An Experiment with the SRA Reading Laboratory at Grade Two

Abstract

In phases one and two, 954 second graders followed similar basal reading programs during the school year, but 534 of the pupils had added, as a criterion variable, the SRA Reading Laboratory. Difference-in-mean tests of significance were applied to gains made in the areas of ten diagnostic subtests in phase one, and in phase two to gains made by three ability groups in three gross achievement areas. Eighteen classes participated in phase three to test by analysis of variance the effectiveness of the Laboratory as a total program. The study failed to disclose a single facet of reading achievement at Grade 2 for which the SRA Reading Laboratory is better suited than is a regular developmental program.     

Junior Primary in the Van Dyke Level Plan

Abstract

Attitudes toward school subjects were explored in a group of sixth graders. First, correlations were obtained between ratings of school subjects on the Semantic Differential (SD) and scores on corresponding subtests of the SRA Achievement Series. Significant positive correlations (p < .01) were observed for boys in social studies, arithmetic, and reading and for girls in reading. Second, achievement at the end of the year was predicted from IQ, achievement and SD scores at the beginning of the year. SD ratings contributed significantly to predictions only in the case of arithmetic for boys (p < .01). Third, SD ratings of school subjects at the beginning and end of the year were compared by an anlysis of variance procedure. For both boys and girls, attitudes were significantly less favorable for most subjects at the end of the year.     

Qualitative review synthesis: the relationship between inattention and academic achievement

Background: A body of literature has emerged that links inattentive symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to poor academic achievement. Major variation across studies renders conclusions about this relationship complex.

Purpose: This review will provide a qualitative synthesis of these studies that (1) use community samples and (2) examine inattention as a separate dimension from hyperactivity/impulsivity. The aim of this review is to ascertain whether the relationship documented between inattention and academic outcomes in ADHD also holds for the dimensional trait of inattention as manifest in non-clinical community samples of children and adolescents, taking into consideration both academic achievement and academic performance across age.

Design and methods: A comprehensive search was carried out using two databases. The PRISMA guidelines were used to report the search steps. The QUIPS tool was used to rate the quality of studies, followed by a best evidence synthesis to summarise these results.

Results: Out of 1748 citations found, 27 articles met the specific inclusion criteria. Results point to a strong effect according to the best evidence synthesis: 7 studies that have low risk of bias found that teacher-rated inattention is significantly predicative of poor academic achievement in community samples of children.

Conclusions: This review provides support for a consistent, negative relationship between classroom inattention as reported by teachers and both standardised academic test achievement and classroom performance outcomes for children in preschool (moderate evidence), elementary school and longitudinally from elementary to high school. The average relationship was stronger when classroom performance was measured, as compared to standardised achievement. However, the quantitative strength of relationship has not been confirmed with a meta-analysis due to heterogeneity and too few high-quality studies identified. Variance across the studies in terms of the strength of association suggests that other unexamined factors (e.g. cognitive function or motivation) may be contributing to this relationship. Implications for educators and clinicians who work within the school setting are discussed.     

Student Opportunity to Learn Related to Student Achievement of Objectives in a Probability Unit

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the relationship between pupil achievement of specified objectives and the opportunity to learn them. Opportunity to learn was measured by four counts of substantive teacher statements and teacher-pupil interchanges, these same counts given as percent of total interaction, a count of problems attempted per pupil, and a teacher rating of content emphasis. Twenty-three teachers taught a probability unit containing eighteen objectives to twenty-six classes. They gave a pretest, taught for three class periods, and gave a posttest. The design for the analysis was a two-way nested analysis of covariance. In general, the contention that a student’s achievement of an objective is related to the opportunity to learn the objective was supported. Other areas relating to achievement were teacher perception of emphasis, student work, and teacher information.     

