Showing papers on "Academic achievement published in 1994"

Impact of Self-Regulatory Influences on Writing Course Attainment:

Abstract: The role of self-efficacy beliefs concerning the academic attainment and regulation of writing, academic goals, and self-standards on writing course achievement was studied with college freshman using path analysis. These self-regulatory variables were measured at the beginning of a writing course and related to final course grades. Students’ verbal scholastic aptitude and level of instruction were also included in the analysis. Perceptions of self-efficacy for writing influenced both perceived academic self-efficacy and personal standards for the quality of writing considered self-satisfying. High personal standards and perceived academic self-efficacy, in turn, fostered adoption of goals for mastering writing skills. Neither level of writing instruction nor verbal aptitude had any direct link to course grades. Verbal aptitude affected writing course outcomes only indirectly by its influence on personal standards. Perceived academic self-efficacy influenced writing grade attainments both directly and thr...

A New Generation of Evidence: The Family Is Critical to Student Achievement

Abstract: This report covers 66 studies, reviews, reports, analyses, and books. Of these 39 are new; 27 have been carried over from previous editions. An ERIC search was conducted to identify relevant studies. Noting that the most accurate predictor of student achievement is the extent to which the family is involved in his or her education, this report presents a collection of research papers on the function and importance of family to a student's achievement and education in school and the community. The research is divided into two categories: (1) studies on programs and interventions from early childhood through high school, including school policy; and (2) studies on family processes. The first category presents studies that evaluate or assess the effects of programs and other interventions, including early childhood and preschool programs and home visits for families with infants and toddlers, programs to help elementary and middle schools work more closely with families, and high school programs and community efforts to support families in providing wider opportunities for young people. The second category presents studies on the way that families behave and interact with their children, including the relationship between parent involvement and student achievement from the family perspective, characteristics of families as learning environments and their effects on student performance, and class and,cuitural mismatch. Two pages are devoted to each study. Each study is summarized; key elements of the program and important findings are presented. Major findings indicate that the family makes critical contributions to student achievement from the earliest childhood years through high sehool, and efforts to improve children's outcomes are much more effective when the family is actively involved. (AP) A NEW GENERATION OF EVIDENCE The Family Is Critical to Student Achievement Edited by Anne T. Henderson and Nancy Berla Published by National Committee for Citizens in Education Copyright 1994 National Committee for Citizens in Education

Question Asking During Tutoring

Abstract: Whereas it is well documented that student question asking is infrequent in classroom environments, there is little research on questioning processes during tutoring. The present study investigated the questions asked in tutoring sessions on research methods (college students) and algebra (7th graders). Student questions were approximately 240 times as frequent in tutoring settings as classroom settings, whereas tutor questions were only slightly more frequent than teacher questions. Questions were classified by (a) degree of specification, (b) content, and (c) question-generation mechanism to analyze their quality. Student achievement was positively correlated with the quality of student questions after students had some experience with tutoring, but the frequency of questions was not correlated with achievement. Students partially self-regulated their learning by identifying knowledge deficits and asking questions to repair them, but they need training to improve these skills. We identified some ways th...

Effects of Early Intervention on Intellectual and Academic Achievement: A Follow‐up Study of Children from Low‐Income Families

Abstract: Follow-up data, obtained 4-7 years after intervention ended, are presented for the Carolina Abecedarian Project, an experimental study of early childhood educational intervention for children from poverty families. Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 intervention conditions: educational treatment from infancy through 3 years in public school (up to age 8); preschool treatment only (infancy to age 5); primary school treatment only (age 5-8 years), or an untreated control group. Positive effects of preschool treatment on intellectual development and academic achievement were maintained through age 12. School-age treatment alone was less effective. Results generally supported an intensity hypothesis in that scores on cognitive and academic achievement measures increased as duration of treatment increased.

Prediction of school outcomes based on early language production and socioeconomic factors

Abstract: Early differences in family SES, child language production, and IQ were related to outcomes in early elementary school in the present prospective, 10-year longitudinal study. In a prior study of family interactional variables associated with language learning, major differences in parenting (i.e., time, attention, and talking) were found to be associated with differences in child productive vocabulary between 7 to 36 months of age, and child IQ, favoring higher-SES parents. Lower-SES children were exposed less often than higher-SES children to diverse vocabulary through their parents' attention and talking, and they were prohibited from talking more often. In the current study, 32 children involved in the earlier study were repeatedly assessed between 5 to 10 years of age, while in kindergarten through third grade. Results indicated that SES-related differences in child language prior to school were predictive of subsequent verbal ability, receptive and spoken language, and academic achievement assessed on standardized tests in kindergarten through grade 3. However, none of the predictor variables were related to direct measures of elementary schooling. When combined with a composite SES indicator, early child language production significantly increased the variance accounted for in the prediction of elementary language and academic competencies in each subsequent year in elementary school. Implications are discussed in terms of the stability of performance on language and academic performance measures of children who entered school with different early language learning experiences, and the need to consider early home- and school-based intervention designed to prevent or ameliorate these trends.

