Longitudinal associations of student–teacher relationships and behavioural and emotional strengths on academic achievement

Positive student–teacher relationships are related to students’ academic achievement and behavioural and emotional adjustment. How a student’s behavioural and emotional strengths are associated with these relationships and how the relationships influence students’ academic performance remains unknown. We examined this framework using a cross-lagged panel model with a group of Finnish students and their parents from Grade 5 to Grade 7. The results revealed that the parents rated behavioural and emotional strengths are stable over a 1-year (r = .78) and 2-year (r = .71) period and that students’ perceptions of student–teacher relationships demonstrated greater change over time (r’s = .54, .35). Behavioural and emotional strengths demonstrated a positive relationship with student–teacher relationships as well as academic achievement (β = .39, p < .01). Strengths were also indirectly associated with academic achievement via student–teacher relationships. Study limitations, implications and future research are discussed.     

The relationship between teaching practices and student achievement in first year classes

This study investigated the links between the teaching practices of primary school teachers (n = 200) who were observed while presenting a new text to their first year classes, and the student achievement levels in those classes. The teaching practices are specifically concerned with the way the teachers supported and encouraged students’ activities during verbal interactions. Two different populations were observed: classes of first year students with a reduced teacher–student ratio (about ten students per class) and classes with a normal teacher–student ratio (between 20 and 25 students per class). We found that the average level of student achievement in the reduced size classes was higher than in the standard size classes but that teaching practices differed only at precise periods of group or individual introduction to new reading texts. In these periods, we found links between teaching practices and student achievement.     

The Consequences of Portfolio Assessment: A Case Study

This article contains findings from a yearlong case study of a quasi-experiment of a language arts portfolio assessment system in a northern California middle school. Students in the alternative assessment classrooms were issued report card grades determined by an external examination committee made up of local English teachers who applied a locally developed rubric to student portfolios. In contrast. students in the customary assessment classrooms were issued report card grades determined by individual classroom teachers. Measures of reading achievement, writing achievement, and motivational goal orientation examined the effects of placement in 1 or the other assessment condition. A significant effect on reading achievement favored the alternative assessment students. No significant effect on writing achievement was found. Students in the alternative assessment classrooms registered significantly higher levels of learning-goal orientation than did students in the customary classrooms, but there were no differences on scales measuring advancement and approval-goal orientations. Qualitative data are presented that illuminate the quantitative findings. In this article, I discuss why the school chose not to adopt the portfolio assessment system schoolwide, despite substantial evidence that students learned more in the portfolio classrooms than other students learned in the nonportfolio classrooms. I conclude that portfolio assessment systems are unlikely to be used to their full potential, even if they are shown to be effective instructional tools, if adequate resources are not allocated for their implementation.     

Adjustment to College as Measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: A Quantitative Review of its Structure and Relationships with Correlates and Consequences

This paper presents a meta-analytic review (k = 237, N = 44,668) of the adjustment to college literature. The review, based on studies using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, is organized around three primary themes: (1) the structure of students’ adjustment to college, (2) the relationship of adjustment to college constructs with possible antecedents and correlates, and (3) the relationship of adjustment to college constructs with college grades and college retention. Meta-analytic results indicate that adjustment to college is multidimensional, predictive of college grades, and an unusually good predictor of college retention. Adjustment to college is also shown to be moderately related to individual traits, social support, and students’ relationships with their parents. Weaker relationships are evident with demographic variables, prior achievement, coping approaches, and variables that reflect students’ psychological independence from their parents. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of students’ adjustment to college, academic performance, and retention are discussed.     

What are the affective and social outcomes for low-achieving students within an inclusive school in Hong Kong?

In response to several major curriculum reforms in Hong Kong since 2000, schools were required to initiate policies that catered for learner diversity. As well academic achievement, the reforms also emphasized the affective and social outcomes of the learning experience. A whole-school approach to learner diversity includes students with low academic achievement and mild disabilities, with schools being free to develop policies and practices inline with the needs of the students, teachers, and parents. Against the Chinese cultural context, where high academic achievement is highly valued, this study describes the affective and social outcomes of students in one Hong Kong primary school that streamed students according to achievement level. Four hundred and ten students across Primary 3–5 responded to four instruments measuring academic self-concept, alienation from school, teacher–students relationship, and social integration. The responses showed that, when studying the regular curriculum, students in the low-achievement group reported greater levels of alienation and lowest levels of social integration compared with students with the highest levels of achievement. On the other hand, low-achieving students who studied a differentiated curriculum reported affective and social outcomes more consistent with the responses from the high-achieving students. The results suggest that there is a mismatch between the aims and practice of the educational policy reflecting learner diversity and the cultural expectations of both parents and students.     

