6. School-club Activity and Social integration in two educational frameworks in Israel

TY - JOUR

T1 - 6. School-club Activity and Social integration in two educational frameworks in Israel

AU - Ichilov, Orit

AU - Chen, Michael

N1 - Funding Information: Ichilov Orit Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Chen Michael Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 3 1982 23 1-2 105 114 sagemeta-type Other search-text 105 Research Communications6. School-club Activity and Social integration in two educational frameworks in Israel SAGE Publications, Inc.1982DOI: 10.1177/002071528202300110 Orit Ichilov Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Michael Chen Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Junior high schools have recently become part of Israel's educational scene as a result of a reform in the school structure. Until 1968 the Israeli school system was * The data for this paper were collected as part of a longitudinal study of the educational reform in Israel. The study was conducted by Dr. Chaim Adler of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Professors Michael Chen and Arieh Lewy of Tel Aviv University. 118106 based on eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary school. Since 1968 an intermediate division, similar to the American junior high school, has been gradually introduced, and up till now both frameworks have existed simultaneously. The junior high schools, unlike the small homogeneous local elementary schools, draw into one large school a highly heterogeneous student population both ethnically and academically speaking. One of the central goals which the educational and social leadership has aimed to achieve via the junior high schools is acceleration of the integration of the various Jewish social groups into Israeli society.' However, the concentration of a heterogeneous student population in one school cannot in itself ensure a meaningful encounter which will bring different ethnic and social groups closer together. It was therefore hoped that the "clubs" which take place after school hours would provide greater opportunities for social intermingling. Pupils from a wide range of social and cultural background would be interacting while engaging in scholastic, sporting, artistic, community and entertainment activities. The belief in the ability of these extra-curricular activities to enhance integration is based on the assumption that they create situations of social contact which facilitate interaction processes. For example, studies have shown that integration is more likely to occur when the parties engaged in the interaction process are of equal status than when they are of unequal status (Amir, 1968). Club activity, unlike classroom activity, makes it possible for good and poor students alike to share roles of equal status. In the clubs even youngsters who are not successful in their school work may succeed in arts, sports, or community activities. Moreover, club activity differs from other social activities that take place within the school day, such as student council or work on the school newspaper. The latter are organized by the teacher, counsellor or social activity coordinator, and content is dictated largely by the curriculum. Participation in these activities is limited and students tend to compete over the right to take part, particularly if the activity is of a representative and prestigeous nature. This situation makes it difficult for the less able students to be active. Activity in the clubs, on the other hand, is open unconditionally to everyone. In this respect the clubs may be for the slow students, an additional avenue towards the acquisition of status in the peer group. Studies also show that close and continued inter-personal contacts contribute more to integration than short and superficial contacts (Amir, 1968). It can be argued that club activity provides the students with more opportunities for maintaining diversified and continuous personal contact than the classroom context where specific task oriented activity is emphasized. It has also been found that there are greater prospects for interaction when inter-group contacts have official backing and support (Amir, 1968). This is clearly the case 1 In Israel Jews of Asian-African origin and the Jews of European-American origin con stitute, to a great degree, two social blocks which differ from each other in socio-economic status and cultural tradition. Although the Jews of Asian-African origin now comprise over 50% of Israel's entire population, they do not share proportionally in the national income, in educational attainment or in positions of social and political importance. For the most part the Arabs and other minority groups in Israel have their own school systems. 2 A somewhat similar attempt to reduce social and racial gaps through club activities in the U.S. is described by Cohen & Roper, 1972. 119107 in the Israeli junior high schools, where inter-ethnic social encounter receives the encouragement and support of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Because of the hope that club participation would facilitate integration in the ethnically heterogeneous junior high school, greater care has been taken in the junior high schools than in the elementary schools so that all students might be active. For example, the Ministry has ordered junior high school principals to avoid scheduling club activities and educational compensatory activities at the same time since both take place in the afternoon. An overlap in scheduling would have resulted in only good students participating in clubs. Also, since students attending the junior high schools often live at a great distance from the school (some are bussed and lunch is not served in school), school principals have been alerted