Relations of social goal pursuit to social acceptance, classroom behavior, and perceived social support

Abstract: Relations of social goal pursuit to (a) social acceptance by teachers and peers, (b) prosocial and irresponsible classroom behavior, and (c) perceived support from teachers and peers were examined. Ss were 475 6th and 7th graders. Students' pursuit of academic prosocial goals (to help classmates with academic problems) was related positively to peer acceptance. Pursuit of academic responsibility goals (adhering to classroom rules) was related negatively to peer acceptance but positively to teacher acceptance. These findings reflected in part, significant relations between social goal pursuit and displays of social behavior. Perceived support from teachers and peers was also related positively to social goal pursuit, although findings differed as a function of type and source of support

Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment theory perspective.

Abstract: The study tested the extent to which parental social support predicted college grade point average among undergraduate students. A sample of 418 undergraduates completed the Social Provisions Scale--Parent Form (C.E. Cutrona, 1989) and measures of family conflict and achievement orientation. American College Testing Assessment Program college entrance exam scores (ACT; American College Testing Program, 1986) and grade point average were obtained from the university registrar. Parental social support, especially reassurance of worth, predicted college grade point average when controlling for academic aptitude (ACT scores), family achievement orientation, and family conflict. Support from parents, but not from friends or romantic partners, significantly predicted grade point average. Results are interpreted in the context of adult attachment theory.

Low-income children's after-school care: are there beneficial effects of after-school programs?

Abstract: 4 types of after-school care (formal after-school programs, mother care, informal adult supervision, and self-care) were examined for 216 low-income children (M age = 9.1 years). After-school care was associated with maternal education, race, and family income but not with child gender, family marital status, neighborhood safety, or parenting style. When maternal education, race, and family income were controlled, attending a formal after-school program was associated with better academic achievement an social adjustment in comparison to other types of after-school care. Children's activities and experiences also varied in different after-school settings. Children in formal programs spent more time in academic activities and enrichment lessons and less time watching TV and playing outside unsupervised than other children. They also spent more time doing activities with peers and adults and less time with siblings than did other children. The time that children spent in these activities was correlated with their academic and conduct grades, peer relations, and emotional adjustment.

Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools, 1990-1994.

Abstract: This report summarizes the educational technology research conducted from 1990 through 1994. It is based on 133 research reviews and reports on original research projects from both published and unpublished sources. This researcil varied in methodology: some studies used a technique for synthesizing and analyzing data from many different studies; some compared the use of technology to traditional instructional methods; some compared the use of technology under different learning conditions; and some utilized classroom observation. The report is divided into three sections: (1) "Effects of Technology on Student Achievement"; (2) "Effects of Technology on Student Self-Concept and Attitudes about Learning"; and (3) "Effects of Technology on Interactions Involving Teachers and Students in the Learning Environment." A list of conclusions drawn from the analysis is included, as well as a bibliography of the research cited. (Contains 170 references.)

Student achievement and schooling choice in low-income countries: evidence from Ghana

Abstract: In this paper we present new evidence on the impact of school characteristics on student achievement using an unusually rich data set from Ghana. We deal with two potentially important selectivity issues in the developing country context: the sorting of higher ability children into better schools, and the high incidence of both delayed school enrollment and early leaving. Our empirical results do not reveal any strong selectivity bias. We also highlight the indirect effects of improving school quality on student achievement through increased grade attainment. A cost-benefit analysis, taking into account these indirect effects, shows that repairing classrooms (a policy option ignored in most education production function studies) is a cost-effective investment in Ghana, relative to providing more instructional materials and improving teacher quality.

The Path to Math: Gender and Racial-Ethnic Differences in Mathematics Participation from Middle School to High School.

Abstract: This study traced the development of gender differences in learning opportunities, achievement, and choice in mathematics among White, African American, and Latino students using data from a nationally representative sample of eighth-grade students who were resurveyed in the 10th grade. It found that in this age group, female students do not lag behind male students in test scores and grades and that White female students are exposed to more learning opportunities in mathematics than are male students. However, all female students tend to have less interest in mathematics and less confidence in their mathematics abilities. Gender differences are the largest among Latinos and the smallest among African Americans. Furthermore, the major barriers to mathematics achievement for White female students are attitudes and career choices and for minority students of both sexes, they are limited learning opportunities and low levels of achievement.

