A Comparative Analysis of Academic Performance of Students Across Various Subjects: Insights and Implications for Educational Strategies

PurposeStudies have shown that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers remain to be one of the areas where there is considerable job growth (Lacey & Wright, 2009; National Science Board, 2010; Singh et al., 2002). However, in many rural regions, science teachers still find it challenging to motivate adolescents to develop an interest in these fields or pursue opportunities in STEM at their schools or in their communities. In exploring a distinctive way to motivate students from rural regions to develop and maintain a STEM mindset, the authors provided students opportunities to participate in programs within their communities to increase their interests in STEM. The authentic STEM learning experiences, “at no cost” for the high school students, helped them focus on cognitive and social abilities as they engaged in experiences developing identities as pre-STEM professionals. This paper reports on how the authors were able to develop research through the support of the professional development system at the university.Design/methodology/approachThe authors explored the experiences of the high school students and parents as they engaged in the Science Olympiad events, community volunteering and mentoring projects over three years in the southeastern United States. A total of 50 high school students participated from the Science Olympiad team from ethnic backgrounds: Hispanic/Latino Americans (55%), African Americans (10%) and White Americans/Caucasians (35%) participated. The high school students and parents were asked to participate by completing required permissions and also completing pre- and post-surveys to help understand their reasons for participating in the activities. At the end of the semester, an interview was conducted with participants to better understand their experiences with working on the team and their STEM perspectives. Parents and guardians of the high school students were also asked to share their thoughts about their children participating in these activities through indirect conversations. The school partnership teacher, also Science Olympiad co-coach, invited high school students to participate in additional STEM activities throughout the school year through the university partnership.FindingsThe pre- and post-survey responses provided insight to researchers about the “lived experiences” of the students as they developed a STEM mindset. Analysis of data indicates students’ interests in STEM and working with youth increased as a result of the STEM opportunities. To help in increasing their interests, additional opportunities are needed for these youth to engage in STEM tasks and mentoring. The professional development system (PDS) creates the space for these opportunities to take place, leading to new knowledge for learning and “boundary-spanning roles” for school-university faculty to discover and experiment new ideas that “transcend institutional settings” (National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2021).Research limitations/implicationsAdditional research is needed in helping high school students develop a STEM mindset as they participate in volunteer STEM experiences. The survey tools should be revised to address the specific STEM activities that the students participate in during the year. In addition to feedback from the youth and parents using focus group interviews or other defined survey instruments.Practical implicationsThe school-university partners continue to explore the successes and challenges of the collaborative effort. Disruptions in the collaborative effort such as school closures due to severe weather and the pandemic have resulted in cancellations of STEM opportunities for high school students. Despite challenges, this collaborative effort continues with an additional focus on STEM learning.Social implicationsSuggested research may involve investigating parental involvement strategies that increase the likelihood of actual high school student attendance during out-of-school time activities, such as community STEM fairs, competitions and summer STEM camps. Use of focus group interviews provided students setting to talk freely.Originality/valueThrough a new initiative established by the PDS at the university, “PDS Master Teachers,” the school-university faculty were invited to participate and engage in purposeful, intentional professional learning and leading to enhance the quality of the experiences for teacher candidates (Professional Development System, Watson College of Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2022). This innovative program inspired the school-university faculty to reflect on practice and create new approaches to expand STEM learning in the school and community. Through this collaborative effort, the following National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials were addressed: Essential 2: Clinical Preparation; Essential 3: Professional Learning and Leading; Essential 4: Reflection and Innovation; Essential 5: Research and Results; and Essential 8: Boundary-Spanning Roles (National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2021). The University’s PDS comprehensive approach to professional learning and its dedication to providing a space for all to engage in reflective practices for professional growth provided the required support for this project.

