Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Moderating Role Of Socioeconomic Status For The Link Between Parent-Teacher Communication And Children's Academic Achievement, Haley Withuhn

Honors Theses

Parent-teacher communication plays a vital role in children’s educational success and has been positively linked to academic achievement. Family socioeconomic status has been shown to play a significant role in how we understand parent-teacher communication. The purpose of the current study is to explore the role of socioeconomic status for the link between parent-teacher communication and children’s academic achievement. A socioeconomically diverse sample of approximately 174 early elementary school students was used to explore links between parent- teacher communication, academic achievement, and household socioeconomic status (SES). Teachers report on students’ reading and mathematics achievement according to the Nebraska State Standards. …

Factors For Lgbt College Students That Predict Academic Success, Jonathan Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Much research has been done on LGBT students in relation to campus climate and academic achievement, which suggested that a positive campus climate may positively influence students’ academic success. However, no research has yet been done to understand the value of campus climate, student levels of depression anxiety and stress, and student level of outness for predicting academic success. This quantitative study examined campus climate, depression, anxiety, and stress levels, and student level of outness together in their ability to predict self-reported grade point average of LGBT college students. Basic Psychological Needs Theory, a sub theory of Self-Determination Theory, was …

Factors For Lgbt College Students That Predict Academic Success, Jonathan Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Much research has been done on LGBT students in relation to campus climate and academic achievement, which suggested that a positive campus climate may positively influence students’ academic success. However, no research has yet been done to understand the value of campus climate, student levels of depression anxiety and stress, and student level of outness for predicting academic success. This quantitative study examined campus climate, depression, anxiety, and stress levels, and student level of outness together in their ability to predict self-reported grade point average of LGBT college students. Basic Psychological Needs Theory, a sub theory of Self-Determination Theory, was …

Experience Of Academic Motivation Among Disadvantaged High School Graduates, Jamaal Anthony Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Impoverished students face obstacles that influence academic achievement and motivation. These young people are disadvantaged by their circumstances and are at risk for missing opportunities that could prepare them for meaningful careers and improved quality of life. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a deeper understanding of academic motivation in academic scholarship students who attended disadvantaged schools. Social identity theory provided the theoretical framework for a narrative analysis of the experience of academic motivation, academic achievement, and social identity. Five female and 4 male college students were interviewed. The thematic analysis revealed 4 themes: motivated by overcoming …

Predicting Academic Achievement With The Kaufman Assessment Battery For Children—Second Edition, Amy Cherry

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Intelligence progresses in measurable and predictable stages and IQ tests are used to test basic intellectual functioning, such as conceptual thinking, language, and problem solving. The IQ test is used to diagnose developmental disabilities as well as learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities in schools. School aged children may be given an IQ test to determine eligibility and placement for special education services and to pinpoint specific deficits and/or strengths. Part of the strength of using IQ tests is their ability to predict specific attributes, such as academic skills and adaptive skills. However, these correlations change with the child’s age. …

Rising Out Of The Gap: Early Adolescent Black Males And Academic Success, Eartha M. Hackett Phd, Joseph G. Ponterotto Phd, Akane Zusho Phd, Margo A. Jackson Phd

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative inquiry examined the lived experiences of 14 high-achieving, eighth-grade, Black males in three inner city middle schools. Anchored in a social constructivist paradigm, this study focused on factors that influence the educational experiences of early adolescent Black males. Participant selection was based on state test scores, GPA, and SES; data were collected by classroom observation and semi-structured interviews. Six themes and twenty-two subthemes related to factors which promote achievement and the meaning of achievement were found. Results show that high achieving students were motivated to excel, in part, by striving to counter negative assumptions about Black males. Participants …

Kansas City, Missouri, Inner City Schools' Parent Involvement Policy, Practices, And Accreditation Problems, Gena L. Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, the Missouri Board of Education took away Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) accreditation status. For over 40 years, KCPS has struggled with poor academic achievement, decreased enrollment and budget, and numerous leadership turnovers. Although KCPS regained provisional accreditation in 2014 and earned enough points on the annual performance report for consideration to become a fully accredited school system, state education officials first want to ensure that the district can sustain its new performance level before granting full accreditation. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore parents' perceptions about how the KCPS' parent involvement policy and …

Beyond Access Towards Success For First-Generation College Students Of Underrepresented Ethnic Backgrounds: The Role Of College Adjustment And Perceived Stressors On Academic Achievement During The First Year, Shannon Williams

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored the first year college transition between traditional and underrepresented student groups (ethnic minorities and first-generation college students; N = 500; M age = 18.34) at a diverse institution, comparing GPA and college adjustment over time. Using Tinto’s retention model (1975), the aim of the current study explored whether social and academic adjustment differences would explain any gap in academic achievement among underrepresented students groups. Results indicated that first-generation college students (FGC) of minority ethnic backgrounds reported significantly lower GPA scores, and had lower adjustment subscale scores compared to all other student groups by the end of …