Relations of Parenting Style and Parental Involvement with Ninth-Grade Students' Achievement

Abstract: The purposes of this study were to explore the influence of both parenting style (demandingness and responsiveness) and parental involvement on the achievement outcome of early adolescents and to explore the relations both adolescents' and their parents' perceptions ofparenting, and to compare the influence that the differentperceptions have on adolescents' achievement. Subjects were 247 ninth-grade boys and girls and their parents from urban, suburban, and rural communities in the southeast and the midwest. Questionnaire measures of adolescents' and parents' perceptions of maternal and paternal demandingness, responsiveness, and parental involvement were designed for this program of research. Adolescents'reports ofparenting were found to correlate only moderately with parents' reports. Adolescents'(both boys'and girls'), but not parents', reports of parenting significantly predicted their achievement outcome, with parental involvement significantly predicting achievement above and beyond dimensions of pa...

The Determinants of Success in University Introductory Economics Courses

Abstract: Performance in and propensity to complete the college introductory economics courses are shown to be related to student preparation and performance in high school, with calculus and overall grade average being especially important.

Really Raising Standards: Cognitive intervention and academic achievement

Abstract: Preface 1. Learning, development and intervention 2. Describing and measuring cognitive development 3. A review of intervention programmes 4. Features of successful intervention 5. The development and delivery of a programme 6. Evaluating the programme 7. Implications for the models of the mind 8. Other domains, other ages 9. Changing practice 10. Really raising standards Appendix: Added value

Individual differences in achievement goals among young children.

Abstract: Smiley, Patricia A., and Dweck, Carol S. Individual Differences in Achievement Goals among Young Children. Child Development, 1994 65, 1723–1743. Developmental research has generally not found evidence of helpless responses to failure in young children; a prevailing view is that young children lack the cognitive prerequisite for helplessness. However, recent evidence suggests that even preschoolers are vulnerable to helplessness in some situations. In the present study with 4- and 5-year-olds, we tested a goal-confidence model that predicts achievement behavior during failure for older children. We first categorized preschoolers' orientations toward “learning” or “performance” goals based on their preference for a challenging or nonchallenging task. As for older children, goal orientation was independent of ability and predicted cognitions and emotions during failure. Further, consistent with the model, within a learning goal, children displayed the mastery-oriented pattern regardless of confidence level, whereas within a performance goal, children with low confidence were most susceptible to helplessness. These behavior patterns were found on a second task as well. Thus, our findings show that individual differences in achievement goals emerge very early.

National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent. An Anthology of Readings.

Abstract: This report on the educational needs of American gifted and talented students identifies indicators of an educational crisis, describes the current status of education for these students, and presents recommendations to meet the educational needs of these students. Indicators demonstrating the need for change include the relatively poor performance by American students on international tests and the small number of students performing at the highest levels on National Assessment of Educational Progress tests. Recent studies have shown that gifted and talented elementary school students have mastered 35-40% of the curriculum in five basic subjects before they begin the school year; most regular classroom teachers make few, ;.f any, provisions for talented students; highest achieving`students study less than an hour a day; and only 2 cents out of every $100 spent on K-12 education supports special opportunities for talented students. A review describes how gifted and talented students are currently identified, the number of students served, the kind of support available, the kind of education most gifted and talented students receive, and characteristics of effective programs for these students. Seven recommendations are offered: (1) set challenging curri.ilar standards; (2) establish high-level learning opportunities; (3) ensure access to early childhood education; (4) increase learning opportunities for disadvantaged and minority children with outstanding talents; (5) broaden the definition of gifted (a broadened definition based on the federal Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act is offered); (6) encourage appropriate teacher training and technical assistance; and (7) match world performance. (Contains 43 references.) (DB)

Explanation of Academic Achievement of Asian American Students.

Abstract: Asian American students generally have higher academic achievement than other minority students. One possible explanation is that they are more likely to experience certain home environments and educational activities that are conducive to learning. This hypothesis was examined in this study. Data were drawn from the base-year survey of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The findings indicated that Asian American students were more likely to live in an intact two-parent family, to spend more time doing homework, and to attend more lessons outside of school. Also, Asian American parents had higher educational expectations for their children, although they did not directly help their children in schoolwork more than other parents. Furthermore, the differences in home environments and educational activities accounted for a large part of the difference in achievement between Asian American and other minority students.

Role of Parental Motivational Practices in Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation and Achievement.

