How can I raise the level of
self-esteem of second year Junior Certificate School Programme students and
create a better learning environment?
Introduction:
This is an account of a research project carried out by me with a Junior Certificate Schools Programme (JCSP) class in an inner city school from December 1999 to May 2000.
Introduction: To the research project.
Chapter 1:
Here I reflect upon the values I hold that inform my
practice as an educator. This chapter
also deals with why I want to
research this topic and my values underpinning my research. It explains the aims and objectives of the research.
Chapter 2:
Contextualisation: This chapter deals with my present context as class teacher, year head and the JCSP co-ordinator in an inner city school designated disadvantaged. It allows the reader to connect with the relevant background of the school. The descriptions here will act as the background for the research and indicate the reasons I give for the course of action taken during the research project.
Chapter 3:
Methodology: This chapter deals with issues of methodology and epistemology. I
describe the three main educational research paradigms
and compare and contrast the advantages and limitations of each paradigm. I
show my responsibility as a researcher by providing an analysis of the main
research paradigms, which will include a short history of their origins, and I
explain my methodology stating why I have chosen action research and the
problematics of action research. I describe in this chapter how important
ethical values are to my work and how I maintained them throughout the
research. I aim to support my claim
that an action research methodology was the best form of research for me to use
while I researched this question.
Chapter 4:
The project: Here I tell the story of the project. My research question is: How can I raise the level of self-esteem of second year JCSP students and create a better learning environment? This chapter describes how I set about researching this question and how I discovered through critical reflection and moved on and explored alternative ways of improving my practice, such as encouraging more student participation. I have also described the data gathering methods I used and their value to me and I supported my descriptions with evidence and validation to show that the claim to improvement in my practice can be reasonably justified. This chapter is built on an action research plan:
1. I experienced a problem.
2. I sought a solution.
3. I implemented the solution.
4. I evaluated the outcomes of my actions.
5. I re-formulated the problem in the light of my evaluation
(McNiff 1988: ch.5).
I present my findings as a result of this analysis, and show the evidence of my findings.
Chapter 5:
This chapter deals with the significance of my research for the JCSP class and myself. I hope to show the relevance and significance of the study, show my own professional learning and what it has done for my workplace and me. I hope to do this by reflecting on, observing and evaluating the feedback from the students.
Conclusion:
I hope to show progress of how I changed
my practice and moved from using an authoritarian teaching style to a more
caring teaching style. By implementing
a class code of good behaviour I have learned the importance that a positive
approach can have on the students and how they can benefit from this
approach. I will return to my aims and
objectives and see how far I have fulfilled them. I will critically review the limitations of the study, and
indicate avenues for further possible research.
Chapter 1:
Bassey (1990:2) states:
Research entails systematic, critical enquiry which aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge.
I hope to show in this research study how I have moved towards becoming a critical teacher (Freire 1972) bringing about improvement by a willingness to commit myself to change and to take a risk. To risk experimentation in my teaching was an important aspect of promoting critical openness in the students.
Focus of my research:
The focus of my research study is an attempt to create an active learning environment where the students I teach will become autonomous in their learning and I hope to learn a new role as facilitator of the learning process. I hope this will contribute to lowering the aggression levels of the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) students and make learning and school a positive experience for these disaffected students. The National and Social Forum Report in 1997 (Report, No:11, :39), found that 3,200 students left school before the Junior Certificate Examination and a further 2,400 failed to get at least five passes in that examination. The JCSP is targeted at schools with a serious problem in early school leaving. The aim of the JCSP is according to Cassidy (1997:155):
To provide an alternative approach to the Junior Certificate Programme, especially for those young people who show signs of school failure or early leaving.
The content of the curriculum is based on the Junior Certificate syllabus but extends the range of knowledge and skills and students get credits for a wide range of achievements. Literacy and numeracy are highlighted as well as personal and social development (Appendix 1 shows the statements the students are working on).
