- Title
- Mathematics achievement levels and learning experiences of migrant children: perspectives of teachers and teaching in Chinese urban schools
- Creator
- Liu, Ting
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- In response to the growing importance attached to educational quality and equity, school systems around the world are under increasing pressure to improve students’ achievement outcomes. One such context is China where, despite government efforts, many migrant children in urban schools continue to be excluded from access to public education. To understand this situation, this study reviews the current state of education for internal migrant children in urban China, with the aim of teasing out its ramifications for pedagogic equity expressed as performance outcomes. This study adopts a mixed-method approach through quantitative and qualitative elements to elicit data from teachers and students. Two types of schools (public and private) are compared to investigate migrant children’s learning experiences and educational outcomes. In the first stage of this study, students’ achievement data is investigated in relation to the differences between public and private schools, along with related predictors of mathematics achievement. In the second stage, surveys of teachers and students are used to examine their attitudes to the current educational situation for migrant students. In the third stage, teachers’ interviews are conducted to provide teachers’ perspectives on migrant children’s education, and the challenges influencing their practice in the classroom. In the fourth stage, the analysis of classroom observations provides a comprehensive understanding of teaching practices and students’ learning experiences. Through the comparison of teachers’ perceptions of and classroom practices with migrant children in public and private schools, this study shows that the learning experiences of migrant students in the two types of schools is significantly different. Extrapolations from the relevant performance levels of migrant children segregated in private schools exhibits an increasing gap in their achievement outcomes, compared to their counterparts attending public schools. Moreover, migrant students in public schools show more positive interactions with teachers and classmates than private school students. Disparities also exist in the quality of classroom teaching practices between public and private schools. The findings of the study, in relation to the differences in teachers’ perceptions of and practices with migrant children, help to explain the achievement gap for migrant students between the two types of schools. This study concludes that the Chinese government's current policy of migrant segregation does not effectively deliver high quality education to migrant children in private schools in comparison to public schools. The disparities in the present migrant school structure remain a formidable barrier to the advancement of educational outcomes for migrant students. Therefore, the study findings support the goal of school integration, not school segregation, as an important policy for the Chinese government if progress is to be made towards improving the quality of education nationwide. The implications of the educational differences between public and private schools are discussed, with an aim to encourage Chinese policy makers to recognise that reform of the segregation patterns for migrant students in the urban educational system is imperative.
- Subject
- mathematics education; migrant children; China
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1312087
- Identifier
- uon:22343
- Rights
- Copyright 2016 Ting Liu
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Abstract | 259 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Thesis | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |