Causes and consequences of secondary school student's overwork

Lončar, Martina. (2017). Causes and consequences of secondary school student's overwork. PhD Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Pedagogy.
(Poslijediplomski doktorski studij pedagogije) [mentor Kolak, Ante].

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Abstract

Burdening or (over)burdening of students is a pedagogical-didactic problem almost as old as the school itself. It would be difficult to find a system in which the problem of student (over)burdening is not present as a theoretical and practical-pedagogical problem. This research encompasses theoretical and empirical pedagogical-didactic reflections on the causes and consequences of (over)burdening in high school students. Given its current nature on the one hand, and insufficient research of the problem of student overburdening on the other, there is scientific value in checking the results of the research conducted to date using a new study on a new sample with new conditions and a methodology which is only slightly different. Its scientific contribution is reflected in the original application of the methodological procedure and the critical comparative analysis of the results of this study with those already conducted, examining the same problem in our country and some European countries. On the basis of the results, scientifically-based directions and guidelines will be created, a kind of a template for the application of procedures and activities making it possible to unburden students completely or at least to some extent, which also implies a decrease of negative consequences of student overburdening. This represents the fundamental scientific contribution of this study, on the basis of which suggestions will be made for the purpose of reducing student overburdening. The determination (confirmation) of the causes of student (over)burdening and the proposed directions – guidelines, will enable its planned and systematic elimination. In this sense, the results of this research can encourage changes in high schools, but also serve as the basis for further research. In addition, the results of the research will direct schools, parents, towards new approaches in the functioning of schools, but also universities and other educational institutions to enact changes in curricula for the acquisition of new knowledge and professional competencies. The aim of the research is to determine (verify) the factors contributing to high school student overburdening, and, based on analysis, to determine in what measure - how and how much - is this overburdening caused by: demands set through the realisation of the syllabus, demands and methods used by teachers, the conditions and the organisation of work at schools, and how much demands and ambitions of parents influence the occurrence of educational consequences. Educational consequences which will be particularly explored are, for example, formalism in education (the lack of functional knowledge), tiredness (the feeling of listlessness, lack of attention, will, interest in work and studying, fear (endangered social status, uncomfortable experiences etc.), skipping class because of the inability to fulfil obligations, conflict situations at school and at home, poor learning performance and behaviour, which is also the initial hypothesis of this research. The population in this study will consist of students of high schools from the area of the Split-Dalmatia county and their teachers. One school will be chosen from each of the three types of schools (one technical, one vocational and one general education). In the process of selection, a procedure will be used which ensures the selection of a representative sample. In the study, the causes and consequences of student (over)burdening will be examined and determined with the aim of offering guidelines and suggestions in order to remove or reduce student overburdening. The chosen topic will be dealt with using theoretical and empirical methods. What will be examined is whether and to what extent the educational consequences which arise in students are the result of overburdening with the content of the syllabus, textbooks, whether they are caused by excessive demands as well as the teachers’ methods, as well as if the organisation of work at the school, demands and ambitions of parents as well as time spent at school, extracurricular activities influence the occurrence of educational consequences in students (such as: tiredness, fear, lack of quality sleep, skipping classes, conflict situations and poor performance at school). Furthermore, it will be examined whether poor performance of students at school is a consequence of overburdening with school obligations, homework and if the educational consequences caused by overburdening are more present at general high school students in comparison to students at technical or vocational schools. In line with these methods, the following techniques and research instruments have been chosen: analytical-descriptive method of theoretical analysis and empirical non-experimental method. The correct combination of these methods guarantees quality consideration of the problem of occurrence of negative consequences of student overburdening and its causes from different aspects. In order to gain more concrete information within the empirical non-experimental method, the following techniques will be used: assessment and judgement procedures, surveys, scales, analysis of pedagogical documentation, interviews and statistical analysis of data. For the purposes of this research, the appropriate instruments will be constructed: survey for students and teachers, attitude scales (for students), interview protocol and a record sheet for the analysis of pedagogical documentation. In the introduction to each instrument there is a short explanation of the aim, content and problem being researched. The survey for the students as a measuring instrument consists of four parts. The first part contains general information (sex, year, marks, number of skipped classes). The second part will contain information on the attitudes and opinions of students about how much they are burdened with school obligations and materials. The third part will contain information about when and how much time students spend studying and questions related to the effect tiredness has on the process of studying. In the fourth part the students will assess their level of tiredness, fear, skipped classes, free time and how they use it (TV channels, music, reading, computer, café, sport, internet, video games and so on), comprehension during the lessons, i.e. in the classroom, and the student-teacher and student-parent relationships. The survey for the teachers will be prepared with the aim of collecting information about the opinions and attitudes of teachers about student overburdening and its educational consequences. The first part will contain questions related to the school they work in, the subject they teach, work experience and the University programme they completed. The second part will be about the subjective assessment by the teacher of the scope and difficulty of the subjects taught in the classes in which the research will be performed, the time necessary for the students to acquire the material of the subject they teach, the causes of tiredness and skipped classes. The third part will relate to the assessment of teachers regarding the appearance of tiredness, fear, boredom in students, skipped classes and the assessment of the demands of parents in the classes they are head teachers of. The questions formulated for the construction of all instruments will be significant both for the subject and the needs of this study. The following statistical procedures will be used for data analysis: descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages), chi-square test and C contingency coefficient.

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