Education Commons^™

The Influence Of Socioeconomic, Parental And District Factors On The 2013 Mcas Grade 4 Language Arts And Mathematics Scores, Dale G. Caldwell

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This correlational, explanatory study utilized multiple linear and hierarchical regression to examine the predictive power of socioeconomic, parental and district factors on the total percentage of students who scored Proficient or Advanced Proficient on the 2013 MCAS Grade 4 language arts and mathematics test. The population for this study included 100% of the Massachusetts public school districts containing at least 25 valid MCAS Grade 4 language arts and mathematics test scores that were not regional or charter schools and had complete census data for the communities each district served. This study revealed that 74% of the 2013 MCAS Grade 4 …

Academic Engagement, Motivation, Self-Regulation, And Achievement Of Georgia Southern University Sophomore Students, John O. Lemay Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that engagement, motivation, self-regulation, and their individual effects on student achievement are established factors that influence college students’ success. However, what is less clear are these variables’ relationships and their collective influence on achievement. Since students face unique trials as they persist through college, consideration of these relationships and their effect on the achievement of all students is necessary. There is a widening achievement gap between sexes; females have now passed males in enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates. Previous research in this area has been largely centered on undergraduate female students in their freshman year, but the …

Timss 2015 : A First Look At Australia's Results, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues

Elizabeth O'Grady

The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. It is designed, broadly, to align with the mathematics and science curricula in the participating education systems and countries, and focuses on assessment at Year 4 and Year 8. It also provides comparative perspectives on trends in achievement in the context of different education systems, school organisational approaches and instructional practices; and to enable this, TIMSS collects a rich array of background data from students, schools and teachers, and also collects data about the education systems themselves. …

The Impact Of Sports Participation On The Academic Achievement Of African American Girls, Sarita Singleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although there are several educational benefits resulting from participation in high school sports, African American students do not always experience the positive outcomes that other populations share. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to investigate the effect of athletic participation on the academic achievement of African American high school female students. The sample consisted of 100 female African American 12th-grade students. Descriptive statistics were collected and analyzed. Analysis involved archival data to determine the grade point averages and graduation rates of student athletes and non-athletes in two urban high schools in Georgia. The study sought to determine if …

The Impact Of Expertise And After-School Program Dosage On At-Risk Student Achievement, Heather E. Orman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

After-school programs (ASPs) aimed at improving at-risk student achievement abound and receive considerable funding. Research provides some evidence that ASPs can improve reading and math achievement for at-risk students, although rigorous evaluation of the programs and outcomes is minimal. Specifically absent from current ASP literature is examination of dosage, in the form of hours of program attendance, and its impact on at-risk student achievement. ASP research; research on learning and time; and expertise theory indicate dosage rates that are too low and too high will not impact student achievement.

This study investigates the impact of after-school program dosage and expertise …

Timss 2015 : A First Look At Australia's Results, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues

Nicole Wernert

The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. It is designed, broadly, to align with the mathematics and science curricula in the participating education systems and countries, and focuses on assessment at Year 4 and Year 8. It also provides comparative perspectives on trends in achievement in the context of different education systems, school organisational approaches and instructional practices; and to enable this, TIMSS collects a rich array of background data from students, schools and teachers, and also collects data about the education systems themselves. …

Timss 2015 : A First Look At Australia's Results, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues

TIMSS 2015

The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. It is designed, broadly, to align with the mathematics and science curricula in the participating education systems and countries, and focuses on assessment at Year 4 and Year 8. It also provides comparative perspectives on trends in achievement in the context of different education systems, school organisational approaches and instructional practices; and to enable this, TIMSS collects a rich array of background data from students, schools and teachers, and also collects data about the education systems themselves. …

A Collaborative Approach To Address Student Behavior And Academic Achievement Across Systems, Beverly Ngozi Okereke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Academic achievement and in-classroom behaviors are two significant child outcomes that affect student success in school. According to Systems Theory, in order to truly understand the factors that affect these outcomes for children, one must look to the major systems that encapsulate the child (including their school and home environments). This project is a meta-analytic review that examined the effectiveness of measures representing each system in predicting child achievement and behavior: School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) for the school as a system, level of parent involvement (high versus low) for the home system, and student motivation (intrinsic versus extrinsic) for …