Assessment of the JCSP is continuous. Subject teachers keep a profile of each student. This profile consists of a series of learning targets or statements that the student can aim towards. These statements provide the basis for curriculum planning, monitoring and recording of students’ achievements. These statements also make the student aware of the aims for the term and the year. Finally, the student is given a folder containing a standardised document, agreed by the individual school authorities and validated by the Department of Education and Science which describes the knowledge, skills and achievements that the student has attained. In addition if the student completes the Junior Certificate examination this is also included.
The philosophy of the JCSP programme is that every student is capable of success in school, and that they can have a positive experience of education, if conditions are favourable.
My values:
I believe that learning should be shared in the classroom so that everyone is equally involved in the learning strategies and have some control over their own learning; where students and teachers respect one another, where there is a sense of belonging; where there is communication between the students and the teacher; where students and teachers talk with one another and not at one another. There must be respect for one another’s experiences, knowledge, values, needs, weaknesses and capabilities. The Department of Education and Science (Government of Ireland 1996:10) White Paper stresses the importance of this:
Schools provide opportunities for students to learn basic personal and social skills, which will foster integrity, self-confidence and self-esteem while nurturing sensitivity to the feeling and rights of others.
I feel if the students are to appreciate fully what they are learning, it is important that they are given time and encouragement to discuss, share and analyse/evaluate their discoveries. Furthermore, I hope that with these discoveries will come hopes, thoughts along with other emotional needs. I have encouraged the students in my class to keep a diary to record their feelings and thoughts. This record will I hope be helpful in developing in them a sense of responsibility for their learning. I hope the diaries will help the students to reflect and evaluate in a non-judgemental way while also developing responsible judgement. I hope the students will see this exercise as a chance to express themselves freely away from the pressures of examinations.
How can I develop
my practice in order:
· To make the class a more caring creative environment.
· To help students develop understanding, tolerance and acceptance of other students.
· To help them develop effective communication skills.
· To help them develop positive self-awareness and independence.
· To challenge students in all areas of their development.
· To develop and encourage a more holistic approach to education.
My research question and overall aim:
My research question and overall aim is how I can improve my work in order to raise the level of self-esteem of second year JCSP students and create a better learning environment? How can I encourage and support these disinterested, disaffected students to become less aggressive, more assertive and enable them to benefit from their time in school.
I decided to deal with my research question through using teamwork with other teaching colleagues, because of the mixed ability of the class and degree of absenteeism, which lead to further problems such as homework often not done, or not written into homework journals, or incorrect books in school for that particular day. I hope to facilitate learning through teamwork and peer teaching. I want to encourage participatory learning, to have more flexibility in the class, to allow the students to mix together more and become more bonded, which is a very important part of my classes. My esprit-de-corps is autonomy for the class with maximum co-operation between the class and myself.
Having worked with this group of JCSP students for the last year, I have noticed the following:
· Some students lack self-confidence and a true sense of themselves.
· They need time to grow in self-understanding.
· They need to develop the ability to work together as members of a team.
· Relationships with peers, teachers and parents/guardians need to be looked at as these are often quite negative and can mitigate against the student’s progress.
· There is a need to foster and encourage a positive attitude of contributing as good citizens, to the school and the whole of society.
All the above points are about what the students need to do. I need to look at ways in my teaching that will empower these students. As Hopson and Scally (1981:79) state:
Self-empowerment begins with oneself and spreads to others, but self-empowered behaviour is most effectively developed in systems that are structured to encourage, reinforce, and teach it.
I am using these points as indicators of improvement in my practice. If students fulfil these aims, I will consider I have succeeded in improving my practice.
My concerns:
I particularly want to ensure that the quiet, introverted, willing student or indeed the slow learner is not left feeling inadequate in the class, when the more aggressive student voices/forces their opinion. I hold it as a value that no student in my class should be made feel less than unique and special, whatever their academic ability is.
From my experience of teaching mixed ability classes, I know that the weak students can be left behind in the need to progress with the syllabus. I want to redress this problem; by raising the students’ sensitivities of the whole class each to help the other. Traditional teaching methods using lecture style format only make it difficult to cope with different academic levels, with the stronger members forcing the pace, to enable the syllabus to be covered.
