher drop out rates
What positive outcomes is participation in extracurricular activities associated with?
- Higher self-esteem, less depression
- Better school attendance, higher achievement motivation
- Lower likelihood of drinking or using drugs
- Less likely to get involved in delinquent behavior
- Less suicide
What do students transitioning to junior high in 7th grade experience more of?
social and academic problems than children who stay in their familiar elementary school setting
Why the negative consequences associated with a 7th grade transition (reasons regarding school)?
In middle school:
- Schools are larger: alienation and anonymity
- Students are less likely to become involved in school activities – lack sense of belonging
- Shift from a single classroom with one teacher to a variety of teachers and classes for different subjects – lack of supportive relationships with teachers
- Friendship networks are disrupted
what are some non-school related reasons that the shift to 7th grade is negative?
Shift to 7th grade also occurs at the same time as other transitions: Onset of puberty and dating
What is the transition to seventh grade classified as and why?
the shift is not a good stage-environment fit - the degree to which the environment supports a child’s developmental needs. Three or more transitions (residence change, parental divorce, puberty, school transition) during this developmental period contributes to negative outcomes (e.g., low self-esteem, poor grades)
What are the advantages of a small classroom?
- Teacher-child contacts are more frequent and personalized
- Children are: better behaved, interact more with their peers, and are less likely to be victimized
- Smaller classes appear to promote an atmosphere in which students are more supportive and caring about each other
What is an open classroom?
A relatively unstructured organization in which different areas of the room are: devoted to particular activities and children work either alone or in small groups under the teacher’s supervision.
What has research shown about open classrooms?
Research shows mixed results for learning. However, research has shown social benefits.
What are the social benefits of open classrooms for children?
- have more varied social contacts
- develop more positive attitudes toward school
- show more self-reliant and cooperative behavior in learning situations
What are the social benefits of open classrooms for high school students?
- participate more in school activities
- have more varied social relationships
- create fewer disciplinary problems
How can discipline techniques affect social behaviour?
- Techniques that rely on operant reinforcement principles are successful in managing behavior
- However, reward may decrease intrinsic interest and negatively impact learning
What is the pygmalion effect?
A phenomenon in which teachers’ expectations that students will do well are realized
What is a self fulfilling prophecy?
Positive or negative expectations that affect a person’s behavior in a manner that he or she (unknowingly) creates situations in which those expectations are fulfilled
What are the different teacher student relationships?
Teacher-student conflict
→ child dislike of school; less helpful and cooperative; more aggressive
Dependency on teacher
→ low school engagement; aggressive or socially withdrawn
Close, warm relationship
→ higher school adjustment, self-esteem, and peer acceptance
What is parental involvement in school associated with?
Parental involvement associated with children doing better academically and socially. But, it depends on the type of involvement.
Best if parents are involved in school decision making and allowed to communicate their expectations to teachers and show their children that they value education
When are parents usually less involved in school?
Parents are usually less involved if they are busy, stressed, or single parent household
When are parents usually more involved in school?
Parents are more involved when schools welcome parents and provide information about how they can become involved
When can school act as a buffer for children?
- When children are exposed to deficiencies at home, the school environment can act as a buffer to better development: (i.e., insecure attachment to parent is offset by close teacher–child relationship).
- A supportive classroom environment (clear rules, well organized) can buffer children from the negative effects of an unsupportive/uninvolved family
What are latchkey children?
- those who must let themselves into their homes after school and and look after themselves until their parents get home
- 20% of 6- to 12-year-olds in the United States
- Increases as children get older
