Does homeschooling fit students with school attendance problems? Exploring teachers’ experiences during COVID-19

Attending school on a regular basis and completing school is usually seen as a precondition for students’ academic, emotional, and social learning and development. However, some students struggle with school attendance problems (SAPs) for a myriad of reasons. Homeschooling is a topic of concern in long-term or problematic SAP cases. Some scholars claim that school absenteeism might increase and be maintained, while others argue that homeschooling may reduce students’ anxiety associated with school attendance. Regardless, homeschooling is often an intervention for academic learning and/or as a part of gradual reintegration to school for SAP students. Moreover, homeschooling/home education/home tuition is not a new phenomenon and is an intervention for students with long-term sickness. When schools in many countries closed from the middle of March 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all students were homeschooled. This gave us the opportunity to investigate homeschooling more closely. In the current study, teachers’ thoughts and experiences of homeschooling for students with SAPs prior to the pandemic are investigated. The main aim was to gain more insight into and knowledge about homeschooling: does it work for SAP students? Practical implications of homeschooling for SAP students are discussed.publishedVersio

Remote Education/Homeschooling During the COVID-19 Pandemic, School Attendance Problems, and School Return–Teachers’ Experiences and Reflections

According to Norway’s Educational Act (§2-1), all children and youths from age 6 to 16 have a right and an obligation to attend free and inclusive education, and most of them attend public schools. Attending school is important for students’ social and academic development and learning; however, some children do not attend school caused by a myriad of possible reasons. Interventions for students with school attendance problems (SAPs) must be individually adopted for each student based on a careful assessment of the difficulties and strengths of individuals and in the student’s environment. Homeschooling might be one intervention for students with SAPs; however, researchers and stakeholders do not agree that this is an optimal intervention. Schools that were closed from the middle of March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to investigate remote education more closely. An explorative study was conducted that analyzed 248 teachers’ in-depth perspectives on how to use and integrate experiences from the period of remote education for students with SAPs when schools reopen. Moreover, teachers’ perspectives on whether school return would be harder or easier for SAP students following remote education were investigated. The teachers’ experiences might be useful when planning school return for students who have been absent for prolonged periods.publishedVersio

Kunnskapsoppsummering og klassifisering av tiltaket: VIP-Makkerskap (1. utg.)

Bakgrunn: VIP Makkerskap er et helsefremmende og universalforebyggende tiltak, som er utviklet for å sikre en bedre overgang fra ungdomsskolen til Vg1, og fra barne- til ungdomsskolen, for en bedre skolestart og for å fremme et godt læringsmiljø. VIP Makkerskap er utviklet og eiet av Vestre Viken HF/VIP psykisk helse i skolen, med finansiering fra Helsedirektoratet over tilskuddsordningen «Psykisk helse i skolen». Metode: Denne kunnskapsoppsummeringen bygger på et systematisk litteratursøk i databasene Embase, Medline og Psykinfo, NORART, Cochrane, Cristin, NORA, SCOPUS og SweMed. Det er også søkt i internasjonale kunnskapsdatabaser om evidens samt innhentet informasjon om tiltaket fra tiltakseier. Litteratursøk og annen innhentet informasjon ble gjennomgått for å identifisere nordiske effektstudier, internasjonale oppsummeringsstudier og eventuelt andre norske studier om tiltaket. Resultater: Resultatene består av en vurdering av tiltakets beskrivelse, foreliggende effektstudier, forskningsmetodisk kvalitet og implementeringskvalitet. VIP Makkerskap vurderes som godt beskrevet med et bredt faglig fundament, men det har en noe uklar teoretisk referanseramme. Tiltaket tilbyr noe implementeringsstøtte i form av informasjonsmøter og tilbud om 3-timers opplæring, men ingen prosedyrer for å sikre eller måle implementeringens kvalitet. Det er gjennomført en norsk effektstudie, presentert i to artikler, der kvasieksperimentelt design benyttes. Funnene indikerer en signifikant bedring for skoler med VIP Makkerskap på ett utfallsmål, sosialt klassemiljø, sammenlignet med kontrollskoler som ikke gjennomførte programmet. Effekten var liten, og fordi VIP Makkerskap ved noen skoler ble innført før baseline og avhengighet (nesting) i data ikke ble tatt hensyn til i analysene, er funnene noe usikre. Det ble også funnet korttidseffekter for lykke og depresjon-/angstsymptomer for elever uten eller med lav sosial angst ved baseline, men ingen effekter for elever med høy sosial angst, og det ble ikke funnet signifikante effekter etter 6 måneder. Når det gjelder ensomhet var det ingen kort- eller langtidseffekter. Det er behov for flere effektstudier av høy kvalitet som kan gi mer valide effektestimater på relevante utfallsmål både på videregående skole og i ungdomsskolen. I tillegg bør det teoretiske rasjonale for tiltaket bli tydeligere og mer spisset, og begrunnes ut fra primærlitteratur og implementeringsstrategien bør videreutvikles. Konklusjon: VIP Makkerskap klassifiseres på evidensnivå 3 – tiltak med noe dokumentasjon på effekt