My core value is the development of the whole person. I want to create opportunities for students to reflect on their behaviour and focus on their strengths. The under-control students whom Humphreys (1993) describes as aggressive, insolent, bullying and full of hyperactivity are the ones with the highest referrals to the form tutor, year head, junior co-ordinator, school counsellors and back up psychological services. The over control pupil, on the other hand, exhibits shyness, over diligence, perfectionism. Because they do not upset the classroom they often go unnoticed, and often do not get the help they need.
I looked at the conduct report sheets (Appendix 9) and picked out five students with the highest number of report sheets. During tutorial sessions I asked these students to reflect on their behaviour and I tried to find out what were the ‘hidden conflict issues’, unique to each student that gave rise to what Humphreys refers to as ‘maladaptive behaviour’. Humphreys (1995:91) states:
These symptoms or behaviour signs will continue to exist, despite punishment, as long as the student’s underlying conflicts or needs are not met.
The steady increase in the number of report sheets on certain students bore this out. It is important to me that the students’ basic needs of survival, fun, recognition, freedom, belonging and self worth are met, yet that this must not impinge on the rights of others. My values of justice and fairness impel me to ensure that the students can reach their potential, develop the skills which will enable them to benefit from their present schooling, continue this personal development after they leave school and enrich their own lives and that of their community. A caring, person centred approach is very important for learning to be effective. Personal worth is a core value in my educational philosophy. The Department of Education and Science (Government of Ireland 1996:121) White Paper states:
A teacher has the onerous responsibility of imparting knowledge and equally importantly of organising learning in the classroom, taking account of their students’ wider experience at home and in the community.
I also looked at my relationship with the JCSP students. Having read widely on disaffected, maladaptive behaviour and participating in a course on building self-esteem organised by the ‘Pathways through Education’ team I grew to understand that a common complaint JCSP students have is that many of their teachers are unable to relate to them, and treat them in a negative manner. Education researcher Scott Boldt (1994) told us teachers may need to be more understanding of their students, give them attention, and help them to learn and make class interesting and relate to what is happening in their lives. The most important tool a teacher has is their relationship with the students and when this relationship is valuing and caring in nature students’ behaviour may improve. Looking through the students’ diaries it became obvious to me, that if I wanted to help the students build their confidence and reduce the maladaptive behaviour, I had to stop being negative and try and be valuing, caring and affirmative on a consistent basis. I am trying to work on exercises with the help of the school counsellor and the Pathways through Education team where the students are given opportunities to stop being aggressive and negative towards each other and to work together, to solve problems. We are trying to empower the group. Trying to empower the students I believe shows a shift in my methodology from content/curricula based to student orientated pedagogies.
One tried and tested method
of helping people cope with aggression has been put together in Aggression and
Replacement Training (Goldstein and Glick 1987). The authors (Goldstein and Glick) believe that the perpetrators of
aggression frequently possess a series of interlocking and often reciprocally
compounding deficiencies. In response
to these deficiencies (the lack of socially cognitive skills, a deficiency in
anger control, a primitive level of moral reasoning) the authors target the
enhancement of pro social skills, the heightening of anger control and the
advancement of moral reasoning. The
Pathways through Education team with the JCSP class used this method
extensively.
As a teacher of this 21st century, I constantly have to meet change in many different ways and areas of my professional life. Two decades ago when I graduated from training college, I faced my entry into teaching with some fear and trepidation but also with a certain degree of excitement and eagerness. My role as an imparter of knowledge has changed over the years, certainly with the introduction of the new Junior Certificate Syllabus, which is designed to provide a wide variety of learning experiences such as investigative, creative, analytical, managerial, evaluative and technological skills. The key principles underpinning curricular development at this level are those of breadth, balance and coherence (Appendix 2, Department of Education and Science Junior Certificate Home Economics syllabus 1990).
I am a product of a
traditional convent education. I
admired the sisters’ devotion to learning as shown in their patient supervision
of study and their care for us students during examination time. As a student I experienced the skills-driven
curriculum where the teacher was in control of the learning and transmitted
information, which I received without question. In those days I believed education was about having enough
information to pass examinations, and passing examinations led to a sense of achievement.
