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Academic Performance As A Predictor Of Student Growth In Achievement And Mental Motivation During An Engineering Design Challenge In Engineering And Technology Education, Nathan Mentzer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this correlational research study was to determine if students’ academic success was correlated with: (a) the student change in achievement during an engineering design challenge; and (b) student change in mental motivation toward solving problems and critical thinking during an engineering design challenge. Multiple experimental studies have shown engineering design challenges increase student achievement and attitude toward learning, but conflicting evidence surrounded the impact on higher and lower academically achieving students.

A high school classroom was chosen in which elements of engineering design were purposefully taught. Eleventh-grade student participants represented a diverse set of academic backgrounds (measured …

The Promise Of Academic Learning Time In A Dose-Response Model Of Early Reading Achievement, Benjamin Heuston

Theses and Dissertations

Reading has long been acknowledged to be a critical skill that is best acquired early in life. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports, American public school children continue to struggle to master the basics of reading. Although federal funding in real dollars has increased consistently over time, reading scores have not followed suit, suggesting that fiscal resources have not been applied successfully to the variables that are directly related to reading acquisition and achievement. The current state of affairs therefore suggests the need for identifying a fiscally-targetable, instructionally-relevant variable with a direct, causal relationship …

Rigorous Curriculum And Sat, Feifei Li, Thanos Patelis, Robert Lissitz

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The main purposes of this study are to investigate the relation between course-taking pattern and the SAT score, and examine the invariance of this relation across subgroups. In addition, we are also going to verify the accuracy of self-reported information from the SAT Questionnaire by examining the actual high school transcripts, and build the link between SAT and the achievement by correlating SAT scores with state assessment scores. If the SAT score is a function of high school course-taking behaviors regardless of students' gender, socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity, every student should be provided with equal opportunity for rigorous curriculum.

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Online Synchronous Versus Online Asynchronous Versus Traditional Approaches On Learner Achievement Via Education Of Mississippi Child Care Providers, Carla Caldwell Stanford

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare three types of instruction: online synchronous, online asynchronous, and traditional, and assess which would yield more learner achievement. Participants for the online groups volunteered then were randomly assigned to either the online synchronous or the online asynchronous. Participants for the traditional group were also voluntary but were not randomly assigned; all that volunteered for the traditional group were accepted. In the final sample, a total of 96 Mississippi child care professionals completed the course Early Learning Guidelines: Lesson Plans and Thematic Units for Three Year Old Children: 31 in the online …

A Comparison Of Academic Achievement And Retention Of Community College Students In College Algebra After Completion Of Traditional Or Technology-Based Instruction, Jennifer Ferrill Seal

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to compare the success rates in College Algebra between two groups of students attending a Mississippi community college. Eighty students enrolled in a College Algebra course were taught using traditional instructional techniques, and 70 students received technology-enhanced instruction. This study considered the effects of grade scores on a mathematics-achievement pretest and posttest, student attitudes toward mathematics, time-on-task while using technology during mathematics study, mathematics subscores on the American College Test, and withdrawal rates. Data collected for this study were derived from the official transcripts of students enrolled in spring 2007 College Algebra classes of a Mississippi …

Self-Concept In Children With Intellectual Disabilities, Dana Karen Donohue

Psychology Theses

Self-concept, or feelings about oneself, encompasses various areas including social and academic domains and has been suggested to be a predictor and mediator of other outcomes (Bryne, 1996). In this study, the relationships between achievement, intelligence scores, and self-concept in children with mild intellectual disabilities were examined. Self-concept and WISC verbal intelligence scores evidenced significant relationships. Additionally, relationships were demonstrated between gains in achievement and higher ratings of self-concept. These results suggest that relationships exist between intelligence, achievement, and self-concept in elementary school children with MID. Specifically, a positive relationship was demonstrated between achievement gains and self-concept. Associations between intelligence …

Explaining The Relationship Between Resources And Student Achievement: A Methodological Comparison Of Production Functions And Canonical Analysis, Robert C. Knoeppel, James S. Rinehart

Educational Considerations

What is the relationship between inputs to education and student achievement? The elusive answer to this seemingly self-evident question has led some to characterize the question as the “holy grail” of school finance research for the past thirty years.

Teacher Compensation And School Quality: New Findings From National And International Data., Zhijuan Zhang, Deborah A. Verstegen, Hoe Ryoung Kim

Educational Considerations

High quality education is critical to both the individual and the nation. At the country level, as Ireland’s minister for education and science, put it, “The never ending search for competitive advantage in the global knowledge economy has led all public policymakers to focus on education as a key factor in strengthening competitiveness, employment and social cohesion.”

