Grade retention and its association with school misconduct in adolescence: a multilevel approach

Few studies with respect to grade retention and school-disruptive behavior have focused on adolescence. Moreover, previous retention research has ignored multilevel issues. This study aims to fill these research lacunae by addressing the role of grade retention in adolescent students' school misconduct. Furthermore, we explore the role of the percentage of retained students at school in individual-level school misconduct and in moderating the relationship between retention and misconduct. Multilevel analyses of data (2004–2005) from 11,872 students in 85 Flemish secondary schools suggest that, while students retained in primary education exhibited less school misconduct in adolescence, those retained in secondary schools were more likely to break rules. Furthermore, students attending schools with a higher percentage of retainees were found to be more deviant. However, schools' retention composition moderated the relationship between grade retention and school misconduct. Implications are discussed.     

Modelling TIMSS Data in a European Comparative Perspective: Exploring Influencing Factors on Achievement in Mathematics in Grade 8

In international comparative studies like TIMSS data analysis is aimed at differences and similarities among education systems (countries). In this article the outcomes are presented of explorative path analysis on data collected with grade 8 students and classrooms in eight Western and two Central European education systems. For the 10 education systems the resulting general path model explains 19% or less of the variance in achievement in mathematics. In many systems home educational background and students’ attitude towards mathematics have a positive relation with achievement in mathematics, out-of-school activities a negative. Due to the psychometric quality of scales and non-availability of measures of important factors at classroom level (e.g., time on task and teacher’s expectation), no significant results were found of factors that can be manipulated by policy makers.     

Determinants of classroom environment in Queensland secondary schools: a multilevel reanalysis

This paper reports the reanalysis of data collected in a study of 3 determinants of classroom environment (viz. year level, subject, and school type) using multivariate analysis of variance and multilevel analysis. Data were collected from 2,211 students in Queensland Catholic and government schools. The Catholic School Classroom Environment Questionnaire, which assesses student affiliation, interactions, cooperation, task orientation, order and organisation, individualisation, and teacher control, was administered to the sample. The original multivariate analyses which used the class as the unit of analysis were supplemented by similar analyses using the student as the unit of analysis and multilevel analyses. While multilevel analyses yielded tests of significance results similar to multivariate analyses conducted with the class as the unit of analysis, effect sizes for the multilevel analyses were similar to those reported for multivariate tests conducted with the student as the unit of analysis.     

Achievement of first-year students at the university: a multilevel analysis of the role of background diversity and student engagement

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The massification and diversification of the student population who enters university has become a challenge for Higher Education institutions. A...     

School climate and psychosomatic health: a multilevel analysis

This study examined the importance of aspects of the school climate for adolescents' psychosomatic health using multilevel modelling. Analyses were based on 18,571 ninth-grade students distributed over 1,026 classes and 284 schools in the greater Stockholm area in 2004 and 2006. Both individual- and contextual-level associations between aspects of the school climate and student health were explored. While most of the aspects of the school climate under study were related to health at the individual level, only 2 of them seemed to convey an additional contextual effect reaching beyond the students who were directly affected. Thus, better health was found in classes where many students reported getting immediate teacher help with their schoolwork, and worse health was found in classes where harassment was more commonly reported. These findings remained when a number of school-contextual characteristics were adjusted for.     

Role of linguistic and sociocultural diversity in reading literacy achievement: a multilevel approach

This study examined how linguistic and sociocultural diversity have an impact on the reading literacy outcomes of a representative sample of 3,549 first‐language (L1) and 208 second‐language (L2) fourth‐grade students in the Netherlands. A multilevel modelling analysis was conducted using Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2006 data to explore to what extent linguistic background, socioeconomic status (SES), home and school literacy environment and reading attitudes explain differences in reading literacy achievement. Significant differences between L1 and L2 students were found with regard to reading literacy achievement, SES and the home and school literacy environment. Multilevel modelling analysis showed 34.7% of explained variance in reading literacy achievement, whereby the student level accounts for most of the explained variance. In the final model, linguistic background, SES, home and school literacy environment and reading attitudes were found to have a significant effect on reading literacy achievement.     