Background/Context The United States is facing a shortage of domestically prepared STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals, yet many high school graduates find they are not sufficiently prepared for college-level work in STEM subjects. Dual enrollment STEM courses count for both high school and college credit, expose students to the demands of a college course, and may be used to augment existing high school course offerings and graduate students who are better prepared to continue, and are interested in continuing, their education in STEM. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study investigated changes in students’ reported interest in STEM careers after taking a dual enrollment STEM course. We address the following questions: (1) Are high school students who take one or more STEM dual enrollment courses more likely than their peers to report an interest in STEM careers by the end of high school? (2) Is dual enrollment STEM course-taking more effective than Advanced Placement STEM course-taking in increasing student interest in STEM careers by the end of high school? Research Design A quasi-experimental research design was used in this work, with propensity weights employed to account for group self-selection effects post hoc. Data were collected through a national survey of college students (N = 14,114) who provided information about their K–12 experiences. Findings/Results After controlling for demographic, academic, and background characteristics, particularly prior interest in a STEM career, the odds of a STEM career intention were 1.3 times (p < .05) greater for those taking a dual enrollment course compared with peers who did not. Students who took both dual enrollment and AP STEM courses had 2.1 times the odds of their nonparticipating peers to report an interest in STEM careers. Results show that the STEM dual enrollment intervention is equally effective for students of all demographic backgrounds. Conclusions/Recommendations This study is the first to examine the link between dual enrollment and career interest, revealing an additional avenue through which students may be encouraged to pursue STEM careers. Dual enrollment is a promising intervention to increase STEM career interest among all high school students, including students of different genders, races, socioeconomic status (as measured by highest parental education level), and academic achievement (as measured by math SAT score). The policy implications for this work are that dual enrollment programs should be vigorously implemented and promoted in an effort to increase the number of students, especially students from underrepresented groups, who graduate from high school with an interest in a STEM career.

Academic performance is influenced by multitude factors. However, little is known about their relative importance and how they evolve over time. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relative importance of cognitive control, physical, psychological and sociological factors as well as lifestyle habits in predicting academic performance in high school students using cross sectional and longitudinal approaches. One hundred and eighty-five grade seventh to ninth students (mean age: 13.1 ± 1.0 years old) from a single high school completed a 3-year prospective study. Academic performance, cognitive control, physical, psychological and sociological factors as well as lifestyle habits were assessed every year during the 3-year study. Results showed that different combinations of factors were found to predict academic performance measures in both male and female students at baseline and after a 3-year period. For example, in female students, screen time and VO2 max were found to be important predictors of academic performance, whereas working memory was the only recurring factor in predicting academic performance in male students. Moreover, our models were able to explain between 6.1 to 52.2% of the variation in the change of the different measures of academic performance. Results of the present study show that academic performance may be predicted by a wide range of multiple factors in high school students. Indeed, the factors that predicted academic performance varied between school subjects, sex and study design, highlighting the complexity of predicting academic performance in high school students.

Background: The claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has an abundance of sound science behind it. Breakfast is continually suggested to be a critical feature of eating regimens since it is associated with a healthier intake of nutrients, BMI and lifestyle. Several studies have shown the importance of having breakfast to the body's performance. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that breakfast enhances intellectual capacity, concentration, attention and academic performance. However, there is a paucity of studies which examine the relationship between breakfast consumption and academic performance in the UAE.Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of breakfast intake on the academic performance of young female students in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.Methods: Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 130 female students aged 15-19 years, who were selected from two private schools in Abu Dhabi. The questionnaire was used to explore the students’ breakfast consumption habits. The data collected was analyzed to examine the association between breakfast intake and academic performance. Academic performance was assessed according to the average grade for all subjects in the final exam.Results: Sixty-two percent of the 130 students eat breakfast regularly. Breakfast consumption is associated with increased academic performance among high school female students. The association of breakfast intake was found to be statistically significant (p=0.00).Conclusion: The findings of the current study indicate that there is a positive correlation between breakfast intake and the students’ scores. Regular breakfast consumption improves students' academic performance, whereas the performance of students who frequently skip breakfast is lower.