Alternative Assessment: Effects On Students’ Perception And Achievement, Kristen Kopf, Andrew Parker

Leah A. Nillas

This research investigates the effect of alternative assessment on students’ perception and achievement in six, 9th grade biology classrooms. Students’ perception was determined through the use of a Likert scale questionnaire which compared confidence levels and preference for traditional verses alternative assessment. Achievement was measured according to academic grades from both types of assessment. Our findings indicate a significant student preference for multiple-choice exams as well as greater achievement in traditional assessment methods. The results suggest a further investigation of assessment practices is needed in order to more accurately describe the relationship between assessment strategies, student perception and student achievement.

Evaluating The Achievement Outcomes Of 5th-Grade Students Following Their Enrollment In Federally-Funded, Inquiry- Based Classrooms To Determine Program Sustainability, Daniel L. Frazier

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the achievement outcomes of 5th-grade students following their enrollment in federally funded inquiry-based classrooms compared to same school traditional education program students to determine the feasibility of inquiry-based program sustainability. The study analyzed achievement data of students in the inquiry-based Charter Education Program compared to achievement data of students in the Traditional Education Program to determine pretest-posttest achievement gain for students in both research arms and posttest-posttest intervention effectiveness. The inquiry-based Charter Education Program required students to utilize laptop computers rather than textbooks to research, analyze, write, and complete reports. The Traditional …

The Impact Of Two Middle School Grade Level Start Points, 5th-Grade And 7th-Grade, On Adolescents' 8th-Grade Achievement, Behavior, And High School Preparedness, Elizabeth W. Standish

Student Work

The grade level at which an adolescent started middle school, 5th-grade (n = 40) or 7th-grade (n = 40) did not statistically significantly impact 8th-grade students' achievement, behavior or high school preparedness in this study. Regardless of middle school start points all 8th-grade students performed within the fourth to sixth stanines on a national norm-referenced test, solidly within the average range with mean core grade point averages ranging from a C+ (2.53) to a B (3.11). However, consistent with national findings all middle school start point groups demonstrated statistically significant declines in normal curve equivalences between pretest 5th-grade to posttest …

Evaluating The Achievement Outcomes Of 5th-Grade Students Following Their Enrollment In Federally-Funded, Inquiry-Based Classrooms To Determine Program Sustainability, Daniel L. Frazier

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the achievement outcomes of 5th-grade students following their enrollment in federally funded inquiry-based classrooms compared to same school traditional education program students to determine the feasibility of inquiry-based program sustainability. The study analyzed achievement data of students in the inquiry-based Charter Education Program compared to achievement data of students in the Traditional Education Program to determine pretest-posttest achievement gain for students in both research arms and posttest-posttest intervention effectiveness. The inquiry-based Charter Education Program required students to utilize laptop computers rather than textbooks to research, analyze, write, and complete reports. The Traditional …

Impact Of Participation In A Community Based, Even Start Literacy Program On School Achievement And Parent Involvement For English Language Learners (Ell), Elvira I. Zuazo-Legido

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The family literacy model underlying the national Even Start Family Literacy Program has not fared well in large-scale evaluation studies, with outcomes showing minimal or no positive impact on later school achievement. However, the results of these studies have not been replicated in smaller studies, which hold the possibility of yielding richer and possibly more valid data using appropriate research design, methods, and techniques. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an Even Start Family Literacy Program on the academic progress of a homogeneous group of ELL (English Language Learners) Hispanic immigrant elementary school-age children. Twenty-nine …

Academic Performance As A Predictor Of Student Growth In Achievement And Mental Motivation During An Engineering Design Challenge In Engineering And Technology Education, Nathan James Mentzer

Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational research study was to determine if students’ academic success was correlated with: (a) the student change in achievement during an engineering design challenge; and (b) student change in mental motivation toward solving problems and critical thinking during an engineering design challenge. Multiple experimental studies have shown engineering design challenges increase student achievement and attitude toward learning, but conflicting evidence surrounded the impact on higher and lower academically achieving students.

A high school classroom was chosen in which elements of engineering design were purposefully taught. Eleventh-grade student participants represented a diverse set of academic backgrounds (measured …

The Relationship Between Collective-Efficacy And Student Achievement In Vocational/Technical High Schools, Rosemary Tralli

Dissertations

Purpose

The impact of teachers’ efficacious beliefs on achievement in technical high schools required further investigation. This study examined the collective-efficacy beliefs of academic and trade departments in 17 Connecticut technical high schools and the relationship between those beliefs and student achievement.

Method

The collective-efficacy beliefs of 730 teachers were measured through use of the Collective Teacher-Efficacy Belief Scale. Perceptions of influence over instruction, discipline, and overall efficacy were obtained. A sample of 2,592 students was used to obtain achievement data in mathematics, science, reading, and writing on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine …