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Non-completed Studies: What Factors Affect Academic Success or Failure?
79-89Views:452The ratio of early school leavers is 12.5 in Hungary, which means 22nd place within the EU28. Early school leaving is an important issue in all European countries, because those who finished their studies after primary education are more likely unemployed and it causes problems for both them and the society. Higher educational drop-out also an important issue, although for other reasons than early school leaving. It is even more difficult to find precise data on this: we don’t know what proportion of the students is affected by this in Hungary. In this study I analyze the database of the Hungarian Youth Research 2016. This survey was conducted on a representative sample of 15-29 year olds, questioning 8,000 people, therefore, early school leavers and higher educational drop-outs should be found among the interviewees. The results show that early school leavers have significantly worse status both financial and cultural. Some of those who had finished only primary school think that they have successfully completed their studies. They answered that despite 18.3 percent of them have started a vocational training, which didn’t finish. Despite the expectations, not much is known about the higher educational drop-outs. 4.5 percent of the interviewees did not answer the question of whether they had completed their studies: they are probably the drop-outs, but we can just assume that. The results show that they have better cultural status than the others.
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Differences in Foreign Language Choice of Students from Different Social Backgrounds
78-86Views:385According to previous research (e.g. Bernstein, 1971; Gogolin, 2014; Hegedűs et al., 2019), family background plays a decisive role in an individual's mother tongue acquisition and in learning foreign languages. In another study, parents with a high social background (54.0%) chose German for their children, and parents with a low social background (56.9%) chose English in primary school (Sebestyén, 2021). Based on this, in the study I examine what difference can be detected in the foreign language choice of high school students from different social backgrounds. In the study, I analyze the student data (890 people) of my database entitled “German learning and teaching in Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties” prepared in the 2018/2019 school year, during which I perform cross-tabulation and cluster analysis with the help of SPSS program. The database contains data on 11th grade high school and vocational high school students who studied German and / or English in high school. As the results, there are differences between the learned foreign languages among secondary school students according to family background. Among the clusters related to high school choice, those belonging to the “Higher Education Oriented Local” cluster are most interested in foreign languages, most German-speaking (74.0%) and English (89,0%) students tend to be in this cluster. Overall, the majority of respondents learn English, while students from higher social backgrounds (also) learn German.
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Opportunities and Barriers in the Partnership Between Foster Families and Schools
Views:184The primary socialisation area is the family, and the secondary socialisation area is educational institutions. From the point of view of educational sociology, the meeting between the family and the school institution represents the intersection of these socialisation areas (Kozma, 2001; cited in Bacskai, 2020). This issue and its methodological development is something that Joyce Epstein has been working since the 1980s (Epstein, 1986; Epstein, 1987). According to Pusztai (2020a), parenting can be understood as a multifaceted concept, typically referring to the mutual relationship between parent and child. Researchers have focused on this parenting resource mainly from the perspective of the child's progress at school and learning at home, with the parent acting as an external supporter of the work in school. In this research we focus on the specific characteristics of the cooperation between foster parents and schools, and examine the characteristics of foster parent involvement, along with the supporting and detrimental factors of the partnership between foster parents and teachers at the intersection of child protection and public education. Recently, the number of research studies on foster care has increased (Erdei, 2019; Rácz, 2021), but the relationship between foster parents and teachers is still a little-researched area in Hungary. The novelty of our qualitative research lies in the fact that we are dealing with a special, rarely studied group of parents in Hajdú-Bihar County in terms of family-school relations. The second phase of the analysis has us exploring the narratives of teachers. Our basic research questions are: (1) How can the relationship between foster families and school be characterized? (2) What are the forms of contact and cooperation between foster families and teachers? (3) What factors support or hinder the development of partnerships between foster families and teachers? The focus group data collection was based on semi-structured interview schedules. The research participants were foster parents (N=15) and teachers (N=10). The interviews were coded and analysed using Atlas.ti software. The results show that, overall, there is regular, daily, mainly personal contact between foster parents and teachers. The teacher's tolerant attitude, taking into account the specific educational situation, appeared as a supportive factor. However, there were also a number of cases reported by foster parents where they had been received negatively by teachers. In order to facilitate collaboration between the two parties, teachers would like to receive training (foster families, foster-parent-school collaboration) and would find it useful to have ongoing supervision.