An urgent need exists for graduate and professional schools to establish evidence-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline programs to increase the diversity of the biomedical workforce. An untapped yet promising pool of willing participants are capable high school students that have a strong STEM interest but may lack the skills and the guided mentoring needed to succeed in competitive STEM fields. This study evaluates and compares the impact of the Loma Linda University (LLU) Summer Health Disparities Research Program on high school (HS) and undergraduate (UG) student participants. The primary focus of our summer research experience (SRE) is to enhance the research self-efficacy of the participants by actively involving them in a research project and by providing the students with personalized mentoring and targeted career development activities, including education on health disparities. The results of our study show that our SRE influenced terminal degree intent and increased participant willingness to incorporate research into future careers for both the HS and the UG groups. The quantitative data shows that both the HS and the UG participants reported large, statistically significant gains in self-assessed research skills and research self-efficacy. Both participant groups identified the hands-on research and the mentor experience as the most valuable aspects of our SRE and reported increased science skills, increased confidence in science ability and increased motivation and affirmation to pursue a science career. The follow-up data indicates that 67% of the HS participants and 90% of the UG participants graduated from college with a STEM degree; for those who enrolled in graduate education, 61% and 43% enrolled in LLU, respectively. We conclude that structured SREs can be highly effective STEM strengthening interventions for both UG and HS students and may be a way to measurably increase institutional and biomedical workforce diversity.

This research aimed to investigate the relationship between mathematical proficiency and learning agility among high school students in Southern Thailand. The research focused on grade 10 students from two secondary schools in Surat Thani Province during the academic years 2021-2023, with a total sample of 363 students selected through purposive sampling. Mathematical proficiency was assessed through students’ academic performance in mathematics, while learning agility was measured using Hallenbeck’s (2016) framework, comprising four dimensions: seeking, sensemaking, internalizing, and applying using mathematics test. For data analysis, the research employed quantitative methods, including mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The study revealed that students generally demonstrated high levels of learning agility. No significant differences in learning agility were found between the two schools. However, students’ learning agility varied significantly based on their academic achievement (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a moderate, statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.422; p = 0.002) was found between learning agility of applying dimensions and mathematical proficiency. These findings suggest that students with higher mathematical proficiency tend to exhibit stronger learning agility, enabling them to understand and apply mathematical concepts more effectively.

The present study aimed to identify the factors influencing students' academic performance considering data from the School Performance Evaluation System of the State of São Paulo (SARESP) from 2019. In addition to the micro data associated with performance in Mathematics in the third grade of high school, responses from parents to the socioeconomic questionnaire administered by SARESP were also considered. The Socioeconomic Level Index (INSE) of the schools that participated in the evaluation in 2019 was included in the sample. Variable selection was performed using the Lasso method, and the probability of a student achieving satisfactory classification in Mathematics proficiency was estimated through simulations in the RStudio software using generalized linear models. The results showed that maternal education and family income were significant factors affecting student proficiency. Concurrently, doing homework and liking the subject were factors contributing to better performance.

For many years, literature has documented the benefits of project-based learning (PBL) and its impact on student learning especially at the high school level. More often than not however, students are still losing interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education because current educational teaching pedagogies have become antiquated and are not impacting student learning, as it should. With that said, our discovery through elicitation of high school educators has cited the main reason for such disinterest is due to the inability of students to connect STEM abstract concepts and theory with STEM application to appreciate the value of learning STEM. With access to information easier than ever, students are forgetting that learning is not about getting the right answer but understanding how to solve a complex problem. In the past, PBL has benefited students in engaging them in hands-on learning however, with a more complex paradigm shift in student learning style, PBL and lecture-based learning are no longer the most effective methods of teaching. Engineering-based learning has the opportunity and potential to modify STEM education and revolutionize STEM teaching pedagogy by changing the one-size-fits-all model to an individual, student-centered learning approach where education is mass customized. This paper discusses a new teaching pedagogy dubbed Engineering-Based Learning (EBL) that is a more systematic approach to high school STEM teaching for open-ended problems. This paper presents the EBL model, the EBL tools, and its impact thus far on high school students. It also presents sample feedback from both teachers and students and how it has influenced their outlook of engineering and STEM in the real world. The purpose of this paper is also to disseminate this new teaching pedagogy to support the notion that STEM education can be successfully taught and provide students with a structured, systematic, hands-on approach, as well as the appropriate tools and resources allowing them to connect complex STEM theory and real-world application.

