Preschool children's math-related behaviors mediate curriculum effects on math achievement gains

This study used a mediational model to examine the effect of curriculum condition on student behaviors and how those behaviors related to math achievement gains. The student behaviors examined were children's participation in learning-related activities, talking during learning activities, and level of engagement with the materials. Conducted as part of a larger project involving the implementation and evaluation of a preschool mathematics curriculum, this study involved twenty urban prekindergarten sites with 57 classrooms randomly assigned to the new curriculum or a practice-as-usual condition. The final analytic sample included 675 children, predominately from low-income homes. Results showed that the greater gains made by children in curriculum classrooms were mediated by the number of times children were observed focused on mathematics and the number of times they were observed talking during mathematics. Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of focusing on children's actual responses to a new curriculum in determining its effects.     

Language factors associated with achievement grouping in math classrooms: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

The study examines the effects of classroom achievement grouping (AG) practices on the early mathematics performance of language-minority students and compares their mathematics achievement to that of English-speaking majority students. Using a nationally representative database of the USA, both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were done. In the cross-sectional analyses we explored the direct effect of grouping practice on students performance, while in the longitudinal analysis we looked at the growth trajectory in mathematics learning. The results of cross-sectional analyses indicated that the effect of AG was negative on the math achievement in 1st and 5th graders. The longitudinal analysis showed a significant negative effect of AG for English Language Learners (ELL). The paper provides the basis for practical guidelines for the grouping practices in mathematics.     

Opportunity-to-learn performance levels and student achievement gains for students with and without disabilities

This study examined within-year mathematics gains in the context of students’ education status and teachers’ opportunity-to-learn (OTL) performance for 60 general education teachers and 219 students with and without disabilities. Multilevel analyses did not support teachers’ OTL performance as a statistically significant predictor of model slope or intercept. Effect sizes for the Level-2 intercept variance suggested that OTL performance has some utility in explaining variations in mean initial achievement level between teachers. Contingency tables for a subsample of teachers indicated that higher OTL performance resulted in greater achievement gain irrespective of education status with greater gain for students with disabilities.     

A comparison of students with learning disabilities to low achieving and higher achieving students on three dimensions of social competence

Research continues to accumulate attesting to the fact that many children with learning disabilities are experiencing social difficulties in school. Nonetheless, it is also clear that achievement deficits, with or without the presence of a handicapping condition, are also related to social problems in the classroom. Several studies attempting to clarify the relative roles of handicapping condition and achievement in social adjustment have produced mixed results. The purpose of the present study was to clarify this issue further by examining the social differences between elementary school students with learning disabilities and other low achieving and higher achieving children on three social dimensions: sociometric status, behavior as rated by teachers, and self-ratings of social competence. The results indicated that the children with learning disabilities may be a higher risk socially than their low achieving and higher achieving peers. Variables that may account for these results are discussed as well as directions for future research.     

A longitudinal analysis of the interaction of self-concept of aptitude and math achievement in elementary school children

European Journal of Psychology of Education -     

A longitudinal,replicated analysis of low achievement in reading at age 7

The question explored is whether initial success and failure in reading at age 7 can be explained statistically by use of variables gathered at earlier ages. Data gathered prospectively from birth to age 6 in the home are grouped in four predictor models. Reading performance is analyzed by multiple linear regression and schematized by the TSAR technique. The design includes replication of all models and analyses.     

Self-regulation and academic achievement and resilience: A longitudinal study

There is a growing body of research indicating that students who can self-regulate cognitive, motivational, and behavioral aspects of their academic functioning are more effective as learners. We studied relations between the self-regulation strategies used by a group of Italian students during the final years of high school and their subsequent academic achievement and resilience in pursuing higher education. We used the self-regulated learning interview schedule, which focuses on cognitive, motivational, and behavioral strategies used during academic learning in both classroom and non-classroom contexts. The cognitive self-regulation strategy of organizing and transforming proved to be a significant predictor of the students’ course grades in Italian, mathematics, and technical subjects in high school and in their subsequent average course grades and examinations passed at the university. The motivational self-regulation strategy of self-consequences was a significant predictor of the students’ high school diploma grades and their intention to continue with their education after high school.     

Effective strategies for teaching Taiwanese minority students with low achievement and low socio-economic backgrounds

Research shows that minority students continue to fail in the Taiwan public school system. That failure has sharply focused on the urgent need for teachers with the skills to work effectively with minority students. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of an exemplary Taiwanese teacher who teach Indigenous students and to obtain insights about teaching Indigenous students. Four themes can be drawn from the teacher’s beliefs and knowledge about educating Indigenous students and her efforts on behalf of that cause. The themes are to adapt teaching to students’ learning needs, to believe in their learning ability, to provide curriculum in context, and establish caring relationships with students. The implications for teaching practices and teacher education are provided.     