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Strengthening family–school partnerships through research, training and innovation: Reflections from the MTA‑DE‑PARTNERED program
71-84Views:7This study presents the comprehensive findings of the MTA-DE-PARTNERED research and development program, which ran from 2021 to 2025, and aimed to explore and develop the theoretical, empirical, and practical dimensions of family-school partnerships. Within the framework of Epstein’s model of parental involvement, the research examined parents’ educational and learning-support activities at home, school–parent communication, volunteering, participation in decision-making, and community building. Analyses based on a review of the literature, large-scale questionnaire surveys, interviews, and case studies show that patterns of parental involvement are influenced by the child’s achievement, school type, school sector, and social background. The MTA-DE-PARTNERED program placed a strong emphasis on improving teacher training, recognizing that teachers’ preparedness and attitudes play a key role in the quality of the partnership. During the development phase, we created an evidence-based collection of best practices, a university toolkit, and an innovative educational board game based on cooperative. The board game aimed to support the positive development of asset-based attitudes among students and teachers through the simulation of various parental involvement scenarios. The results of the impact assessments suggest that the board game significantly contributes to the development of reflective thinking, a multi-perspective approach, and partnership-centered attitudes. This study shows that strengthening family-school collaboration requires systemic, research-based, and training-related innovations that will, in the long term, contribute to the improvement of student achievement and the development of pedagogical culture.
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College Begins in Kindergarten: A Path to Higher Education Through Family-School Partnerships in a K-5 School
1-12.Views:378As income inequality rises in the United States, students from low-income backgrounds and other excluded identities are likelier to remain in the lower income percentile, especially if they do not have college degrees (Kochhar & Cilluffo, 2018). Therefore, a critical approach is to focus on what happens before middle and high school, realizing that early childhood is prime for students to learn about college and their future. This study explored the practices influencing college-going aspirations for marginalized students in a K-5 school that engages teachers and families. The exploration extends the literature on how schools prepare elementary-aged students to develop college-going aspirations. The case study design collected data from observations, an administrative interview, and a document review. Findings revealed social and environmental practices influencing students and families regarding college-going attitudes and aspirations. The results have implications for curriculum and school culture to redefine the postsecondary conversation.
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The impact of preparatory classes on future student performance: Competency assessment experiences of Hungarian students in Covasna County
37–47Views:25This study examines the impact of the introduction of the preparatory class (reception class) in Romania as an early educational intervention within the framework of school readiness and educational inequality theories. The analysis focuses on Hungarian-speaking students in Covasna County, specifically on the first cohort of fourth-grade students who had previously attended this educational stage. The research is based on a quantitative, full-sample design, including all 1,054 fourth-grade students enrolled in Hungarian-language education. The dataset combines questionnaire data with results from the 2016–2017 national competence assessments, providing a comprehensive overview of academic performance in reading, mathematics, and natural sciences. The study investigates the relationship between participation in the preparatory year, socio-economic background, and academic achievement. The findings reveal a statistically significant association between parental educational attainment, labour market status and student performance. The results indicate that students from families with higher levels of education and more stable employment are significantly more likely to achieve above-average results. This suggests that while the institutional framework is inclusive, family background remains a decisive factor in how effectively children can capitalize on this preparatory period. Furthermore, participation is clearly associated with higher academic outcomes: students who completed the preparatory year are significantly more likely to achieve better results across all three assessed competence domains compared to those who did not. Overall, the preparatory class contributes to reducing the risk of school failure, supporting a smoother transition from preschool to primary education, and lowering early school leaving risks. It provides an extended preparatory period that helps children adapt more effectively to a performance-oriented learning environment. The study highlights the effectiveness of this universal reform while noting that, despite its mandatory nature, it cannot entirely neutralize the reproduction of social inequalities. In conclusion, the preparatory class represents a significant educational policy reform that improves student outcomes and promotes equity, particularly in minority-language and socio-economically disadvantaged contexts.