How Emerging Adults Are Affected By Parental Chronic Illness: A Study Of Psychosocial Functioning And Academic Achievement, Ashley May

Psychology

Chronic illness is widespread and often affects parents, yet the impact of parental chronic illness on emerging adults has been largely ignored by research. The existing literature on the impact of chronic illness on family members suggests spousal and parental caregivers can suffer significant adverse psychological, social, cognitive, and physical consequences. This study was designed to examine the effects of parental chronic illness on children transitioning to adulthood. Participants were asked to complete several questionnaires, which quantified psychosocial and academic functioning of college students. Upon comparing those with parents with chronic illness to those without, we found that emerging adults …

Applying An Ecological Model To Predict Adolescent Academic Achievement, Claudia Anagurthi Anagurthi

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between multiple intrapersonal, microsystem, and macrosystem factors. The predictor variable was academic achievement. The theoretical model used was Bronfenbrenners’ Ecological Systems Theory and Bandura’s Social Learning Theory.

Participants in this study were ninth to twelfth grade high school students from a charter school that catered to students from urban and suburban backgrounds (N = 312). Students were from various socioeconomic backgrounds but primarily of African American and Latino descent. The students were asked to complete several surveys assessing their demographics and the variables grouped by their ecological contexts as follows: …

The Role Of School Climate In Mitigating The Effects Of Neighborhood Socio-Economic Status And Violence On Academic Achievement, Linda D. Ruiz

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the quality of education available to children has become increasingly dependent on the social and economic demographics of neighborhoods in which the children live. This study assesses the role of community violence in explaining the relation between SES and academic outcomes and the potential of positive school climate to promote academic achievement. With a sample of 297 Chicago public elementary schools, we test the hypotheses that violent crime mediates the relation between SES and academic achievement, and school climate has a direct effect on achievement and moderates the relation between SES and academic achievement. Results support the …

Ptsd, Academic Achievement, And College Persistence: The Moderating Effects Of Coping Mechanisms And Social Support, Rebecca Granda

Doctoral Dissertations

Prevalence rates of lifetime exposure to trauma for college students range from 50 to 90% indicating that most college students begin the first year of college with a history of trauma. Previous studies suggest a significant negative relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and college retention; however, these studies have mainly focused on the negative effects of trauma exposure and PTSD on college students' persistence. As a result, it was unknown whether the effects of PTSD on academic achievement and college persistence can be moderated by protective factors, such as coping skills and social support. The purpose of this study …

Neighborhood And School Influences On Academic Achievement And Educational Attainment, Crystal Monique Coker

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that poverty is a greater predictor of educational disparities than race, despite the national focus on racial disparities. Further, living in disadvantaged neighborhoods that are characterized by qualities such as high poverty and unemployment can place a double burden on already poor students, further undermining educational achievement and future success. Neighborhood disadvantage is linked to a range of poor academic outcomes, yet only recently has research begun to explore the processes underlying the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and these outcomes. Drawing on ecological theory, the following study proposes to examine how multiple settings relate to student outcomes. …

Cognitive And Noncognitive Measures As Predictors Of Student Success At An Independent School, Sharron J. Russell

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Predicting academic success is an important aspect of education, but is of particular interest for educators and admissions officers at independent schools. This study, conducted using archival data at an independent school in the Philadelphia suburbs, used hierarchical regression analysis to determine whether cognitive measures could predict student GPA, whether measures of noncognitive traits (Grit, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Emotional Intelligence) could improve the prediction of GPA, and whether cognitive skills predict to any of the noncognitive traits. The most significant finding (p < .01, ϝ²= .52) is that scores on the Wechsler scales combined with scores on noncognitive measures are good …

Students’ Attitudes Toward Working With Individuals Who Suffer From Serious And Persistent Mental Illness, Elizabeth Goodwin, Ryan Black, Patricia Sweeney, William Dorfman, Ronald Levant

Ronald F Levant

A survey was conducted to examine the attitudes of students toward working with individuals who suffer from serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Nine hundred and fifty-four students working toward a degree within the behavioral sciences were administered a demographic and experience questionnaire, as well as an experimenter designed attitude instrument. We believed that students with greater levels of education and increased professional contact with SPMI would result in less favorable attitudes or desire to work with this population. Contrary to previous research, findings from this study indicated that students with greater amounts of professional contact and increased training with …

Academic Achievement Of Latino Emerging Adults: The Role Of Language Brokering, Executive Functions, And Language Proficiency, Valerie Christina Flores

