Dimensions of School Environment: Literature Reiew

(This piece is directly lifted from a paper I wrote on School environment. Readers may find it difficult to locate its context and background. The review identified some of the dimensions of school environment such as leadership, affiliation (collegial relationship), collegial support, resource adequacy, and student support.)

Pioneering works on school environment were done by Moos (1974). Moos’ studies on school environment followed after his studies on work environment in different places like hospital wards, prisons, military companies, university residences and work milieus. Through his work in a variety of environments, Moos (1974) developed the Work Environment Scale (WES) which was later modified to School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) to make it suitable to study school environment (Fraser, Docker & Fisher, 1989).

Moos considered school solely in terms of the perceptions of their inhabitants in a framework of person-milieu interaction (Fraser & Rentoul, 1982). Moos viewed that the perceptions of the inhabitants are the raw materials in the measurement of environment, and contrasts with the use of direct observation techniques which report researchers' perspectives. It is within this framework that several studies using the school level environment questionnaire were conducted with the aim of improving the school environment. For example, Fisher and Fraser (1991) investigated 109 primary and high schools teachers’ perceptions of their school environments. They found that primary teachers held more favorable perceptions of their school environment than did high school teachers. Previously, Fisher and Fraser (1990) presented the validity and reliability of each of the SLEQ scales, and offered a case study that used the SLEQ to improve school environment. They indicated that school environment could be improved by harmonizing the level of teachers’ actual and ideal perceptions of their school environments. Furthermore, Dorman and Fraser (1996) used a modified SLEQ to investigate the differences between Catholic and government school environments. With a considerably large sample of 208 science and religion teachers from 32 schools, they maintained that Catholic school teachers viewed their schools as more empowering and higher on school climate in Indonesian Junior Secondary Schools than government school teachers did. More recently, Templeton and Johnson (1998) have employed the SLEQ to assess school environment of an urban school in the USA to clarify factors that play roles in developing a safer school environment. They indicated that teachers desired more student support, more resources and less work pressure as conditions of a “safer” school environment. In the Indonesian educational context, Irianto (2002) used the Indonesian version of the modified SLEQ to measure working environment at The Centre for Development and In-service for Science Teachers in Indonesia. He documented that trainers in this institution perceived positively their working environments on five scales, namely, Affiliation, Professional Interest, Mission Consensus, Empowerment, and Innovation and viewed less favorable Resource Adequacy and Work-Pressure scales.

Other studies have investigated the effect of leadership, collegial support, resource adequacy, and student support, on school environment. In the leadership aspect, Leithwood (1990) stated that leadership style is an important variable that shape a school environment and hence the teachers’ behavior. He advised school administrators to create an integrative environment where everybody in the school is made to feel important and everybody’s opinion is respected by involving all the teachers in the decision making process. He cautioned that when teachers are not part of the decision-making process they feel depersonalized, unsupported and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Such leadership practice he said creates a compartmentalized school environment where teachers are seen as separate working group from the administrators. On the other hand Al-Safran, Brown & Wiseman (2013) found that the integrative principal leadership style is found to encourage and create a cooperative school environment for better school outcome than schools with authoritative principals. They also stated that cooperation and collaboration among teachers takes place more in schools run by integrative principals than schools run by authoritative principals.

Collegial relationship, which in this study is referred to as ‘Affiliation’ is an important element of school environment. Fullan (2001) stated that a good relationships with colleagues results in a harmonious school atmosphere. Schonfeld (1990) studied the effect of social support from colleagues on teachers’ psychological symptoms of stress and job-related morale. He found that greater colleague support was significantly correlated with lower levels of depression, less psycho-physiologic symptoms, and greater job satisfaction. King and Peart (1992) also found that teachers who indicated good relationships with their colleagues tended to be highly satisfied with teaching. Jacobsson, Pousette & Thylfors (2001) reported a significant but low correlation between colleague support and emotional exhaustion, irritation, stress, and work demands. These results reinforced the beneficial effects of good relationships with colleagues and a harmonious school atmosphere, supporting Sarason’s (1993) contentions. Sarason maintained that good collegial conditions contributed to a healthy school environment, where teachers could grow and learn and where they could create and sustain conditions that were necessary for productive learning in their students.

Another variable of school environment widely investigated is student support. Unsupportive student behaviors have been repeatedly linked to negative school environments and teacher stress (Ingersol, 2003; Naylor, 2001; Wisniewski & Gargiulo, 1997). Schonfeld’s (1990) study indicated a strong correlation between student disruptive behavior and teacher depression and psychophysiologic symptoms. Charles and Senter cited in Ding, Li, Li and Kulm (2008) also reported that inappropriate student behavior impacts learning and teaching. It wastes classroom time, distracts students from learning and teachers from teaching, lessens students’ motivation and causes students’ and teachers’ stress. In a study done on 1386 secondary teachers working in Spanish schools, disruptive behavior has been found as a major source of teachers’ stress and annoyance (López, Santiago, Godas, Castro, Villardfrancos & Ponte, 2008). Furthermore, students’ disruptive behaviors can provoke negative feelings in teachers such as frustration and lack of confidence. As a result, teachers become too stressed to make the right decisions (Arbuckle & Little, 2004; Thompson & Webber, 2008). For instance, teachers sometimes give up on disruptive students, remove them from their classes and let others deal with them (Egyed and Short, 2006).

