Home Elements for a Diagnosis of the Spanish Educational System
6 - Family and school (continued)


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Family educational resources

The study researched to what extent the families surveyed had certain resources and how the students spend their time outside school, all in relation to their instruction and training. The aspects researched as to this were as follows: a) instrumental resources; b) available space; c) complementary activities; d) use of leisure time.


EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

As to the availability of certain material resources, ones attention is drawn to the high percentage of families (49%) who have a computer at home, a fact that coincides, in any case, with the results of other research. However, books are still the cultural resource available to the greatest extent and fortunately in a systematic way, in Spanish homes: 97% of families have reference books and 96% reading books. The number of books shows the social and cultural level of the families (graph 1). Families who have a greater number of books also have, to a greater extent, other cultural resources available that influence the educational process of their children (table 1).



Graph 1: Existence of resources in the home



Table 1: Resources in the home
according to the number of books
Resources No. of books at home
0 to 25 More than 200
Computer
Reference books
Reading books
Specialised magazines
Press
23%
84%
77%
21%
57%
69%
99%
99%
70%
91%
Source: Family-School Questionnaire. INCE 1997.


The level of studies of the parents is also directly related to the greater or lesser availability of educational resources (graph 2). This fact is shown by a greater intention among parents with higher education in relation to their children’s education, but also greater real possibilities of providing such resources, to the extent that the level of studies coincides, in general terms, with a higher professional status.



Graph 2: Resources in the home according to parent’s education

The families of private school students in overall terms have more educational resources than students at state schools. The difference is noted in greater availability of computers, magazines and press, while the presence of books in the home is more generalised (table 2).



Table 2: Resources in the home by type of school attended by the children
Resources Total Type of school
State Private
Computer
Reference books
Reading books
Specialised magazines
Press
49%
97%
96%
49%
80%
44%
96%
95%
45%
76%
61%
99%
98%
57%
88%
Source: Family-School Questionnaire. INCE 1997.


The availability of resources also varies according to the different territorial areas studied. As an example, two thirds of the families surveyed in Catalonia say they have a computer at home, while in the Canaries or Galicia, scarcely more than a third say they have one.




AVAILABLE SPACE

The space available to students in their houses and the characteristics of their usual place of study are relevant factors in the process of their education. The survey provides the following results: 68.5% of the sons or daughters have their own room; 28% share the room with a single brother or sister, 3% share it with more siblings and 0.5% sleep in a room in the house put to other uses during the day. Graph 3 shows these figures with the total number of children in the family unit. Of course, the proportion of children with an individual room decreases as the number of siblings increases.



Graph 3: Students who have a room of their own (percentages per number of children in the family unit)




COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES

As to complementary activities by children outside school hours, practising other sports and learning foreign languages take first place, at a notable distance from any other activity (table 3).



Table 3: Complementary activities by son/daughter outside school hours
Complementary
activities
Yes No No
answer
Dance
Sports
Foreign languages
Computer Science
Music lessons
Others
10%
55%
24%
11%
12%
12%
54%
25%
43%
50%
49%
40%
36%
21%
33%
39%
40%
48%
Due to the format of the question the No Answers may be interpreted as No.
Source: Family-School Questionnaire. INCE 1997.


The comparison of the data obtained, according to the sex of the student, provides significant data (table 4). 70% of the boys practice sport, compared with only 42% of the girls, which confirms the line of male predominance in this field. Boys also surpass girls in dedication to computer science, with 13% compared with 10%, both percentages being very low for an activity of such growing importance. Girls, on the other hand, have higher figures in learning music - 14% compared with 10% of the boys - and practising dance - 12% compared with 8% -.



Table 4: Complementary activities outside school hours by sex
Complementary activities Total Male Female
Dance
Yes
No
No answer
Sports
Yes
No
No answer
Foreign languages
Yes
No
No answer
Computer Science
Yes
No
No answer
Music lessons
Yes
No
No answer
Others
Yes
No
No answer

10%
54%
36%

55%
25%
20%

24%
43%
33%

11%
50%
39%

12%
40%
39%

12%
40%
48%

8%
50%
40%

70%
14%
16%

23%
41%
36%

13%
46%
42%

10%
46%
44%

9%
39%
52%

12%
55%
33%

42%
34%
24%

25%
45%
30%

10%
54%
35%

14%
51%
35%

14%
42%
44%
Due to the format of the question the No Answers may be interpreted as No.
Source: Family-School Questionnaire. INCE 1997.


There are no significant differences between the students from state schools and those from private ones as to the bigger or smaller grade of complementary activities fulfilment, except for the learning of foreign languages, where the first overtake the second, as table 5 shows.



Table 5: Complementary activities outside school hours
by type of school attended by the children
Complementary activities State schools Private schools
Dance
Yes
No
No answer
Sports
Yes
No
No answer
Foreign languages
Yes
No
No answer
Computer Science
Yes
No
No answer
Music lessons
Yes
No
No answer
Others
Yes
No
No answer

10%
56%
33%

55%
26%
20%

22%
46%
32%

10%
53%
36%

11%
51%
37%

12%
42%
46%

10%
48%
41%

55%
23%
22%

30%
35%
35%

12%
44%
44%

13%
43%
44%

11%
36%
52%
Due to the format of the question the No Answers may be interpreted as No.
Source: Family-School Questionnaire. INCE 1997.



USE OF LEISURE TIME

The use of leisure time by youths is undoubtably a relevant factor in education. The process of youth socialisation takes place in a context in which a fair part of the values, individuals and groups are in one way or another related to leisure and associated activities. Due to this, the opinion of parents as to their children’s use of free time is due the greatest interest.

The different activities that occupy youth’s free time and their prefers, differentiated by sexes, are shown on graph 4. As may be seen, parents consider that their children spend a fair amount or a lot of time after school on the following activities: meeting or chatting with friends (82%), talking to their parents (78%), listening to music (77%) and watching television (59%). Music forms an essential dimension in youths’ lives. Apart from this, the amount of time spent watching television shows how the media has penetrated in the home. On the other hand, parents state that their children spend little time on going to the theatre (96%), attending concerts (95%), visiting museums and exhibitions (94%), going to the cinema (88%) or collecting (83%).



Graph 4: Time spent on activities outside school by sex (percentages of answers "fairly or a lot)

Girls spend more time reading than boys (53% against 31%), also spend more time listening to music and talking to their parents. On the contrary, according to them, such activities as sport or video-games seem to attract boys more than girls.


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