Browsing by Subject "school"
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Item A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Problem-Solving Consultation Outcomes: A Review from 1986 to 2009(2012-10-19) Davis, ColeSchool-based problem-solving consultation is an indirect problem-solving process where the consultant works directly with the teacher in order to solve a current work problem of the teacher. The focus of school-based problem-solving consultation was to remediate a current difficult; however, during school-based problem-solving consultation, the teacher developed coping skills that improved his/her ability to handle future problems. Although the subject of several previous syntheses of the literature attesting to its promise, the current state of school-based problem consultation effectiveness was not known. This study sought to update the school-based problem-solving consultation effectiveness literature as measured by conducting a meta-analysis spanning the years 1986 to 2009. A secondary goal was to identify variables that functioned as moderators. Following procedures advocated by Lipsey and Wilson in 2001, 19 studies were identified producing 205 effect sizes. However, these effect sizes were not calculated independently. Instead, the effect sizes from each study were averaged in order to form a mean effect size per study. The mean effects were then averaged to form the omnibus mean effect size. The omnibus mean effect size from the 19 studies was g = 0.42, with a range of -0.01 to 1.52 demonstrating a medium-sized effect. This effect size was more modest in magnitude when compared to the previous school-based problem-solving consultation meta-analyses; however, the results indicated that school-based problem-solving consultation positively impacted client-level outcomes. With the exception of grade level, moderator analyses produced little information in terms of statistical differences between and among categories for ?teacher type of class, consultant type, school type, referral source, referral reason, consultation model, comparison group, intervention type, design quality, outcome measured, and data type. For grade level, students in the ?Other/Not Specified? category benefited most from school-based problem-solving consultation when compared to the ?Elementary (K-6)? category. In addition to examining the omnibus mean effect size and potential moderators, limitations and implications for practice and future research were discussed.Item Community environments and walking-to-school behaviors: multi-level correlates and underlying disparities(2009-05-15) Zhu, XuemeiWalking can be a safe, healthy, and affordable mode of school transportation. However, most students today do not use walking for their school travel. More research is needed to understand the correlates of walking to or from school and to identify effective interventions. This is a cross-sectional study of 73 public elementary schools in the Austin Independent School District of Texas. The first phase used geographic information systems and field audits to examine school-level disparities in the environmental support for walking in schools? attendance areas. The second phase involved surveys of students? parents or guardians to identify the multi-level correlates of using walking as their children?s typical school travel mode. In the first phase, results from analyses of variance and linear regressions indicated the existence of disparities. Lower economic status of student population was associated with poorer street conditions (e.g., maintenance, visual quality, amenities, and perceived safety), shorter distances to school, and lower traffic volumes. Higher percentage of Hispanic students within a school was associated with increased danger from traffic and crime and more sidewalks, greater population density, and mixed land uses. The second phase used binary logistic regressions to predict walking to or from school. Among the personal and social factors, parents? education, car ownership, personal barriers, and school bus availability were negative correlates, while parents? and children?s positive attitude and regular walking habit and supportive peer influences were positive correlates. Of the physical environmental factors, long distance and safety concerns were the strongest negative correlates, followed by the presence of highways or freeways, convenience stores, office buildings, and bus stops en route. In conclusion, environmental interventions are needed to develop centrallylocated neighborhood schools, barrier-free attendance areas, and well-maintained pedestrian infrastructure. Disparities and fine-grained differences are found in the environmental support for walking. A high priority for low-income, Hispanic children and interventions tailored for specific contexts and populations appear necessary. Safety improvement is indispensible in terms of both traffic and crime and should be supplemented with educational programs that target both parents and children. Finally, multi-agency collaborations are needed at the policy level to support and facilitate these multi-level interventions.Item Engagement in Reading and Access to Print: The Relationship of Home and School to Overall Reading Achievement Among Fourth Grade English Speakers(2013-04-05) Allaith, Zainab A.The present study puts forward two models which examine the relationship between at home at school variables of (1) engagement in shared and independent reading and (2) access to print with reading achievement. Participants were fourth grade English speakers from Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia), New Zealand, England, and USA. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) questionnaires and reading achievement test were used to design the two models, and Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to analyze the data where students (Level-1) were nested within classrooms (Level-2). The results of the Engagement in Reading Model demonstrate that activities of shared reading at home and at school did not statistically significantly relate or related negatively with reading achievement. Parents helping their children with school readings emerged as the strongest negative predictor of reading achievement in the entire model. However, the relationship between how often participants talked with their families about what they read on their own and reading achievement was positive. Additionally, independent reading at school, reading for fun at home, and reading printed material (books and magazines) at home predicated reading achievement positively; reading for homework did not predict reading achievement; and reading for information and reading on the internet at home predicted reading achievement negatively. The results of the Access to Print Model demonstrate that while access to books and other reading material at home related positively with reading achievement, access to books and other reading material at school did not overall relate to students? reading achievement. Additionally, access to the library, generally, did not relate to reading achievement; and when statistical significance was found it was not replicated in all or even most of the countries. Based on the results of the present study, it is recommended that fourth graders be given ample opportunities to read books of their own choosing independently at school, and to develop students? habits and motivation to read for leisure during their free after school time. Additionally, children should be provided with ample access to reading material at home which is geared towards their interests.Item Factors influencing the successful passage of a school bond referendum as identified by selected voters in the Navasota Independent School District in Texas(Texas A&M University, 2006-08-16) Faltys, David JeromeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the successful passage of a school bond referendum as identified by selected voters in the Navasota Independent School District in Texas. The secondary purpose of the study was to examine pre- and post-strategies of the failed September 11, 2004, referendum and identify those factors that influenced the positive referendum on December 11, 2004. Surveys were sent to 260 registered voters who participated in both the September 11, 2004, and December 11, 2004, school bond referenda in the Navasota Independent School District. Frequency distributions, cross-tabulations, and Chi- Square tests were performed on the data to determine if there were any significant findings through the surveys. The results of the investigation were fairly clear. As stated in the research by Surratt (1987), trust in the administration and follow-through in previous bond referenda played a significant role in determining the negative outcome of the September 11, 2004, Navasota ISD school bond referendum. In the December 11, 2004, bond referendum, detailed information on bond plans, individual campus activities promoting needs for the passage of the bond referendum, opportunity to vote on more than one proposition, and information on the cost of the tax increase for the average home in NISD were instrumental in the positive outcome of that referendum. In regards to demographics of the voting population, the factor ??currently having children in the district?? played a significant role in determining the outcome of the referenda. This agreed with earlier research by Theobold & Meier (2002).