A recent study investigated potential links between students and how their schools influence the likelihood of them staying in school or leaving prematurely: teacher support, connectedness to school, and the use of detentions, suspensions and expulsions were all found to be relevant.
The central question was “how can the school system improve schooling from the perspective of students that like it the least?” 1,002 students in grades 7-10 from three complex secondary schools were surveyed. These are the types of schools with the highest suspension and lowest retention rates.
What was found?
Two-thirds of the study sample said they like school. Almost half of these students said they had always liked it. One of them said:
“Love it. I’d prefer to live at school. Like, if Hogwarts was an actual place, I’d go there.”
One-third of students said they do not like school. Although school liking was highest in grade 7, most students indicated their dislike began in the transition to high school.
“Yeah, it was probably as soon as I hit high school. Year 7 things got a lot harder.”
This dislike appears to increase over time, with grade 9 having the highest proportion of dislikers. These patterns correspond with suspension rates, which double in grade 7 and peak in grade 9.
While “friends’ was the most-liked aspect of school for both groups, a much higher proportion of school likers than dislikers chose “learning”.
“I feel like every day I go to school, I just flex my knowledge. I like to learn. Learning’s alright.”
The learning aspect of school can be challenging for some so it’s crucial that teachers are able to make subjects interesting and engaging. As well as assisting teachers and their students, CoreSciences also engages parents and those that may not have access to practical experiments such as home-schoolers and other student groups.
Lessons can be delivered by teachers in the normal course of their schedules, but also the easy-to-follow format ensures that even teachers without a science specialisation can competently deliver the content – avoiding the need for costly supply teachers or loss of valuable lesson time.
The findings from the study support that having a mix of interactive learning, engaging and effective practical lessons can be delivered as preparation for real experiments, or even instead of them without compromising the learning experience and this can be done with CoreSciences.
Lessons can be followed up with homework and revision modules, all neatly linked together by topic to ensure continuity – ideal for reinforcing lesson content after classes. Lesson content and the required practical routines are also ideal for students at home who may miss classes due to absence.
Remote learning using CoreSciences can be a very effective alternative to in-class teaching for absentee students while still allowing teachers to monitor their progress, provide interventions, and set targets.