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Social innovation in a Romani community. The case of the Gandhi Secondary School in Hungary
63-70Views:4T
The Story. Following the post-communist transition of 1989–90, a Romani secondary school—the first of its kind in Europe—was established in Pécs, Hungary. This initiative began as a grassroots civic movement and operated under non-governmental management from 1994 to 2011. In 2011, the Hungarian state took over oversight, and the institution was restructured as a non-profit organisation. This study presents and analyses the Gandhi Secondary School as a notable example of social innovation. Research Questions. a) What prompted the surge of civic initiatives within the Romani community of Southern Transdanubia after the political transition? b) How can we explain the trajectory of the Gandhi Secondary School, which experienced initial success, followed by decline, and eventually stabilisation? Methodology. It utilises the framework of educational anthropology. The methodology includes secondary analysis of existing research, participant observation, narrative analysis, and social listening. Results. a) The uniqueness of the Gandhi Secondary School stems from its origin as a social innovation directly emerging from the local and regional Romani community. b) Although its lifecycle aligns with theoretical models of social innovation, its specific 'destiny' is closely linked to the socio-political context of the post-communist transition. Thus, this lifecycle serves as both a model and a unique historical case. c) The history of this innovation illustrates that in the Hungarian context, social innovations can only be sustained through strong partnerships with central/ local government.
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Gender Differences Among Teacher Education Students in Light of a Pilot Study
80-93.Views:258This paper aims to present the measurement tool designed to examine gender differences among teacher education students and the results obtained during the research. The theoretical section of the paper describes teachers’ and parents’ influence on children’s gender role attitudes, gender socialization and career orientation. To prepare the questionnaire, we analyzed the Hungarian and international literature and built on the results of our previous qualitative research. We grouped our questions into three dimensions: (1) gender socialization in the family, (2) parental involvement, (3) gender socialization at school and career orientation. According to our results, gender-neutral toys were more often chosen by male students’ parents, and mothers were more involved in their children’s school activities than fathers, setting higher expectations as well. Teachers and parents, especially mothers, played an important role in students’ career choice. In addition, students perceived that teachers handled them differently depending on their gender in terms of the evaluation of their academic progress and behavior as well as the frequency of compliments and punishment.
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Department history research and collections in the service of understanding the Debrecen school of educational sciences
20–28Views:4Exploring the history of the Department of Educational Studies in Debrecen, as well as the history of university teacher training and the practice school, began in 2002 under the leadership of László Brezsnyánszky with the collaboration of the “Debrecen School” research group. In our study, we summarize the main results and present the collections under the supervision of the department, as well as the professional forums on departmental history organized by it. According to our findings, the Debrecen School of Educational Sciences – its various organizational units – possessed three functions: 1. It provided for the education of the scientific next generation in its own field of expertise; 2. It conducted training in its own discipline and announced lectures on pedagogical subjects for the interested circle of the student body; 3. It performed the instructional tasks of theoretical pedagogical courses for teacher candidates, and additionally carried out organizational and supervisory work in this field. The state university of Debrecen carried on the traditions of its predecessor, the Reformed College. In departments critical to the shaping of worldviews, such as pedagogy, Reformed faith and ecclesial commitment remained vibrant until 1950. In the years following the foundation (1912), lectures on educational science were held by the professor of the Department of Philosophy (Béla Tankó); later, the now independent Department of Pedagogy sought to strengthen its prestige with a more diverse and colorful range of lecture offerings. In his lectures, Professor Gyula Mitrovics strived to present the fields of science according to the traditional division of pedagogy (theory of education, history of education, didactics), while in his seminars, he covered the significance of the intelligence tests he conducted and of experimental pedagogy. Sándor Karácsony already spoke to his students about the practical questions of school educational work. The era of Béla Jausz and László Kelemen was about stabilization, the strengthening of the position within the Faculty of Arts, and the alignment with the direction and research designated by socialist educational science. During Kelemen’s leadership, the preparation for the independence of units growing out of the individual departmental groups took place.
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Learning English through Shadow Education: Exploring Participants’ Motives and Experiences
66-77Views:707Parallel to the institutionalised school system, in which no change in pedagogical attitudes has taken place (Einhorn 2015), there is a growing demand for learning languages in non-formal contexts, including out-of-school courses that not only complement students’ studies in formal education but also seem to make the process of learning languages as well as giving academic support to students more effective. The present study aims to explore the international and Hungarian literature on shadow education, which is widespread in Hungary but has little literature (Varga 2015), by presenting the characteristics of the phenomenon and highlighting its shortcomings. A qualitative study is also presented in order to examine the expectations and experiences of the students (and their families) participating in private tutoring. Data gleaned from interviews with students and their parents are analysed to identify their motives, expectations, the development of students’ additional skills and competencies, their career aspirations and the families’ financial background. The results of the study shed light on some characteristics of shadow education that have not been visible yet. Some factors that can potentially enhance the effectiveness of language teaching in the state school system will also be highlighted. Although the study is based on a rather limited sample, the results help us gain important insights into the hidden aspects of shadow education.
