The Coach-Athlete Relationship and School Experience as the Determinant of Sports-Specific Life Satisfaction

The present study is aimed at determining coach athlete relationships, perceived school experiences and sports life satisfaction levels of athlete high school students and to examine the levels based on certain variables. The sample of the research consisted of a total of 306 students, 117 (38.2%) male and 189 (61.8%) female, who continued their education at different high schools in Trabzon in the 2019-2020. "Personal Information Form" designed by the researcher, “The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q),” “The Sport-Specific Satisfaction with Life Scale (SSWLS)” and “Perceived School Experiences Scale (PSES)” were used as data collection tools in the research. In the statistical method of the study, descriptive statistics, t-test, pearson correlation tests and regression tests were used. In the research findings, while there was a significant difference in the sub-dimensions of the coach-athlete relationship and sportive life satisfaction according to gender, no significant difference was found in the perceived school experiences. A significant difference was found in all scales and sub-dimensions according to the status of playing in the school team. As a result, a high level of positive correlation was found between the coach-athlete relationship and sportive life satisfaction, and between perceived school experiences and sportive life satisfaction. In addition, another important result is that the coach-athlete relationship (51%) and school experiences (32%) have important roles in predicting the satisfaction with sportive life.

Professional development and career-preparedness experiences of STEM Ph.D. students: Gaps and avenues for improvement

This study presents the experiences of current science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Ph.D. students and alumni with respect to professional development opportunities in their Ph.D. training. Specifically, it investigates if and how the Ph.D. training supports graduates to pursue non-academic and non-R&D roles, which have become increasingly common career paths post-graduation. A mixed-methods questionnaire was developed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data regarding the graduate school experiences of current Ph.D. students and recent Ph.D. graduates pursuing diverse career paths. The study investigates the values, needs, and conceptions of professional development from the student perspective, as well as the contributions of peers and mentors in graduate school towards their professional development. Experiences of Ph.D. alumni are used to identify the barriers for transitioning to the first job post-graduation and to provide an assessment of the current professional development opportunities in Ph.D. programs. It is reported that although Ph.D. training allowed alumni to develop a robust skillset that includes research, teaching, and scientific writing; some common barriers associated with obtaining a job post-graduation were lack of awareness about career options, limited or no professional networks outside academia, and a lack of preparation and support for non-academic job transitions. Through analyzing the student perspective on various aspects of professional development, the study identifies gaps and avenues for improvement for professional development in Ph.D. training, including increased awareness of diverse career paths for STEM PhDs, increased networking opportunities for PhD students with sectors outside academia, embedding professional development in the PhD curriculum, and others; so that programs can support students in entering the labor market in a variety of careers that extend beyond academia and traditional R&D jobs, using interventions that resonate with the students and meet their needs.

Incongruent Impressions: Teacher, Parent, and Student Perceptions of Two Black Boys’ School Experiences

For many Black boys, poor academic performance and high rates of school discipline are often related to biases in how they are perceived and treated at school. These biases oftentimes misalign with how Black boys view themselves and how family members perceive them at home. Few studies examine how different stakeholders’ perceptions of Black boys manifest and shape the middle school experience. The current study employed an embedded case study design, using data from eight semi-structured interviews to explore incongruence among student, teacher, and parent perceptions of two middle school Black boys’ academic and social experiences. Findings showed greater congruence between the boys’ experiences and their parents’ perceptions of them compared to their teachers’ perceptions of them. Of note were teachers’ inaccurate reports of the boys’ career aspirations and academic interests and abilities. Implications of these patterns and their impact on Black boys’ experiences in school are discussed.

