Connection, September/October 1998

Research Findings: The current study examined the use of a newly developed instrument for measuring parental literacy beliefs in a highly diverse urban Dutch sample of 35 parents, participating in a family literacy program. The instrument was used to explore a new conceptualization of parental literacy beliefs and associations between beliefs and parental demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The instrument revealed that parents in this sample preferred meaning-oriented and facilitative practices to stimulate their children’s literacy development, in which understanding the meaning of language and print is seen as the starting point in literacy development and in which teaching occurs indirectly, in an embedded child-centered approach. Parental preferences were associated with a variety of beliefs. Parents who did not speak Dutch, the majority language, with their children were more inclined toward directly instructing their children compared to parents who did speak Dutch with their children. The instrument proved to be effective in exposing the nature of and nuances in parental literacy beliefs in a diverse sample. Practice or Policy: Our newly developed instrument can be used by professionals working with family literacy programs to gain insight into the literacy beliefs of diverse groups of parents

Learning environment, interaction, sense of belonging and study success in ethnically diverse student groups

The purpose of this paper was to investigate a model for describing the relationships between the extent to which learning environments are activating and students' interaction with teachers and peers, sense of belonging, and study success. It was tested whether this model holds true for both ethnic minority students and ethnic majority students. A total of 523 students from four different universities completed a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (Amos) was used to test the model. The model that best describes the relationships in the group of ethnic minority students (N = 145) was shown to be different than the model that best fits the group of majority students (N = 378). Ethnic minority students appeared to feel at home in their educational program if they had a good formal relationship with teachers and fellow students. Ethnic minority students' sense of belonging to the institution nevertheless did not contribute to their study progress. On the other hand, in majority students, informal relationships with fellow students were what led to a sense of belonging. In these students, the sense of belonging did further academic progress

Literatuurstudie risicojongeren: onderwijs, arbeid, zorg en veiligheid

De Directie Jeugd & Onderwijs Rotterdam wil graag meer inzicht krijgen in de definitie van de groep risicojongeren, de precieze omvang van deze groep, de aard van de problematiek en de mogelijke oplossingen. Bovendien heeft de Directie Jeugd en Onderwijs Rotterdam behoefte aan wetenschappelijk inzicht in de (on)mogelijkheden van een integrale benadering van risicojongeren. In opdracht van de Directie Jeugd en Onderwijs Rotterdam heeft de Kenniswerkplaats Rotterdams Talent (KWP) voorliggende studie uitgevoerd naar de problematiek en aanpak van risicojongeren in Rotterda

The work–study interface: similarities and differences between ethnic minority and ethnic majority students

Given the poorer academic outcomes of non-Western ethnic minority students compared to ethnic majority students, we investigated whether differences exist in work–study interface between ethnic groups. We tested a work–study interface model, in which the work-related factors work–study congruence, job control, job demands, work hours, job involvement and job support were antecedents to work–study facilitation (WSF) and work–study conflict (WSC). WSC and WSF, in turn, were expected to predict students’ study effort and subsequently students’ grades. This model fitted well for the full sample and both non-Western ethnic minority students (N = 167) and ethnic majority students (N = 666) separately at a large Dutch university. Results showed that work–study congruence, job control, job involvement and job support led to WSF, which in turn led to more study effort and higher grades. Job control decreased WSC and both job demands and the number of work hours increased WSC. WSC was negatively associated with study effort which resulted in lower grades. These structural relationships, as depicted in the conceptual model of work–study interface, were similar for both the group of non-Western ethnic minority students and the group of ethnic majority students. However, ethnic minority students worked more hours per week than ethnic majority students, which partly explained—via WSC and study effort—the lower academic outcomes for this group

The role of the assessment policy in the relation between learning and performance

__Context:__ Optimising student learning and academic performance is a continuous challenge for medical schools. The assessment policy may influence both learning and performance. Previously, the joint contribution of self-regulated learning (SRL) and participation in scheduled learning activities towards academic performance has been reported. However, little is known about the relationships between SRL, participation and academic performance under different assessment policies. __Objectives:__ The goal of this study was to investigate differences in average scores of SRL, participation and academic performance of students under two assessment policies: (i) a conjunctive lower stakes, lower performance standard (old) assessment policy and (ii) a compensatory higher stakes, higher performance standard (new) assessment policy. In addition, this research investigated whether the relationships between academic performance, SRL and participation are similar across both assessment policies. __Methods:__ Year-1 medical students (i) under the old assessment policy (n = 648) and (ii) under the new assessment policy (n = 529) completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire on SRL, and additional items on participation. Year-1 performance was operationalised as students’ average Year-1 course examination grades. manova and structural equation modelling were used for analyses. __Results:__ Generally, students under the new assessment policy showed significantly higher Year-1 performance, SRL and participation, compared with students under the old assessment policy. The relationships between Year-1 performance, SRL and participation were similar across assessment policies. __Conclusions:__ This study indicates that the higher academic performance under a compensatory higher stakes, higher performance standard assessment policy, results from higher SRL and participation, but not from altered relationships between SRL, participation and performance. In sum, assessment policies have the potential to optimise student learning and performance

Composition and teaching quality characteristics in schools for secondary education:Results from secondary analyses on the Dutch OECD-TALIS 2013 data

The current study presents the results of secondary analyses on the Dutch data in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) from the OECD. Using multi-level regression analyses, job satisfaction, teaching quality characteristics as well as need for professional development are investigated in schools that vary according to composition. The results show that teachers in schools with relatively large percentages of students from low socio-economic backgrounds are less satisfied with their profession, they show lower levels of self-efficacy and less positive student-teacher relationships. In schools with relatively large percentages of students who have a different home language than the language of instruction, the results show no relationships with job satisfaction and the educational quality characteristics. The results also show that teachers in schools with low SES pupils and pupils with different home languages have more need for professional development in the area of diversity and this is especially true for beginning teachers. The study ends with recommendations for future research and educational practice.</p