Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SCIREARLY (POLICIES AND PRACTICES BASED ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR REDUCING UNDERACHIEVEMENT AND EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING IN EUROPE)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-11-01 do 2023-10-31
Reducing underachievement in basic skills and improving early school leaving rates has been at the core of the strategic and political priorities for the European Commission. This has become even more critical in a post-pandemic era where students coming from lower socioeconomic status, refugees, migrants, Roma, among others, are not reaching the competencies to succeed in life.
The SCIREARLY project is determined to identify, systematise and replicate successful policies and practices based on scientific research that has proven to reduce underachievement in basic skills, including digital skills, while fostering psycho-emotional aspects and well-being. This know-how contributes to reducing early school leaving in Europe, enabling upward social mobility for the most vulnerable groups.
To this aim, the SCIREARLY project (1) examines the determinants, including the influence of high-quality early childhood education (ECEC) in learning outcomes (2) measures and verifies the impact of these determinants on vulnerable populations most affected by dropout, identifying successful pathways to overcome it (3) identifies and replicates most successful educational practices in addressing low achievement in basic skills (4) analyses and proposes transferable and scalable political measures that have proven to reduce early school leaving rates. As a result, the project will provide evidence-based findings to recreate and scale up optimal learning environments that reduce underachievement from a preventive perspective, especially for the most at-risk groups.
The SCIREARLY project is determined to identify, systematise and replicate successful policies and practices based on scientific research that has proven to reduce underachievement in basic skills, including digital skills, while fostering psycho-emotional aspects and well-being. This know-how contributes to reducing early school leaving in Europe, enabling upward social mobility for the most vulnerable groups.
To this aim, the SCIREARLY project (1) examines the determinants, including the influence of high-quality early childhood education (ECEC) in learning outcomes (2) measures and verifies the impact of these determinants on vulnerable populations most affected by dropout, identifying successful pathways to overcome it (3) identifies and replicates most successful educational practices in addressing low achievement in basic skills (4) analyses and proposes transferable and scalable political measures that have proven to reduce early school leaving rates. As a result, the project will provide evidence-based findings to recreate and scale up optimal learning environments that reduce underachievement from a preventive perspective, especially for the most at-risk groups.
The work performed thus far includes an extensive systematic literature review of multiple social determinants and root causes of academic underachievement and early school leaving, followed by policy mapping of how these factors are counteracted by national and regional educational policy practices. End-users, policy-makers and civil organisations were invited to participate in dialogic seminars in several partner countries (see D1.1) which enriched the scientific data collected in the previous tasks through the project’s co-creation approach. The results have contributed to a set of recommendations for educational policy-makers (see D6.1).
Identified as one of the significant contributors to long-term successful educational outcomes, early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been a focus of the second stage of scientific inquiry, whereby a result of a comprehensive analysis of successful ECEC interventions, several quality indicators were identified that laid the foundation for a self-assessment ECEC quality instrument (SAQE) for education practitioners (see D2.1).
Subsequently, the researchers of the project engaged in selecting a potential pool of schools to carry out a multiple case study designed to analyse the factors that allowed children to succeed academically despite being in vulnerable socio-economic contexts.
The integration of SCIREARLY’s scientific findings has been continuously carried out in the project. The partners have been invited to share the key results and outcomes of the work to form a framework for further integration on the Impact Platform, which is currently going through the process of ideation.
Identified as one of the significant contributors to long-term successful educational outcomes, early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been a focus of the second stage of scientific inquiry, whereby a result of a comprehensive analysis of successful ECEC interventions, several quality indicators were identified that laid the foundation for a self-assessment ECEC quality instrument (SAQE) for education practitioners (see D2.1).
Subsequently, the researchers of the project engaged in selecting a potential pool of schools to carry out a multiple case study designed to analyse the factors that allowed children to succeed academically despite being in vulnerable socio-economic contexts.
The integration of SCIREARLY’s scientific findings has been continuously carried out in the project. The partners have been invited to share the key results and outcomes of the work to form a framework for further integration on the Impact Platform, which is currently going through the process of ideation.
The main scientific contribution of the project over its first year of implementation has been achieved in three domains:
First, the project has been able to systematise scientific evidence on social factors determining academic underachievement and early school leaving. The exhaustive literature review and co-creation approach through the use of a communicative methodology allowed us to synthesise and confirm existing findings on academic underachievement and identify transformative approaches to tackle these issues, while including vulnerable populations in the process (see D1.1).
Secondly, drawing upon the robust research conducted by the partners involved, we have developed a unique self-assessment tool tailored for early childhood education (see D2.1). This instrument has undergone a pilot phase aimed at aiding early years practitioners by providing personalised feedback based on their responses to concise inquiries concerning context, classroom interactions, staff-family relationships, and peer interactions. Throughout the piloting stage involving 49 participants from various European countries including Ireland, the UK, Finland, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Malta, Italy, and Portugal, there was a clear need for such a tool to foster reflection and reflexivity within their daily professional practice. This knowledge contributes significantly to the advancement of early childhood education and presents a high potential scientific and societal impact by offering a research-backed, cross-cultural, and practitioner-focused approach to professional development and improvement within this field.
Finally, as a result of the mapping of successful educational actions and analysis of educational political practices in Europe over the last decade, a series of policy recommendations has been produced and shaped with end-users to encourage decision-makers and key stakeholders to advocate for evidence-based policy-making (see D6.1). This process of dialogic co-creation of research with teachers, families, policymakers and members of different associations has been key in shaping the final production of policy recommendations, which enhanced at least 122 participants’ awareness of scientific knowledge on ESL and underachievement.
First, the project has been able to systematise scientific evidence on social factors determining academic underachievement and early school leaving. The exhaustive literature review and co-creation approach through the use of a communicative methodology allowed us to synthesise and confirm existing findings on academic underachievement and identify transformative approaches to tackle these issues, while including vulnerable populations in the process (see D1.1).
Secondly, drawing upon the robust research conducted by the partners involved, we have developed a unique self-assessment tool tailored for early childhood education (see D2.1). This instrument has undergone a pilot phase aimed at aiding early years practitioners by providing personalised feedback based on their responses to concise inquiries concerning context, classroom interactions, staff-family relationships, and peer interactions. Throughout the piloting stage involving 49 participants from various European countries including Ireland, the UK, Finland, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Malta, Italy, and Portugal, there was a clear need for such a tool to foster reflection and reflexivity within their daily professional practice. This knowledge contributes significantly to the advancement of early childhood education and presents a high potential scientific and societal impact by offering a research-backed, cross-cultural, and practitioner-focused approach to professional development and improvement within this field.
Finally, as a result of the mapping of successful educational actions and analysis of educational political practices in Europe over the last decade, a series of policy recommendations has been produced and shaped with end-users to encourage decision-makers and key stakeholders to advocate for evidence-based policy-making (see D6.1). This process of dialogic co-creation of research with teachers, families, policymakers and members of different associations has been key in shaping the final production of policy recommendations, which enhanced at least 122 participants’ awareness of scientific knowledge on ESL and underachievement.