Browsing by Subject "Academic performance"
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Item Biblical literacy in a secular world: Secondary students’ perceptions of the influence of Biblical practices on academic achievement.(2017-09-22) Evans, Ashlei Nicole; Haas, LoryPurpose The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine middle and high school students’ perceptions of the relationship between their Biblical literacy practices and academic performance (i.e. grades, test scores, reading ability) and academic success (i.e. attendance, behavior, motivation, goals, decision-making) according to gender, ethnicity, and participation in religiously affiliated activities. More specifically, the first purpose was to examine student perceptions of the relationship between Biblical literacy practices and academic performance (i.e. grades, test scores, reading ability), as well as overall academic success (i.e. attendance, behavior, motivation, goals, decision-making) among boys and girls in Grades 7-12. A second purpose was to investigate student perceptions of the relationship between Biblical literacy practices and academic performance (i.e. grades, test scores, reading ability), as well as overall academic success (i.e. attendance, behavior, motivation, goals, decision-making) among five ethnic/racial groups (i.e., Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, and more than one ethnicity) of students in Grades 7-12. The third purpose was to explore students’ perceptions of the impact the Bible has on their lives. Finally, a fourth purpose was to analyze student perceptions of the relationship between participation in religious affiliated out-of-school activities and academic success, as well as decision-making among students in Grades 7-12. Method A correlational research design was used to conduct this quantitative study. Cross sectional survey research was conducted to collect data regarding the participants’ demographics (e.g. gender and ethnicity), perceptions, Biblical literacy practices, and participation in religiously affiliated out-of-school activities. Chi-square tests were run using SPSS to determine Biblical literacy practices, academic performance, and academic success as a function of gender, ethnicity, and participation in religiously affiliated activities. Findings Regarding gender, the findings reveal a greater number of girls engage in reading the Bible and participate in religiously affiliated activities in-and-outside of school than boys. More girls indicated they perceive reading the Bible is beneficial to academic performance and academic success more than boys. As it pertains to ethnicity, a statistically significant higher percentage of Black students noted the importance of reading the Bible and its impact on their behavior than other ethnic groups. Asian students had statistically significantly lower percentages when referring to whether the Bible increases their reading ability, its impact on their motivation to succeed, and how they make decisions. In relation to participation in religiously affiliated out- of-school activities and the impact on their personal lives and relationships, there were no statistically significant differences between the grade levels and gender; however, a statistically significant difference was indicated among Black, White, and Hispanic students. Findings with regard to gender are similar to previous research wherein girls are more engaged in reading and perform higher in reading achievement than boys. However, the findings regarding ethnicity varied. A consistent finding among boys and girls, as well as all ethnic groups was their perception that reading the Bible improves their reading ability. Research conducted reveals that students believe their Biblical literacy practices significantly influences their reading ability, behavior, motivation, decision-making, and personal life.Item Great expectations : narratives of second generation Asian Indian American college students about academic achievement and related intergenerational communication(2012-08) Kahlon, Amardeep Kaur; Reddick, Richard, 1972-; Sharpe, Edwin R.; Ovando, Martha N.; Saenz, Victor B.; Accapadi, MamtaAsian Indian Americans are a highly successful subset of Asian Americans. According to a 2012 Pew Center report, this population has the highest level of degree attainment among Asian Americans as well as the highest median income among Asian Americans ("The Rise of Asian Americans," 2012). However, there is a cloak of invisibility surrounding this population. There is little research on how second-generation Asian Indian Americans navigate the expectations of academic excellence and cultural adherence in their relationships with their first-generation parents. There is limited knowledge and understanding of this population that is burdened by family expectations, community expectations, institutional expectations, and their own self-expectations of academic excellence. The paucity of research on this population creates the invisible minority where students’ needs may be ignored based on unfounded assumptions on part of the community and the institution. This phenomenological study adds to the sparse literature on Asian Indian Americans by exploring the intergenerational relationships of Asian Indian American undergraduate students in a narrowly focused area of academic choices and academic performance. This study examined students’ perceptions of the communication between first-generation parents and second-generation children who are currently enrolled at Southern State University. Further, this study examined the stress generated by the intergenerational relationships and the coping strategies employed by the students for dealing with the aforementioned stress. Findings from this study indicate that first-generation parents stress academic excellence and enrollment in certain majors based on