From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2 From Leaving Certificate to Leaving School young people in sixth year, placing these in the context of their secondlevel schooling career. A longitudinal study of this kind allows us to examine the way students change and develop as they move through the schooling system and to explore how later experiences are linked to experiences at junior cycle level. Earlier books in the series have yielded significant insights into student experiences of junior cycle education. Although first year is often characterised as a time of turbulence and change for young people (Smyth et al., 2004), second year emerged as a crucial year in terms of young people’s longer term educational engagement (Smyth et al., 2006, 2007). The findings presented in Pathways through the Junior Cycle revealed increased differentiation emerging among students in that year. Girls, middle-class students and those with higher ability levels were more likely to become increasingly engaged academically, while boys, working-class students and those with lower ability levels were more likely to begin to drift. This drift or disengagement had significant effects on subsequent Junior Certificate performance (Smyth et al., 2007) and on the likelihood of dropping out of school before the Leaving Certificate (Byrne and Smyth, 2010). Gearing Up for the Exam? (Smyth et al., 2007) showed the impact of the Junior Certificate examination on young people’s experience of teaching and learning, with classroom teaching becoming more focused on preparation for the exam and with less use of the kinds of active methodologies students found engaging. How schools organise student learning as well as day-to-day processes in the classroom were found to have significant influences on Junior Certificate achievement, over and above the effects of social background and prior ability. Students allocated to lower stream (lower ability) classes achieved lower grades than other students, even controlling for prior ability. The nature of relations between teachers and students was found to be crucial, with lower grades achieved by those who had experienced negative interaction with teachers and shown higher levels of misbehaviour. In addition, students’ perceived capacity to cope with schoolwork was predictive of exam performance, with this pattern established as early as second year. This capacity was, in turn, influenced by the extent to which students had received positive reinforcement or negative feedback from their teachers.
Introduction 3 Choices and Challenges (Smyth and Calvert, 2011) followed the cohort of students upon entry to senior cycle education, a transition that is often neglected in existing research. Entry to senior cycle involved a series of choices on the part of young people about what programme to take, which subjects to select and which subject levels to choose. The degree of choice open to students was found to vary across schools as was the provision of guidance to support these choices. The study pointed to very different learning experiences for those taking the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme, with greater use of more active teaching methods, which helped to re-engage many students with schoolwork. In contrast, students taking the Leaving Certificate Established (LCE) or Leaving Certificate Vocational (LCVP) programmes reported a significant gap in the standards expected of them over the transition to senior cycle, finding the course materials and modes of assessment much more complex than previously. Many students reported particular difficulties with higher level subjects, with some dropping down from higher to ordinary level because of course demands. This book continues the story of these students, focusing in particular on two interrelated strands: the first examines how the presence of the Leaving Certificate exam influences student experiences of teaching, learning and assessment in sixth year. Using survey data and in-depth focus group interviews, this report provides an insight into how a nationally standardised test such as the Leaving Certificate may have the unintended effect of focusing teaching and learning on the test rather than broader educational development. We explore the extent to which the ‘high stakes’ nature of the Leaving Certificate impacts on the experiences and future plans of students. This report thus raises important questions about the purpose and consequences of the current Leaving Certificate model. A second major focus of this book relates to the factors influencing student decision-making in sixth year and the ways in which expectations about the future are formed. By comparing student experiences across all twelve case-study schools, this report provides new insights into the kinds of information and advice which shape students’ postschool planning. Drawing on qualitative interviews with students and key personnel (including principals, guidance counsellors and year
Page 1: The Economic and Social Research In
Page 5 and 6: FROM LEAVING CERTIFICATE TO LEAVING
Page 7 and 8: CONTENTS List of Tables and Figures
Page 9: Contents vii 5.3.3 Always Wanted to
Page 12 and 13: x From Leaving Certificate to Leavi
Page 14 and 15: xii From Leaving Certificate to Lea
Page 17 and 18: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Curr
Page 19 and 20: Executive Summary xvii centrate on
Page 21 and 22: Executive Summary xix to higher edu
Page 23: Executive Summary xxi Such a focus
Page 28 and 29: 4 From Leaving Certificate to Leavi
Page 34 and 35: 10 From Leaving Certificate to Leav
Page 44 and 45: Chapter Two CURRICULUM, TEACHING AN
Page 76 and 77:
52 From Leaving Certificate to Leav
Page 78 and 79:
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 106 and 107:
Page 108 and 109:
Page 110 and 111:
Page 112 and 113:
Page 114 and 115:
Page 116 and 117:
Page 118 and 119:
Page 120 and 121:
Chapter Four LEAVING CERTIFICATE EX
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125:
100 From Leaving Certificate to Lea
Page 126 and 127:
Page 128 and 129:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 134 and 135:
Page 136 and 137:
Page 138 and 139:
Page 140 and 141:
Page 142 and 143:
Page 144 and 145:
Page 146 and 147:
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150 and 151:
Page 152 and 153:
Page 154 and 155:
Page 156 and 157:
Chapter Five GUIDANCE AND DECISION-
Page 158 and 159:
Page 160 and 161:
Page 162 and 163:
Page 164 and 165:
Page 166 and 167:
Page 168 and 169:
Page 170 and 171:
Page 172 and 173:
Page 174 and 175:
Page 176 and 177:
Page 178 and 179:
Page 180 and 181:
Page 182 and 183:
Page 184 and 185:
Page 186 and 187:
Page 188 and 189:
Page 190 and 191:
Page 192 and 193:
Page 194 and 195:
Page 196 and 197:
Page 198 and 199:
Page 200 and 201:
Page 202 and 203:
Page 204 and 205:
Page 206 and 207:
Page 208 and 209:
Page 210 and 211:
Page 212 and 213:
Page 214 and 215:
Page 216 and 217:
Page 218 and 219:
Page 220 and 221:
Page 222 and 223:
Page 224 and 225:
Page 226 and 227:
Page 228 and 229:
Page 230 and 231:
Page 232 and 233:
Page 234 and 235:
Page 236 and 237:
Page 238 and 239:
Page 240 and 241:
Page 242 and 243:
Page 244 and 245:
Page 246 and 247:
Page 248 and 249:
Page 250 and 251:
Page 252 and 253:
Page 254 and 255:
Page 256 and 257:
Page 258 and 259:
Page 260 and 261:
Page 263 and 264:
REFERENCES Airasian, P.W. and Madau
Page 265 and 266:
References 241 Grodsky, E., Warren,
Page 267 and 268:
References 243 Mickelson, R.A. (199
Page 269 and 270:
References 245 Smyth, E. and Calver
Page 271:
Current debates about senior cycle
show all

From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?