Post-Secondary Academic Self-Limitation Of Rural High School Students In Northeast Georgia, Jeffrey Lambert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the phenomenon of academic post-secondary self-limitation of rural high school students in northeast Georgia. The theory guiding this study was based upon self-determination theory, as described by Deci and Ryan (2008). Most high school students must make a decision as to whether or not they continue their education into the post-secondary years. This transcendental phenomenological study examined post-secondary academic self-limitation of high school students in rural, northeast Georgia. This type of phenomenology suggests that the whole of human experience is descriptive and leads to absolute knowledge (Moustakas, 1994). This approach was …

The Influence Of An Extended School Day On Middle School English Language Arts And Mathematics Achievement In A New Jersey Suburban School District, Davida Lindsay-Harewood

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the influence of an extended school day, reported in instruction minutes, on academic achievement of general and special education middle school students in one public suburban New Jersey school district using English Language Arts and Mathematics data from the 2014 New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK). The sample was selected using Propensity Score Matching, a statistical technique employed to reduce the influence of selection bias. The final sample consisted of 238 students in Grade 6, 238 in Grade 7, and 238 in Grade 8 in the New Jersey suburban, upper middle-income school district during …

The Influence Of Building Configuration On Academic Achievement, Attendance, And Demographic Variables In Selected Midwestern School Districts, Catherine A. Macarthur

Dissertations

This study examined the influence of building configuration on the academic achievement and attendance of students who were considered chronically absent. A longitudinal nonequivalent groups research design was used to test the study’s six hypotheses. Data were collected from over 10,000 students within 38 K-8 schools and 40 6-8 middle schools in 24 urban school districts. These districts belonged to the Middle Cities Education Association (MCEA) in a Midwestern state. Student achievement data were collected from this state’s Department of Education’s Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) database that focused specifically on 6th (2009) and 8th-grade (2011) achievement and …

Effects Of Learner-To-Learner Interactions On Social Presence, Achievement And Satisfaction, Susan Elizabeth Allred Oyarzun

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The relationships between learner-to-learner interactions, achievement, social presence, and satisfaction in online learning have varying degrees of strength according to the research. More evidence is needed to identify clarify relationships among these variables and to identify best practices for designing learner-to-learner interactions to increase achievement, level of social presence, and learner satisfaction. This non-experimental, comparative study investigated the strategies used for learner-to-learner interactions effects on achievement, social presence, and satisfaction. Surveys measuring social presence and interaction quality were administered to instructors and students enrolled in 17 undergraduate asynchronous online courses. The surveys for instructors and students were the same, except …

Building Successful Academic And Behavioral Programs For At-Risk Youth: Low And No Cost Options, Jeannette Hallam

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

In order to effectively educate all students and make progress in closing the achievement gap, we must look at two areas for school improvement: positive relationships, and school policies and procedures. Participants in this group will walk away with strategies for building positive relationships, reducing the drop-out rate, and assisting students in meeting their goals. Participants will also learn how to evaluate current policies and procedures that may be restricting student growth or achievement through data awareness.

Mindset Training For Undergraduates In Developmental Mathematics, Valorie L. Zonnefeld, Kate Van Weelden

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This poster highlights the work of an individual study that student Kate Van Weelden did in Dr. Zonnefeld's Math 100 class. Kate was a teacher assistant who led a lab session for 6 of the students in the Math 100 course. Throughout the semester Kate implemented incremental mindset training for her 6 students. The results showed a promising avenue for improved achievement, especially among males.