Math achievement,stereotypes, and math self-concepts among elementary-school students in Singapore

Singaporean elementary-school students (N = 299) completed Child Implicit Association Tests (Child IAT) as well as explicit measures of gender identity, math–gender stereotypes, and math self-concepts. Students also completed a standardized math achievement test. Three new findings emerged. First, implicit, but not explicit, math self-concepts (math = me) were positively related to math achievement on a standardized test. Second, as expected, stronger math–gender stereotypes (math = boys) significantly correlated with stronger math self-concepts for boys and weaker math self-concepts for girls, on both implicit and explicit measures. Third, implicit math–gender stereotypes were significantly related to math achievement. These findings show that non-academic factors such as implicit math self-concepts and stereotypes are linked to students' actual math achievement. The findings suggest that measuring individual differences in non-academic factors may be a useful tool for educators in assessing students' academic outcomes.     

Investigation of the science achievement models for low and high achieving schools and gender differences in Turkey

A science achievement model was separately investigated for students in low and high achieving schools (LAS and HAS) in Turkey. Then, gender differences based on variables that significantly contributed to each achievement model were investigated. The student-level variables that were under investigation for multiple regression analyses include attitudes toward science, epistemological beliefs, metacognition, views on science teaching, and socioeconomic status (SES). The science achievement scores of students on a nationwide exam were used to measure science achievement. Both for LAS and HAS, two schools were selected. Results were reported for 241 and 320 students in LAS and HAS, respectively. According to the results, self-concept in science, knowledge of cognition, SES, importance of science, gradual learning, and views on lab work significantly contributed to the science achievement model in LAS. On the other hand, self-concept in science, SES, gradual learning, studying, and learning science in school significantly contributed to the science achievement model in HAS. Results also revealed that girls outperformed boys on knowledge of cognition and importance of science in LAS. Moreover, girls scored higher than boys on gradual learning and studying in HAS. According to these findings, implications for science education were discussed.     

Individual differences in achievement goals: A longitudinal study of cognitive, emotional, and achievement outcomes

Within achievement goal theory debate remains regarding the adaptiveness of certain combinations of goals. Assuming a multiple-goals perspective, we used cluster analysis to classify 1002 undergraduate students according to their mastery and performance-approach goals. Four clusters emerged, representing different goal combinations: high mastery/performance (i.e., multiple goals), dominant mastery, dominant performance, and low mastery/performance (i.e., low motivation). In a longitudinal analysis over one academic year, the clusters were compared on cognitive appraisals (expected achievement, perceived success), achievement-related emotions (enjoyment, boredom, anxiety), and objective measures of academic achievement (final grade in Introductory Psychology, GPA). The low-motivation cluster demonstrated the least adaptive profile across all outcomes. The multiple-goals, mastery, and performance clusters showed equivalent levels of achievement; however, students in the performance cluster were more psychologically and emotionally vulnerable than the multiple-goals and mastery clusters. Our discussion focuses on the immediate and potentially long-term implications of specific goal combinations for students and educators, with particular attention to understanding the cognitive and emotional vulnerabilities of students in the performance cluster which appear despite satisfactory achievement levels.     

Academic achievement despite child maltreatment: a longitudinal study

Purpose

Although researchers have concluded that child maltreatment has a negative effect on children's learning and academic achievement, not all children are negatively affected by maltreatment, and some children seem to succeed academically despite being maltreated. Drawing on risk and resilience theory, we examined a broad range of potential risk, promotive, and protective factors within children and their environments along with characteristics of the maltreatment to account for variability in test scores.

Methods

A national longitudinal probability sample of 702 maltreated school-aged children, ages 6-10, and their caregivers was used to predict reading and math scores among maltreated children over three years.

Results

We found that chronic maltreatment, poorer daily living skills, and lower intelligence explained a substantial proportion of the variance in maltreated children's math scores (39%), whereas type of maltreatment, poorer daily living skills and lower intelligence explained a substantial proportion of the variance in reading scores (54%) over time. Contrary to our prediction, having a behavior problem seemed to protect chronically maltreated children from poorer performance in math over time.

Conclusions

To increase academic achievement among maltreated children, it is imperative that we prevent chronic maltreatment and help children increase their competency on daily living skills.     

