(Special Issue) A Remedial Instruction Program in a Rural Junior High School Through an Inclusive Evaluation Approach
Author: Chun-Chieh Sun (Graduate Institute of Education, National Changhua University of Education), Ching-Yi Lee (Research Center for Curriculum and Instruction, National Academy for Educational Research), Hsin-Yi Kung (Graduate Institute of Education, National Changhua University of Education)
Vol.&No.：Vol. 68, No. 3
Date：September 2023
Pages：141-178
DOI：https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202309_68(3).0005
Abstract：
Background and Aims
Rural schools located in remote areas encounter numerous learning-related challenges because of cultural and economic disadvantages. Students in these regions are subjected to a challenging learning environment, which reduces their academic performance compared with their urban counterparts. The widening gap in academic achievement between students in remote schools and those in metropolitan areas is a key concern that requires attention from the current education system. In 2015, the United Nations introduced the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda, which encompasses 17 core goals for sustainable development. The fourth goal of sustainable development focuses on quality education, emphasizing the importance of providing inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education for all students and promoting the concept of lifelong learning. This underscores the importance of ensuring parity in education (United Nations, 2015). The implementation of long-term remedial instruction programs is essential for enhancing the fundamental learning abilities of students in rural areas. However, the appraisal of these remedial instruction programs lacks deliberations on program evaluation for evaluating the effectiveness of such interventions. Moreover, the evaluation of remedial instruction programs rarely includes the perspectives of students in rural schools or considers the opinions of supported students through remedial instruction programs from an inclusive standpoint. The present study was conducted to investigate the challenges and develop an evaluation design for remedial instruction programs from an inclusive evaluation approach. Given the limited number of inclusive studies involving marginalized and vulnerable disadvantaged groups, adopting an inclusive evaluation approach to assess remedial instruction programs in rural areas holds considerable research value. This approach aims to broaden our perspective on educational problems in remote regions, potentially offering new insights. Overall, this study was conducted to investigate the challenges in implementing a remedial instruction program in a rural junior high school and develop an evaluation design for this program based on an inclusive evaluation approach.
Literature Review
The concept of inclusive evaluation emerged during the 1996 American Evaluation Association Conference and was formally introduced by Mertens (1999). This concept draws upon principles of social change theory and advocates for the adoption of an inclusive evaluation approach, which is distinct from conventional normative models, in response to the need for fostering inclusivity for marginalized ethnic groups within society. In the present study, the perspective of inclusive evaluation was applied to investigate the outcomes of implementing remedial instruction program in a rural junior high school. The inclusive evaluation design encompasses several crucial objectives: (1) establishing fundamental principles to guide the design choices, (2) developing a theoretical framework for defining problems and identifying the indicators of successful evaluation, (3) ensuring diversity and inclusivity in the sample selection process, (4) implementing appropriate data collection strategies, and (5) addressing any problems related to power differentials. By adopting a structured design, the present study aimed to offer valuable insights into the outcomes of implementing remedial instruction programs from the perspective of rural students and their experiences.
Methods
This case study focused on the effectiveness of a remedial instruction program implemented in a remote area. Despite its implementation for several years, the program led to suboptimal outcomes. The central research question was whether remote schools actually benefit from remedial instruction programs. To address this question, we adopted an inclusive evaluation perspective for exploring the challenges encountered in the implementation of the aforementioned remedial instruction program and developing an evaluation design. A junior high school located in a remote area within Taiwan’s Changhua County was selected for this case study. Data were collected between September 2020 and February 2021 through in-depth interviews, learning-related feedback forms, and quantitative information retrieved from the project for implementation of remedial instruction-technology-based testing platform. The key stakeholders in the study included the principal of the remote school, director of the educational affairs division, section chief of the curriculum, six teachers participating in the remedial instruction program, seven students attending this program of the remote school, and parents of the students. Both qualitative and quantitative data from the stakeholders were analyzed.
Results
Through an inclusive evaluation approach, various challenges in the implementation of the remedial instruction program were identified.
Challenges of Administrative Management and Support
1. Challenges in the implementation of in-class remedial instruction program, leading to difficulties in effectively identifying students requiring assistance.
2. Lack of preplanned remedial strategies for students not participating in the remedial instruction program.
Challenges of Curriculum, Teaching, and Assessment
1. Inconsistent and unstable guidance for students from qualified teachers.
2. Non-user-friendliness of the remedial instruction program platform for teachers and students.
3. The requirement of personalized and differentiated instructions for curriculum planning based on the proficiency levels of individual students.
4. The need for teachers to effectively integrate technology into teaching and assessment to further motivate their students.
Challenges of Program Effectiveness and Guidance
1. Varying progress rates across program participants, warranting a careful evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
2. The requirement of a supportive and inclusive learning environment for students to feel recognized and acknowledged.
3. Understanding and empathizing with students’ backgrounds.
Considering the evaluation design of the remedial instruction program from an inclusive evaluation approach, the following strategies of implementing successful program appear to be feasible.
Guiding Principles for Design Choices
Foster the active participation of program members, particularly supported students through remedial instruction program, to gain insights from different individuals into the program’s effectiveness.
Defining Theoretical Framework and Evaluation Success Indicators
Redefine the framework of remedial instruction and transform the indicators by incorporating the feelings and perspectives of supported students through remedial instruction program and comparing these perspectives with current viewpoints.
Diversity and Inclusivity of the Sample
Thoroughly consider the diversity among students in terms of gender, family income, ethnicity, and parenting style to effectively reflect supported students’ perspectives on the remedial instruction program.
Data Collection Strategy
Conduct various data collection strategies to gather information from administers, teachers, supported students and their parents.
Addressing Power Differentials
Consider the opinions of supported students, who typically have the least power in the program implementation, to understand their perspectives regarding the program and address power differentials.
Conclusion and Suggestions
In this study, we adopted an inclusive evaluation approach to identify the challenges in the administrative, teaching, and effectiveness aspects of the implementation of a remedial instruction program in a rural junior high school. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of adopting an inclusive evaluation approach in response to a program’s evaluation design. Based on our findings, we offer the following suggestions.
Suggestions for Policymakers, School Authorities, and Teacher for the Implementation of Remedial Instruction Programs
1. In the Guidelines for Student Remedial Instruction in Elementary and Junior High Schools, a section should be included in the case management part to account for individual students’ backgrounds to understand more about each student’s needs and to provide individualized instruction.
2. The two major platforms for remedial instruction programs, namely, remedial instruction-technology-based testing platform and resource platforms, should be integrated.
3. Teachers should be given opportunities for professional development through avenues, with a focus on inclusive pedagogy and strategies for fulfilling the needs of underprivileged students and their families.
4. The learning progress of students who have not enrolled in regular program should be closely monitored and individualized remedial instruction and support plans should be established for continual progress.
5. The in-class remedial programs should be used to provide personalized or differentiated instruction for rural students.
Suggestions for the Implementation of Inclusive Evaluation
1. The remedial instruction program should actively seek input from various stakeholders to effectively implement an inclusive evaluation approach.
2. Teachers should create a classroom environment that fosters inclusive teaching.
Unlike the unbalanced top-down approach used in previous program evaluations, a novel approach was adopted in this study by incorporating the perspectives of supported students in the evaluation process, thereby addressing power differentials. This approach underscores the importance of evaluating remedial instruction programs from an inclusive evaluation perspective and provides valuable guidance for educational authorities and schools in addressing learning challenges for students in rural areas.
Keywords：inclusive evaluation, rural junior high school, remedial instruction program