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Tablets in Hungarian Primary Schools: An Empirical Study of Institution-level Application
29-37Views:562The increasing interest in introducing tablets into education as well as many countries’ education policies (see Digital Education Strategy) support the integration of the above-mentioned mobile devices (Mulet, van de Leemput & Amadieu, 2019). Accordingly, several governments are presently procuring or have already supplied a significant number of students with these devices (Tamim et al., 2015). Similar to most international large-scale initiatives, there are remarkable variances in tablet-supported education. The different school conditions (infrastructure, framework, human resources) result in the diversity of technological integration. In our research, in order to learn more about the infrastructural conditions at schools’ institutional levels, with online questionnaires we examined 145 primary schools using tablets in their education. We were looking to answer the following, questions: (1) what kind of infrastructural conditions are characteristic of the different institutions? (2) What kind of differences in infrastructural conditions are there between the schools in different settlements? To sum up the results, we can observe significant differences in the number of tablets, their hardware, accessories and software, along with differences in internet access and the regulation thereof.
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The Impact of Sport on the Health Related Quality of Life of Primary School Children
80-85Views:600By participating in some organized physical activities, even at school or in a sports association, children will have an impact on their intellectual, emotional and socialization abilities, as well as develop their motor skills and abilities. As a result, an athlete’s health will also be at a higher level and their Healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) will change. In the survey, we were researching if there is a difference in the results of the HRQOL dimensions of lower-grade athletes and non-athletes at Ferenc Gál University’s Szarvasi Training Primary School and Training Kindergarten. In the cross-sectional study, 89 parents responded to questions in the Kidscreen-27 / proxy questionnaire, which asked about their child’s subjective quality of life and its relationship with sports. Based on the statistically processed data, it can be shown that young athletes have higher HRQOL values compared to their non-athlete counterparts in all dimensions. From this, we can conclude that sport has a positive impact on the health and well-being of athlete students, their relationships with family and friends, and their effectiveness at school.
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A Mobile Suitcase for Informatic Teachers Related to the “Digital” Didactic Goals of the 21st Century
63-70Views:297This study deals with the optimal equipment of a mobile case for computer science teachers, which offers the possibility to teach the skills of the curricula from primary to high school of the 21st century. First, the Single Board Computers (SBCs) in question are filtered out from previous studies and the accessory parts required are determined through a quantitative market analysis. Then, by combining the results with a qualitative analysis according to Mayring, the degree of curricular coverage of individual accessories is determined and binarized. Afterwards, the optimal equipment of the mobile case is evaluated and established based on the cost overlap by horizontal summation and vertical inclusion of the necessary accessories after recording the prices and the budget. The results were clearly presented in network diagrams and lists. This study thus provides computer science teachers and computer science professors with a budget-dependent basis for making decisions about the contents of a mobile case for computer science lessons or a computer science laboratory for learning the skills of the curricula from primary to high school of the 21st century. The study closes with a summary and an outlook.
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Children’s Literature in Transcarpathian Schools for Teaching English as a Foreign Language
108-120Views:490Since the origins of formal foreign language teaching, literature has always played an important role. Currently, modern language teaching trends suggest starting foreign language learning as early as possible; thus, the use of children’s literature in foreign language teaching is undergoing a revolution. This situation encouraged us to examine the use of children’s literature and the attitude of foreign language teachers to it. This article focuses on primary and secondary school English language teachers in a western county of Ukraine (N = 118). The results of the qualitative research revealed that the teachers’ general attitude to the use of children’s literature is positive; they are aware of their advantages but still avoid using these materials. Most teachers do not apply children’s literature in their foreign language teaching because the school curriculum is too congested and fast-paced, they do not have access to appropriate authentic children’s literature, or they were not taught how to utilize authentic children’s literature during their university years. Results suggest that teachers should be encouraged to use children’s literature, though there is no universal solution. The first suggestion is for schools themselves to support teachers, but it would be a significant step forward if this approach were also to be taken in in-service training.