to take this into account and to ensure the accessibility of club activities to all students. (Ministry of Education and Culture, 1971). There are also differences between the junior high schools and the elementary schools in the manner of organization and the sources of finance of club activities. In the elementary school clubs do not constitute an integral part of the school day. They are sponsored and operated by the Youth Department of the local municipality under the supervision and financial support of the Ministry of Education and Culture. In the junior high schools, on the other hand, in order to ensure general participation, the clubs have been turned into institutionalized and quasi-academic activities. For example, participation in the clubs is on the basis of prior enrollment at times fixed by the school. A pupil wishing to change clubs may do so only at the end of three month period, or earlier with the approval of the teacher or counsellor. In the junior high school there is an overall budget for all afternoon activities, i.e., clubs and compensatory activities, and school principals have great freedom in the allocation of the budget to the different activities. The junior high school principal, unlike his elementary school counterpart, faces the dilemma of which activities should be given high priority. The problem is even more complicated if one considers the great heterogeneity of the student body which calls simultaneously for a wide selection of club activities to suit the interests of all students and for more compensatory activities for students doing poorly in their studies. Educational policy, organization and funding are not the only factors relevant to club participation on which the junior high schools and the elementary schools differ. The junior high schools are larger and more heterogeneous with respect to both academic and ethnic composition. These variables have been shown in earlier studies to influence participation in school sponsored extra-curricular activities. For example, Barker and Gump (1964) have shown the advantage of small schools over large ones in engaging students in satisfying extra-curricular activities. Chen (1966) has demonstrated that there is a tendency towards greater participation in schools which the average achievement level is high. King (1973) has shown that in schools having a heterogeneous socio-economic composition the participation pattern of the majority tends to influence that of the minority. Nelson (1973) has reported that black students in integrated schools in the U.S. do not tend to join in extra-curricular activities. The study Hypotheses. One of the main purposes of the study was to compare club participation in the junior high schools and the elementary schools. In other words, interest was focused upon the scope of participation in the student population, in general, and in 120108 ethnic and scholastic sub-groups in particular. Secondly, the study was intended to investigate the various factors influencing club participation rates in the two frameworks. Investigation of these two questions will allow certain conclusions concerning inter-group interaction, and might indicate, if a further study can be carried out to investigate the impact of club participation upon social integration. Several hypotheses were set forth. First of all, if policy factors had been influential and made operationally significant, one would expect the rate of participation to be greater in the junior high schools than in the elementary schools. Also, one would expect low-achievers and members of the deprived ethnic groups to be particularly more active in the junior high schools. This expectation is consistent with the aims of the educational reform. However, if school characteristics such as size and student body composition have precedence in determining club participation, one would expect to find higher rates of activity in the smaller elementary schools. Moreover, the "natural dynamics" with respect to who participates would be expected to dominate. In other words, the good student, the middle-class student, etc. will more likely be over-represented among those who are active. Research sample and data collection. The research population consisted of a nationwide sample of approximately 4,000 eighth grade pupils studying in 19 junior high schools and 19 elementary schools. Schools had been selected for a broad scope longitudinal study intended to evaluate the educational reform, and had been chosen to represent the various types of schools in existence around the country.3 3 Data concerning pupil characteristics were collected by means of a questionnaire which was designed to obtain information concerning the socio-economic background of each student, his attitudes, aspirations and school and social activities. An individual's student achievement level was determined by his performance on a battery of standardized achievement tests. (See Chen, Lewy & Kfir, 1973). Students were defined as club participants only if they could specify in which activities they took part, and not merely if they reported participation. From the information on specific individual's, aggregate school scores were computed for such variables as rate of club participation, average achievement level, heterogeneity of achievement, and ethnic composition. Information concerning distance from densely populated areas was determined by the location of the school with respect to the major urban areas. School size was constructed as the number of seventh grade classes in the school at the time of the first testing in the longitudinal study. Policy differences between the two frameworks were not empirically measured, but rather inferred from directives which had been issued by the Ministry of Education detailing how club activities were to be organized and funded in the junior high schools. However, we have visited the schools and had long talks with the principals, and our impression was that the policy was carried out in the junior high schools. Findings Rate o, f club participation. Altogether about 3017c of all eight grade pupils take part in club activities. However, contrary to the aims of the reform, participation rates are higher in the elementary than in the junior high school (41.6 % and 30.3 % respective- 3 This paper reports only one aspect of the larger research. 