How to Understand School Refusal

Attending school is usually seen as a precondition for academic, social, and emotional learning. However, school absenteeism is a problem in many countries and covers different types of authorized or unauthorized absences and a myriad of reasons. An authorized absence is when there is a satisfactory explanation for the youth’s absence, while unauthorized absence is usually understood as school attendance problems (SAPs). The main aim of this article is first to investigate define, describe, and discuss school refusal (SR) and how SR differs from other concepts of SAPs, and the secondary aim is to understand SR using different theoretical perspectives. The article outlines this aim based upon a review of international research in this field and uses the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theories to explain how SR might emerge and develop. The review indicates that SAPs involve many types, concepts, definitions, and reasons. The most frequently used concepts are school refusal behavior, truancy, school refusal, and school withdrawal. Based on the review, the article argues for a common understanding of these concepts among all stakeholders. We suggest a narrow definition of SR to enhance clarity and agreement and propose that the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory are relevant to the understanding of SR. A common understanding among all stakeholders is the importance of identifying and intervening in specific types of SAPs. By using a systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory, identification and interventions can be targeted at an early stage of the development process of SR.publishedVersio

Do Teachers Matter? Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Interactions and Student Engagement

The current study examined the associations between students’ perceptions of classroom interactions and students’emotional and behavioral engagement. Given the nested structure of the data, multilevel analyses were employed to examine these associations. A total of 1769 Norwegian fifth to tenth graders from 100 classes and 10 schools participated in a web-based survey. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and multilevel structural equation modeling. The results indicated that students who perceived high-quality classroom interactions were more engaged in school, and teachers’ emotional support showed the strongest association with engagement at both levels. Furthermore, the findings indicated that primary school students were more engaged emotionally than lower secondary school students, and female students were more behaviorally engaged than male students.publishedVersio

How to Understand School Refusal

Attending school is usually seen as a precondition for academic, social, and emotional learning. However, school absenteeism is a problem in many countries and covers different types of authorized or unauthorized absences and a myriad of reasons. An authorized absence is when there is a satisfactory explanation for the youth’s absence, while unauthorized absence is usually understood as school attendance problems (SAPs). The main aim of this article is first to investigate define, describe, and discuss school refusal (SR) and how SR differs from other concepts of SAPs, and the secondary aim is to understand SR using different theoretical perspectives. The article outlines this aim based upon a review of international research in this field and uses the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theories to explain how SR might emerge and develop. The review indicates that SAPs involve many types, concepts, definitions, and reasons. The most frequently used concepts are school refusal behavior, truancy, school refusal, and school withdrawal. Based on the review, the article argues for a common understanding of these concepts among all stakeholders. We suggest a narrow definition of SR to enhance clarity and agreement and propose that the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory are relevant to the understanding of SR. A common understanding among all stakeholders is the importance of identifying and intervening in specific types of SAPs. By using a systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory, identification and interventions can be targeted at an early stage of the development process of SR

Kunnskapsoppsummering og klassifisering av tiltaket Olweus programmet (OBPP) – et skoleomfattende program mot mobbing og antisosial atferd (2. Utg)