The Relationship between Intelligence,Approaches to Learning and Academic Achievement

Three different tests of intelligence and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students were administered to 89 Norwegian undergraduate psychology students. The purpose was to investigate the relationship between intelligence, approaches to learning and academic achievement. Factor analysis supported a one-factor solution of the three intelligence tests as an expression of general intelligence. No relationship between general intelligence and approaches to learning was observed. The WAIS vocabulary test of intelligence and the surface approach to learning were negatively correlated. The WAIS vocabulary test of intelligence and the surface approach to learning predicted academic achievement. A curvilinear relationship between surface approach and academic achievement was observed. Multiple regression analysis showed interaction effects between deep-strategic and surface-strategic approaches to learning as predictors of academic achievement. The findings support the construct validity of approaches to learning due to its independence of intelligence.     

Reading Content that Interests Seventh,Eighth, and Ninth Grade Students

Abstract

In view of the current interest in the role teacher expectations play in the education of children, teachers in charge of eighteen special classes for educable mentally retarded (EMR) children were asked to indicate their expectations for each of their students for the year ahead. Tests administered at the beginning and end of a 3-semester period disclosed no statistical relationship between expectations and academic achievement.     

Experiences of violence and deficits in academic achievement among urban primary school children in Jamaica

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the relationship between children's experiences of three different types of violence and academic achievement among primary school children in Kingston, Jamaica.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 1300 children in grade 5 [mean (S.D.) age: 11 (0.5) years] from 29 government primary schools in urban areas of Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica, was conducted. Academic achievement (mathematics, reading, and spelling) was assessed using the Wide Range Achievement Test. Children's experiences of three types of violence – exposure to aggression among peers at school, physical punishment at school, and exposure to community violence – were assessed by self-report using an interviewer administered questionnaire.ResultsFifty-eight percent of the children experienced moderate or high levels of all three types of violence. Boys had poorer academic achievement and experienced higher levels of aggression among peers and physical punishment at school than girls. Children's experiences of the three types of violence were independently associated with all three indices of academic achievement. There was a dose–response relationship between children's experiences of violence and academic achievement with children experiencing higher levels of violence having the poorest academic achievement and children experiencing moderate levels having poorer achievement than those experiencing little or none.ConclusionsExposure to three different types of violence was independently associated with poor school achievement among children attending government, urban schools in Jamaica. Programs are needed in schools to reduce the levels of aggression among students and the use of physical punishment by teachers and to provide support for children exposed to community violence.Practice implicationsChildren in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean experience significant amounts of violence in their homes, communities, and schools. In this study, we demonstrate a dose–response relationship between primary school children's experiences of three different types of violence and their academic achievement. The study points to the need for validated violence prevention programs to be introduced in Jamaican primary schools. Such programs need to train teachers in appropriate classroom management and discipline strategies and to promote children's social and emotional competence and prevent aggression.     

Relationship Between Peer Orientation and Achievement in Cooperative Learning-Based Research Methodology Courses

Abstract

The capability of the relationship between peer orientation and achievement to remain in research methodology courses when cooperative learning techniques are introduced was investigated. Participants comprised 159 students enrolled in 7 sections of a graduate-level research methodology course at a southern university over 2 semesters. The students, who were administered a learning-style instrument, were enrolled in sections in which cooperative-learning groups were formed to undertake the major course requirements. Findings revealed a small but statistically significant relationship between peer orientation and achievement; students who were more oriented toward cooperative learning attained lower levels of achievement than did those who did not have an orientation toward cooperative learning. Further research is warranted.     

Rank in High School Graduating Classes of Various Sizes as a Predictor of College Grades

Abstract

To explore the relationship between chance in student attitudes toward a class in which they were participating and final achievement in that class, five equivalent forms of a 26-item attitude scale were administered at two-week intervals to 573 university students In three courses. Coefficients of correlation between the various sequential attitude scores and final achievement, with aptitude held constants were computed in the three situations. Some evidence was found to support the hypothesis that attitudes become progressively more closely related to final achievement throughout the period of Instruction     

Young Spanish-English speaking children’s reading attitudes in relation to language skills

Background: Reading attitudes are recognised as an influencing factor on the language and literacy achievement of school age monolingual English-speaking children. The relationship between reading attitudes and achievement in young Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs) remains understudied.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to describe reading attitudes of young Spanish-speaking ELs and to examine the relationship between attitudes and language performance.

