Local Secondary Student Interviews: An International Perspective

1. Local Secondary Student Interviews: An International Perspective Adi Nugroho, Charu Mathur, Diana Nur Utami, Jaswant Kaur, Lee Foong Liew, Lhassane Ait Mane, Norlilawati Mohd Noor Omar Belkadi, Prashant Chaturvedi, Shephali Bose, Vincent Kizza, Winifred Naikoba International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP), Northern Kentucky University INTRODUCTION RESULTS: HIGH SCHOOL QUALITATIVE FINDINGS Future Career: Even though they are in middle schools, many students have foreseen their future. Majority said they would be in colleges after school and some already have seen themselves getting a degree in 10 years. Many of the boys wanted to be a coach and also be professional athletes and players of favorite sports in the country. A few girls wanted to be teachers and a boy wanted to be a snow boarder and a girl wanted to be a fashion designer. Differences in situation, conditions, and social context can lead to behavioral differences. Middle school students and high school students in the United States engage in different daily activities than students in other countries do. The international teachers who are Fellows in the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) conducted a general survey related to local students in middle schools and high schools. This survey was aimed to consider the overview of daily activities conducted by middle school and high school students in the United States. In addition, this research was also aimed to explore students' views about their school and future. Ideal Teacher: Students wanted the activities in their classes to be more hands-on, fun and creative. They also wanted group discussions and debates, presentations in class which use technology in an engaging manner. Most students liked the idea of teaching outside of the usual classroom as well as learning from someone who can help them learn life skills. One student said that blowing up the school would be a good way to teach his students. Lastly, the students thought that teachers should be respectful, cheerful, funny and creative and good role models for students. One Change in School: Students wanted the physical condition of their school to be improved: school facilities and cafeteria food. Some thought that the academic staff should be changed as well. They also wanted to change the school hours and the dress code. They felt that the rules had to be more lenient and the school hours should be trimmed. A few wanted change in pep rallies. One of the respondents thought that his school mascot should be changed. Many students also wanted more choice in their advanced classes. Perfect cafeteria: In general most of the students wanted healthier options and variety in their perfect cafeteria. Price was also another issue. The students thought that the food should be cheaper. Other than that, students wanted the option of going out to eat as well as the idea of having some fast food outlets in their cafeteria. A few wanted chipotle and more meat in their cafeteria menus. Some thought that the environment in the cafeteria should be improved by way of changing the chairs and tables into more comfortable ones. A few students thought the interaction of juniors and seniors should be encouraged as well as supervised. Some thought that a staggered lunch made interaction between students more difficult and one student wanted sexier cashiers. Lastly, a few said they were fine with their existing cafeterias. Future Career: Most of the students said that they would be finishing college or going into grad school to continue their education. A few wanted to have dream jobs like being successful in the fashion industry, medical field, engineering or pharmaceutical research. Very few students did not know what they wanted to be and some wanted to be either self-employed or work with their hands. Interestingly, quite a large number wanted to be in health care or education. The jobs listed in these two categories include, ophthalmologist, pediatrician, teacher, doctor and physical therapist. One wrote he/she wanted to be a social worker and another cared more that he/she was in a good relationship RESULTS: CHARTS AND GRAPHICS Total Respondents/Informants (N) : 60 students MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 12 international teachers from five countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco and Uganda) were distributed in several schools in Kentucky and Ohio: Ockerman Middle School, Wyoming Middle School, Wyoming High School, and Boone County High School. Research design used a quantitative research approach supplemented by a qualitative template to explore students' views on certain topics of interest. Using quota sampling method, the total respondents and informants to this survey were 60 students. Each teacher conducted interviews with five students. Data analysis used simple statistical methods and content analysis. RESULTS: MIDDLE SCHOOL QUALITATIVE FINDINGS Ideal Teacher: Students wish to have a caring, loving, kind, teacher who teaches them well and is strict. There is a mixed feeling over homework. A few students want the teacher to give them little homework and a few want the teacher to give them a lot of homework. Almost all of the students want a teacher who incorporates games and fun activities in her lessons. Half of the students hope to have a two-way communication with the teachers more often. One Change in School: Almost all students wanted less school hours and schools to start late. Many of them want to have less class periods and longer recess time. A few of them want changes in some school rules so that they can be allowed to wear what they want, to chew gum and to have more fun time in school. Suprisingly, there are some students who want to do more research work and study more foreign languages. Most of the students wish to have only 4 to 5 hours of schooling in a day. Some of them want just around 2 hours of school and the rest of the time to be allocated for gym, art, reading for pleasure and playing games. Perfect Cafeteria: Generally, a huge cafeteria with more staff and more choices of food is the overall preference of many students in the middle school. Some want healthier food, especially lots of vegetables and fruits. They favor tasty, nutritious and international food. A few mentioned that they wanted cheap food and some wanted to be given the freedom of preparing their own food. CONCLUSION In students’ daily life, especially outside school time, students tend to use their time spending many activities more for pleasure and engaging affiliation with their friends. They spend less than or equal to one hour for homework, the only thing that relates to school activity. Students want some improvements and changes. They hope for ideal teachers who are not strict, respectful, cheerful, funny and creative. They also want many improvements in school facilities, including food and cafeteria, and shorter school hours. For their future, students tend to plan for continuing their study in the university before searching for a job.