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Item New principals’ leadership and school culture: A study of three primary schools facing challenging circumstances in Trinidad and Tobago(2016-03-01) Lee-Piggott, RinnelleThe literature on new principals tends to focus on the challenges of incumbents. However, there is little detailed evidence of the nature of their attempts at reshaping or enhancing school culture, which may be their greatest single professional challenge. A significant number of primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago are currently headed by new principals and concerns have been publicly raised at the national level about these new principals’ fit to schools. This study was designed to investigate the nature of the interactions between new principals’ leadership and their inherited school cultures in primary schools of different effectiveness states—high, average, and low achievement—which face challenging circumstances. It also investigates the impact of these interactions on school processes, new principals’ emotions and professional development, and student academic outcomes. The study adopts an explanatory, multiple-case study approach, which conceptualizes principal leadership as relational; recognizing that while a new principal may wish to re-culture and restructure a school, the existing school’s culture and the new principal’s own professional judgment may combine to influence his/her ability to do so. The main research method used for engaging with this work was a critical incident technique. Findings reveal the complex nature of the leadership-school culture interplay and the factors that influence: (a) the various manifestations of the leadership-school culture interactions, and, b) the degree of change observed at the schools. Associated implications and areas for future research are also discussed.Item Students’ achievement, students’ perceptions and predictors of success: A further look at the National Test of Trinidad and Tobago: [Unpublished] Research report(2014-12-16) George, June M.; Broomes, Orlena; Smith, Peter; Anderson, John O.This research report is based on the 2009 National Test results in Trinidad and Tobago in the subject areas of Language Arts and Mathematics. It is the sequel to an earlier study by Anderson, George, and Herbert (2009), which analysed the 2006 National Test results, also in Language Arts and Mathematics. Both studies sought to analyse educational indicator data comprising results from the National Test for Standard 3 students (aged 9-10 years) in ways that identify relationships of student achievement to factors involving students, schools, and the home. The study was conducted during 2009-2010 and used the results of the 2009 administration of the National Test in Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as questionnaire responses obtained during that period. Statistical analyses included multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that in the 2009 administration of the National Test, girls scored higher than boys in both Language Arts and Mathematics. Generally, both boys and girls in all school types were satisfied with the care and attention they received from both teachers and parents as they engaged in their educational pursuits. The regression analysis results indicate that achievement in Language Arts is positively related to the extent to which students see themselves as competent readers, have a positive attitude towards school and school work, and perceive their teachers as caring about their performance in school work. The predictors for Mathematics achievement were similar to those described above for Language Arts; however, there was a fifth predictor in the model for mathematics—students’ view of mathematics. The results suggest that policymakers need to consider planning for the development of students’ level of satisfaction with their school environment, as well as teachers’ ability to be supportive of and encouraging to their students as possible means of enhancing student performance, at least at the Standard 3 level.Item An analysis of primary teacher education in Trinidad and Tobago: Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project (Muster): Country report four(Department for International Development, 2003-03) George, June M.; Quamina-Aiyejina, LyndaThis country report is a synthesis of reports of several sub-studies on primary teacher education in Trinidad and Tobago. The research project was a component of the Multi-Site Teacher Education (MUSTER) Project, coordinated by the University of Sussex Institute of Education. The report details the research procedures adopted, the findings, and discussions on the findings of the various sub-components of the project as executed in Trinidad and TobagoItem The boundaries between Caribbean beliefs and practices and conventional science(Office of the UNESCO Representative in the Caribbean, 1999) George, June M.; Glasgow, Joyce LouiseThis monograph presents a summary and analysis of the research in the Caribbean on cultural practices and beliefs and their possible impact/influence on science education, especially in schools. Section 1 provides information on the history and evolution of this research, while Section 2 provides a worldview analysis of traditional beliefs and practices. In Section 3, some of the implications of the research findings and recommendations are presented as they apply to the students, the teachers, and the school curriculum. Finally, some recommendations for future research are suggested. These include: 1) study, documentation, and categorization of the beliefs/sayings on an ongoing basis; 2) analysis of the similarities/differences/congruence between the traditional and scientific understandings/explanations/worldview as it pertains to the various content areas of the beliefs/sayings; 3) design of pedagogical strategies to allow students to understand and, therefore, be able to make choices between the two worldviews, which are both "blueprints" for life; 4) examination of possible teacher education procedures to facilitate the implementation of such pedagogical strategies; and 5) extrapolation of the findings in science-related sayings to research in other disciplines with the aim of obtaining a more holistic societal picture