Method: The investigators utilised the Elementary Reading Attitudes Survey (ERAS) with 204 participants: 100 ELs in kindergarten and 104 in first grade. Investigators administered standardised measures of language and literacy performance. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between attitudes and performance on language assessments.

Findings: Significant mean differences were observed between girls and boys, with girls showing more positive attitudes towards recreational reading. Phonological awareness skills showed a significant strong correlation with academic reading attitudes for children in kindergarten. Spanish receptive vocabulary showed significant positive correlation with reading attitudes. No significant grade differences were found in overall mean reading attitudes.

Conclusions: Overall, students in both grades demonstrated generally positive attitudes towards reading, despite potential language barriers. Findings substantiate a positive relationship between reading attitudes and receptive vocabulary, and phonological awareness skills in young children.     

Extroversion as a Factor Conditioning AchieveMent in the Fifth and Sixth Grades of the Elementary School

Abstract

One-hundred-eighty-five hig-school junior and senior students were classified as underachievers, overachievers, and achievers, by percent lie rank positions on CEE11 scores and achievement tests In mathematics. An examination was made of the relationship of facilitating: and debilitating anxiety and four teacher motivation cues to the three levels of scholastic achievement. Girls were more sensitive than the hoys to the motive-arousing: cues provided by their teachers, yet differential sex and group reactions were reported In the perception of teacher cues. Facilitating as well as debilitating anxiety was a determining variable for both sexes on all three achieving groups.     

A meta‐analysis of the relationship between student attitudes towards reading and achievement in reading

A meta‐analysis of the relationship between attitudes in reading and achievement in reading was conducted to provide a statistical summary to the observed variability in the magnitude of previously reported effect sizes. A total of 32 studies, with a total sample size of 224,615 were used, and included a total of 118 effect sizes. A multi‐level approach was used in meta‐analysis to determine if variance in the magnitude of effect sizes could be partitioned to study (level 1) and moderator (level 2) levels by using a mixed model approach. Results from the meta‐analysis indicated that the mean strength of the relationship between reading attitudes and achievement is moderate (Z_r=.32), while stronger for students in elementary school (Z_r=.44) when compared with middle school students (Z_r=.24). Findings related to selected moderator variables are discussed, with suggestions for future research.     

Perinatal mental health and risk of child maltreatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundMental health problems in parents have been identified as a risk factor for child maltreatment. The perinatal period (from conception to 1 year) is a critical period but it is unclear whether perinatal mental health problems are also associated with increased risk.ObjectiveTo review evidence on perinatal mental health and risk of child maltreatment.MethodsSearches were conducted on six databases and 24 studies reported in 30 papers identified. Studies were conducted in seven countries, mainly the USA (n = 14). Sample sizes ranged from 48-14,893 and most examined mothers (n = 17). Studies were conducted in community (n = 17) or high-risk (n = 7) samples.ResultsThe majority of studies found a relationship between parental perinatal mental health problems and risk of child maltreatment, but inconsistent findings were observed between and within studies. The few studies that examined fathers (n = 6) all found a relationship between fathers’ mental health and risk of child maltreatment. Meta-analysis of 17 studies (n = 22,042) showed perinatal mental health problems increased risk of child maltreatment by OR 3.04 (95% CI 2.29–4.03). This relationship was moderated by type of sample, with larger effects for risk of child maltreatment in high-risk samples. The relationship was not moderated by type of mental illness, child maltreatment; methodological or measurement factors.ConclusionThe association between perinatal mental health and risk of child maltreatment is similar to that observed at other times during childhood. Methodological heterogeneity and inconsistent findings mean conclusions are tentative and need to be considered alongside other individual, family and social/cultural risk factors.     

An Experiment in the Teaching of General Psychology

Abstract

This study involves investigation of the relationships between a number of sociological background variables (including general categories of Social Class, Family Structure, Sibling Structure, and Religion) and school achievement at various periods in the child's academic career. The twelve achievement variables were organized into categories of Intelligence, Objective Achievement, Early Citizenship, High School Achievement, and After School Aspirations. The data was obtained from school files for 663 high-school graduates in a Midwestern city.