Resources have also been considered as an important element of school environment. Nelson & Simmons (2003) stated that when schools have adequate resources to meet work demands, manageability of the job is increased. On the other hand, inadequate resources will make work demands and pressures to be unmanageable (Taris, Peeters, LeBlanc, Schreurs & Schaufel, 2001). Hargreaves (1994) discussed the changing world of teaching where increased work demands are enhanced by reduced time, resources, and professional development opportunities. Drago, Caplan, Costanza, Brubaker, Cloud, Harris, Kashlan and Riggs (1999) suggested that the “doing more with less” was a mirroring of societal trends which place higher expectations and higher stress on employees. When circumstances at work prevent the acquisition of needed resources, Shirom (2003) theorized that stress is more likely and that the job demand-resource link is strongly related to emotional exhaustion. Naylor’s (2001) analysis of the qualitative data gathered on the work life of 1,500 teachers indicated that even the most basic resources were not adequately supplied. Some teachers spoke of purchasing their own supplies to meet students’ needs. Naylor reported that without needed resources teacher work load is increased, and their struggle to manage becomes more difficult.

As for local literature, there is paucity of research linking school environment and teachers behavior. Only few studies have emohasized on school environment. In his study on ‘Factors Affecting Effective Educational Organization in Bhutan’ Dorji (2009) suggested that for schools to function as affective organizations the employees (teachers) should function in a work environment conducive to outstanding productivity. He also points that administrative support; transparent leadership, good student behavior and positive school environment and teacher independence are factors that promote the morale of teachers thereby increasing their enthusiasm for their work. The Bhutan education blueprint (2014) states that during the focus group discussions, teachers expressed that poor working environment affected their motivation level. Together, both local and international literature suggests that the importance creating a positive school environment to facilitate improvement in teacher effectiveness.

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A Study Of Factors Influencing Students’ Academic Performance In A Higher Secondary School In Bhutan: Published in the 16th Volume of RABSEL

Tshewang Rabgay

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting academic performance of the students of a higher secondary school in Bhutan. The dependent variable considered for the study was students’ academic performance, which was indicated by students’ test scores and the independent variables were students’ demographic characteristics, parents’ socio-economic status, parenting style and students’ learning and study strategy. The data were collected from 241 students of the school using two questionnaires­–Learning And Study Strategy Inventory and Baumrind’s Parenting Style’s Questionnaire. Correlation analysis, independent samples t-test and descriptive analysis were used to analyze data. The findings revealed that socio-economic factors such as parents’ education, income and occupation resulted in difference in academic performance but there was no difference in students’ academic performance based on students’ demographic variables like gender, age and living arrangements. Of the three parenting styles, namely authoritative, authoritarian and permissive, it was found that authoritative parenting results in better academic performance. The findings also revealed that students had average level learning and study skills. Recommendations were suggested to improve students’ academic performance.

KEY WORDS: Academic Performance, Socio-economic Status, Learning and Study Strategy, Parenting Style

Kamal: A Talent In My School

Kamal is like any other eleventh grade science student in my school. He is a shy and a timid young boy. Because of his silent and calm nature, he is not an easily noticeable student in the school. He is a member of the school vocational club.

Recently the school conducted 'Club Exhibition'. The school has twenty one clubs. Kamal occupied a small space in the vocational club corner. He sat quietly with some mobile repairing equipment displayed before him. The crowd concentration shifted from one club to another but not many were interested in Kamal. The few that came thought that what was before him was merely a display of disassembled mobile phone. 

All during the program Kamal remained inconspicuous to the audience. It was only towards the end of the program that Kamal came to the limelight. Actually it was my encounter with him that caught the crowd's eye.

Kamal in the vocational club corner

The guests had already left and there was a very thin audience left. I thought we had called it an exhibition and I was walking out of the hall. As I neared the exit door I saw Kamal sitting quietly with two other friends.

"What have you got here?" I asked him.

"Mobile repair sir"

"Can you repair my mobile? Its sound doesn't work" I asked .

I thought he would not dare accept to work on a teacher's mobile. But the response was a confident "Yes sir"

I handed him my mobile and others around me started to laugh taking Kamal for granted. But Kamal started getting busy on the mobile. I told him in jest 'I hope you will not return my mobile in pieces like Mr. Bean returning a solid radio in several pieces to a customer' following which there was a huge laughter from students who thronged around to watch Kamal.