121109 ly). Moreover, in the elementary schools 44 % of all club participants were in two clubs, not just one, as opposed to only 19 °~o in the junior high schools. Since club activity was thought to be one avenue for achieving ethnic integration, it was of interest to examine the extent to which the two frameworks have succeeded in activating the two major Jewish ethnic groups, namely, pupils of European and American background and pupils of Asian and African background. Data indicate that the elementary school has been more successful than the junior high school in activating students from both ethnic groups (37 .7 % vs. 29.9 % concerning students of Asian/African origin, and 49.4% vs. 25.7% concerning students of European/American origin). However, the elementary school's advantage over the junior high school in activating students of European-American origin exceeds its advantage in activating Asian-African students (i.e., a difference of 24% between the two types of schools with regard to European-American pupils, and 8% with regard to Asian-African students). Comparing the achievement levels of club participants and non-participants, one finds that in the elementary school participants generally scored better on the achievement tests than non-participants. In the junior high schools there was no difference in achievement levels between participants and non-participants. To summarize, the junior high schools, in spite of their lower participation rates, have succeeded in obliterating the relationships between activity and both achievement and ethnic group. A closer inspection of the types of activities offered in the two frameworks lends a partial explanation to the finding. Table 7 Distribution of Participation by Types and Number of Clubs (Percentages) It seems that in the junior high schools more pupils participate in learning oriented activities (20.8%) than in the elementary schools (12.9 % ). On the other hand, participation in art and sports club activities is greater in the elementary schools (84.1 % ) than in the junior high schools (76.2 % ). Also, additional data reveal that while in the elementary schools participation in intellectually oriented clubs is characteristic of students with high achievement scores, in the junior high school these clubs draw also students with lower scores. These differences cannot be attributed to the students' choice only, but rather suggest that there is a difference in the types of 122110 clubs offered in the two frameworks. These findings indicate the possibility that the junior high school's policy with regard to the clubs is fundamentally different from that of the elementary schools. In the junior high schools learning oriented clubs seem to be emphasized, and seem to provide compensatory educational activities for the weak students. In the elementary school, on the other hand, the learning oriented clubs seem to be designed primarily for the good students and emphasize intellectual and spiritual enrichment. School characteristics and club participation. It appears that policy factors, though influential, do not take precedence over the effects of other school characteristics on club activity in the two frameworks. In this section the effects of several school traits were investigated. Five variables were isolated which were thought to either be different or operate differently in the two types of schools: (1) The school's average achievement level as defined as the mean student score on eighth grade achievement tests. (2) Academic heterogeneity of the student body, or the standard deviation of student scores on the eighth grade achievement tests. (3) Degree of ethnic integration, or the percentage of Asian-African students in the school. (4) School size, determined by the number of seventh grade classes existing at the start of the larger longitudinal study. (5) Distance of settlement in which the school is located from the densely populated urban areas. Three categories were defined: 1 = urban, 2 = middle distance, 3 = far, isolated. The first variable (average achievement level) was selected because of the apparently different emphasis placed on learning activities in the two types of schools (Table 1). In addition, it was shown in an earlier study to be an important variable related to participation. (Chen, 1966.) The academic heterogeneity and the degree of ethnic integration were expected to differ in the two frameworks as a direct result of the educational reform. The importance of the school's student composition to club participation has been mentioned earlier (King, 1973; Nelsen, 1973). As stated above, one of the main purposes of the reform was to bring the Jewish ethnic groups into greater proximity with one another, a situation which existed only rarely in the elementary schools. In so far as there is an achievement gap between the two groups4 (Lewy & Chen, 1974; Smilansky, 1969), ethnic integration meant the creation of more heterogeneously composed schools with respect to achievement. One might conjecture that the ethnic and academic heterogeneity of the new junior high schools operates as an alienating force in such a way as to discourage club participation. The element of school size must also be considered and is also a direct result of the reform. The junior high schools have anywhere from 2 to 9 classes per grade level as compared to only one or two classes per grade level in the elementary school. Therefore, the junior high school student may feel "lost" in the large school as compared with his counterpart in the elementary school and this sense of alienation may weaken his interest in participating in club activities (Larsen, 1949; Barker & Gump, 1964). 