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The role of digital background factors in academic achievement. A comparative study of students from three countries based on the PISA 2022 database
115–128Views:80This study investigates the impact of students’ digital background factors on mathematical achievement using data from the 2022 PISA assessment. The analysis focuses on 15-year-old students from Austria, Estonia, and Hungary with particular attention given to the interplay between home financial conditions, ICT availability and usage, digital attitudes, and mathematics performance. Drawing on student questionnaire responses, we constructed composite indices and factor scores representing digital access, usage frequency, and digital competence at both home and school settings. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and linear regression models were applied to explore the relationships between digital background variables and students' mathematics proficiency scores. The results reveal that home financial status consistently predicts higher achievement across all three countries, whereas the frequency of school-based ICT use shows a negative correlation with performance. Conversely, home-based ICT usage and positive attitudes towards online platforms correlate with higher mathematics outcomes. The Estonian data challenge the initial hypothesis of a country-specific positive effect of ICT usage in schools, suggesting instead that the quality and context of digital integration matter more than frequency. The findings also highlight the importance of learning orientation and student motivation in shaping mathematics performance. Despite some methodological limitations – such as the cross-sectional nature of the data and reliance on self-reported measures – the study offers reliable insights into how digital background factors influence academic outcomes. The results underscore the need for more effective integration of ICT tools in classrooms, informed by students' learning habits and preferences.
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At the Crossroad of Cultures: Education and Identity of Hungarian Deaf Learners in Romania
68-78Views:333Deaf people living in ethnic-national minority situation form a social group whose members have multiple cultural backgrounds. Starting from interpretations which are viewing the deaf child as a member of a distinct cultural and linguistic minority, I studied the education of Hungarian deaf pupils in Romania graduating from the Hungarian Special School in Cluj/Kolozsvár/Klausenburg, with particular regard to the relationship between formal and informal language use in school, communication culture and identity. Methodologically the research is based on life path interviews with Hungarian Deaf Special School graduates, family case studies of two or three generation deaf families and structured interviews with experienced educators. The research results reveal that the educational practice of the concerned educational institution strengthens the pupils' identity awareness and sense of belonging to the Hungarian nation in two distinct, still interconnected ways: on the one hand, through oral language acquisition, nursing the oral Hungarian language skills, and on the other hand through cultivating the Hungarian Sign Language embedded in the deaf culture within the learner community. Nowadays, the conditions and modalities of exercising this role are changing in several respects. The positive educational effects achieved so far can be reinforced and strengthened by educational policies based on the recognition and cultivation of cultural diversity, in all its complex and multifaceted manifestations, including the peculiar needs of ethnic minority deaf learners.
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The performance of Hungarian minority students in PISA assessments (2003–2022)
1–16Views:43The analysis tries to describe the academic competencies of Hungarian minority students in the Carpathian Basin based on international PISA assessments. To this end, the author first addressed some methodological aspects of the PISA assessments and then presented some international data. Although the school competencies of Hungarian youth in Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia, as revealed by PISA data, show a fluctuating picture over time, a few patterns clearly emerge. First, one can see that while in Transylvania it appears that Hungarian students perform better than the majority students, in Slovakia the opposite is true, and in Vojvodina the homogeneity of the school-system is evident, as there is no significant difference here between Hungarian minority and majority youth. Despite the small sample sizes, one can still gain some insight into learning in a non-native language: in Romania and Serbia, this generally results in a disadvantage, but Slovakia stands out as an exception in this regard as well: here, it appears that choosing the majority language carries neither an advantage nor a disadvantage in terms of academic competencies. When interpreting academic performance, however, it is essential to take various background factors into account, primarily family background. The analysis highlights that the index of the socio-economic background of majority and minority Hungarian youth shows significant differences. To measure the net effect of the test language a linear regression model was elaborated. Using this, the author argues that the test language exerts a significant effect in the areas of mathematics and sciences.
