School size difference among nearby schools in Kaohsiung city and its impact on equality of educational opportunity

• Main Authors: Chou-I Wu, 吳昭儀
• Other Authors: Li-yun Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61349129026986521422

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 教育學系 === 99 === Past studies on inequality of educational opportunity in Taiwan mainly focus on urban/ rural disparity. Inequality of educational opportunity within the same areas, on the other hand, is often neglected. This is especially true when nearby schools having very different student population. Parents in Taiwan tend to choose bigger school for their children to secure better benefit (so-called “watermelon effect”). Such parental practices of school choice cause huge differences in school sizes and student composition. To understand the condition of the Matthew effect among near by schools in the same area as well as their impact on inequality of educational opportunity, this research uses Geography Information System (GIS) to locate the pairs of watermelon schools in Kaohsiung city. The researcher then conduct case study to investigate the factors that have contributed to the size differences among nearby schools and the impact of size differences on equality of educational opportunity. The finding shows that: Different Size of Junior High Schools in Nearby Schools Through GIS, the finding shows that the school size difference in Kaohsiung is increasing over time. And the “watermelon pairs” are mostly located in downtown city due to the intensity of schools and the declining birth rate. Besides, the “watermelon pairs” also have different combinations. Reasons for Huge Differences in School Size School size differs for many reasons. Geographic locations of schools, declining birth rates, principal leadership, school management, parental preference, and inappropriate policies are all related to the cause of “watermelon effect”. Impact on Equality of Educational Opportunity School size differences are related to inequality of educational opportunity. Funding levels of the school, teacher culture and morale, the distribution of education resources, and the social capital of school among schools of different sizes vary greatly. . Smaller schools in the watermelon pairs usually are the abandoned one and they do poorly in the above-mention dimensions. Such facts affect parents’ school choice behaviors and the cycle constitutes a “Matthew Effect.”