The present study examines the dynamic relationship between academic performance of high school students and their respective learning and study strategies. Two hundred thirty-six high school students were recruited to participate in this study by completing a Chinese version of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory - LASSI, to probe into the relationship. Results found that (1) there were clear differences to the learning and study strategies used by high school students with high academic performance, and those with low academic performance; (2) all the three components (Will; Self-regulation and Skill) were equally important to differentiate high academic achieving high school students from low academic achieving high school students within the strategic model of learning; and (3) a numbers of learning and study strategies were effectively predicting the academic performance of the high school students. All of these result patterns confirm that learning and study strategies used by high academic achievers and low academic achievers as well as the components used to predict students’ academic performance in the high school setting are quite different from the patterns revealed in the tertiary education sector.

Despite the rising emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in the last two decades, the United States has seen little change in student performance, based on international assessments. Transforming science education from the more traditional, lecture-format classes to inquiry-driven exercises is central for improving student’s STEM literacy and competency at all grade levels. This paper describes an outreach program that was developed for upper-level U.S. high school students (10th–12th grade) and centers around hands-on, inquiry-driven exercises using the large-bodied (> 3 kg) mammalian fossils from Natural Trap Cave (NTC). The objectives of this program were for the students to develop an understanding of the morphological adaptations of the vertebrate skeleton, preservational biases in the fossil record, and to participate in each of the curatorial steps used for the long-term preservation of fossils. Students from Des Moines Public School Central Campus came to Des Moines University 2 hours a week for a semester, receiving high school and community college credit for participating. The NTC outreach program has been offered for 11 semesters since the fall of 2014. Thirty-four high school students have participated, consisting of 24 women and 10 men, with 19 of the students belonging to African American, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Hispanic ethnicities. The students helped to identify and curate 3,700 NTC fossil specimens. Several of the students presented posters on the work they did during this outreach program at the multiple district and state science fairs in Iowa and received accolades. Only the 2017–2019 students were surveyed, but all the students reported gaining a deeper understanding of the scientific process and the utility of paleontology. One student even reported changing their career goal from undecided to a STEM field. The framework developed for the NTC outreach program can be easily modified to fit the needs or structure of another research project, community partnership, science laboratory, or museum facility, with the target audience being students from middle school to undergraduate. This type of STEM outreach program can also help improve scientific literacy and generate much-needed excitement and interest in science, at a time when many students are exploring potential career paths.

Even though chemistry is the foundation and gatekeeper of other science courses, high school students across continue to score poorly in the subject overall. The purpose of the study was to determine how the performance of learners in chemistry was related to the availability of chemistry lab materials. Kilifi North Constituency was the site of the study. Six mixed schools were chosen using simple random sampling, one school for girls and boys were chosen using purposive method. Eighty students were chosen using simple random selection and stratified random sampling. Eight chemistry teachers were sampled using basic random sampling and purposeful sampling. The Chemistry Teacher Questionnaire (CTQ), Student Questionnaire (SQ), Observation Checklist (OC), and document and mark sheet analysis were used to gather data. Ten students and two teachers participated in the pilot project which was conducted at two schools in the Kilifi North Constituency. Data analysis was made simplified with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study variables were presented using descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, mean, and percentages. Hypotheses at .05. were tested using inferential statistics (Spearman's Rank order correlation and Pearson product moment of correlation coefficient). The study revealed that 75% of schools had laboratories, with a significant correlation (r = 0.819, p = 0.013) between the availability of laboratory materials and students' academic performance in chemistry practical’s, accounting for 67.08% of the variability in scores. Additionally, the majority of chemistry apparatus and chemicals were deemed sufficiently available, indicating overall adequacy in laboratory resources for effective teaching and learning. The study recommended that Schools should improve laboratory facilities by assuring the availability of necessary equipment and chemicals, as well as offering teacher training, in order to maximize resource efficiency and increase student chemistry performance.