Dissertations

A vast literature has examined bilinguals’ strengths in executive functions (EFs) without considering how language brokering, or translating frequently for family and friends, relates to such advantages in EFs. At the same time, Latinos students – many of whom are bilingual – are the largest minority group attending college today in the U.S., despite being less likely to receive a bachelor’s degree. The overarching goal of the present study was to explore whether language brokering practices among Latino emerging adults led to better cognitive skills and ultimately greater academic achievement in college. Data were collected from multiple cohorts of bilingual …

Health, Wellbeing, And Academic Achievement Among Urban College Students, Elise Tanzini

Dissertations and Theses

The post-secondary educational environment is full of demands—both academically and outside of the direct college setting—and as a result, stress is a prevailing concern for college students. Chronic, high levels of stress have been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression, and academic outcomes, such as lower academic achievement. Using a diverse sample of undergraduate and masters students [n=84; mean (SD) age = 22.89 (5.99) years] from an urban, public college, the current study measured students’ experiences of stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and the adaptive and maladaptive strategies they utilized to cope with stress, …

Relationships Between Specific Health-Related Fitness Components And Standardized Academic Achievement Tests, Tona Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an attempt to meet monetary-driven mandates to improve student achievement test scores, administrators are replacing physical education activities with subject matter classes in many American schools. This practice negates the positive contributions of physical activity to academic performance and student fitness. Guided by self-efficacy theory, this study assessed the impact of optimal versus minimal physical fitness state on student academic achievement. The study sample included 5,416 9th grade students from the same school district who completed a minimum of 5 of the 6 components of the FITNESSGRAM tests, and who also completed the math and English language arts (ELA) …

Executive Functioning In The Context Of Urban Poverty: An Examination Of Poverty Related Stress And Its Relationships To Academic Achievement, Jacquelyn L. Doxie

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Living in urban poverty has been linked to numerous negative conditions that disproportionately expose low-income urban youth and their families to severe and chronic stressors (Collins et al., 2010; DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, and Smith, 2012; Sznitman, Reisel, and Romer, 2011). Research has consistently shown a strong relationship between these stressors and numerous negative outcomes that can impact an adolescent emotionally, behaviorally, and academically (Conger et al., 2002). This dissertation is focused on the area of academic achievement, an outcome consistently found to be negatively impacted by poverty (Rouse and Fantuzzo, 2009). Based on Bronfenbrenner’s model of bio-ecological human development (Bronfenbrenner and …

Risk And Resilience In An Urban School: How A Psychosocial Intervention Promotes The Educational Resilience Of Latino Youth, Kip Van Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Pew Hispanic Forum, the dropout rates for Latino youth (15%) are higher than all other youth in the United States (White youth = 8%; Black youth = 12%). Many Latino youth have difficulty identifying with the school environment due to a lack of cultural connection to the context. Youth Program (YP) program is a peer-led, school-based program driven by the theoretical foundations of Positive Youth Development and Self-Determination theory and is distinguished by its emphasis on building social and academic skills that ease the transition into high school for ninth grade students. The current study examines the …

Ethnic Identity And Coping Efficacy As Moderators Of The Relationships Between Perceived Racial Discrimination And Academic Outcomes Among Urban, Low-Income Latina/O Youth, Alison L. Mroczkowski

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The present study used resilience theory to explore relationships among perceived racial discrimination, ethnic identity, coping efficacy, gender, and various academic outcomes among urban, low-income, Latina/a youth. Although Latina/as are the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, they attain less education than other racial/ethnic groups (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, & KeweiRamani, 2011). Racial discrimination is one factor that may account for the lower levels of education attained by this group, and research has indicated that racial discrimination is associated with poor educational outcomes among Latina/a adolescents (Alfaro, Umana-Taylor, Gonzales-Backen, Bamaca, & Zeiders, 2009; DeGarmo & Martinez, 2006). Despite exposure …

School Racial Climate And The Academic Achievement Of African American High School Students: The Mediating Role Of School Engagement, Charity Brown Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

African American students in K-12 education experience pervasive disparities in academic outcomes across all areas of the schooling experience. In order to understand the factors that promote academic achievement among individuals who face adversity, researchers have sought to examine how school environmental factors hold influence over students' academic adjustment. Drawing from an integrative model of development for ethnic minority children and a process model of engagement, this investigation explored whether three dimensions of school engagement, behavioral, emotional and cognitive, mediated relationships between school racial climate and academic performance and educational aspirations. These relationships were explored in a sample of 139 …

Academic Achievement Trajectories Of Homeless And Highly Mobile Students: Resilience In The Context Of Chronic And Acute Risk, J. J. Cutuli, Christopher D. Desjardins, Janette E. Herbers, Jeffrey D. Long, David Heistad, Chi-Keung Chan, Elizabeth Hinz, Ann S. Masten