Using a regression analysis, significant relationships between sociological variables and achievement were examined. Each relationship was further investigated with the variables of socio-economic status and intelligence held constant in order to eliminate the effects of these two well-known predictive variables.     

Relationship between affect and achievement in science and mathematics in Malaysia and Singapore

Background : The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assesses the quality of the teaching and learning of science and mathematics among Grades 4 and 8 students across participating countries.

Purpose : This study explored the relationship between positive affect towards science and mathematics and achievement in science and mathematics among Malaysian and Singaporean Grade 8 students.

Sample : In total, 4466 Malaysia students and 4599 Singaporean students from Grade 8 who participated in TIMSS 2007 were involved in this study.

Design and method : Students’ achievement scores on eight items in the survey instrument that were reported in TIMSS 2007 were used as the dependent variable in the analysis. Students’ scores on four items in the TIMSS 2007 survey instrument pertaining to students’ affect towards science and mathematics together with students’ gender, language spoken at home and parental education were used as the independent variables.

Results : Positive affect towards science and mathematics indicated statistically significant predictive effects on achievement in the two subjects for both Malaysian and Singaporean Grade 8 students. There were statistically significant predictive effects on mathematics achievement for the students’ gender, language spoken at home and parental education for both Malaysian and Singaporean students, with R ² = 0.18 and 0.21, respectively. However, only parental education showed statistically significant predictive effects on science achievement for both countries. For Singapore, language spoken at home also demonstrated statistically significant predictive effects on science achievement, whereas gender did not. For Malaysia, neither gender nor language spoken at home had statistically significant predictive effects on science achievement.

Conclusions : It is important for educators to consider implementing self-concept enhancement intervention programmes by incorporating ‘affect’ components of academic self-concept in order to develop students’ talents and promote academic excellence in science and mathematics.     

The Complex Model of Television Viewing and Educational Achievement

Abstract

Six studies containing data obtained from over 1 million students in elementary, intermediate, and high school were meta-analyzed to examine the relationship between amount of television viewing and educational achievement. The findings led to the formulation of the complex viewing—achievement model. According to the model, the function relating achievement to viewing can be described as an inverted check mark. For small amounts of viewing, achievement increased with viewing, but as viewing increased beyond a certain point, achievement decreased. That function was found for each of the 3 ages studied, but optimal viewing time—the apex of the function—was different at each age and decreased with the age of the students.     

Relationship between sociometric types and academic achievement in a sample of compulsory secondary education students / Relación entre tipos sociométricos y rendimiento académico en una muestra de estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between sociometric types, behavioural categories and academic achievement in a sample of 1,349 compulsory secondary education students (51.7% boys), ranging in age from 12 to 16 years. The students’ sociometric identification was performed by using the Programa Socio and academic performance was measured by school marks provided by teachers in the subjects of Spanish language, mathematics and average academic performance. The results show that sociometric types were significant predictors of academic achievement, as students who were rated positively by their peers (popular, leaders, collaborators and good students) were more likely to have high academic achievement (in mathematics, Spanish language and average academic achievement) than students rated negatively by peers (rejected-aggressive, rejected-shy, neglected and bullies).     

Teacher Qualifications and School District Quality

Abstract

The WISC subtest patterns of 87 fourth-grade males were analyzed to determine the relationship between the patterns and reading achievement and social-class. All social-class effects and interactions involving social-class were nonsignificant, Scores on three Verbal Scale subtests (Arithmetic, Similarities, and Digit Span) and one Performance Scale subtest (Picture Completion) were found to be significantly related to reading achievement.     

Rethinking the Relationship Between Reading and Behavior in Early Elementary School

ABSTRACT

Considerable research has investigated the link between academic achievement and social behavior. The authors set the context for their work by reviewing some of the research that has been done. To address similarities and limitations in previous research, they included concurrent ratings of behavior from teachers and children's performance on multiple measures of reading in their analyses. The authors provide an empirical analysis of the relationship between behavior and achievement using structural equation modeling that illustrated comparable outcomes to previous research and discuss their findings as a base for directing attention to the importance of teaching behavior as well as academic skills in efforts to prevent learning problems and failure in school.