Secondary education for development in Western Samoa: A descriptive analysis of the effects of selected student input measures on the equality of school outcomes (curriculum, evaluation, multi-cultural, international) [microform]
- Bib ID:
- 3287579
- Format:
- Book and Microform
- Author:
- Giombi, James Robert
- Description:
- 192 p.
- Summary:
-
This study examined the social correlates of secondary school outputs, the effects of selected system inputs on the equality of school outcomes, and the potential for modification of proposed secondary school reforms in Western Samoa. The focus of this study was directed to three prominent policy concerns for the integration of education with national development goals in Western Somoa. These issues centered on: (1) school relevance, (2) urban migration, and (3) academic quality. Questionnaires eliciting background information, academic aspirations, and occupational preferences were distributed to 461 twelfth year students in seven school on the island of Upolu. These data were supplemented with the individual student's achievement scores on the 1984 Fifth Form National Exam. Three dependent variables of analysis were isolated as measures of school outcomes, chosen to correspond with the development issues cited above.
These variables included: (1) occupational preference, (2) residential choice, and (3) academic achievement. Four hypotheses were developed to clarify the relationship between system inputs and these selected school outcomes. First, socio-economic status (SES) variables were predicted to have a greater impact on outcomes for rural students. Second, rural/urban achievement differences were predicted to be minimal, when controlling for SES background. Third, greater gender effects on academic achievement were predicted for rural students. Finally, occupational aspirations were predicted to be more realistically aligned with academic ability as a function of student age. Using multiple regression and Pearson correlation analyses, the following results were obtained.
SES factors had a significant effect on school outcomes only in urban areas. When controlling for SES, achievement differences for students of rural and urban schools vanished, except in the highest SES category (14 percent of the sample). Girls out-scored boys in all achievement areas, with the differences most pronounced in rural areas. A stronger positive relationship between school attitudes and academic achievement existed for girls. Finally, intellectual maturity had a greater effect on occupational aspirations than did chronological maturity.
- Notes:
-
- (UnM)AAI8606894
- Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: A, page: 0448.
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Claremont Graduate University, 1986.
- Reproduction:
- Microfiche. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International.
- Subject:
- Education, Bilingual and Multicultural
- Other authors/contributors:
- The Claremont Graduate University
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
Contact us for information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 1986
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
Request this item
Request this item to view in the Library’s reading room.