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Resource or risk? The role of higher education parental involvement in students’ future-aware work ethic
99-110Views:8One of the key determinants of higher education students’ academic progress is future-oriented work ethic, which can be reflected in persistence in pursuing long-term goals, goal-directed effort, and disciplined work practices. The aim of this study is to examine how different patterns of parental involvement in higher education are associated with students’ future-aware work ethic and how these forms of involvement function as either resources or risk factors in its development. The analysis is based on a secondary examination of data from the 2023–2024 survey of the MTA–DE Public Education Development Research Program (N = 1,336), conducted among higher education students in Hungary and Hungarian minority regions of the Carpathian Basin. To identify patterns of parental involvement, cluster analysis was applied, followed by an examination of the relationship between the identified clusters and the studied attitude using analysis of variance and two-step linear regression models. The findings indicate that parental involvement does not exert a uniform effect on students’ future-oriented work ethic. Students with highly involved parental backgrounds are characterized by significantly higher levels of future-oriented work ethic, and this association remains robust even after controlling for socio-demographic background variables. In contrast, ambivalent parental involvement shows a consistently negative relationship with the examined attitude. The effect of low parental involvement weakens when background factors are taken into account, suggesting a mediating role of social background. Overall, the results highlight that the quality and patterns of parental involvement play a decisive role in shaping this form of work ethic: supportive and consistent parental engagement can be interpreted as a resource, whereas ambivalent involvement constitutes a risk factor.
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Information and Trust in Parent-Teacher Cooperation – Connections with Educational Inequality
19-28Views:1189There is an ongoing debate on how parents and the cooperation between parents and teachers contribute to educational inequality. In this study, the assumption that information and trust in parent–teacher cooperation mediate the effects of parent socioeconomic status (SES) on student achievement in mathematics and instruction language (German) was examined. The effects of information and trust on achievement were assumed to be mediated by parent self-efficacy expectation in German. The hypotheses were tested using a sample with 1001 students from 4th to 6th grade and their parents in Swiss primary schools using questionnaires and achievement tests at the beginning and the end of a school year. Results from structural equation models with longitudinal data showed that parent trust and parent self-efficacy expectation fully mediated the effect of SES and student achievement in language instruction but not in mathematics. Information did not correlate with SES nor with student achievement, but with trust. Parental trust in the cooperation with teachers affected achievement in both mathematics and German. The model combines the research on parental involvement with the research on educational inequality in school. Teachers need to establish trust in cooperation with low-SES parents to reduce educational inequality in school.
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Scouts' and educational stakeholders' perceptions of integrating scouting methods into formal education
98-109Views:1095Scouting is a non-formal learning environment which implies a form of learning that is “less organised than formal learning, but still consists of planned activities and educational objectives. It is also seen as being more concerned with action, and learning by doing from experience; and more holistic, with a particular focus on developing social and emotional skills” (Bridwell et.al., 2015: 27). The Scouting Method used relies on the concept of experiential learning or learning by doing and combines it with other educational elements such as the symbolic framework, team or patrol system, gamification elements such as the badge system (Christians 2018) and active learning or personal progression so that each young person is “consciously and actively involved in his or her own development” (WOSM 1998: 47). The present paper aims to explore scouts' and educational stakeholders' (teachers and scout teachers) beliefs and opinions regarding scouting methods and the way these methods could be integrated into the formal learning environment. Qualitative and quantitative methods of analyses were used to examine and interpret the results gathered through an online questionnaire. Results show that all respondents have a positive attitude towards scouting and the methods used within their activities and they would encourage others to join the association. Even school subjects have been identified which could serve as bridging points between non-formal and formal educational situations.
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The Effectiveness of the Let’s Teach for Hungary Mentoring Program
150-160Views:313The situation of disadvantaged students has been a problem in the field of education for decades, -so much so that several disadvantage-compensation programs have been set up in an effort to reduce its effect. This includes the mentoring process, the primary purpose of providing support and assistance to younger individuals. The subjects of the research are the 7th grade students participating in the Let’s teach for Hungary mentoring program. The questionnaire survey was conducted in the autumn of 2019 (n=585), during which I focused on the children’s expectations of the mentoring program, their learning difficulties, learning motivations, and their plans for further learning. Classifying students in clusters based on their motivations, highlights the fact that the range of participants is not homogeneous this aspect. The Coronavirus epidemic has posed a significant challenge to traditional education, and the opportunities offered by personal mentoring have been pushed into the background over the past year and a half. Educators and students alike have struggled through the transition to digital education (Kristóf, 2020). Attendance mentoring was forced to continue in the form of distance mentoring. In my current research, I examine the existence of distance mentoring, the exploration of experiences, and the preparedness of the participants in the Teach for Hungary program. Data collection began in December 2021, and the query process is still ongoing. I carry out the survey using a mixed-method. I collect quantitative data among students with the help of questionnaires, which focus on the experiences, opinions and readiness of the children. In addition, I use a qualitative, interview-based research method that provides an understanding of more comprehensive experiences. I conduct interviews with educators, mentors, and mentored students. The subjects of the research are primary school students (8th grade students), mentors and teachers of a small settlement in Hajdú-Bihar county and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county (n=60 people). The research results can serve as feedback to the participants on the success of work done during distance mentoring. The results obtained can also serve as feedback for the Let’s teach for Hungary program because the program can be developed in the future from interviews.