Achievement Despite Poverty: Testing The Effectiveness Of Timeless Principles, Nicole Leigh Wallace Keller

Dissertations

School districts composed of a large number of high-poverty students are generally not found to be high-achieving (Chenoweth & Theokas, 2013). In Missouri, districts are assessed in accordance with the fifth edition of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) which results in an Annual Performance Report (APR) score (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [MODESE], 2014d). School administrators of districts having two consecutive years of APR scores over 95% while having a student population composed of a large number of students receiving free or reduced price meals were recruited for a qualitative study. Interview questions were developed based on …

The Effectiveness Of Cash Transfers As A Policy Instrument In K-16 Education, Jonathan Norman Mills

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cash transfers, defined as direct transfers of purchasing power from an institution or individual to another individual, are an increasingly popular policy instrument both abroad and in the United States. This dissertation investigates how two educational interventions utilizing cash transfers affect participating students. The first, the Louisiana Scholarship Program, is a statewide program offering publicly financed scholarships for low income students attending poorly performing public schools to attend K-12 private schools. The second program, the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, is a state financed broad-based merit-aid scholarship for students in college within the state of Arkansas. In general, the results presented …

The Impact Of Freshman Transition Programs On Achievement, Jeremy Way

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effects a freshman transition program has on high school success rates. Results could provide the basis for freshman transfer strategies and help academic success following the No Child Left Behind mandate. The research question asked was: Did program complexity have an impact on the success of freshman students, measured by number of failing grades, percentage of discipline referrals assigned, and attendance rates? To answer the question, the researcher studied three homogenous high schools in the greater St. Louis area. These three freshman transition programs varied in complexity provided for incoming …

The Development Of A Single Scale For Mapping Progress In Mathematical Competence, Ross Turner, Gayl O'Connor

Ross Turner

The authors’ intention is to develop a progress map that describes increasing mathematical competence. The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the means by which the research team has been able to use the data from a longitudinal testing program to build and refine a picture of growth in mathematical competence. In this chapter, conceptualisation of the underlying variable to be measured in developing a mathematical progress map is considered, and approaches to its development are discussed. The approach adopted is described and the results of the application of that methodology to the data generated through this research …

Understanding And Addressing The Learning Needs Of Our Highest-Performing Students, Geoff N. Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Trends In Educational Growth In Afghanistan : Class 6 2013, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG)

This document is a brief summary of the reading, writing and mathematical proficiency of year 6 students from Afghanistan who took part in the Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) study.

Monitoring Trends In Educational Growth : Class 6 Girls And Boys In Afghanistan 2013, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG)

This publication provides a summary of initial findings of the Monitoring Trends in Educational Growth (MTEG) study in Afghanistan. Class 6 students in 13 provinces in Afghanistan were assessed in the domains of mathematical, reading and writing literacy. In total, 5,979 students, 42% girls and 58% boys, took the test and completed a student background questionnaire in either Dari or Pashto. The principal from each assessed school also completed a school background questionnaire. The initial results on gender differences show some promising outcomes as well as highlighting areas that require attention. The results of MTEG 2013 Class 6 indicate that …

Music Education, Aesthetics, And The Measure Of Academic Achievement, Karl Madden, David Orenstein, Alexei Oulanov, Yelena Novitskaya, Ida Bazan, Thomas Ostrowski, Min Hyung Ahn

Publications and Research

Grades and test scores are the traditional measurement of academic achievement. Quantitative improvements on standardized scores in Math/Science/Language are highly-coveted outcomes for meeting accreditation standards required for institutional program funding. Music and the Fine Arts, difficult to assess by traditional academic achievement measurement, and often devalued as so-called “luxury” subjects, struggle for necessary funding. Showing measureable collateral value to other academic subjects—such as math—in order to justify music program funding is dubious. To objectify the purpose of music education in terms of its influence on other subjects is to overlook aesthetic value. The scholarly literature recognizes an historical tendency to …

Defining Success In Graduate School, Sean M. Bell, Jessica Blumstein, Katja Brose, Adam Carroll, Jean Chang, Julia Charles, Elizabeth S. Haswell, Melissa Michelitsch, Julia C. Owens, Christopher K. Patil, Rebecca Smith, Jon Tupy, Emily Walsh, Tracy Ware

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

[Response to Weiner OD (2014) How should we be selecting our graduate students. Mol Biol Cell 25:429–430. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E13-11-0646.]