Examining big-fish-little-pond-effects across 49 countries: a multilevel latent variable modelling approach

Using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007, this study examined the big-fish-little-pond-effects (BFLPEs) in 49 countries. In this study, the effect of math ability on math self-concept was decomposed into a within- and a between-level components using implicit mean centring and the complex data structure was considered. Sampling error was thus reduced. In addition, measurement error was minimised by modelling math self-concept as a latent factor at both levels and multilevel measurement invariance was assessed in each country. The BFLPE in each country was a contextual effect modelled as the difference between the between-level and within-level effects. Results suggest that BFLPEs existed in most of those 49 countries but the phenomena were different in those countries. The findings also suggest that when perceived relative standing to classmates was added to the model, BFLPEs decreased. Compared with previous cross-national BFLPE studies, this study demonstrated larger BFLPEs in the academic subject of math in individual countries.     

Achievement Attributions of Sixth Grade Children and Their Parents

The present study examines the achievement attributions of Greek Cypriot students and their parents. Its aim was to investigate the role of parental and child achievement attributions as parameters of the child's actual school achievement and to examine the existing differences between attributions made by children and their parents. A total of 477 Sixth Grade Greek Cypriot students and their parents participated in the study. A structural equation model was constructed and its ability to fit the data was tested. It was found that child attributions of achievement to effort, ability and other internal factors are positively related to actual achievement, while attributions to luck and external factors are negatively related to achievement. This is in line with earlier findings. Parental and child attributions are not strongly and reliably related. Thus, claims that children develop their own attributions on the basis of their parents’ attributions were not supported. Gender differences were found, with females attributing their achievement to effort more than males did. Finally, underachievers tended to attribute their school performance to external factors (luck, role of others such as parents and teachers), while highly achieving students tended to attribute their performance to their own effort and other internal factors.     

It's just a Grade 8 girl thing: aggression in teenage girls1

We cannot live there any more. We are selling our home, pulling our children from their schools and moving, not far, only 20 kilometres, to a new community, to a new beginning. The reason—bullying or ‘what girls do’.     

Predicting reading success in a multilevel schoolwide reading model: a retrospective analysis

Despite recent research findings that implicate a long list of student variables that predict reading success or failure, these predictor variables have not been considered in the context of contemporary models of multitiered schoolwide reading intervention. This longitudinal, retrospective study follows 668 kindergarten and first-grade students identified as at risk for later reading difficulties through third grade. Key predictor variables were examined to determine their validity for predicting initial status and growth on oral reading fluency, third-grade oral reading fluency, and third-grade performance on a standardized test of reading. Results are provided in light of the instructional model provided. Implications for instruction and assessment are discussed.     

The Effects of Ability Grouping upon Achievement in Eleventh Grade American History

The basic assumption which nurtures the controversial practice of homogeneous ability grouping is that grouping students by some measure of ability reduces the range of learning differences, when compared with heterogeneous (random) grouping, and this narrowing of range aids the teaching and learning process. To test this assumption two cooperating high schools, one homogenously grouped and the other heterogeneously grouped, provided 120 matched pairs of Ss. The basic assumption was not upheld; heterogeneous students showed significantly greater achievement gain in 11th grade American history (q > .05), at all four levels of ability.     

Explaining technology integration in K-12 classrooms: a multilevel path analysis model

The purpose of this research was to design and test a model of classroom technology integration in the context of K-12 schools. The proposed multilevel path analysis model includes teacher, contextual, and school related variables on a teacher’s use of technology and confidence and comfort using technology as mediators of classroom technology integration. Data were collected from 1235 K-12 teachers, who were located in 336 schools in 41 districts across the state of Florida. The results suggest that a teacher’s experience with technology significantly influenced his or her classroom technology integration. Access to technology in classrooms and the availability of quality technology support were related to classroom technology integration. In addition, how frequently a teacher uses technology and his or her confidence and comfort using technology were mediators for classroom technology integration. These results provide preliminary evidence that the proposed model is both useful and relevant in explaining classroom technology integration in K-12 schools.     