Strategies to Facilitate the Transition of Preschoolers from Kindergarten to School

The purpose of this study was to establish the main strategies that teachers could apply during preschool education in order to facilitate the transition from kindergarten to school. Data were collected using an online questionnaire designed by us. 238 preschool education teachers have filled in the questionnaire. The main strategies used in order to facilitate the preschoolers’ adaptation to the school demands are visits to other educational institutions from their hometown, organizing workshops, in collaboration with primary school teachers, organizing meetings with pupils and primary school teachers, organizing didactic activities or educational workshops for parents and preschoolers, as a context for parents to present various school experiences or reading stories about school and the pupils’ life. We have also discovered that in the opinion of most of the teachers, school adaption is an easy process for most preschoolers. For some of the preschoolers, this process could be difficult, and the actions of parents, teachers, and school counselors could be very helpful. The results of this study are useful for primary school teachers, teachers for preschool education, or researchers in the educational field interested in optimizing the transition of children from kindergarten to school.

Developing Equitable Pedagogical Practices in Teacher Education: Considerations for Critical Transformative Perspectives in a North American Context

Teacher education programs may encourage their students to reflect upon their own school experiences through critical perspectives to develop equitable pedagogical practices for a better society. However, what are the implications of using critical perspectives? The purpose of this theoretical paper is to examine assumptions of using critical transformative approaches in teacher education for equity by addressing the following question: What issues between teacher educators and their students need to be considered when using a critical transformative learning approach to develop equitable pedagogical practices in a North American context? By framing critical and transformative learning as working with difficult knowledge and cognitive dissonance, I argue that teacher education courses need to create spaces that foster authentic dialogues to move beyond psychologizing to critical awareness for equity in education.

The Coach-Athlete Relationship and School Experience as the Determinant of Sports-Specific Life Satisfaction

The present study is aimed at determining coach athlete relationships, perceived school experiences and sports life satisfaction levels of athlete high school students and to examine the levels based on certain variables. The sample of the research consisted of a total of 306 students, 117 (38.2%) male and 189 (61.8%) female, who continued their education at different high schools in Trabzon in the 2019-2020. "Personal Information Form" designed by the researcher, “The Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q),” “The Sport-Specific Satisfaction with Life Scale (SSWLS)” and “Perceived School Experiences Scale (PSES)” were used as data collection tools in the research. In the statistical method of the study, descriptive statistics, t-test, pearson correlation tests and regression tests were used. In the research findings, while there was a significant difference in the sub-dimensions of the coach-athlete relationship and sportive life satisfaction according to gender, no significant difference was found in the perceived school experiences. A significant difference was found in all scales and sub-dimensions according to the status of playing in the school team. As a result, a high level of positive correlation was found between the coach-athlete relationship and sportive life satisfaction, and between perceived school experiences and sportive life satisfaction. In addition, another important result is that the coach-athlete relationship (51%) and school experiences (32%) have important roles in predicting the satisfaction with sportive life.

Exploring the educational experiences of children and young people adopted from care: Using the voices of children and parents to inform practice

National monitoring data and research suggest that British adopted children achieve poorer educational outcomes and experience higher levels of emotional, social and learning difficulties in school, compared to the general population. However, few studies have elicited the perspectives of adopted children and adoptive parents in relation to school experiences. The current study used a qualitative design to explore the lived educational experiences of adopted children through semi-structured interviews with 11 secondary-aged adoptees and a focus group with six adopters. Thematic analysis identified five themes within the narratives of the adoptees and adopters: inner turmoil; social disconnection; unsupportive school contexts; relational repair; and misperceptions and prejudice. These findings were presented to 20 Designated Teachers (DTs) within a workshop to explore how the experiences of the adoptees and adopters can be used to inform their role. Three themes were found, which illustrate broad implications for DTs’ practice with adopted children and adoptive parents in schools: raising awareness; developing relationships; and supporting emotional needs. Key implications for schools, post-adoption support services and policymakers are discussed.

