Page 101 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 101
support for autonomy, competence and relatedness ...
talents, including summer programmes for students; (c) collaboration on
common goals through partnership involving school, civic, counselling,
cultural, health, recreation and other agencies and organisations, and busi-
ness; (d) service to the community by students, families and the school (e.g.
providing recycling, art, music, drama and other activities for seniors or
others; (e) participation of alumni in school programmes for students and
as mentors for planning for college and work (Epstein et al., 2009). Some
of the positive results found at schools practising extensive community–
school collaboration are improved reading and maths performance, bet-
ter attendance rates, a decrease in suspension rates and a reduction of the
ESL rate (Sanders, 2009; Schargel & Smink, 2004). Research on the impact
of community collaboration on academic achievement is an emerging field.
We can use positive and ongoing school–community collaboration as
a source of activities (for instance with project work and different assign-
ments in a partner institution on the local level, such as museums, hos-
pitals, parks…) that can foster a student’s self-perceived autonomy, com-
petence and relatedness. When students become actively involved in the
community, under proper conditions this fulfils one or more of their ba-
sic psychological needs that foster the development of self-determined mo-
tivation. Involvement of the community in the form of mentoring institu-
tions supports a student’s competence (giving meaning to their knowledge)
and relatedness (new social bonds, friendships, a sense of belonging to the
broader community and being a vital part) and autonomy (independent
project work). For instance, giving choice and supporting autonomy in or-
ganising and conducting project work fosters their sense of autonomy. By
experiencing that their knowledge and skills come of use on the local com-
munity level students fulfil their need for competence. One example of this
type of collaboration would be, for instance, project work on agricultural
planning for planting local green areas in which representatives of the local
community would cooperate with biology teachers and students of a local
school. With students planning the whole project, their autonomy would
be supported, by taking advantage of their biology knowledge their com-
petence would be supported, and by actively taking part in teamwork their
sense of belonging and relatedness (on the school level with their peers in
the project team and on the community level with representatives of the lo-
cal community) would increase. These types of activities (mentoring and
tutoring programmes, contextual learning and job shadowing) also have
research support (Epstein et al., 2009). The need that can be addressed to
101
talents, including summer programmes for students; (c) collaboration on
common goals through partnership involving school, civic, counselling,
cultural, health, recreation and other agencies and organisations, and busi-
ness; (d) service to the community by students, families and the school (e.g.
providing recycling, art, music, drama and other activities for seniors or
others; (e) participation of alumni in school programmes for students and
as mentors for planning for college and work (Epstein et al., 2009). Some
of the positive results found at schools practising extensive community–
school collaboration are improved reading and maths performance, bet-
ter attendance rates, a decrease in suspension rates and a reduction of the
ESL rate (Sanders, 2009; Schargel & Smink, 2004). Research on the impact
of community collaboration on academic achievement is an emerging field.
We can use positive and ongoing school–community collaboration as
a source of activities (for instance with project work and different assign-
ments in a partner institution on the local level, such as museums, hos-
pitals, parks…) that can foster a student’s self-perceived autonomy, com-
petence and relatedness. When students become actively involved in the
community, under proper conditions this fulfils one or more of their ba-
sic psychological needs that foster the development of self-determined mo-
tivation. Involvement of the community in the form of mentoring institu-
tions supports a student’s competence (giving meaning to their knowledge)
and relatedness (new social bonds, friendships, a sense of belonging to the
broader community and being a vital part) and autonomy (independent
project work). For instance, giving choice and supporting autonomy in or-
ganising and conducting project work fosters their sense of autonomy. By
experiencing that their knowledge and skills come of use on the local com-
munity level students fulfil their need for competence. One example of this
type of collaboration would be, for instance, project work on agricultural
planning for planting local green areas in which representatives of the local
community would cooperate with biology teachers and students of a local
school. With students planning the whole project, their autonomy would
be supported, by taking advantage of their biology knowledge their com-
petence would be supported, and by actively taking part in teamwork their
sense of belonging and relatedness (on the school level with their peers in
the project team and on the community level with representatives of the lo-
cal community) would increase. These types of activities (mentoring and
tutoring programmes, contextual learning and job shadowing) also have
research support (Epstein et al., 2009). The need that can be addressed to
101