Problem-Based Learning in 9th Grade Chemistry Class: ‘Intermolecular Forces’

This research study aims to examine the effectiveness of a problem-based learning (PBL) on 9th grade students’ understanding of intermolecular forces (dipole–dipole forces, London dispersion forces and hydrogen bonding). The student’s alternate conceptions about intermolecular bonding and their beliefs about PBL were also measured. Seventy-eight 9th grade students were stratified by cognitive levels and then randomly assigned to experimental (PBL, 40 students) and control (lecture-style teaching, 38 students) groups. Following a preparatory lesson where activation and remediation of existing knowledge occur, a pre-test was given, and no significant difference was found between the two groups of students (p > .05). After the instruction was completed, a post-test and also a questionnaire related to the quality of the problem, the teacher’s role and group functioning were administered. Results from the post-test of both groups (p < .05) and questionnaire showed that PBL is affective on students’ achievement, remedying formation of alternate conceptions and also social skills.     

Attachment in the Classroom

Attachment influences students’ school success. This is true of students’ attachment to their parents, as well as to their teachers. Secure attachment is associated with higher grades and standardized test scores compared to insecure attachment. Secure attachment is also associated with greater emotional regulation, social competence, and willingness to take on challenges, and with lower levels of ADHD and delinquency, each of which in turn is associated with higher achievement. These effects tend to be stronger for high-risk students. In this era of accountability, enhancing teacher–student relationships is not merely an add-on, but rather is fundamental to raising achievement. Understanding the role of attachment in the classroom will help educators be more effective, particularly with challenging students. Twelve suggestions to improve teacher–student relationships and school bonding are provided.     

Further evidence for teacher knowledge: supporting struggling readers in grades three through five

We report the results of a study with 30 teachers designed to examine the effects of teacher knowledge on the achievement of struggling readers. We worked with teachers of grades three, four, and five during a 10-day intervention focused on literacy instruction and related linguistic knowledge, and we assessed their students’ learning across the year. Hierarchical models of student outcomes indicated that lower-performing students in intervention classrooms showed significantly higher levels of performance at year end on all literacy measures, compared with their peers in control classrooms (n = 140). In addition, teacher’s linguistic knowledge was related to improved student performance, regardless of condition. Additional analyses including all students (n = 718) indicated that benefits for the lower performing students in intervention classrooms were shared by their classmates, but to a more limited extent.     

English vocabulary trajectories of students whose parents speak a language other than English: steep trajectories and sharp summer setback

In this study, I used individual growth modeling methods to examine the English word-learning trajectories of adolescent students (N = 278) whose parents speak English at home (n = 210) and those whose parents speak a language other than English (n = 68). Sixth- (n = 130) and seventh-grade (n = 148) students attending an urban middle school took part in the study, with each student contributing up to four occasions of vocabulary-achievement data across three school years. I used the group reading and diagnostic evaluation (GRADE), a 40-item, group-administered assessment to measure vocabulary achievement. Students also provided information about the amount of time they spent reading independently during the summer and during the school year. Principal predictor variables included days between assessments, student home language, student free and reduced lunch status, time spent independent reading, and a dummy variable for the number of summers experienced between testing periods. On average, middle-school students experienced a loss of vocabulary over the summer, however students who spoke a language other than English at home had more pronounced summer setback and steeper learning trajectories, even when controlling for well-known predictors of vocabulary like independent reading and predictors of summer loss like free and reduced lunch status. These findings corroborate research showing low-income students experience summer loss, but suggest that in urban schools serving mostly low-income students, home-language status may be a stronger predictor of summer loss than socio-economic status or reading amount.     

Teachers' Assessment Practices: Preparation,Isolation, and the Kitchen Sink

A sample of 143 midwestern elementary and secondary school teachers from a variety of practice settings responded to a survey and provided comments regarding their assessment practices The purpose of the survey was to collect background (demographic) information on the teachers and information on several assessment-related practices, including frequency with which teachers assign routine class assignments, types of marks used to report student performance, frequency and grading of major assignments and tests, source of classroom tests, kinds of marks used, methods used to combine marks, meaning of grades, teachers' knowledge and perceptions regarding district grading policies, and teachers' awareness of the grading policies of their peers. Interviews with the teachers provided additional insights into their practices. Results indicated that teachers' assessment practices were highly variable and unpredictable from characteristics such as practice setting, gender, years of experience, grade level, or familiarity with assessment policies in their school district. Teachers generally claim to consider and incorporate a variety of objective and subjective factors when assigning grades on assignments, assessments, and report cards, synthesizing diverse kinds of information about achievement in ways that tend to maximize the likelihood that students will achieve high grades. Only about one half of the teachers surveyed indicated that they were aware of their districts' policies on grading; most were not aware of the assessment practices of their colleagues. Many teachers seemed to have individual assessment policies that reflected their own individualistic values and beliefs about teaching. Recommendations for making grades more meaningful ways of communicating about student performance are suggested.     