4 European-American students as a group tend to perform better than Asian-African students. 123111 An additional factor which may interact with school size is location, or whether the school is located in a large city or in an isolated development town. Due to the nature of the scatter of settlements in Israel, this factor might be termed a distance factor, namely, the distance of the school from the densely populated urban areas. This variable might be important in several ways. First of all, it seems reasonable to assume that schools in more isolated districts would have higher rates of participation since little, if any, competition in the offering of leisure-time activities would exist outside the school. In fact, the school might serve as the focal point or social center of the area. One would expect that this would be true both in the case of elementary schools and in the case of junior high schools. On the other hand, since the elementary schools tend to be neighborhood schools with students tending to know each other outside of school, one would expect participation rates to be relatively high also in the elementary schools in urban locations. The urban junior high school, on the other hand, being composed of students from a broad geographical area, might be expected to have the lowest club participation rates, as it is neither a neighborhood school not situated in an isolated residential area. To investigate the total joint influence of these five factors on club activity and to determine the relative importance of each one, multiple regression analyses were carried out for the elementary and the junior high schools separately. The results are presented in Table 2. Table 2 Summary of Step- Wise Multiple Regression Analysis (Dependent variable,: rate of club participation) * p < .05. Examination of the zero-order correlation coefficients which are presented in Table 2 indicates that there are differences in the strength as well as in the direction of the relationships of several factors to club activity rates in the two types of schools. One can see that in the junior high schools size has a significant negative relationship with participation, meaning that club activity rates tend to be lower in larger schools. In contrast, size is positively related to participation in the elementary schools. These two findings lead one to surmise that a middlesized school-large enough to offer a variety of activities, yet not too large as to alienate the students-provides optimal conditions for participation. This is consistent both with the hypotheses set 124112 forth above and with the findings of other studies (Larsen, 1949; Barker & Gump, 1964; King, 1973). In addition, one finds that the distance factor is more strongly correlated with participation in the junior high schools (r = .62) than in the elementary schools (r = .31). In both cases the relationship is positive, meaning that higher rates tend to be found in schools located at a distance from urban areas. This finding clearly supports expectations. The direction of the relationship and the difference in the strength of the relationship in the two school types lend support to the contentions that: (1) Activities in urban schools have competition from the outside and therefore attract fewer students, and (2) elementary schools, being neighborhood or community schools, tend to be less affected by alternative attractions, which exist in urban areas. The rest of the differences between the correlations for ethnic composition and average achievement level were not attributed with any great importance. It is interesting to note that the academic heterogeneity of the studentbody appears to have no relationship to the rate of club participation in either framework. From Table 2, one can also see that four of the five variables account for 46 % of the variance in rates of participation in the junior high schools. In the elementary schools these same variables explain only 26 % of the variance. Although in both cases distance has the strongest zero-order correlation with participation rates, examination of the beta-weights show that it is truly the most important factor in the junior high schools but of lesser importance in the elementary schools. In the latter, the proportion of Asian-African students carries the largest beta-weight, meaning that the ethnic make-up in the elementary school is a primary determinant of club participation. According to the relationship observed from the correlation, in schools in which there are fewer students from Asian or African backgrounds the rate of club participation tends to be higher. This finding is important in arriving at final conclusions concerning the success of the educational reform. It might be interpreted to mean that a certain measure of success has been attained, or that policy factors have had their influence. The junior high schools are beset by various structural characteristics such as size and anonymity which work against high rates of club activity. However, they have managed to reduce the importance of ethnic composition to club activity. This reinforces the findings presented earlier, which showed little difference in club participation between the two ethnic groups in the junior high schools. Discussion and Conclusions z It had been expected that in spite of its large size, a highly heterogeneous student body and other