Reducing extracurricular learning efforts in school reform? – An analysis and discussion of the Austrian experience in introducing a new school type in Secondary I

Author(s):

Michaela Kilian(presenting / submitting)Mariella Knapp

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

14 SES 05 B, Home Education in Marginalised Communities

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-23

13:30-15:00

Room:

K3.22

Chair:

Robyn Henderson

Contribution

Educational trajectories are associated with a variety of factors embedded in school and out-of- conditions providing a broad educational context. The individual abilities, characteristics of the learners, social relations in school, as well as outside school, and resources are described as complex defining factors for educational processes and as a condition for school achievements (Scheerens; 1992; 2016). Stevenson and Baker (1992) go a step further because they link the family context to social dimensions. They assume that extra-curricular learning, such as tutoring, is increasingly used when final examinations are centrally administered and when competition for jobs is strong and there is a strong link between formal qualifications and job offers (Stevenson & Baker, 1992). From this perspective, outside-school tutoring is a means for achieving this goal and is an indication that, through institutional mechanisms, it is desirable for students and their families to attain a certain level of achievement or achieve an institutionally recognized school leaving certificate despite additional expenses. In Austria, the school reform of Lower Secondary Schools, which consists of the introduction of the New Middle School (NMS) as a novel school type, contributes to school being the central learning place for students and emphasizes the demand by means of educational within-school measures to reduce the extracurricular learning efforts. This is also to achieve a higher degree of equality of opportunity for all students and to reduce the need for parental support (Landesschulrat, 2009, 2011, BMB, 2016). In this context, the paper addresses students' external resources and the question of how far school reforms, using the example of the Austrian school reform of the Lower Secondary School, can minimize the need for parental support and private tutoring. It also addresses how aspects of the out-of-school context are linked to the development of students’ educational aspirations. Current research shows that parents’ attitudes to school, their own educational background, and highest educational attainment, but also the collaboration between school and parents are aspects that contribute to the success of students’ educational pathways and support students to develop educational aspirations. Sacher (2014) points out that successful parental work also entails perceptible changes for students. For example, positive changes in school satisfaction, school performance or personality development of students can be linked to successful cooperation between parents and school. Since the introduction of the New Middle School in 2012, the Parents-Teacher Conference (KEL-Gespräche) has been offered as an additional exchange between school, parents and students. The aim is to help students, their parents and teachers to reflect together on school learning and its conditions, and to improve the relationship between parents, teachers and students (Knapp & Kilian, 2016; Westfall-Greiter, 2012). In addition to consideration of the relationship between parents and school, as well as parents and children, family activities, the educational expectation of parents and the willingness to invest in additional learning support for their children seem to be linked to learning by the students (Klein & Biedinger, 2009; Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2001). In this context the paper addresses the external resources students of the New Middle School receive from their families and external institutions, how useful students see this support and to what extent their perceptions change in the course of the New Middle School. The answers will help to discuss the pros and cons of school reforms aimed at limiting extra-curricular learning efforts through within-school components.

Method

To answer this research question, data was drawn from the NOESIS Study (www.noesis-projekt.at), a government-funded longitudinal study concerned with the evaluation of a new Austrian school model, the New Middle School (NMS). To gain information about their educational trajectories students were asked to fill in questionnaires annually. The data basis consists of N = 564 students in 5th grade, N = 711 students in 6th grade, N = 682 students in 7th grade and N = 645 students in 8th grade, collected from the school year 2010/2011 until 2014/15 in NMS. Scales for the inner-school framework (e.g. class-climate, cooperation among classmates, teacher-student relationship, perception of the instruction) and out-of-school resources (e.g. extra-curricular activities and networks among peers, family support with homework), as well as the socioeconomic status of the family, private tutoring or the families’ cultural capital were also included in the analysis. This large variety of variables allows an analysis of the relationship between inner-school and out-of-school resources and conditions. It makes it also possible to capture the perspectives of students and how they deal with their experiences with learning in and outside of school as well as how helpful and necessary they perceive the received additional support. The longitudinal examination enables making changes in extra-curricular efforts visible and examines how these changes might be connected to students’ attitudes concerning school, their learning motivation, academic self-concept and their educational aspirations. To gain a broader picture of how important out-of-school resources are for the development of students’ educational aspirations panel analyses of students perceptions from grade 5 to grade 8 were conducted. Additionally, a multilevel approach was applied to facilitate a broader view of the issues. As students are seen as individuals nested within classes, which in turn are nested within schools that are themselves nested within a regional context, a multilevel approach was considered best for focusing on the borders between the different context factors (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002; Snijders & Bosker, 1999).