Understanding the low mathematics achievement of Chilean students: A cross-national analysis using TIMSS data

The low performance of Chile in the TIMSS 1998/99 international study of mathematics and science achievement was a great disappointment for that country. To investigate the likely causes for low performance in mathematics, this study (1) compared Chile to three countries and one large school system that had similar economic conditions but superior mathematics performance, and (2) examined how important characteristics of the Chilean educational system could account for poor student achievement in mathematics. The study finds that, compared to South Korea, Malaysia, the Slovak Republic, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools: (a) Chilean 8th graders had parents with fewer years of schooling and with fewer educational resources at home; (b) the Chilean mathematics curriculum covered less content and fewer cognitive skills; and (c) the meager official curriculum translated into a weaker curricular implementation. Hierarchical linear models found that, in Chile, school assets were unequally distributed across social classes, with schools in socially advantaged areas more likely to have their own mathematics curriculum and better prepared teachers who emphasized more advanced mathematics content. Schools with their own mathematics curriculum and whose teachers covered more advanced content had significantly higher student achievement in mathematics.     

Executive functioning predicts academic achievement in middle school: A four-year longitudinal study

Executive functioning (EF) is a strong predictor of children's and adolescents' academic performance. Although research indicates that EF can increase during childhood and adolescence, few studies have tracked the effect of EF on academic performance throughout the middle school grades. EF was measured at the end of Grades 6–9 through 21 teachers' and 22 teacher assistants' assessments of 322 adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds who attended an urban, chartered middle/high school. Assessment of EF was done through the completion of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). BRIEF global executive composite scores (GEC) predicted both current and future English/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and Spanish annual grade point averages (GPAs). The effect of BRIEF GEC scores often overshadowed the effects of gender, poverty, and having an individual education plan; the other, non–BRIEF-related effects retained slightly more impact among teacher assistant–derived data than teacher-derived data. The strong relationships between BRIEF GEC scores and these GPAs also remained constant over these 4 years: There was little evidence that EF changed over the measured grades or that the relationship between EF and grades itself regularly changed. The findings indicate that EF scores during early middle grades can well predict academic performance in subsequent secondary-school grades. Although methodological constraints may have impeded the abilities of other factors (i.e., poverty) to be significantly related to GPAs, the effects of EF were strong and robust enough to prompt us to recommend its use to guide long-term, academic interventions.     

Approaches to learning by undergraduate students: A longitudinal study

The purpose of this study was to determine if the success of students at a highly selective combined baccalaureate/MD degree program is affected by their different approaches to learning. One hundred freshmen students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine (UMKC) were surveyed using the Lancaster Approaches to Studying Inventory (short survey by Entwistle, 1981). Analysis of the data indicates that the learning styles of students from this combined-degree school tend to be similar to the learning styles of students from other baccalaureate-degree programs in medicine. It appears there are some relationships between approaches to learning and success in the program. This association between learning styles and success also appears to be related to gender differences.Presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Louisville, KY, May 13–16, 1990.     

Stability of self-esteem ratings and their relation to academic achievement: A longitudinal study

In a sample of 380 children, self-esteem as measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) became more stable and more highly correlated with school achievement as the children grew older. Subjects taking the SEI at ages 12 and 15 showed greater test-retest consistency (r = .64) than did subjects tested at ages 9 and 12 (r = .42). Correlations between SEI and school achievement scores also increased over the age range from 9 to 15. Children's self-perceptions appear less firmly established, and therefore may be more responsive to intervention, at earlier ages.     

Differences between high and low academic achieving university students in learning and study strategies: a further investigation

The outcome evaluation of Pare-Chocs, a school-based cognitive-behavioural (CB) prevention program for adolescent depression, was conducted with 53 adolescents at risk of school dropout and exhibiting high depressive symptoms using a theory-driven evaluation model. Our results show a significant relationship between the intervention and proximal variables: Experimental-group students presented less cognitive distortions and better problem-solving strategies at post-treatment and follow-up. Greater participation intensity predicts less cognitive distortions and better problem-solving strategies at follow-up. Moreover, less cognitive distortions at post-treatment and follow-up are linked to less depressive symptoms. These promising results encourage future evaluative research on school dropout prevention programs linked with at-risk students’ characteristics. For practitioners, they suggest that the implementation of a CB prevention program for depressive symptoms in school settings could lead to decrease depression risk factors and improve protective factors among youth at risk of school dropout.     

Just do it! Study time increases mathematical achievement scores for grade 4-10 students in a large longitudinal cross-country study

Decades of research produced inconsistent findings on whether study time can lead to achievement gains in mathematics. Data generated by more than six thousand students from three different countries who solved more than 1.1 million problem sets using a dedicated mathematics software are analyzed regarding the effect of study time on students’ achievements in mathematics. Results showed that more study time led to higher performance scores in mathematics. Further analyses revealed that low-performing students in the first school year (2017-2018) who increased their study time in the following year (2018-2019) revealed greatest gains in performance in the same school year (2018-2019) and even in the year after (2019-2020). Finally, results replicated previous observations of robust performance scores within students over the three school years, with performance scores in 2017-2018 predicting those of 2018-2019 which predicted those of 2019-2020. These results support the idea that students, in particular low-performing students, can boost their academic abilities to upper levels when increasing their study time.