Dropping out – Hungarian experiences at vocational training

The proportion of people with low school qualifications remains significant in Hungary, which not only makes it difficult for them to enter the current labour market but may also exclude them in the long term. For the increasing number of people with a low level of education, dropping out seems to be one of the most common reasons. Prevention as a determinative measure can provide answers to this problem. The study focuses on the issue of secondary school drop-out. The study results were based on the methodology of questionnaire surveys and semi-structured conversations. Based on the information obtained from the survey, this study continuously presents the results connected to drop-out conditions and compensatory measures. The study results highlight the significant effects of school and family, including previous school experiences, influence on the place of residence, the labour market status. The conclusions drawn from the results address the topic in a practical way and provide an opportunity to develop a possible action plan to prevent drop-outs.

"All We Got to See Were Factories.": Scoping Maori Transitions from Secondary School

<p>The primary purpose of this research is to scope the reflexive journey of a selected group of Maori as they recall their experiences of secondary school transitions. The already complex nature of this transition from school is further exacerbated by the identification of these people as Maori. The treatment of Maori students, particularly in relation to their secondary school experiences and its impact on transition, is a major concern for this research. The research methodology privileged by my thesis is kaupapa Maori theory. Secondary school transitions for rangatahi Maori is tenuous. By framing this thesis within kaupapa Maori methodology, the intention is to recognise the impact of dominant ideology on the schooling experiences of Maori and how it ultimately determines school transitions. This scoping study is based on the interviews of research participants as they reflect on their experiences as rangatahi Maori transitioning from school. In particular, these interviews highlight how rangatahi Maori work through the complexities they are confronted with whilst in the transitory phase between completion of secondary schooling and post-school opportunities. Information gathered from the interviews constitutes the findings of this thesis. The findings reveal that schooling experiences and more specifically, treatment of Maori students by teachers, play a significant role in transitioning for young Maori. Negotiating the already complex pathway out of school is doubly problematic for rangatahi Maori who also have to come to terms with a culture of failure, perpetuated at secondary school and reinforced by out of school experiences. This research contends that marginalisation of rangatahi Maori in New Zealand secondary schools creates an alternate experience, whereby actions of resistance and agency are employed as they look to position themselves into post-school opportunities. Of significance, is the human quality of determination that allows rangatahi Maori to stand firm, despite the entrenchment of low self-confidence and motivation through indifferent school and transition systems. Such pathways create choice for rangatahi Maori due to a lack of support from these systems, not because of it.</p>

"All We Got to See Were Factories.": Scoping Maori Transitions from Secondary School

<p>The primary purpose of this research is to scope the reflexive journey of a selected group of Maori as they recall their experiences of secondary school transitions. The already complex nature of this transition from school is further exacerbated by the identification of these people as Maori. The treatment of Maori students, particularly in relation to their secondary school experiences and its impact on transition, is a major concern for this research. The research methodology privileged by my thesis is kaupapa Maori theory. Secondary school transitions for rangatahi Maori is tenuous. By framing this thesis within kaupapa Maori methodology, the intention is to recognise the impact of dominant ideology on the schooling experiences of Maori and how it ultimately determines school transitions. This scoping study is based on the interviews of research participants as they reflect on their experiences as rangatahi Maori transitioning from school. In particular, these interviews highlight how rangatahi Maori work through the complexities they are confronted with whilst in the transitory phase between completion of secondary schooling and post-school opportunities. Information gathered from the interviews constitutes the findings of this thesis. The findings reveal that schooling experiences and more specifically, treatment of Maori students by teachers, play a significant role in transitioning for young Maori. Negotiating the already complex pathway out of school is doubly problematic for rangatahi Maori who also have to come to terms with a culture of failure, perpetuated at secondary school and reinforced by out of school experiences. This research contends that marginalisation of rangatahi Maori in New Zealand secondary schools creates an alternate experience, whereby actions of resistance and agency are employed as they look to position themselves into post-school opportunities. Of significance, is the human quality of determination that allows rangatahi Maori to stand firm, despite the entrenchment of low self-confidence and motivation through indifferent school and transition systems. Such pathways create choice for rangatahi Maori due to a lack of support from these systems, not because of it.</p>