their own experiences as new immigrants as well as to uphold the honor and prestige of the family. While the expectations of academic excellence from parents create stress for the students, the students remain grateful to their parents for instilling such values in them. However, the findings reveal that students felt stress from the expectation of excellence from the community, family, and institution to perform well. The findings of varying levels of intergenerational issues suggest that the parent-child relationships in this population were complex and non-linear.Item Recent high school immigrants’ program placement and academic performance in Texas schools : what do we know and what do we need to know(2012-05) Lee, Pei-Ling; Ovando, Martha N., 1954-; Young, Michelle D.; Reyes, Pedro; Vasquez Heilig, Julian; Wade, MariaThe study explored the relationship between program placement policies regarding the education of recently immigrated students and selected outcomes for these newcomers in urban high schools located in Texas under the implementation of NCLB. In an effort to better understand the impact of such policies on immigrant learning opportunities, this research investigated how newcomers’ identification and promotion, which were based upon English language proficiency testing, affected recent immigrant students’ program placement, course completion and educational achievement. In addition, this study used secondary data analysis to examine how newcomers’ background characteristics were associated with their grade retention rates. Finally, the relationship between students’ background characteristics and newcomers’ academic performance in language arts and mathematics subject areas were examined. This research attempted to answer questions including: 1) How do newly arrived youth students enrolled in newcomer programs, schools, and those enrolled in traditional English as a Second Language (ESL) programs differ with regard to characteristics, such as race, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), course completion, grade retention, and language spoken at home?, 2) How do the differences in characteristics of newly arrived youth students relate to grade retention?, 3) What is the relationship between the growth in academic achievement and newly arrived youth students’ demographic characteristics while enrolled in different programs?, and 4) What kinds of learning opportunities and educational supports are provided by traditional ESL programs, newcomer programs, and newcomer schools for newly arrived youth students in northern and central Texas? Findings indicated newly arrived immigrant adolescents are consistently the most disadvantaged group due to their later start age with limited English proficiency facing a new culture. In general, recently arrived immigrant youths appear to benefit more from teachers with ESL certification as well as even much more experience for serving immigrant adolescents in a safe and caring environment, newcomer schools.Item Teacher characteristics and race/ethnic and economic disparities in academic achievement at the start of elementary school(2009-08) Hamilton, Madlene Patience; Crosnoe, Robert; Reyes, Pedro,1954-As an exploration of some of the major provisions of NCLB, this dissertation applies the resource substitution perspective (Mirowsky & Ross, 2003) to the early years of elementary school and examines various forms of teacher human capital (e.g., educational background, certification, experience) to capture the pool of potential compensatory resources for segments of the child population deemed at-risk for academic problems because of their race/ethnicity and/or economic status. The research literature concerning teacher effects on academic performance and disparities in the elementary grades (vs. later levels of schooling) is limited, and the prevailing research on teacher effects in general either focuses on factors that are less relevant to early childhood education or provide mixed results. Applying multilevel modeling and other statistical techniques to data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, I found that poor and non-poor Black children are consistently the most at-risk groups in math between kindergarten and third grade and in reading by the end of third grade. Poor Black and poor Hispanic children appear to benefit more from teachers who have regular and/or elementary certification than their non-poor White peers. In general, Hispanic children tend to be more responsive to resources in the early grades than other at risk groups.Item The impact of interpersonal stress in romantic relationships on college students' mental health and academic performance(2016-05) Liu, Briana Linda; McCarthy, Christopher J.; Moore, Leslie AProblems in relationships are one of the leading reasons for why college students seek counseling at university mental health centers (Green, Lowry, & Kopta, 2003). Interpersonal stress has been linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety, more problems with substance use, and higher suicidal ideation (Simon & Barrett, 2010; Drum, Brownson, Burton Denmark, & Smith, 2009). Research suggests that interpersonal stress experienced in romantic relationships has a more severe impact on well-being than stress experienced in any other relationship. Stress in general has been linked to impaired memory, lack of ability to focus and concentrate, lack of motivation, and lower retention rates in school (Duran, Kelly, & Rotaru, 2011; Linn & Zeppa, 1984). Due to the pervasive nature of interpersonal problems, there is a need for proper implementation of intervention and services on college campuses to properly support college students. This report examines the effects of interpersonal stress, and more specifically romantic stress, on college students’ well being and academic performance, as well as details possible counseling implications.