Abstract: In a longitudinal study of children at ages 9 and 10 years, the role of parental motivational practices in children's academic intrinsic motivation and achievement was tested. Two types of motivational practices were assessed: mothers'encouragement of children's task endogeny and provision of task-extrinsic consequences. Structural equations path models for general-verbal and math academic areas supported the 2 predictions that children's academic intrinsic motivation is positively related to encouragement of task endogeny and negatively related to provision of task-extrinsic consequences. Academic intrinsic motivation at age 9 years predicted motivation and achievement at age 10 years. Moreover, through age 9 year motivation, the motivational practices indirectly affected age 10 year motivation and achievement

The Effects of School Context, Structure, and Experiences on African American Males in Middle and High School.

Abstract: THE INFLUENCE OF RACE/ETHNICITY AND GENDER ON THE STRUCTURE AND CONTEXT OF SCHOOLING How schools structure students' opportunities to learn has been shown to influence academic achievement (Epstein & MacIver, 1992; Lee & Bryk, 1988). Educational experiences often serve as antecedents to many of the social and economic ills students face later in life. Thus, inequities in schooling experiences have potentially broad consequences for students' future educational attainment, employment, and family relations. Access to academic experiences through the curriculum, teachers, and other school activities is of particular importance for students such as African American males, who are already marginalized in school settings (Finn & Cox, 1992; Irvine, 1990; Sanders & Reed, 1995). The evidence points to several unique academic and social challenges faced by African American males-namely, their disproportionate numbers of suspensions and expulsions, relatively poor scholastic performance, tendency to avoid academic engagement and competition, and decreasing college attendance rates (Carter & Wilson, 1992; Garibaldi, 1992; Polite, 1993a). One revealing study reports that only 2% of African American males enrolled in the public secondary school system of a large midwestern city achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale, while more than three-fourths of Black males in that system were performing below average (Leake & Leake, 1992). These lags in academic performance are seen by some researchers as a function of Black males' inability or disinterest in fulfilling their roles as conventional learners in school settings (Holland, 1989). Furthermore, many scholars believe that negative school experiences and outcomes for students are often products of school contextual and structural factors that limit learning opportunities, especially for Black males (Ferguson, 1991; Polite, 1993b). In schooling environments, students develop a sense of order, place, and expectations determined in part by the schools' structure and curriculum and by students' interactions with peers, teachers, and parents (Adler, Kless, & Adler, 1992). While most researchers agree that teachers and peers are especially influential in shaping the school-related behaviors of African American males, little attention has been given to explaining their academic performance and social behavior relative to other structural and contextual influences in school settings. Delineating the role of curriculum, teachers, peers, and other school factors would constitute a major effort in addressing the poor academic performance and social alienation of many Black males in schools. Because schooling contexts are often cited as important sources for gendered learning and development, considerable attention has been directed toward understanding gender differences in schooling. Central to this effort has been the investigation of the effects of gender on schooling experiences and achievement (Adler, Kless, & Adler, 1992; Kessler, Ashenden, Connell, & Dowsett, 1985; Thorne, 1986). However, as Delpit (1988), Fordham and Ogbu (1986), and Mickelson (1991) note, school experiences and opportunities are also circumscribed by race and ethnicity, yet the intersection between gender and race in these contexts is often overlooked in the educational research literature. Typically, schools have been conceived as having two primary functions: (1) promoting and structuring the intellectual development of students; and (2) socializing young people for their roles and responsibilities in society. However, current thinking is that schools are falling short of these goals, especially for African American males. One reason commonly mentioned for the alienation and poor academic performance of some Black males is that they perceive most schooling activities as feminine and irrelevant to their masculine identity and development (Holland, 1989). …

College in Black and White: Campus Environment and Academic Achievement of African American Males

