Session Information
07 SES 02 C, Diversity Education in Multicultural Schools
Paper Session
Contribution
Students with low socio-economic backgrounds (SES) often have extenuating circumstances that interfere with their academic performance (Gardner, 2021). For example, students with low SES are slower to develop academic skills because of the underresourced school systems, the home literacy environment, the number of books owned, and parent distress (Aikens & Barbarin, 2008; Bergen, Zuijen, Bishop, & Jong, 2016) students with low SES often have fewer experiences that facilitate the development of basic skills such as phonological awareness, vocabulary, oral language and reading (Buckingham et al., 2013; McCracken (2013). In addition to reading, these students often struggle with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects (Banajeer, 2016). According to Jeynes' (2011) research, parents who are particularly well-educated, have key positions at work or earn a high salary are more concerned with their children's academic growth than parents who are from lower socioeconomic standing. Moreover, the last research shows that assignments are also beneficial in favor of students with high SES levels in terms of academic development (Calarco, 2022.) Children who attend schools in underprivileged areas also experience higher rates of drug use, homelessness, and violence than students attending wealthy schools. Social services must do more to assist students in these areas (Jeynes, 2011; Wilson, 1987, 1996). Another problem for schools in regions with low socio-economic status is the school budget. Schools in economically weaker areas have more limited budgets than those in wealthier areas (Şirin, 2005). Schools in Turkey are all managed by a centralized administration. This means that the budget that is allocated for each school is the same. However, according to regulations from the parent-teacher association, these organizations can provide financial and moral support to individual schools (Börü, 2019). This function of the school-parent union creates a socio-economic difference in schools in Turkey. In consequence, students may fall behind in academic development due to the lack of budget in schools with low SES levels in Turkey.
Considering the social justice leadership of school principals in this context, it is thought that the instructional leadership practices of school principals in low-voice schools should differ from those of high-voice ones. In this instance, the aim of this study is to determine how the instructional leadership practices of school principals should be for the development of social justice in schools with low SES and to evaluate the functionality of The MoNe regulations in practice. Accordingly, the research questions:
1. What are the requirements of students at low SES schools?
2. What should be the practices of school principals in schools with low SES?
3. How is the functionality of the MoNE applications in low SES schools?
Method
Through a case study based on the qualitative research methodology, this study aimed to understand the phenomenon of " School Leadership for Resilient Students at Schools with Low-Socio Economic Level by Considering the Centralized Education System in Turkey." According to Yin (2009), a case study is an up-to-date research method that is used to answer how and why questions when the researcher scale does not have dimensions on variables. In addition, a case study is an in-depth description and examination of a limited system and serves as an illustration of the many aspects and how they combine to affect the phenomenon under consideration. (Merriam, 2009). Although personal experiences and perceptions may show relativity between individuals, individuals working under similar conditions for the same purpose may cause the meanings attributed to the facts to be similar. Therefore, the use of a case study design was deemed appropriate for this research. This study focuses on the role of school managers in students learning in a school located in a region with a low socioeconomic level, resisting the difficulties they face in order to achieve academic success.
Expected Outcomes
The teachers' enthusiasm was low, and the class culture was detrimental to the advancement of academic achievement in this school, which had pupils coming from poor social-economic levels. The school budget and the building were inadequate for developing social activities. There were no teachers of fine arts, athletics, or music in this school. These subject teachers play a crucial role in creating social activities that can be used to modify troublesome student behavior. The school counselor was also understaffed, which meant that he was not sufficiently concerned with the students’ issues. Teachers expected the principal to be success-oriented, decisive, fair, and able to prevent the negative effects of parents on teachers and ensure school discipline. These behaviors play an important role in teachers’ motivation and the management of class culture. A negative classroom culture negatively affects the development of students, those who focus on academic success. The principals look for donations to expand social programs at schools. School principals ought to promote parental education. The school's principal believed that to fulfill these obligations under a centralized management system, they lacked sufficient authority, particularly when it came to enforcing school rules and controlling parents' behavior. Due to the various challenges with school discipline and student issues, this type of school requires dedication and additional counselors. The school's facilities, financial situation, and parents’ perception particularly concerning social activities all need to be improved. Students with poor socioeconomic status who are focused on academic success have an opportunity because of free weekend classes and course materials. Free weekend classes are useful; however, the printed course materials are considered inadequate owing to their quality, and the digital course materials are also deemed inappropriate because the students' homes lack adequate Internet infrastructure. In addition to public books, schools also need money to purchase printed course materials. MoNe emphasizes that these subjects provide social fairness.
References
Calarco, J. M. (2022). ‘There’s only so far I can take them’ – why teachers give up on struggling students who don’t do their homework. https://theconversation.com/theres-only-so-far-i-can-take-them-why-teachers-give-up-on-struggling-students-who-dont-do-their-homework-187896 Jeynes, W. (2011). Parental involvement and academic success. New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203843444 Oplatka, I. (2014). The Place of “social justice” in the field of educational administration: A journals-based historical overview of emergent area of study. In International handbook of educational leadership and social (in) justice (pp. 15-35). Springer, Dordrecht. Sirin, S. R. (2005). A Meta-Analytic Review of Research. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 417-453. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543075003417 Wilson, W. J. (1987). The hidden agenda. In W. J. Wilson (Ed.), The truly disadvantaged: The inner city, the underclass and public policy (pp. 140–164). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo13375722.html Van Ewijk, R. and Sleegers, P. (2010), “The effect of peer socioeconomic status on student achievement: a meta-analysis”, Educational Research Review, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 134-150. Wilson, W. J. (1996). When work disappears: The world of the new urban poor. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. https://scholar.harvard.edu/wwilson/publications/when-work-disappears-world-new-urban-poor
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