The students who were watching Kamal were anxious over what Kamal was doing. They thought he was on a risky venture of handling a teacher's phone.

Just then a lady teacher walked past and asked me "What's going on here?"

"He is repairing my mobile" I said.

"He will only get your mobile spoiled" she remarked and walked away giving a fleeting glance at Kamal.

Kamal heard the comment and he blushed but his hands never ceased to be confident.

Kamal working on my mobile

At one moment I was skeptical of his ability. I wished I had not given him the mobile. By then he had dismantled the phone completely and I could only watch him.

But his hands were deft and he exuded confidence over what he was doing

Still skeptical, I asked the other two boys sitting next to him who were equally quite. "Do you think he can really repair my mobile?"

"Yes sir. He can. He is really good at it sir." That gave me some reassurance.

Kamal had identified a problem with my phone. He said "sir, there is a disconnection here" He pointed to something very tiny which I couldn't make a thing. He  worked meticulously on it and got it fixed. 

Watching among the crowd was another teacher who also had problem with his mobile phone. He stepped forward and handed Kamal his phone. He had multiple problems - the camera, screen and dial pad. Kamal got all of them fixed just in few minutes. He won the crowd's heart.

Fascinated by his capability, I asked him "Did you do any formal training on repairing mobile phones?" 

"No sir. I learnt by myself at home" he said still looking timid.

"Are all these repair kits yours?" I asked pointing at the kits.

"Yes sir"

"Do you do this at home?"

"Yes sir"

"Sir, he is well known in Daragaon, (the place where he stays)" said the other two boys near him."People give him different electrical appliances such as, rice cooker, curry cooker, water boiler, microoven, washing machine and fan to repair. Just anything sir-any electrical equipment. He fixes them all for free sir. His room looks like a electronics repair shop" 

The next day I got the following things repaired:

1. Water boiler

2. Two fans 

3. Micro oven 

4. Tubelight

5. Extension cord

6. My wife's watch

I was surprised at Kamal's unique skills. Unique because he didn't learn from any Guru but his skills are self-taught. However, Kamal admitted that he cannot repair computers and digital camera. He has plans to attend computer repair course this winter. 

When asked about his ambition, Kamal said he wants to become an electronic engineer. 

Farewell Madam Jigme Lhamo

When the 2011 academic year began, there was news that a new teacher who was transferred from Zhemgang Higher Secondary School would soon be joining our school. In the past Samtse Higher Secondary School had received many new teachers. But when it was Madam Jigme Lhamo things were a little different. Madam's legacy traveled fast and reached the school even before madam joined the school. We heard of Madam JIgme being an excellent teacher and we were all relishing the prospect of having Madam Jigme in our school. Much to the delight of everybody in the school, Madam Jigme joined the School on February 2011.

Ever since Madam Jigme became a part of the teaching fraternity of the school there was a different vibe in the staff working culture. There was an aura of warmth and a sense of motherhood about her which added a new atmosphere in the staff room. Madam would facilitate collaborative work environment and team spirit among teachers. No wonder madam Jigme had positive attitude and outlook towards her profession. She would place students first in anything she does and would work tooth and nail to provide best education to students. Her profound knowledge in Biology and Chemistry compounded with excellent pedagogical flair made her one of the finest and revered teachers in the school.

Madam Jigme giving a speech during the farewell dinner 

But this year the news of madam's decision to leave the school surprised us all. Madam Jigme's transfer will definitely create a void in the teaching fraternity of the school. We will be loosing a seasoned, respected and a teacher who is no less than a mother.

In the send-off dinner organized for Madam Jigme by the school, the Principal said 'We would like to have madam in the school but there is nothing much we could do to retain madam.' Addressing the staff that night Madam Jigme said 'Wherever we (referring to teachers) go we have just one role to play-to educate students. Even if I leave Samtse HSS, I will be joining a new school and will continue to educate students. For us teachers, place really doesn't matter. And my departure from the school wouldn't make any difference because we have many competnent and enterprising teachers in the school. I am sure in the hands of these capable teachers the school will only get better' We offered her so many earnest compliments but she wouldn't take any of them. She modestly said 'If I have done anything good to the school, it is not my effort alone. It is the concerted effort of all the teachers'

We wish madam fulfilling years ahead. Your excellent mind, fine work ethic, and your integrity will serve you well throughout your life. We will sorely miss you.

Farewell Madam.

Abstract of My Paper Published in RABSEL: The CERD Educational Journal, Volume XV, Autumn 2014.