structural characteristics of the junior high school which operate against the tendency to join clubs, extensive club activity would be found there, compared with the elementary schools. This expectation was based on the assumption that the deliberate intervention of educators to foster social integration through such activities, and the larger financial means at its disposal, would result in higher rates of club participation in the junior high school. However, contrary to the hypothesis, it was found that the scope of club activity in the elementary schools exceeded that in the junior high schools. Moreover, the differences between the two frameworks are related not only to the rates of participation, but also to the types of students that take part in the clubs. While the junior high school engaged a lower proportion of students in club activities, it suc- 125113 ceeded in activating all types of students from both ethnic groups, almost to the same extent. In the elementary school, on the other hand, the "natural dynamics" of participation operate, meaning that good students and those from a European or American family background tend to be most active. Clubs in the elementary school place a greater emphasis on leisure, social and entertainment activities, while in the junior high schools intellectual activities are emphasized. It is possible that the need to cope with greater heterogeneity in students achievement, and the fact that the junior high schools are part of the secondary education which in Israel is highly achievement-oriented, makes junior high school principals emphasize educational fostering activities at the expense of social activity in clubs. In addition, the element of distance plays an important role particularly in the case of the junior high school. Activities in schools located in cities compete with those offered by other organizations in the area. The junior high school being a relatively large-sized school and hence characterized by a certain impersonal atmosphere, is more greatly affected by the distance factor than the elementary school which is small and intimate by nature. The intimacy of the urban elementary school in part counteracts the tendency to look elsewhere for extra-curricular activities. It appears, then, that the achievement orientation of the junior high school coupled with its atmosphere of anonymity result in lower club participation rates. Despite the lower rates, the junior high schools have managed to activate all types of students to the same degree, meaning that for those who do participate, ethnic group interaction might have been achieved. In conclusion, it seems that the structural characteristics of the junior high schools interfere with students' tendency to take part in school-sponsored extra-curricular activities. Educational policy makers should think of ways of minimizing the effects of size and heterogeneity upon club activity, so as to give this inter-group contact an opportunity to bear larger societal implications. REFERENCES Amir, Y. 1968 "Inter-ethnic personal contacts as a factor in reducing prejudice." Megamot, 16 (1), (Hebrew). Barker, G.R., and P.V. Gump 1964 Big Schools, Small Schools Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. Chen, M. 1966 "Leisure time activities and adjustment to school", in M. Chen (Ed.). Education, the Educator, the Educated. Jerusalem: Szold Institute. (Hebrew) Chen, M., A. Lewy, and D. Kfir 1973 Instruments of Evaluation for Grade Eight (Interim publication of the junior high school study). Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University, School of Education. (Hebrew) Cohen, E.G., and S.S. Roper 1972 "Modification on inter-racial interaction disability, an application of status characteristics theory. " ASR, 37 (6). King, R. 1973 School Organization and Pupil Involvement London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Larson, C.M. 1949 School Size as a Factor in the Adjustment of High School Seniors. State College of Washington, Bull. No. 511, Youth Series (6). 126114 Lewy, A., and M. Chen 1974 Closing or widening of the achievement gap: A comparison over time of ethnic group achievement in the Israeli Elementary School. Research Report No. 6, Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University, School of Education. Ministry Of Education And Culture 1971 The Junior High School: Principles, Guidelines and Instructions. Jerusalem: Ministry of Education and Culture. Nelsen, F. 1973 Assessing School Problems and Issues in Desegregated Schools . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Foundation, Chicago, III. , April 15-19. Smilansky, M., and Y. Yam 1969 "The relationship of family size and father's origin with educational achievement", Megamot, 248-273. (Hebrew) 1 In Israel Jews of Asian-African origin and the Jews of European-American origin con stitute, to a great degree, two social blocks which differ from each other in socio-economic status and cultural tradition. Although the Jews of Asian-African origin now comprise over 50% of Israel's entire population, they do not share proportionally in the national income, in educational attainment or in positions of social and political importance. For the most part the Arabs and other minority groups in Israel have their own school systems. 2 A somewhat similar attempt to reduce social and racial gaps through club activities in the U.S. is described by Cohen & Roper, 1972. 3 This paper reports only one aspect of the larger research. 4 European-American students as a group tend to perform better than Asian-African students.

PY - 1982

Y1 - 1982

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JO - International Journal of Comparative Sociology

JF - International Journal of Comparative Sociology

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