Browsing by Subject "Elementary -- Texas -- El Paso"
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Item The cost-effectiveness of two program delivery systems for drop-out prevention in the elementary school(Texas Tech University, 1989-12) Resendez, Rodolfo AntonioThe purpose of the research study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of two delivery systems for drop-out prevention in the elementary school. The first program involved a self-contained, homogeneous classroom composed of fifth and sixth grade, at-risk, over-age students and known as the Program for Academic Skills and Self-Esteem (PASS). The other program designated. Program A, also involved fifth and sixth grade identified, at-risk and over-age students who were assigned to another campus and to nine, self-contained, heterogeneous fifth and sixth grade classes. The study was restricted to two elementary schools in the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, during the 1987-1989 scholastic years. It addressed the academic gain, the per-student cost of providing the program, and the relationships between the per-student cost and the students' gain in academic achievement in the two delivery systems. This study will assist school districts to plan and implement cost-effective educational programs within their designated budget allocations. It will also identify and assist with the drop-out problem. The procedures for the study were carried out in four phases. They included the identification of the alternative programs; the cost analysis; the effectiveness; and the comparison of cost-effectiveness of the two-program delivery systems. The major findings were that Program A was more cost-effective than the PASS Program. The t-test for independent samples indicated a significance between the cost-effectiveness ratios of the two delivery systems. The null hypothesis was rejected at the .05 level. The t-test indicated that there was not a significant difference in the mean per student achievement gain at the .05 level. However, there was a significant difference in the per student cost of the two delivery systems. The PASS Program had a mean per-student cost of $2191 while Program A was $1923. The PASS Program was the most expensive of the two delivery systems. The t-test indicated a significant difference in the mean per-student cost at the .05 level. The application of cost analysis within a school district context plays an important role in the accountability and creditability of the decision-making process. Cost-effectiveness techniques will assist administrators to make sound and more informed decisions.Item The effects of mnemonic instruction for Hispanic and non-Hispanic elementary school children: a comparison study(Texas Tech University, 1996-05) Adams, Aida MedinaContent material requires the integration of new material into an existing knowledge base as well as filtration through a cultural knowledge base. Mnemonics facilitate comprehension and recall by connecting new information to the learners already established schema. This study examined the effects of a memory technique, elaborative interrogation, on 41 Hispanic and 42 Anglo-American fifth-grade students. This memory technique does not accentuate an intricate use of language or literacy. Instead, the students utilize their reasoning styles and dispositions to produce a greater understanding of presented topics. One primarily Hispanic and one primarily Anglo-American classrooms experienced the elaborative interrogation condition (treatment condition), while a second Hispanic and Anglo-American classroom experienced the reading-to-learn condition (control condition). A fifteen multiple-choice test was administered immediately following the presentation of the facts and were administered again one week later. Participants in the treatment condition decreased an average of 16.32 points from one week to the next, whereas those in the control condition decreased and average of 22.47 points. Descriptive statistics suggest that, generally, the Anglo-American participants decreased approximately 2.45 points more than the Hispanic participants for the experimental condition, while the Hispanic participants declined approximately 10.89 points more than the Anglo-American participants for the control condition. A three-way analysis of covariance revealed significant F values for treatment conditions, ethnicity, and for the treatment by ethnicity interaction. These findings suggest that the use of elaborative interrogation may improve students' recall, when compared to the reading-to learn technique. Hispanic students may find greater benefits since it regards their own cultural backgrounds as a key component.