Bakgrunn Olweus programmet (Olweus Bully Prevention Program; OBPP) skal redusere mobbing og antisosial atferd i skolen gjennom å skape et trygt og godt læringsmiljø for alle. Denne artikkelen er en kunnskapsoppsummering om effekter av det forebyggende og skoleomfattende OBPP mot mobbing og antisosial atferd i grunnskolen, en vurdering av om tiltaket er virksomt og anbefalt til bruk i norske skoler. Metode Kunnskapsoppsummeringen bygger på systematiske litteratursøk i ulike databaser som Embase, Medline, Psykinfo, Norart, Cochrane, Cristin, Nora, Scopus, Campbell og Blueprint. I tillegg er informasjon innhentet fra tiltakseier. Resultater Det ble identifisert seks norske effektstudier, tre egne effektstudier fra USA og to uavhengige studier fra USA, to internasjonale meta-analyser og en internasjonal vurdering (Blueprint, som viser at OPBB oppfyller kravene til såkalt Blueprint- eller modellprogram). Resultatene inkluderer en vurdering av programmets beskrivelse, effektstudier, kvalitet av forskningsmetoder og implementeringskvalitet. Programmet er svært godt beskrevet og har svært gode system for å styrke implementeringskvalitet. Effekten av OBPP er godt beskrevet og dokumentert. Samtidig vil norske effektstudier som i større grad oppfyller dagens krav til dokumentasjon, som omfatter en bredere alderssammensetning og dermed større deler av målgruppen, som er elever i grunnskolen og flere uavhengige studier, styrke dokumentasjonen ytterligere. Resultatene må ses i lys av at utvikling og implementering av OBPP også har etablert et helt nytt fagfelt og forsking innen dette feltet, og representerer et arbeid som strekker seg tilbake til 1970-tallet. Konklusjon OBPP klassifiseres etter Ungsinn.no sine kriterier som et dokumentert virksomt tiltak på evidensnivå 5: Tiltak med sterk dokumentasjon på effekt.publishedVersio

Remote Education/Homeschooling During the COVID-19 Pandemic, School Attendance Problems, and School Return–Teachers’ Experiences and Reflections

According to Norway’s Educational Act (§2-1), all children and youths from age 6 to 16 have a right and an obligation to attend free and inclusive education, and most of them attend public schools. Attending school is important for students’ social and academic development and learning; however, some children do not attend school caused by a myriad of possible reasons. Interventions for students with school attendance problems (SAPs) must be individually adopted for each student based on a careful assessment of the difficulties and strengths of individuals and in the student’s environment. Homeschooling might be one intervention for students with SAPs; however, researchers and stakeholders do not agree that this is an optimal intervention. Schools that were closed from the middle of March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to investigate remote education more closely. An explorative study was conducted that analyzed 248 teachers’ in-depth perspectives on how to use and integrate experiences from the period of remote education for students with SAPs when schools reopen. Moreover, teachers’ perspectives on whether school return would be harder or easier for SAP students following remote education were investigated. The teachers’ experiences might be useful when planning school return for students who have been absent for prolonged periods

Does homeschooling fit students with school attendance problems? Exploring teachers’ experiences during COVID-19

Attending school on a regular basis and completing school is usually seen as a precondition for students’ academic, emotional, and social learning and development. However, some students struggle with school attendance problems (SAPs) for a myriad of reasons. Homeschooling is a topic of concern in long-term or problematic SAP cases. Some scholars claim that school absenteeism might increase and be maintained, while others argue that homeschooling may reduce students’ anxiety associated with school attendance. Regardless, homeschooling is often an intervention for academic learning and/or as a part of gradual reintegration to school for SAP students. Moreover, homeschooling/home education/home tuition is not a new phenomenon and is an intervention for students with long-term sickness. When schools in many countries closed from the middle of March 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all students were homeschooled. This gave us the opportunity to investigate homeschooling more closely. In the current study, teachers’ thoughts and experiences of homeschooling for students with SAPs prior to the pandemic are investigated. The main aim was to gain more insight into and knowledge about homeschooling: does it work for SAP students? Practical implications of homeschooling for SAP students are discussed

How to Understand School Refusal

Attending school is usually seen as a precondition for academic, social, and emotional learning. However, school absenteeism is a problem in many countries and covers different types of authorized or unauthorized absences and a myriad of reasons. An authorized absence is when there is a satisfactory explanation for the youth’s absence, while unauthorized absence is usually understood as school attendance problems (SAPs). The main aim of this article is first to investigate define, describe, and discuss school refusal (SR) and how SR differs from other concepts of SAPs, and the secondary aim is to understand SR using different theoretical perspectives. The article outlines this aim based upon a review of international research in this field and uses the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theories to explain how SR might emerge and develop. The review indicates that SAPs involve many types, concepts, definitions, and reasons. The most frequently used concepts are school refusal behavior, truancy, school refusal, and school withdrawal. Based on the review, the article argues for a common understanding of these concepts among all stakeholders. We suggest a narrow definition of SR to enhance clarity and agreement and propose that the systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory are relevant to the understanding of SR. A common understanding among all stakeholders is the importance of identifying and intervening in specific types of SAPs. By using a systemic integrated cognitive approach and school alienation theory, identification and interventions can be targeted at an early stage of the development process of SR