Session Information
09 SES 03 A, Findings from International Comparative Achievement Studies: Relating Achievement and Attitudes to Variables on Individual, Class/School and System Levels
Paper Session
Contribution
International research has shown that positive teacher-student relations and school climate can facilitate student learning and motivation (Cornelius-White, 2007; Finn et al., 2009; Hattie, 2009). However, although PISA reports (OECD, 2010) indicate in most countries good teacher-students relations and attitudes towards school, in Greece students’ views on teacher and school are rather negative compared to the rest of the OECD countries. More specifically, students were asked whether they get along with most of their teachers, if teachers are interested in their well-being, if they listen to what they say, if they treat them fairly and if they provide them with extra help when needed. In addition, they were asked whether they consider attending school a waste of time and whether they believe that they learned things useful for future life and work.
A number of studies (Crosnoe, Elder, & Johnson, 2004; Van Maele & Van Houtte, 2011; Van Petegem, Aelterman, Van Keer & Roseel, 2008) have indicated that teacher-student relations can be influenced by individual characteristics (such as gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status) and schools’ compositional characteristics (such as school orientation and intake of immigrant students). The above mentioned findings are consistent with Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory, where he argued that individuals belong to various environments and levels that are intertwined and influenced by each other. Therefore -as there has not been any secondary analysis of PISA 2009 psycho-social variables regarding Greece- the present study will analyse the Greek data from PISA 2009 and look at differences in students’ perceptions of teacher-student relations and school, using various individual and school-level variables.
In addition, as the last two decades Greece has received a significant influx of migrants -which led to a substantial change of students’ population and to differences in achievement between native-born and immigrant students (Retali, 2011)-, and taking into account that there is a lack of related national, representative research looking at immigrant students' socio-emotional adjustment at schools in Greece, the present study will explore differences between immigrant and native-born students' perception regarding the support they receive from their teachers and their attitude towards school.
Therefore, the main research questions of the present study are the following: a) Are students' perceptions of teachers and school linked to their gender, achievement, individual and school-average socio-economic status, teacher-student ratio and the proportion of immigrant students in school?, b) Do immigrant students in Greece report worse teacher-student relations and attitude towards school than their native-born counterparts and is this related to their country of origin?, c) Is school’s orientation, type and region linked to students' perceptions of teachers and school?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Cornelius-White, J. (2007). Learner-centered teacher-student relationships are effective: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 77 (1), 113-143. Creemers, B., Kyriakides, L., & Sammons, P. (2010). Methodological Advances in Educational Effectiveness Research. London: Taylor & Francis. Crosnoe, R., Elder, G. H., & Johnson, M. (2004). Intergenerational Bonding in School: The Behavioral and Contextual Correlates of Student-Teacher Relationships. Sociology of Education, 77 (1), 60-81. Finn, A. N., Schrodt, P., Witt, P. L., Elledge, N., Jernberg, K. A., Larson, L. M. (2009). A Meta-Analytical Review of Teacher Credibility and its Associations with Teacher Behaviors and Student Outcomes. Communication Education, 58(4), 516-537. Hattie, J. A. C. (2009). A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routlege. OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results Volume V, Learning Trends: Changes in Student Performance Since 2000. Paris: OECD. Rasbash, J., Steele, F., Browne, W., & Prosser, B. (2005). A user’s guide to MLwiN version 2.0. Bristol, UK: Centre for Multilevel Modeling, University of Bristol. Retali, K. (2011). Students’ science achievement, self-beliefs and aspirations in Greece, with a focus on immigrants: An analysis of Greek PISA 2006 data and a cross-national comparison. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Oxford: University of Oxford. Van Maele, D., & Van Houtte, M. (2011). The Quality of School Life: Teacher-Student Trust Relationships and the Organizational School Context. Social Indicators Research, 100, 85-100. Van Petegem, K., Aelterman, A., Van Keer, H., & Roseel, Y. (2008). The influence of student characteristics and interpersonal teacher behaviour in the classroom on student’s wellbeing. Social Indicators Research, 85, 279-291.
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