I have very happy memories of my primary school days. I remember the school (my last three years there in particular) as a place that provided a sense of belonging, achievement and security, which stimulated a sense of learning. This is what I am trying to aspire to where the students will achieve and be happy.
However with the introduction of the new Junior Certificate Syllabus, I realised the need to change my teaching style as stated earlier from an authoritarian style to a more caring, supportive style. I believe care is the basis for creative learning for the students. It is my responsibility as their teacher to develop teaching methodologies and curricular approaches, which will involve the students in their own learning, and encourage them to see the relevance and meaning of what they are learning for their own lives. I see the necessity of collaboration as a resource and of being open to accept my role and change it to suit the needs of the students in my care.
Contextualisation:
This chapter describes the context within which I am researching my work.
The school context:
The school featured in this study is a modern Inner City Vocational Post Primary School, situated close to the merging rivers Dodder and Liffey. It was officially opened in 1983 replacing the previous school, which was in existence since 1893. The school is under the auspices of the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee (C.D.V.E.C.). The CDVEC is the local education authority for Dublin City and its inner suburbs. Looking after the educational needs of the socially and economically deprived of the city’s children has been its priority since its foundation. The passing of the Vocational Education Act 1931 was a milestone in the history of Irish education. With it came access to secondary education for all regardless of class or creed and corporal punishment was not tolerated in vocational schools. Vocational schools opened their doors to communities at night where adults could pursue either hobby or academic courses. Initially vocational schools were built in rural or poorer areas of the larger towns and cities.
This new building replaces the original school, which was built in 1893. Throughout the years the school changed direction many times as society changed and new opportunities presented themselves. The school now provides co-educational junior and senior cycle courses incorporating post leaving certificate and repeat leaving certificate. It has a current enrolment of 300 students, 23 wholetime teaching staff, 2 part-time and 2 eligible part-time teachers. Unemployment is a major problem in the area and education is not seen as a priority. In an effort to help the students to study for their examinations the school has introduced supervised study for examination classes two evenings a week (two hours in duration). Approximately 50% of the students avail of the study period.
Curriculum context:
The core of a post-primary school programme must of necessity be defined by curricula as required by the Department of Education and Science. The Junior and Leaving Certificate programmes are the nucleus around which the school is structured. However, within these confines it is necessary to adapt and introduce programmes, which will be particularly relevant to the current needs of the students (Appendix 3, Programmes adapted by the school to suit the current needs of the students).
When the new school opened in 1983, a policy of ‘streaming’ was introduced and junior and senior classes were categorised into ability bands ranging from ‘A’ to ‘D’. Now with the falling numbers in these classes there are only two bands this year (1999-2000). The school prides itself on its ability to adapt to a changing educational environment. A number of years ago courses in computers, electronics and European Studies were introduced. Students therefore are able to take a number of subjects at leaving certificate level, while also having the opportunity to develop new skills in areas of particular relevance to them. In the school year 1998/99 the JCSP was introduced and in the school year 1999/00 the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) was introduced.
The LCVP has a strong vocational dimension. It provides students with the opportunity to release their potential for self directed learning, for innovation and for enterprise. The Department of Education and Science (Government of Ireland 1996:9) state:
The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme was introduced in response to the changing needs of Ireland’s education system and the changing work and business environment. The programme aims to prepare the students for the real world where the ability to cope with rapid change is of increasing importance in preparation for social and economic life.
LCVP students must take at least five subjects for the Leaving Certificate Examination. One of these must be Irish. LCVP students take between five and seven Leaving Certificate subjects plus Link Modules. The Link Modules are on enterprise education, preparation for work and work experience. The LCVP strengthens the vocational dimension of the Leaving Certificate by linking subjects into vocational groupings. The three link modules sharpen the vocational focus of other subjects that the students study thus enhancing their employability capacity.
