A comparison of learning and motivation among high school students

The academic performance of minority high school students, particularly in urban inner-city settings, is of great interest to educators and individuals concerned with the academic development of these students. It is widely recognized that in order to positively influence academic achievement related factors such as learning and study behavior, motivation, attitudes, self-concept, and other pertinent psychosocial characteristics should also be targeted for positive change. The present study compared 20 sophomore students who participated in a special program and 128 of their nonprogram peers on achievement and related measures. The program at a target high school was structured to positively impact achievement, as well as related student behavior and attributes. Significant differences were found on achievement, attendance, learning and study behavior and skills, self-concept, and other pertinent psychosocial attributes.     

Effects of a Learner-Centred Environment on the Academic Competence and Motivation of Students at Risk

This study examined the efficacy of a learner-centred environment in enhancing the academic achievements and motivation of high school students who are at risk of dropping out of school. Three groups of students at high academic risk were compared. The control group consisted of students who are exposed to a remedial academic program in a traditional school context, and the experimental groups consisted of students enrolled at schools that have implemented a structured academic program in a learner-centred environment. It is shown that a learner-centred environment yields significantly higher achievement scores and a somewhat higher internal motivational orientation. These results suggest that a structured academic program in a learner-centred environment could provide hope for students at academic risk and other students who are likely to be lost to the academic educational system.     

Caregiving Practices of Low-Income Adolescent Mothers and the Academic Competence of Their First-Grade Children

Objective. This study examines the relation between the caregiving practices of teenage mothers and the academic performances of their children in first grade. Design. The teenage mothers were involved in a family support program, and data were collected on the sample for 7 years (the prenatal period through first grade). The sample included 89 children who participated in the first-grade follow-up and who resided with their biological mothers. Children's school performance was assessed with an achievement test in the fall semester of first grade and with teachers' ratings of academic performance at the end of the spring semester. Caregiving practices were assessed by both the research team and the family advocates who worked with the young mothers during the 5-year family support program; mothers also reported on home support for academic achievement during the first-grade interview. Results. Measures of home environment, advocates' ratings of parenting, and mothers' self-report of support for achievement were positively correlated with children's achievement in first grade. Conclusions. Results from multiple regression analyses were consistent with the view that differences in parenting prior to school entry and in maternal support for achievement once the child enters school are predictive of individual differences in first-grade achievement among children born to low-income adolescent mothers.     

Achievement and Climate Outcomes for the Knowledge is Power Program in an Inner-City Middle School

This study was designed to examine the effects of a whole school reform, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), specifically designed to raise academic achievement of at-risk urban middle school students by establishing an extended school day and year, a rigorous curriculum, after-school access to teachers, and increased family-school connections. In our mixed-methods design, qualitative (interview and observation) and quantitative (survey and achievement test) measures are employed to determine first-year program implementation and student outcomes for the KIPP:DIAMOND (Daring Individual Achievers Making Outstanding New Dreams) Academy (KIPP:DA), an inner-city school in a large, high-poverty urban district. For the achievement analyses, 49 KIPP:DA students were individually matched to highly comparable control students of the same ethnicity, socioeconmic status, gender, and ability, who attended different district schools in the same neighborhood. Statistically significant and educationally meaningful advantages for KIPP:DA students were found on 4 out of 6 standardized tests. The achievement results are interpreted in relation to the key program elements, the positive school climate established, and the quality of the 1st-year implementation.     

Does lengthening the school day increase students’ academic achievement? Results from a natural experiment in Chile

This study (an impact evaluation of the Chilean full school day program) uses difference-in-differences to estimate the effect of a large increase in instructional time on high school students’ academic achievement. The main findings are (i) the program had a positive effect on students’ achievement in both mathematics and language; (ii) the effect-size on language achievement was 0.05–0.07 standard deviations and not sensitive to control for covariates, different control groups, and historical trends; (iii) the effect on mathematics achievement was not sensitive to control for covariates, but was sensitive to use different control groups, and historical trends; the effect-size on mathematics achievement ranged from 0.00 to 0.12 standard deviations; and (iv) the program effect has been constant over time. Finally, there is evidence suggesting that the program had larger positive effects on rural students, students who attended public schools, and students situated in the upper part of the achievement distribution.     