The Effects Of Problem-Based Learning On Interest In Mathematics For Elementary Students Across Time, Kerry Douglas Duck

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Elementary school is a transition time for student interests and motivation and there is a need for teachers to provide opportunities to facilitate continued interest. One area of concern is in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. One pedagogical approach that may help with facilitating interest is problem-based learning (PBL; Barrows, 1996). The purpose of this study was to assess changes in students’ reported levels of individual interest in mathematics across time and to assess differences in individual interest based on amount of PBL exposure. Participants included students (n = 45) involved with Project GEMS (Gifted Education in …

The Relationship Of Spiritual Intelligence To Achievement Of Secondary Students, Merial Smartt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental, correlational quantitative research study was to examine the relationship between student achievement and spiritual intelligence while controlling for age and gender in two public and two private schools in a southeastern city. The variable of interest and criterion variable of achievement was measured by the American College Test (ACT). The variable of spiritual intelligence was measured using a 24 question self-report assessment entitled The Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI-24) by D. King (2008). The SISRI-24 included four subscales, critical existential thinking (CET), personal meaning production (PMP), transcendental awareness (TA), and conscious state expansion (CSE) that …

Effects Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports On Middle School Student Achievement, Chad Knowles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today's teachers face more frequent and more severe challenges than perhaps any generation of teachers that have come before them. Administrators attempt to support teaching in an environment of ever-increasing accountability and dwindling financial resources with new and innovative strategies. One such strategy employed by modern educators has been the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model for clear behavioral expectations and pyramids of intervention for targeted support for students. This study compared a middle school that employs PBIS with a middle school that does not, to determine if there was any statistical improvement realized on academic achievement. Two diverse …

Comparing The Effect Of Two Types Of Computer Screen Background Lighting On Students’ Reading Engagement And Achievement, Jennifer A. Botello

Dissertations

With increased dependence on computer-based standardized tests to assess academic achievement, technological literacy has become an essential skill. Yet, because students have unequal access to technology, they may not have equal opportunities to perform well on these computer-based tests. The researcher had observed students taking the STAR Reading test (Renaissance Learning, 2009) and noticed a variance in scores in relation to classroom performance. The researcher intended, therefore, to explore variables that may affect the performance of students on a computer-based reading assessment. The researcher tested two different technology-related variables as students took a summative exam, the STAR Reading test. The …

Learning Styles, Subject Matter, And Effectiveness In Undergraduate Distance Education, Darren Wu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Are potential relationships among students' learning styles and effectiveness in online education moderated by subject matter for undergraduate students at a private higher education institution? This causal relationship correlational study evaluated the effects of subject matter as a moderating variable between students learning styles and effectiveness of distance education (DE). Students in online English courses and online math courses at a private university located in the southeastern United States completed the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) instrument and an end of course satisfaction survey. Tests for homogeneity determined that the two comparison groups (English and math) were comparable since only …

Unfinished Business : Pisa Shows Indigenous Youth Are Being Left Behind, Tony Dreise, Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

The latest international assessment of students’ mathematical, scientific and reading literacy – the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – shows that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students has remained the same for the last decade. In short, Indigenous 15-yearolds remain approximately two-and-a-half years behind their non-Indigenous peers in schooling.

This essay provides a précis of the results and analysis of some of the issues; it compares Indigenous performance in 2012 with that from previous PISA cycles; and discusses a range of implications for policy and practice.

Unfinished Business: Pisa Shows Indigenous Youth Are Being Left Behind, Tony Dreise, Sue Thomson

Indigenous Education Research

The latest international assessment of students’ mathematical, scientific and reading literacy – the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – shows that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students has remained the same for the last decade. In short, Indigenous 15-year olds remain approximately two-and-a-half years behind their non-Indigenous peers in schooling.

This essay provides a précis of the results and analysis of some of the issues; it compares Indigenous performance in 2012 with that from previous PISA cycles; and discusses a range of implications for policy and practice.