Numbers permitting, management hope to introduce the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) in 2000/01. This programme is aimed at preparing students for adult and working life. Emphasis is put on forms of achievement and excellence which the established Leaving Certificate had not recognised in the past as stated in the White Paper on Education (Government of Ireland 1996:6):
The Leaving Certificate Applied was introduced to recognise the talents of all students and provide opportunities for development in terms of responsibility, self-esteem and self-knowledge.
An advantage of the LCA is that it focuses on the talents of the individual student and helps students apply their learning in the real world. This is paramount in enabling students become employable. Information technology, the arts and leisure and recreation are required courses for all students. Courses in the LCA are offered in three main areas: vocational preparation, general education and vocational education. This would be very advantageous for those students following the JCSP programme. The aim of the school is to give the students as many opportunities for success as is possible. In this way the school will add to their self-esteem and establish a firm foundation for their life after school.
The normal procedure in my school is that the form teachers and year heads normally begin with a first year class and teach them through until third year. In this way a form teacher can establish a classroom code with them as soon as they enter secondary school and in this way increase their awareness of their responsibilities. As form teacher and year head I wish to have an understanding of each student and the situational context, in which they find themselves.
All students sit an external examination, either junior or leaving certificate. This section of the school is often referred to as the ‘junior’ or ‘our own students’, while the repeat and post-leaving certificate students are referred to as the seniors.
The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP):
The programme is a way of working within the Junior Certificate; the JCSP is specially designed to help young people who have had a difficult experience of school. It provides students with an opportunity for success in school and rewards that success with an official record of their achievements, validated by the Department of Education and Science. The development of a positive relationship between the student and the teacher is central to the success of the programme. (Appendix 4, JCSP philosophy).
My personal context:
I was employed in 1982 as a Home Economics teacher. I still teach Home Economics along with Social, Political and Health Education (SPHE) and Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE). I have identified a research group from my CSPE class who are following the JCSP programme. There are 13 in the group (6 girls and 7 boys). They are in their second year of the three-year junior certificate course. I am their form teacher, year head and co-ordinator of the JCSP. The roles of the form teacher, year head and junior cycle dean of discipline has always been the cornerstone in how effectively the school operated. My main aim as form teacher is to get to know the students, their background, abilities and weaknesses. Having a knowledge of the students’ background and abilities will enable me to have a better understanding of the student if and when problems arise. In the school where I teach the tutor and class meet once a week, and through the use of the Substance Abuse Prevention Programme (SAPP) explore some of life’s questions, which are relevant to their age group. As Collins (1993:43) states:
The tutor is the subject teacher who recognises that there is an emotional dimension in teaching and who is courageous enough
to educate within that framework.
The form teacher is responsible for monitoring the students’ attendance, punctuality, uniform and their general adherence to school policy. The class tutor is the contact person for parents to sort out individual problems. As co-ordinator of the JCSP I can call once a term profile meetings with the other subject teachers to monitor progress and discuss achievements. A class tutor stays with the class for three years, and a new class tutor is appointed in fifth and sixth year. Marland (1974:10) sees the tutor as:
The focal point of a child’s school life; the person who provides
liaison between subject-teachers, housemasters, parents and
school hierarchy.
I want to develop an atmosphere that is conducive to learning, to develop the JCSP students’ sociability and to multiply the learning resources throughout the class, empowering the students to help themselves, with particular attention given to the weaker, less vociferous students in the class in an unobtrusive and caring manner. I want to improve the educational experiences of the students, moving from teacher control to student autonomy; from discrete subject matter to integrated themes; from a passive student role to an active role. I want to be a guide, a facilitator, where professionalism and growth are the order of the day. I hope to create a learning atmosphere with caring and sharing as its cornerstone in order to encourage these values to become reality. I would like to emulate Rogers (1986:99):
Where motivation for learning comes from within, and the role of the teacher can be to hand the locus of control to the learners, to achieve what they need and what they want to achieve.