Exploring academic achievement in males trained in self-assessment skills

This paper examines academic achievement of males following formal training in self-assessment. It adds to current literature by proposing a tried-and-tested method of improving academic achievement in males at a time when they appear to be marginalised. The sample comprised 515 participants (233 males), representing 25.2% of that high school leaving cohort in a small Caribbean country. Academic achievement was examined in all subjects taken by participants at a regional examination. Examination results indicate that males who were formally trained in self-assessment skills outperformed their untrained male counterparts. Implications for teaching and learning are explored and several practical suggestions are offered.     

THE ROLE OF SCHOOL LEVEL PROTECTIVE FACTORS IN OVERCOMING CUMULATIVE RISK FOR BEHAVIOR DIFFICULTIES IN CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES

The study investigated whether school‐level protective factors could moderate the effects cumulative risk has upon behavior difficulties in children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The sample comprised 4,288 children identified with SEND: 2,660 pupils within 248 primary schools, and 1,628 pupils within 57 secondary schools. Risk factors associated with increases in behavior difficulties over an 18‐month period were summed to a cumulative risk score. Various school‐level factors were added to multilevel models, with interaction terms computed between cumulative risk and these variables to assess their potential protective effects. The primary school model revealed a significant interaction between cumulative risk and school academic achievement in predicting behavior difficulties. Higher levels of achievement in primary schools help reduce behavior difficulties for children most at risk. The secondary school model evidenced a significant interaction between cumulative risk and school percentage of students eligible for free school meals (FSM). Lower proportions within a school of children eligible for FSM were associated with reductions in behavior difficulties for children at high levels of risk. Interventions aimed at improving school‐level academic achievement and targeting high‐risk students attending schools with large proportions of children eligible for FSM would be beneficial.     

Not just for poor kids: The impact of universal free school breakfast on meal participation and student outcomes

This paper examines the impact of the implementation of a universal free school breakfast policy on meals program participation, attendance, and academic achievement. In 2003, New York City made school breakfast free for all students regardless of income, while increasing the price of lunch for those ineligible for meal subsidies. Using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy, we derive plausibly causal estimates of the policy's impact by exploiting within and between group variation in school meal pricing before and after the policy change. Our estimates suggest that the policy resulted in small increases in breakfast participation both for students who experienced a decrease in the price of breakfast and for free-lunch eligible students who experienced no price change. The latter suggests that universal provision may alter behavior through mechanisms other than price, highlighting the potential merits of universal provision over targeted services. We find limited evidence of policy impacts on academic outcomes.     

Home Visiting Among Inner-City Families: Links to Early Academic Achievement

This study examines the long-term effects of a home visiting program, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, on students from mostly low-income, Latino families (n = 254). Children who were in the home visiting program during their early years were compared with a similar demographic group who participated in prekindergarten in the same inner-city area but did not participate in home visiting. Data linked participation in home visiting to state test scores and other information from public schools through the end of elementary school. Research Findings: Secondary data analyses tested for intervention effects on reading and math achievement in an urban school district using 4 waves of data covering kindergarten through 5th grade. Growth curve modeling showed that participation in home visiting predicted higher academic achievement through the 5th grade. Practice or Policy: Parent-focused intervention during early childhood appears to have a lasting impact on children’s achievement. In addition to parent engagement, quality school curriculum and quality instruction affect achievement in elementary school. A comprehensive curriculum focus throughout the early school years should be implemented regardless of preparation for high-stakes testing.     

Context of academic achievement: lessons from Hong Kong

Vygotsky speculated that parents play an important role in the intellectual development of their children, and that this role includes the transfer of expectations related to their children's academic achievement. Consequently, different parents can produce different contexts of academic achievement for their children. The participants were 215 Primary 5 and 6 students from four primary schools in Hong Kong, and their parents. Students were administered a test of working memory and their academic achievement was indicated by their school‐assessed mathematics and language achievement scores. Parents reported their expectations of their children's academic achievement, the extent of their home and school involvement, and their educational and income levels. Correlational and sequential regression analyses showed that different schools yielded different contexts of academic achievement. The results support the hypothesis that parents, and especially parental expectations, play an important role in children's academic achievement, and that within Hong Kong different schools can be characterised by different contexts of achievement.     