Expected Outcomes

Descriptive analyses show that 5th graders receive support from parents, friends and relatives. About 70 % say they are supported by their parents when doing homework. Having homework checked by their parents is another resource students in 5th grade can rely on. Over time, receiving support from peers increases. About 70 % of 7th grade students do their homework together with friends, and parental support is also maintained (about 80 % of students of the 7th grade). Parents report that they support their children not only in doing homework and learning, but also pay private tutoring (about 20 %). 10 % of parents are willing to become involved at school. Differences in parental support were analyzed across student groups with and without migration background. Migrant students seem to have higher self-esteem and report higher educational aspirations and greater motivation to learn during Secondary I than their classmates. The panel analyses show that extra-curricular support by parents has a positive influence on the educational aspirations of students. Besides socio-economic status, shared family activities also have a positive impact on students´ development of educational aspirations. Students sharing family activities and receiving parental support are more confident in reaching their educational aspirations. As the school reform places special emphasis on learning in class and aims to reduce parental involvement outside school as well as private tutoring the results of this paper show that parents are still involved in school-related learning, that students see their parents as a resource for their learning and achievement, and that parents who are able to afford it invest in additional support for their children. From this perspective it seems to be of interest to discuss whether despite any reform agenda students see potential in out-of-school resources and whether their parents feel that out-of-school support can make a difference.

References

BMB (Austrian Federal Ministry of Education) (2016). Die Neue Mittelschule. https://www.bmb.gv.at/schulen/bw/nms/index.html [10.01.2017]. Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Battiato, A. C., Walker, J. M., Reed, R. P., DeJong, J. & Jones, K. P. (2001). Parental Involvement in Homework. Educational Psychologist, 36(3), 195-209. Klein, O. & Biedinger, N. (2009). Determinanten elterlicher Aktivitäten mit Vorschulkindern. Der Einfluss von Bildungsaspirationen und kulturellem Kapital. Arbeitspapiere – Working Papers, Nr. 121. Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung. http://www.mzes.uni-mannheim.de/publications/wp/wp-121.pdf [10.01.2017]. Knapp, M., & Kilian, M. (2016). Gespräche auf Augenhöhe – Erste Erfahrungen von SchülerInnen, LehrerInnen und Eltern mit dem Kinder-Eltern-LehrerInnen-Gespräch (KEL) in der NNÖMS. In: NOESIS Projektteam (Ed.), Was Schulen stark macht: Zur Evaluation der Niederösterreichischen Mittelschule (169-218). Graz: Leykam Buchverlag. Landesschulrat für Niederösterreich (2009). Modellplan für Niederösterreich. http://www.lsr-noe.gv.atfileModellplan_07_09_2009.pdf [03.11.2014]. Landesschulrat für Niederösterreich (2011). NÖ Mittelschule – Modellplan. http://www.lsr-noe.gv.at/file/NOE_Mittelschule_2011_Modellplan.pdf Raudenbush, S. W. &Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models. Applications and data analysis methods. Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi: Sage Publications. Sacher, W. (2014). Elternarbeit als Erziehungs- und Bildungpartnerschaft. Grundlagen und Gestaltungsvorschläge für alle Schularten. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt. Scheerens, J. (2016). Educational Effectiveness and Ineffectiveness. A Critical Review of the Knowledge Base. London: Springer. Scheerens, J. (1992). Effective schooling, research, theory and practice. London: Cassell. Snijders, T., Bosker R. (1999). Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling. London: Sage Stevenson, D. L. & Baker, D. P. (1992). Shadow Education an Allocation in Formal Schooling: Transition to University in Japan. American Journal of Sociology, 97(6), 1639-1657. Westfall-Greiter, T. (2012). Orientierungshilfe Leistungsbeurteilung. Teil 2: KEL-Gespräche. http://www.nmsvernetzung.at/pluginfile.php/9615/mod_glossary/attachment/1732/Orientierungshilfe%20Leistungsbeurteilung%2C%20Teil%202%2C%20KEL-Gespräche%2C%20Tanja%20Westfall-Greiter%2C%20ZLS-NMSEB.pdf [10.01.2017].

Author Information

Michaela Kilian (presenting / submitting)

University Vienna, Austria

Mariella Knapp