Irish education is currently facing into a period of change and renewal. With demands in the recent Department of Education and Science White Paper (1996) for increased parental involvement in education, a greater measure of accountability by teachers and participation by all is envisaged. This means an intense focus on the quality of what schools provide. Schools to-day are confronted with challenges and problems that argue for the appraisal of their basic purposes and their performance, as they cope with the perplexing breadth of talent and motivation among their students. The desires of today’s reform for schools require highly skilled teachers, who understand learning as well as teaching and who can address student needs, together with the demands of their disciplines. Before starting this MA in Education I did not engage in practical reasoning with regard to the changing context of my work. I took my training, the claims of efficiency and theories upon which it is based, for granted. This course and action research has contributed to the development of informed judgements and ultimately to a rethinking of my professionalism.
My involvement in the
research:
The conviction that I could make a difference to the educational development of the students I teach came partly from my involvement with the methodology of action research (Nugent, 1999). My view of teaching has developed especially in recent years since I took part in the school based action research project (Nugent, 1999). I realised that I could search for the generative notions (McNiff, 1988), the theories, which would assist in clearing a pathway towards a better future for the students and myself. The research imperative has been one of the factors which has moved me towards actualising the elements of Mc Gregor’s theory (McGregor, 1960, cited in Kavanagh, 1993) which he stated as follows:
Under proper conditions the average individual seeks responsibility and is motivated by the desire to realise one’s full potential and to experience the satisfaction of a job well done.
Furthermore, within my practice there are more elements now than merely the subject element, which was my first experience of teaching. In his analysis of teaching, Whitaker (1995) identifies within the skills category the requirements of occupational skills, personal skills and managerial skills. As a teacher with almost full hours teaching duties, my year head and class tutor duties have highlighted the requirement for skills beyond the occupational skills required within the classroom and the requirement for those skills in a context both inside and outside the classroom. The spill over effect of being a year head and a teacher of a class in that year group adds a further dimension to both the problems and the skills required. The struggle to both practise and understand the required skills necessitated a structured systematic approach, which is to be found within the paradigm of action research.
The benefits I hope the students will achieve from this action research is an increase in confidence and social awareness. There also has to be self-development of the teacher (Stenhouse cited in Elliott, 1991). This is a value that I came to realise through working with a previous research project (Nugent, 1999). For me it was an educational research in the sense that I was educated by it, educated through it, and located it within an educational setting (McNiff, 1993). By systematically reflecting on my own practice and finding ways to improve it I will concentrate on building up the strengths of the student.
Chapter 3:
Methodology:
This chapter describes and deals with the issues of planning, methodology and epistemology. It is generally held that there are three main education research paradigms.
The three main educational
research paradigms are:
· The empirical approach (scientific/positivist/quantitative)
· The interpretive approach (different interpretations of what is real/qualitative)
· The critical theoretic approach (which some people equate with action research).
Action research is one kind of research. There are many other kinds. In this chapter I want to point out that there are many ways of doing research and why I have chosen an action research methodology. I intend to justify my choice of action research as my preferred methodology by considering the different paradigms and making a case for action research as my preferred methodology. Before beginning this piece of research I was worried that I had chosen a methodology most suitable for my research and I agree with Walker (1985:46) who states:
….a key decision in any research project involves the selection
of methods…and once made is not easily reversed though it may
be enhanced by later addition of supplementary methods.
As I intended to elicit the views of students to produce evidence of my own improvement of practice, I felt also that the following points needed to be considered:
· That any research must be for the good of the school and the students.
· Any research using students’ time must be justified.
· I needed to complete the research within the time limit.
The choice of methodology was quite deliberate. I became conscious of the need to have my work evaluated. Besides the class’s evaluation I felt a personal need to evaluate at a deeper level, a level that inquired into the values and overall direction of the work in which I was involved. I found myself asking questions such as:
· What do I hope for the students I teach?
· In what ways am I developing and learning?
· How can we (the students and myself) collaborate in such a way so that
we arrive at a desired result for all of us?
· How can I make the quality of class enjoyable yet educational for both
students and myself?
· How can I help the students I teach to become more socially aware?
I hope to encourage the students to become autonomous citizens through education.
I like to think I am a responsible researcher. As a responsible researcher, let me now explain my understanding of the three major educational research p