With the increasing importance of interdisciplinary studies in today's developing world of knowledge, innovative educational approaches have started to be adopted in teaching programs in this direction. One of the innovative training approaches is STEM education. Turkey's 2011 and 2015 TIMSS is analyzed according to the level of proficiency in mathematics and science performance in the application of mathematics and science shows that a majority of elementary school fourth grade students' have access yet to the level of mid-level talent. STEM education has an important place in order to change the results obtained and to educate the individuals needed in the future. In this context, the aim of the study is to determine the levels of attitude towards STEM of the fourth grade elementary school students. In this study, descriptive survey model, which is one of the quantitative research designs, was used to determine STEM attitude levels of fourth grade students. The research was conducted in the spring semester of 2018-2019 academic years. Turkey is located south of the working group of the research and studying in medium socio-economic level in state schools from fourth grade to create 322 primary school students. STEM Attitude Scale was used as data collection tool in the study. STEM Attitude Scale was developed by Guzey, Harwell and Moore (2014) and adapted to Turkish language by Aydin, Saka and Guzey (2017). Frequency, arithmetic mean, standard deviation values and difference tests were used to analyze the data. Although STEM attitude elementary school fourth grade students were investigated, it was determined that STEM attitudes were at a good level in agreement with the students although they did not experience any STEM application that integrated science, engineering, mathematics and technology. While STEM attitudes of the students did not differ according to gender, pre-school education, career choice and father education level, it was determined that there was a significant difference according to mother education level.

The intricate relationship between physical health and cognitive development has been a focal point of multidisciplinary research, suggesting that motor skill proficiency could influence academic outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between motor control, mobility, stability-measured by the Functional Movement Screen (FMS)-and academic performance among high school students. Conducted with 201 participants from a public high school in Spain, this descriptive non-experimental research divided students into high and low academic performance groups based on their average grade scores, with the median used as the criterion for distinction. The FMS was utilized to assess fundamental motor skills, and academic performance was verified across mathematics, language, science, and physical education subjects. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between the FMS scores and academic achievement (r = 0.691; p < 0.001), indicating that students with higher motor skill proficiency had higher academic achievement. This correlation persisted across the various subjects, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating physical education and motor skill development into educational strategies. The study's results suggest that educational policies should advocate for comprehensive physical education programs to foster both physical well-being and academic improvement, thereby promoting a holistic educational model that enhances student performance across disciplines.

BackgroundThe importance of addressing malnutrition is increasing in the context of children’s health and their academic performances. Childhood malnutrition further could reduce a country’s economic productivity. No earlier study adequately...

Why do some students maintain their career expectations in STEM(science, technology, engineering, mathematics), whereas others change their expectations? Using situated expectancy-value and social cognitive career theories, we sought to investigate the extent to which STEM support predicted changes in students' STEM career expectations during high school, and if these processes varied by whether the student had college educated or noncollege educated parents. Using the nationally representative data set of the High School Longitudinal Study, we investigated the predictors of changes in US students' STEM career expectations from 9th to 11th grade (n = 13,100, 54% noncollege educated parents, 51% girls, 55% White, 21% Latinx, 12% Black). Students with noncollege educated parents were significantly more likely to change from STEM to non-STEM career expectations by 11th grade or to have stable non-STEM career expectations (compared to having stable STEM expectations or changing from non-STEM to STEM expectations). Additionally, students with noncollege educated parents were less likely to receive STEM support from parents and attend extracurricular activities compared to students with college educated parents. However, when examining the predictors among students with noncollege educated parents, students were more likely to maintain their expectations for a STEM career from 9th to 11th grade (compared to switching to a non-STEM career) if they had parental STEM support. Additionally, all students regardless of parents' level of education were more likely to maintain their expectations for a STEM career (vs. switching to a non-STEM career) through high school if they received teacher STEM support. Furthermore, students were more likely to develop STEM career expectations (vs. maintaining non-STEM career expectations) if they had parent STEM support. These findings highlight how parent and teacher STEM support may bolster STEM career expectations, particularly among students with noncollege educated parents.