Patterns of Teacher-Student Verbal Interaction in the Tenth Grade

Biology Classes in Samtse District

Tshewang Rabgay

ABSTRACT

Grounded in the importance of classroom interaction in teaching and learning, this study examined the pattern of teacher-student verbal interaction in grade ten biology classes using Flanders Interaction Analysis System (FIAS). The sample of the study consisted of 8 teachers and 383 class 10 biology students from three higher secondary schools and a middle secondary school in Samtse district. Seventeen grade 10 biology classes were observed using a coding chart. The data obtained were analyzed using the decoding process prescribed in FIAS. The study was significant because its findings and conclusions may stimulate teachers to improve their interaction practices in order to maximize students learning.

The findings revealed that 75.71% of the time was used for ‘lecturing’ making it the most popular approach. The findings also revealed that teacher talk (85.23%) was much more than student talk time (11.38%) which indicated that classroom interaction was dominated by teachers. It was also found that teachers’ used more direct influence (77.27%) through lecturing and giving directions than indirect influence (7.96%) which include behaviors like accepting students’ feelings, praising, encouraging, accepting or using students ideas and asking questions. By and large the findings indicated that teacher dominated classroom interaction continues to be the dominant teaching trend in teaching tenth grade biology in Samtse district. The study confirmed previous studies done in Bhutan which reported similar findings.

Key words: Classroom Interaction, Flanders Interaction Analysis System (FIAS), Biology Class.
PS: Read the full paper in the 'Research and Publication' page on the left sidebar

X E's Hanging Garden

Earlier the school announced class ten and twelve students to work on a project within the school for SUPW grades. My class, X E, has chosen to build what they call 'The hanging garden'. Unlike the Hanging Gardens of Babylon where plants were not hung but grown on concrete structures, X E students really want to hang their garden.

Enthusiastic about their project, they started planning on the site and the paraphernalia. They decided the small area just below the parking lot in front of the school gate as its site. They agreed to collect some money to buy the materials required. I discouraged them from collecting money but they insisted that for SUPW grades they would do anything. They ordered a cuboid metal frame 15x7x10ft from the bordering town of new Chamarchi. However, owing to its big size reaching it to the school was a problem. It didn't fit even in the DCM truck I arranged for them. Therefore, they decided to carry it from checkpoint to the school.

From the border gate to school gate

Placing the metal frame at the site 

Painting it to prevent from rusting

Smudged with paint 

It's been few weeks since they started to work and thus far everything has worked out well. When everybody would go home they would stay back and work on it. While some would be engaged in scrubbing off rust from the metal frame others would be engaged in leveling the ground where the frame will be fixed. More recently they have painted the frame to prevent from rusting and they are now waiting for it to dry. In the mean while they are planning on the type of flowers to be hung.

Over the past few weeks, as they worked on it, I have observed them working with the qualities we expect of students. The project has brought them to work closely as a team. It shows how common goals can bring people together.

Factors Militating Against Students Academic Performance in Samtse Higher Secondary School

An overview of my next study. It's a small scale study. I welcome comments la.

Research Title

Factors Militating Against Students Academic Performance in Samtse Higher Secondary School

Background:

Recently the academic performance of students of Samtse Higher Secondary School has come under the spotlight for a number of reasons. It has been found that students’ academic performance in both home-exams and board-exams has gone down drastically. The Bhutan Council for Assessment and Examinations’ (BCSEA) pupil performance report, 2012 has ranked the school in the bottom ten. Also teachers in the school speculate that the students’ academic performance has declined. This situation signifies the importance of identifying the factors militating against students’ academic achievement in the school.

Objectives

To explore the factors militating against students’ academic performance in Samtse Higher Secondary School

Research Questions:

What are the factors militating against students’ academic performance in Samtse Higher Secondary School.
Subquestions
(i) Do demographic variables hinder academic performance of students of Samtse Higher Secondary School?
(ii) Is there a significant difference between the learning and study strategy of high achievers and low achievers?
(iii) Is there a significant difference in the locus of control (LOC) of high achiever students and low achiever students?
(iv) What according to teachers are the factors attributing to the decreasing academic performance in the school?

Variables
Independent variable:  1. Demographic variables
                                  2. Learning and study strategy
                                   3. Locus of control     
Dependent Variable: Academic performance

Literature Review

The literature review shall present 
1.The theoretical framework 

2. Causes of poor academic achievement

Research methodology

The study will involve all students and teachers of Samtse Higher Secondary School. Four sets of questionnaires developed based on literature review will be used. Three questionnaires will be administered to the students and one to the teachers. 

Questionnaire 1: To explore the relationships between the demographic variables and students’ academic achievement.

Questionnaire 2: To secure data on the learning and study skills of students, LASSI (Learning And Study Strategy Inventoryl) questionnaire will be administered to all students.

Questionnaire 3: The LOC (Locus of Control) questionnaire will be administered to students to determine if there is a significant difference between the LOC of low academic achievers and high achievers.  

Questionnaire 4: Teachers will be interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire.

The data obtained will be analyzed by using SPSS