Relationship between teacher knowledge of concepts and connections, teaching practice, and student achievement in middle grades mathematics

The mixed method sequential nested study examines whether and how the cognitive type of teachers’ content knowledge is associated with student achievement, and correlated with teaching practice. In the context of this study, the cognitive type refers to the kind of teacher content knowledge and thinking processes required to accomplish a task successfully, in terms of knowledge of facts and procedures (Type 1), knowledge of concepts and connections (Type 2), and/or knowledge of models and generalizations (Type 3). A sample of 102 middle school mathematics teachers (grades 6–8) was assigned to the study from a number of school districts in an urban area in the Southwestern US. Teachers were tested using the Teacher Content Knowledge Survey. Student level data of about 2,400 middle grades students’ standardized test passing rates including percentage of students meeting the state standards by objectives were collected. The type of teachers’ content knowledge was assessed and tested for association with student achievement on the state-mandated standardized test using multivariate methods including tests for variance and independence. The nested research consisted of three phases. Substudy-1 focused on quantitative analysis of the association between cognitive type of teacher content knowledge and student achievement. Substudy-2 aimed at the correlation between cognitive type of teacher content knowledge and teaching practice. Finally, substudy-3 was a case study on examining middle grades mathematics teachers’ knowledge and understanding of fraction division.     

The Effects of Learning Strategy Instruction on Achievement, Attitude, and Achievement Motivation in a Physics Course

This article reports on the influence of learning strategy instruction on student teachers’ physics achievement, attitude towards physics, and achievement motivation. A pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design with matching control group was used in the study. Two groups of student teachers (n = 75) who were enrolled in an introductory physics course participated in the study. In the experimental group, questioning, summarizing, and graphic organizers were taught. The control group did not receive any presentation on strategy learning. Data were collected via the pre- and post-administration of the Physics Course Achievement Test, the Scale of Attitudes towards Physics, and the Achievement Motivation Scale. Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance on the data revealed no significant differences in the attitude and achievement motivation between the strategy and control groups. However, the strategy group students were observed to have a tendency of more positive attitude and motivation than the control group students. Results also showed that explicit learning strategy instruction was more effective than traditional instruction in improving physics achievement of the participating students. The implications of these results for physics education are discussed.     

Is Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Necessary for Reformed Science Teaching?: Evidence from an Empirical Study

This study tested a hypothesis that focused on whether or not teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a necessary body of knowledge for reformed science teaching. This study utilized a quantitative research method to investigate the correlation between a teacher’s PCK level as measured by the PCK rubric (Park et al. 2008) and the degree to which his/her classroom is reform-oriented as measured by RTOP (Sawada et al. 2002). Data included 33 instructional sessions of photosynthesis and heredity videotaped with 7 high school biology teachers. Each session was given a score on both the PCK rubric and RTOP by two independent raters. Results indicate that PCK score is significantly related to RTOP score in terms of both total score (r = .831, p < .01) and sub-component scores (ranging from r = .616 to .805, p < .01). Implications for science teacher education and future research are discussed.     

Examining Hispanic Student Mathematics Performance on High-Stakes Tests: An Examination of One Urban School District in Colorado

Hispanic students, born both inside and outside the United States, comprise over 80% of the US English language learner population. The difference in mathematics achievement among Hispanic students and other populations has been well documented. As a result, it is important to understand the effects of using standards-based mathematics curriculum with high school Hispanic students. Mathematics achievement scores from the Colorado Student Assessment Program and Measurement of Academic Progress for Hispanic 9th and 10th grade students (n = 1,318) who used the Core-Plus Mathematics Program were compared to the progress of other student demographics (n = 2,003) who used the same curriculum. In following the recommendations of the National Research Council (On evaluation curricular effectiveness: judging the effectiveness of K-12 mathematics evaluations. National Academies Press, Washington, DC 2005), a meta-analysis (Glass in Educ Res 5:3–8, 1976) of Hispanic students using National Science Foundation Funded (NSFF) curricula was conducted to contextualize this study’s findings within the findings of previous studies. The results of this study indicated that Hispanic students have shown modest gains; however, their relative position compared to other ethnic groups is unremarkable. The meta-analysis Cohen’s d results ranged from +.673 (SE = .131) to −.670 (SE = .045) with slightly positive effects for Hispanic students using an NSFF curriculum when compared to those not using an NSFF curriculum (.043, SE = .012).     