The Influence of Perceived Poverty and Academic Achievement on School Counselor Conceptualization

This analog study presented 173 practicing school counselors with one of four case scenarios depicting a student new to their school. Each scenario manipulated one of two levels of the independent variables, which were perceived poverty and academic achievement. Main effects indicate that participants rated students as more attractive counseling participants when they are perceived as poor and/or strong academic performers. Implications for school counselors and further research are discussed.     

A longitudinal study of the predictive validity of the system of multicultural pluralstic assessment (SOMPA)

The System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) was initially administered to 700 Anglo, 700 Black, and 700 Hispanic children in California elementary schools in order to develop a nonbiased testing program. Ten years later, 1184 of the original 2100 youths were again tested with the SOMPA in high school. At that time, academic achievement and parental interview data also were collected. The results indicate that: (a) Mean achievement test scores and GPAs for the high school students showed that Anglos obtained higher scores than Hispanics, who received higher scores than Blacks. (b) Among the various medical measures, the Bender Gestalt, Fine Motor Sequencing and Finger-Tongue Dexterity tests of the SOMPA were the only ones able to consistently differentiate between youth who did poorly and those who did well academically ten years after their initial testing. (c) Scores on the 1972 IQ test (WISC-R) showed moderate correlations with achievement test scores ten years later. (d) 1972 IQ scores showed low but reliable correlations with GPAs ten years later. (e) In only a very few instances were IQ correlations with achievement test scores higher for minorities than for Anglos. (f) IQ correlated less well with GPA than with achievement test scores for all three ethnic groups. (g) An adjusted IQ, called Estimated Learning Potential (ELP), was more predictive of school achievement than was verbal IQ, particularly for Blacks in the lowest sociocultural quartile. (h) In the second lowest sociocultural quartile, the VIQ correlations with academic measures were reliably higher than the VIQ-ELP correlations, but only for the Anglo and total groups. (i) In the upper two sociocultural quartiles, for all ethnic groups combined, VIQ correlated slightly, but significantly, higher than ELP with school achievement. (j) Also in the upper two quartiles, VIQ correlated higher with academic measures than did VIQ-ELP for both Blacks and Hispanics in almost half of the comparisons. In conclusion, it appears that some subtests of the SOMPA may have some validity for predicting school achievement for students from different ethnic groups.     

School behavior and attendance during the first year of treatment for childhood cancer

The school behavior of children with cancer and hemophilia is a relatively new area of interest and investigation. Children with cancer have been described as having increased school absenteeism and a self-protecting posture. The school behavior and achievement of children with cancer and hemophilia were rated by their teachers before and after first being seen in a large pediatric center. No pre-vs-post diagnosis differences were noted on academic and behavior ratings with either the cancer or hemophilia children. School absenteeism for the children with cancer was four times greater than that of healthy children, and absenteeism of children with hemophilia was twice normal. A substantial percentage of children with cancer was rated as having academic performance affected to at least a moderate degree. The school performance and behavior of children with cancer and hemophilia need to be monitored and appropriate educational adjustment made to accommodate the limitations imposed by these medical conditions.     

High-Quality 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Academic Achievement Among Frequent Participants and Non-Participants

This study examined academic differences between students who attended 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) programs frequently (60 or more days) and matched nonattendees during the 2008–2009 school year. Schools included in the study represented only those centers found to be implementing high-quality programming, as measured by a strenuous site visit process in Indiana. Significant interactions between program attendance and fall academic achievement predicted performance on the spring tests in both math and reading. Simple effects were only shown for math, in which program attendees who failed the test in the fall scored higher than non-participants. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

The determinants of student achievement in Turkey

Recent achievement test results show that Turkish students have been performing poorly compared to students from other countries. Using science literacy results from the PISA 2006 survey, we aim to measure the determinants of student achievement in Turkey within the education production function framework. We find that program types have large effects on student achievement. Since many students are allocated across program types as a result of a centralized exam, we try to control for past academic achievement and also for differences in the average socioeconomic background of students in a given school. The results indicate that students cluster in schools according to their socioeconomic background, and previous academic record is important, however, the effects of program types persist. Policies to augment socioeconomic background, such as conditional cash transfers and lifelong learning programs that prioritize parents will increase educational output.     