Abstract: Research on African American males in U.S. higher education is generally relegated to explorations of the quantitative indicators of enrollment and attrition. Correspondingly little is known about the qualitative experience of these men on the nation's college campuses. Given the potential impact school experiences have on social and economic consequences throughout the life course, how African American males cope with the stresses of these environments merits important consideration. Higher education settings provide a useful context to examine the influence of such factors on academic outcomes, both within and beyond the bounds of school. The view that campus environments influence the educational experiences of college students is a consistent thread throughout research on African Americans in higher education. Specifically, campus social environments have been related to differential educational outcomes for African American college students (Allen, 1991). Of particular importance has been the notion of institutional support and how it relates to academic achievement. While institutional support has been shown to have significant consequences for educational outcomes, little attention has been paid to the differential experiences of African American males in college. Research on the experience of African American students in higher education has concentrated primarily on two areas: (1) the differential experience of these students relative to White students, and (2) the differential effects of attending a predominantly White institution as opposed to an historically Black one. Very little work has focused on the variations in the gender experiences of higher education for African American students. The existing research generally focuses on the declining participation and increased attrition rates of African American males in higher education (Green & Wright, 1992), while paying scant attention to the qualitative aspects of these students' schooling experiences. HIGHER EDUCATION AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES Given the social and economic problems faced by African American males in the United States, their experiences in college have become major sources of concern and challenge for many institutions of higher education. African American males presently account for 3.5% of the total enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities; however, they are disproportionately represented among students who are forced to withdraw, those with relative lower academic performance, and those who have more negative college experiences (Allen, Epps, & Haniff, 1991; Fleming, 1984). Interestingly, an increase in the college enrollments of African American males occurred at the end of the 1980s. From fall 1980 through fall 1990, the college enrollment rate of Black males actually increased by 7%; however, more recent data show that the proportion of African American male high school graduates who actually enrolled in college dropped almost 5% from 1990 to 1992 (American Council on Education [ACE], 1994). Specifically, only 29.7% of Black males who graduated from high school in 1992 enrolled in an institution of higher education, compared to 32.2% in 1991 and 34.4% in 1990. While these data are informative, they often mask variations in the quality of the college educational experience for Black males. Increased educational opportunities for African Americans have occurred since desegregation policies changed the demographics of most higher education institutions. However, only four decades after these corrective reforms began, the nation is witnessing a distressing ebb in the tide of increased educational opportunity for African Americans. Paradoxically, this is occurring at a time when progress toward desegregation has wrought progressively sharper increases in the number of African American students attending predominantly White institutions such that these numbers currently surpass Black enrollment at predominantly Black institutions (American Council on Education, 1994; Anderson, 1984). …

Financial Resources, Parent Psychological Functioning, Parent Co‐Caregiving, and Early Adolescent Competence in Rural Two‐Parent African‐American Families

Abstract: We proposed a family process model that links family financial resources to academic competence and socioemotional adjustment during early adolescence. The sample included 90 9-12-year old African-American youths and their married parents who lived in the rural South. The theoretical constructs in the model were measured via a multimethod, multi-informant design. Rural African-American community members participated in the development of the self-report instruments and observational research methods. The results largely supported the hypotheses. Lack of family financial resources led to greater depression and less optimism in mothers and fathers, which in turn were linked with co-caregiving support and conflict. The associations among the co-caregiving processes and youth academic and socioemotional competence were mediated by the development of youth self-regulations. Disruptions in parental co-caregiving interfered with the development of self-regulation. This interference negatively influenced youths' academic competence and socioemotional adjustment.

A fair test? Assessment, achievement and equity.

Abstract: Defining equity sex differences in intellectual abilities intelligence and intelligence testing international surveys of achievement national assessment programmes - the APU, the NAEP National Curriculum assessment examination performance beyond the concept of a fair test.

Psychological maladjustment and academic achievement: a cross-cultural study of Japanese, Chinese, and American high school students.

Abstract: Psychological maladjustment and its relation to academic achievement, parental expectations, and parental satisfaction were studied in a cross-national sample of 1,386 American, 1,633 Chinese, and 1,247 Japanese eleventh-grade students. 5 indices of maladjustment included measures of stress, depressed mood, academic anxiety, aggression, and somatic complaints. Asian students reported higher levels of parental expectation and lower levels of parental satisfaction concerning academic achievement than their American peers. Nevertheless, Japanese students reported less stress, depressed mood, aggression, academic anxiety, and fewer somatic complaints than did American students. Chinese students reported less stress, academic anxiety, and aggressive feelings than their American counterparts, but did report higher frequencies of depressed mood and somatic complaints. High academic achievement as assessed by a test of mathematics was generally not associated with psychological maladjustment. The only exception was in the United States, where high achievers indicated more frequent feelings of stress than did low achievers.

The School Performance of Children From Single-Mother and Single-Father Families: Economic or Interpersonal Deprivation?

Abstract: Very little is known about the academic performance of children from single-father families. How do they achieve in school relative to children from single-mother and two-parent families? Do the same processes posited to explain the school performance of children from single-mother households account for the educational performance of children in single-father homes? These questions are addressed using a nationally representative sample of 8th graders from the National Longitudinal Study of 1988. Eight different educational outcomes are compared for 409 children in single-father, 3,483 in single-mother, and 14,269 children in biological two-parent families. Children from single-father and single-mother families perform roughly the same in school, but both are outperformed by children from two-parent families. The intervening processes explaining school performance for children from single-father and single-mother families are somewhat different, however. Economic deprivation, or the lack of economic resou...