Peers and academic achievement: A longitudinal study on selection and socialization effects of in-class friends

The present study was conducted to analyze whether in-class friends influence each other's grades, and whether adolescents tend to select friends that are similar to them in terms of academic achievement. During 1 academic year, 542 eighth-grade students (M age = 13.3 years) reported on 3 different occasions on their in-class friendship networks. At these occasions their report card grades for 3 subjects were copied from their files. We tested whether academic achievement functions as a selection criterion for friendship, and whether academic achievement is influenced by in-class friends, using social network analytic techniques. Socialization effects for Dutch and English language grades, but not for mathematics grades, were found. We found no support for selection effects of grades.     

USING THE DAST-C TO EXPLORE COLOMBIAN AND BOLIVIAN STUDENTS�� IMAGES OF SCIENTISTS

The way in which students view science and its practitioners, particularly during their late elementary and early secondary grade levels, has been at the core of numerous studies dating back to research by Mead & Metraux (Science 126:384–390, 1957). In this study, we used the Draw-a-Scientist Test Checklist developed by Finson, Beaver & Cramond (Sch Sci Math 95(4):195–205, 1995) to explore and document Colombian and Bolivian students’ perceptions of scientists. Despite the wealth of information from years of study, there is a lack of research on images held by students in Latin American nations. This study involved Colombian and Bolivian students (N = 1,017) in 5th to 11th grades and was aimed at providing an original account of how these students picture scientists and science. Results suggest differences on how students perceive scientists based on nationality, grade and school type. We discuss how features may be associated with educational and socioeconomic status in each school community.     

PREDICTING MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT: THE INFLUENCE OF PRIOR ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTITUDES

Achievement in mathematics is inextricably linked to future career opportunities, and therefore, understanding those factors that influence achievement is important. This study sought to examine the relationships among attitude towards mathematics, ability and mathematical achievement. This examination was also supported by a focus on gender effects. By drawing on a sample of Australian secondary school students, it was demonstrated through the results of a multivariate analysis of variance that females were more likely to hold positive attitudes towards mathematics. In addition, the predictive capacity of prior achievement and attitudes towards mathematics on a nationally recognised secondary school mathematics examination was shown to be large (R ²  =  0.692). However, when these predictors were controlled, the influence of gender was non-significant. Moreover, a structural equation model was developed from the same measures and subsequent testing indicated that the model offered a reasonable fit of the data. The positing and testing of this model signifies growth in the Australian research literature by showing the contribution that ability (as measured by standardised test results in numeracy and literacy) and attitude towards mathematics play in explaining mathematical achievement in secondary school. The implications of these results for teachers, parents and other researchers are then considered.     

Academic Factors Related to Student Achievement in a Capstone Food Chemistry Course

The 1st step in successfully intervening with students who may fail a course is to identify them as early as possible in the semester. The objective of this study was to create a model to predict student performance in FDSC 4304, the required capstone Food Chemistry class, using academic performance in prerequisite courses as potential predictors. We analyzed data for 116 undergraduates who completed Food Chemistry (FDSC 4304) between 2008 and 2015. Data included semester of enrollment and grade earned in FDSC 4304; transfer status; grades in prerequisite classes in science, math, and statistics courses and an introductory Food Science course, FDSC 1103; and the students’ university GPA at the time of enrollment in FDSC 4304. Cumulative GPA had the strongest significant (P < 0.001) positive correlation with FDSC 4304 grade (r = 0.64), followed by grade in statistics GPA (r = 0.52), FDSC 1103 grade (r = 0.45), pre‐requisite chemistry GPA (r = 0.44), and biology GPA (r = 0.42). When using partial correlations to control for cumulative GPA, only grades in FDSC 1103 (completed by 62.9% of students) were significantly correlated with grades in FDSC 4304. Linear regression indicated cumulative GPA and FDSC 1103 grades explained 35.5% of the variance in FDSC 4304 grades. When cumulative GPA (available for 91.6% of students) alone was regressed on FDSC 4304, it explained 40.6% of the variance for the larger group. Lower cumulative GPAs and FDSC 1103 grades are suggestive but not determinative of potential student struggles in FDSC 4304. Instructors should use cumulative GPAs and introductory food science course grades (either alone or in combination) with actual early course performance measures to identify students in need of additional help.