A high school follow-up of children who were nonpromoted or attended a junior first grade

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of repeating a grade or participating in a junior first-grade program. High school students (N = 137) answered a questionnaire concerning their experience with grade retention or a transitional year while in elementary school. In addition, we collected data on past academic performance from the students' school records. Groups of students were composed of former participants in the junior first program, students who had been retained in a grade, and matched controls. Attitudes towards nonpromotion and the junior first program were positive and, among all three groups, there were few important differences in opinion. In high school, however, measures of academic competence indicated there were performance differences between the groups. Participants in the junior first program were at par with peers, whereas grade repeaters made less progress in high school and had lower mathematics grades. The later in school the grade retention, the poorer the academic performance.     

Cognitive Control Predicts Academic Achievement in Kindergarten Children

Children's ability to shift behavior in response to changing environmental demands is critical for successful intellectual functioning. While the processes underlying the development of cognitive control have been thoroughly investigated, its functioning in an ecologically relevant setting such as school is less well understood. Given the alarming number of children who face failure in the U.S. school system, the purpose of this project is to determine whether subtly different measures of cognitive control differentially predict academic achievement. Sixty‐five kindergarten children were given two versions of a Dimensional Change Card Sort task—a geometric version followed by a linguistic version. Educational outcomes consisted of a standardized measure of academic achievement as well as assessments used by the school district. Results revealed that cognitive control, particularly as assessed by the linguistic variant, predicted children's academic performance on math and school‐based assessments, thereby suggesting that deficient cognitive control negatively impacts educational success.     

Generation Psy: Student characteristics and academic achievement in a three-year problem-based learning bachelor program

This study investigated the simultaneous impact of demographic, personality, intelligence, and (prior) study performance factors on students' academic achievement in a three-year academic problem-based psychology program. Information regarding students' gender, age, nationality, pre-university education, high school grades, Big Five personality traits, intelligence (i.e., numerical, verbal, spatial), observed learning activities, and self-study time was collected among almost 1800 students enrolled in this psychology bachelor program at Erasmus University Rotterdam between 2003 and 2009. Academic achievement was measured by students' yearly number of acquired credit points, a course test, and a knowledge progress test. Multiple regression analyses showed that observed learning activities, first- and second-year performance, high school grades, conscientiousness, and verbal ability were most strongly and consistently related to academic achievement in the bachelor. Other student factors also contributed to academic achievement, but their influence was less prominent and mainly restricted to the first year. These results suggest that (prior) educational achievements and observable learning activities are most important for academic success in a problem-based learning bachelor program.     

Exploring the Influence of Efficacy Beliefs and Homework Help in Predicting Reading Achievement Among Underserved Children in an Afterschool Program

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a local afterschool program in helping underserved elementary school students improve their reading achievement. The study followed a cohort of students with 28 participants who were low-income, ethnic minority children in the 1st–6th grades between the ages of 6 and 12. Data on students’ developmental assets and school progress were collected at two different time points. Overall, students showed increased perceptions of efficacy about having the ability and skills to do well on a task and getting good grades in school, as well as improvements in reading achievement over time. While changes in homework completion predicted changes in reading achievement, changes in efficacy beliefs and program exposure did not. Results suggest that teacher perceptions of homework completion may be an important pathway through which afterschool programs can help narrow the reading achievement gap experienced by ethnic minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds.     

Scales for Measuring Results of Physics Teaching

ABSTRACT

The Advanced Placement (AP) program is an educational program that permits high school students to take introductory college-level courses and receive college credit by passing a standardized end-of-course exam. Data were obtained from a statewide database of 2 high school graduating cohorts (N = 90,044). We used a series of propensity score analyses and marginal mean weighting through stratification to examine the impact of the AP program on students' academic achievement as measured by ACT scores. Results indicate that merely enrolling in an AP course produces very little benefit for students. Students who take and pass the AP exam, however, obtain higher ACT scores, even after controlling for a wide variety of academic, socioeconomic, and demographic variables. The authors conclude the article by discussing aspects of the AP program that remain unanswered.