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Reading Assessment for Diagnosing Acquired Reading Disorders in Adults: Theoretical and Practical Aspects of its Development
70-83Views:301The study of reading processes is of particular importance in the assessment of cognitive-linguistic functions in both atypical development and acquired disorders of the adult developmental skills system. A comprehensive assessment of cognitive processes allows the selection of the appropriate therapeutic techniques, which in turn contributes to the best possible quality of life following rehabilitation. A common leading symptom of cognitive dysfunction in adult acquired neurological impairment is a deficit in reading. Our aim was to develop a reading assessment procedure based on national and international theoretical and empirical research to allow a complex assessment of reading processes. In order to investigate the reliability of the test and to develop an assessment system for it, a large-scale survey was organised. During the analyses, an evaluation system was developed which would allow us to objectively describe not only the fact of impairment but also its extent. Based on our results, the design of the Adult Acquired Reading Assessment and the comprehensive assessment system associated to it have resulted in a complex test procedure that is not only well applicable in clinical diagnostics but also in exploratory empirical work.
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Conflicts in Physical Education Classes - A Systems Theoretical Analysis of the Teacher’s Perspective
11-20Views:439This article presents the results of a systems theoretical analysis of conflicts in physical education classes from the teacher’s perspective. Building on the state of current research, a theoretical model to analyse the development and management of sport related conflicts in the school setting is elaborated. This model is used to examine written assignments collected at university seminars on conflicts in a German sport institute. At these seminars, sport science students submitted 40 detailed descriptions of conflicts in physical education classes, which were either collected through an interview or experienced directly in their role as teachers. The empirical material is analysed using qualitative content analysis. Based on a fictive case that is developed for exemplification purposes, all collected cases are considered against the background of the developed model. It differentiates between trivial, stable, slightly, and highly escalated conflicts and examines suitable management strategies. The study concludes that trivial conflicts are common in physical education classes, that teachers use different strategies to manage them, and that this issue is dealt with differently at the organisational level. This preliminary model can be improved through further empirical research that compares different school forms and levels of education at the national and international level.
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Correlation Between Educational Performance, Family Background and Settlement Type in Covasna County, Romania
62-69Views:399In social sciences, a more sophisticated way of examining students' school performance, based on the combination of school and family factors, is becoming increasingly popular. Important indicators of schools operating in a given territorial and societal context can be obtained both at student and institutional levels if territorial characteristics are included. In our research we examine the correlation between family background and performance, and investigate the settlement type where the proportion of students from low SES schools is the highest. At the same time we are also curious whether there is a greater chance of resilience in smaller communities. Our results show that the majority of students from low SES schools study in small settlements, but resilience is clearly not more typical in smaller communities.
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Attendance Without Presence: Measuring Cognitive Class Avoidance Among Students
71-82Views:530While the term “school absenteeism” refers to a student’s withdrawal from the reach of classroom instruction, we explicitly opt for the term “class avoidance.” Existing studies on this phenomenon have primarily dealt with unauthorized physical absence from class. However, in our contribution, we extend the scope to cognitive absence. The behavior of students who are physically present but cognitively disengaged has largely been neglected in educational research thus far. This deficit stands in contrast to the widely accepted importance of cognitive activation in the classroom. The core of our contribution consists in the presentation and the construct validation of a newly developed scale for measuring cognitive class avoidance (inattention in class). We evaluated this measurement instrument in a cross-sectional study with a sample of 171 seventh- to ninth-grade students (M = 14.3 years, SD = .94). Our data confirmed a theoretically founded g-factor model. The results of the analysis point to a limited prevalence of cognitive class avoidance. Such forms of behavior were significantly more frequently reported by boys than by girls, however.