School influence on pupils’ behavior

Press, 11 April 1979, Page 18

School influence on pupils’ behavior

By

KEN COATES

5 in London

Many parens, in Britain and New Zealand, believe it matters greatly which school their children go to. In New Zealand, it is not unknown ;for parents to buy a house in a “desirable” secondary school’s zone. . In Britain, witere society is a good deal more structured, lay opinion holds that if you get into the right school, your prospects in life 'Mill be mightily improved. But for a dozen years or more, educationists, or some of then% have said the opposite. Schools, researchers have said, do little to affect people’s intellectual performance, Or general competence: Much has been made of intelligence being genetically determined — hence the contention that it has not mattered what school parents send their children to. But now, after the most detailed, long-term survey conducted in Britain, researchers hawe shown that contrary to many views, post-primary schools have an important influence on pupils’ behaviour and attainments.

They' have come up with hard facts about what is good about secondary' schooling, what is bad. and what things make a difference. The reseanch team followed 1400 pupils from primary school through their post-primary years at 12 inner London comprehensive schools. They were tested to allow for variation in .type of intake, and far the first time it was possible to separate school from other influences.

There were sharp variations in schools’ performances. Schools only a few miles apart, receiving pupil intakes precisely the same in social background and intellectual ability, can produce radically different educational results, it was shown. Fifteen' thousand hours, from the age of five until leaving, is the time most children spend at school. This is the title given the report, published by Open

Books, and written by a team headed by Professor Michael Butter, of London University. The book should be available in N,ew Zealand from early May. The report shows that children’s behaviour and attitudes are shaped by school experiences, and by how the school shapes up as a social institution. The report also exmyths about the desirability of modern buildings, school size, staff continuity, and high punishment levels, none of which was positively associated with good results. The message is that schools matter — and that they vary. Every mother could have told researchers this, but the report is also able to pin-point what it is that has made some schools better. For example, researchers found that while the merit of formal prize-giv-ings was not discounted, daily appreciation and praise by the teacher had much greater effect. Frequent canings or reprimands by the headmaster resulted in a negative atmosphere, resentment or humiliation, and a model of violence. But good results were

not guaranteed when there was no punishment. The research team found tnat all schools used punishment and reprimands frequently. But it is concluded there should be a right balance between reward and punishment. . Staff agreement on approaches to discipline made for better behaviour, and schools in which teachers jointly planned courses tended to have better attendances and less delinquency. Teaching skills flourished in some schools but not in others. This was not just the result of more able teachers, but was due to some schools providing a helpful and supportive context for good teaching. What teachers did in their classrooms was important: setting and checking of homework was associated with good results. Teachers’ expectations of their pupils was positively related to how they did in examinations, and to school attendance. Displays of pupils’ work were associated with good academic results. Teachers’ punctuality in starting and ending classes was associated with good results.