A longitudinal analysis of gender differences in academic self-concept and language achievement: A multivariate multilevel latent growth approach

This study investigated the development of academic self-concept and language achievement from Grade 7 to Grade 12 by repeated assessment of 2826 Flemish adolescents in 50 secondary schools. Latent growth curve modeling showed that both girls and boys experience a declining academic self-concept during the period of secondary education and that girls declined at a faster rate. Furthermore, girls were shown to have an increase in Dutch language achievement over time, whereas boys showed a decrease in middle years, followed by an increase from Grade 9 on. The multivariate multilevel growth curve model suggested that the evolution of academic self-concept was not related to the evolution in achievement, neither at the individual level, nor at the school level. There is, however, a positive relation between students’ academic self-concept and their achievement, the magnitude of which decreased throughout secondary school. At the school level, the correlation is small, but also positive, except for the girls from Grade 10 on. The results are discussed in relation to the reciprocal effects model and the developmental perspective regarding the self-concept/achievement relation.     

2019美国数学竞赛(八年级)

1.甲、乙两人带着30元钱去三明治店.一个三明治卖4.5元,一杯饮料卖1元.他们打算用这30元钱买尽可能多的三明治,然后用剩下的钱买饮料.则饮料和三明治,他们一共可以买()件.(A)6(B)7(C)8(D)9(E)102.如图1,三个全等的矩形拼成一个矩形ABCD,其中,小矩形的短边长为5.     

Fluid intelligence as a predictor of learning: A longitudinal multilevel approach applied to math

The association between fluid intelligence and inter-individual differences was investigated using multilevel growth curve modeling applied to data measuring intra-individual improvement on math achievement tests. A sample of 166 students (88 boys and 78 girls), ranging in age from 11 to 14 (M = 12.3, SD = 0.64), was tested. These individuals took four math achievement tests, which were vertically equated via Item Response Theory, at the beginning and end of the seventh and eighth grade. The cognitive abilities studied were Numerical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Spatial Reasoning (as measured by the Differential Reasoning Test). The general cognitive factor was significantly associated with the parameters of initial level (intercept) and rate of change (slope). A high level of intelligence was associated with higher initial scores, as well as a steeper rise in math scores across the two years.     

Effects of Methylphenidate on Academic Achievement from First to Second Grade

The objectives of the current study were to identify the long‐term effects of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) on cognitive ability and academic achievement. A retrospective/longitudinal design was utilised in the study with dependent measures being scores from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). The study included 17 experimental subjects who were identified with ADHD and placed on Methylphenidate between first and second grade. For each experimental child, a control child without ADHD was matched based on gender, Verbal IQ score, and family structure. Results of the study revealed that the Methylphenidate group's achievement was lower both before and after medication even after being matched on verbal abilities. The results also indicated that after receiving medication the Methylphenidate group's rate of learning was similar to the Control groups on Reading, Word Analysis, Listening, Vocabulary, and overall achievement. Finally, a positive relationship between dosage level and Listening subtest scores was observed while a negative relationship was obtained between dosage level and Vocabulary subtest scores.     

Effects of Ritalin on Academic Achievement from First to Fifth Grade

This study was a continuation of the Alto and Frankenberger (1995) study that reported the effects of Ritalin on academic achievement from first to second grade. The objectives of the current study were to identify the long-term effects of Ritalin on cognitive ability and academic achievement. A retrospective/longitudinal design was utilised in the study with dependent measures being scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). The study included 13 experimental subjects who were identified with AD/HD and placed on Ritalin between first and second grade. For each experimental child, a contrast child without AD/HD was matched based on gender, Verbal IQ score, and family structure. Results of the study revealed that generally, the Ritalin group's cognitive and achievement scores were lower before medication and the groups tended to continue to diverge after medication was administered. Dosage levels for the children in the Ritalin group tended to be increased over time and few of the children in general education classes received supplementary educational programs.