Naslov
The Achievement of Schools in Rural, Suburban and Urban Municipalities in Croatia

Autori
Burušić, Josip ; Babarović, Toni ; Šakić, Marija

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
European Conference on Educational Research: Urban Education / - Berlin : EERA, 2011

Skup
Urban Education

Mjesto i datum
Berlin, Njemačka, 2011

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
primary school; school achievement; educational quality

Sažetak
Differences in the educational achievement of schools in urban, suburban and rural areas have been the subject of a considerable number of studies. Most of them have focused on the processes that occur in suburban and urban areas of highly developed and industrialized countries (e.g. Pink & Noblit, 2007). As indicated by some authors, these processes may not be replicated in less developed countries, where the school educational achievement and its predictors are structured differently (e.g. Marks, Cresswell, & Ainley, 2006). Croatian territorial units, either at the regional or the municipality level, are marked by considerable developmental differences. A higher level of social, economical, and human capital is clearly associated with urban areas while rural areas are generally deprived of this kind of resources. Socio-economical deprivation has proved to be an important aggravating factor in academic performance of Croatian primary schools (Burusic, Babarovic, Sakic, 2009) and it is typically inherent in rural districts. Therefore, it is possible that the observed achievement differences among Croatian primary schools attributed to the level of urbanization, are partially, or even completely, mediated by socio-economic status of school municipality. Method The aim of this study was to examine the differences among educational achievements of schools located in municipalities with different level of urbanity, and to determine to what extent the average income level of municipality residents takes part in explaining the observed achievement differences. The data used in this study were collected as a part of a larger project of external evaluation of educational achievements of fourth and eight grade pupils in all Croatian primary schools (N=844). School achievement was measured with objective exams assessing pupils’ knowledge in different subject areas covered by school curriculum. The school achievement in particular subject is presented by average achievement of the pupils attending that school. The general school achievement score was calculated as a sum of standardized z-scores for all of the exams at the school level. It is presented by two average standardized parameters per each school – the average school attainment at the end of the fourth grades ; and the average school achievement at the end of eighth grade. Expected Outcomes The obtained results indicate the following: first, the best achieving schools are situated in highly urban areas, whereas the worst results are found in rural areas. Second, average income of school municipalities is a significant predictor in explaining the success of schools, as well as a variable that mediates the relationship between the level of urbanity and school performance. The results show that school achievement highly correlates with developmental characteristics of school surroundings, and stress the unequal socio-economic status of Croatian regions and municipalities. The implications of these findings on educational policy on equality and access to public education are further discussed. References Brasington, D.M. (2002). Differences in the production of education across regions and urban and rural areas, Regional Studies 36, 137-145. Burušić, J., Babarović, T., Šakić, M. (2009). Determinants of school effectiveness in primary schools in the Republic of Croatia: Results of empirical investigation (Odrednice uspješnosti osnovnih škola u Republici Hrvatskoj: rezultati empirijske provjere), Društvena istraživanja, 18(4-5), 605-624. Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: Crown Publishers. Marks, G., Cresswell, J. & Ainley, J. (2006). Explaining socioeconomic inequalities in student achievement : the role of home and school factors, Educational Research and Evaluation 12(2): 105-128. Pink, W.T. & Noblit, G.W. (2007) (Eds.) International handbook of urban education. Springer, Dordrecht.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija, Pedagogija

POVEZANOST RADA