J. J. Cutuli

Analyses examined academic achievement data across 3rd through 8th grades (N = 26,474), comparing students identified as homeless or highly mobile (HHM) to other students in the federal free meal program (FM), reduced-price meals (RM), or neither (General). Achievement was lower as a function of rising risk status (General > RM > FM > HHM). Achievement gaps appeared stable or widened between HHM students and lower-risk groups. Math and reading achievement were lower and growth in math was slower in years of HHM identification, suggesting acute consequences of residential instability. Nonetheless, 45% of HHM students scored within or above the average range, suggesting …

Inference Generation And Story Comprehension Among Children With Adhd, Jessica S. Kosloski

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Academic difficulties are well-documented among children with ADHD. Exploring these difficulties through story comprehension research has revealed deficits among children with ADHD in making causal connections between events, and using causal structure and thematic importance when recalling stories. Important to theories of story comprehension and implied in these deficits is the ability to make inferences. Often, characters’ goals are implicit and explanations of events must be inferred. The purpose of the present study was to compare the ability of 7- to 11-year-old children with ADHD and their comparison peers to make inferences during story comprehension. Children watched two televised stories, …

Predictors Of Academic Achievement And Failure Among Low-Income Urban African American Adolescents: An Ecological Perspective, Israel Moses Gross

Master's Theses

Predictors of academic achievement among urban low-income African American adolescents have primarily been investigated by examining "main effects," or limited interactions with conventional statistical techniques. This paper adds to the literature by examining the factors that influence academic outcomes among this population within an ecological systems framework. This allowed for a comprehensive understanding of how numerous protective and risk factors, across ecological settings, interact to influence academic outcomes.

Optimal Data Analysis (ODA) was employed to create prediction models for mathematic and reading achievement. ODA allowed for the examination of a vast number of variables in one statistical model without increasing …

School Success In Motion: Protective Factors For Academic Achievement In Homeless And Highly Mobile Children In Minneapolis, Ann S. Masten, David Heistad, J. J. Cutuli, Janette E. Herbers, Jelena Obradovic, Chi-Keung Chan, Elizabeth Hinz, Jeffrey D. Long

J. J. Cutuli

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Through Which Supportive Adult Relationships And Future Orientation Contribute To Positive Outcomes In Low-Income African-American Adolescents., Kimberley Anne Broomfield

Psychology Dissertations

Adolescents raised in impoverished environments are at substantial risk of making poor life decisions because they are often exposed to high levels of neighborhood violence and substance use, and attend under-resourced schools. Despite facing these risks, many youth experience adaptive developmental outcomes in the face of these challenges. Resilience literature identifies the presence of a supportive adult relationship and a positive future orientation (i.e., an optimistic conceptualization of the future) as factors related to decreases in negative outcomes and increases in positive outcomes among youth exposed to conditions of risk This study examined both mediation and moderation as possible mechanisms …

Parent-Child Interaction: Development Of Measure For A Naturalistic Setting., Valarie N. Holzwarth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parent-child interaction could arguably be the most important factor in child development, including academic achievement, behavior, and personality. This study suggests that the quantity of parent-child interaction is just as important as quality, and we test the reliability and validity of our instrument developed to quantitatively measure parent-child interaction in the home under realistic conditions. Twenty-eight children’s parents participated in the study over four days. Eight families had two research observers complete the instrument simultaneously with them, and reliability measures were taken between parents (74%), parent and one research-observers (78%), and two research observers (97%). Validity measures yielded scores of …

Lack Of Racial Differences In Behavior: A Quantitative Replication Of Rushton's (1988) Review And An Independent Meta-Analysis, Kevin M. Gorey, Arthur G. Cryns

Social Work Publications

Rushton (Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 1009–1024, 1988) hypothesized that racial group differences exist across a range of behaviors from intelligence to social organization. Such differences were then discussed within the context of an evolutionary continuum (Negroid < Caucasoid < Mongoloid). For example, his observations that blacks compared to whites are less intelligent, physically mature more rapidly, and are more aggressive and impulsive (less law abiding) were said to support the evolutionary hypothesis. Quantitative replication of the 100 studies included in Rushton's original ‘review and evolutionary analysis’ and a meta-analysis of 100 randomly selected studies infer that any behavioral differences which do exist between blacks, whites and Asian Americans for example, can be explained in toto by environmental differences which exist between them.

Student Failure As Associated With Socio-Economic Status, Racial Ethnicity, And Single Parenting, B. Dan Green

Graduate Theses

Academic failure is a problem in American schools all over the nation. Many factors play a part in the academic achievement of students. The purpose of this study is to investigate student academic failure among students from lower socio-economic status families as compared with students from families with a higher socio-economic status, with sub-groupings identifying students as to racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as those from single-parent homes. The test group for this survey is a group of four-hundred and forty eighth grade students from Goddard Junior High School in Midland, Texas. All students listed as "failing" failed one …