Academic Performance In Relation Research Articles

Neighbourhood safety and academic performance: the role of student gender and family socioeconomic status

Introduction. Neighbourhood safety is directly linked to the level of disadvantage in the area of residence. Aim. The present research aimed to examine the impact of neighbourhood safety on the academic performance of secondary school students, taking into account gender and socioeconomic background. Methodology and research methods. The current study used a quantitative cross-sectional study design. Data were collected from 448 secondary school students on a voluntary basis. Chi-square and Kendall’s Tau-c (Tc) tests were used to analyse the data and determine the relationship and strength of direction between variables. Results. The findings indicated a significant and positive association between children’s academic performance and neighbourhood crime safety (P < 0.05, Tc = 0.202), as well as feeling safe, walking in the neighbourhood during the day or night (P < 0.05, Tc = 0.127). However, bullying and harassment in the neighbourhood were found to be significantly and negatively associated with academic performance (P > 0.05, Tc = -0.053). When introducing family socioeconomic status as a control variable, the results indicated variation in academic performance in relation to neighbourhood safety. When controlling for student gender, neighbourhood safety had no different effects on academic performance. The findings showed that, in relation to neighbourhood safety, children from families with higher socioeconomic status academically outperform children from lower socioeconomic status families. Scientific novelty. The study not only focused on the connection between neighbourhood safety and academic performance but was also unique in the sense that it also dealt with differences in academic performance based on gender and family socioeconomic level. Practical significance. The study produces a number of interesting conclusions and makes valuable recommendations for significant stakeholders. The primary study recommendations aim is to create a secure, supportive, and protective neighbourhood environment by enforcing the law and encouraging community involvement in order to reduce the threat of crime, violence, and harassment.

The Impact of Alcohol and ADHD Medication Use on GPA, Mental Distress, and Perceived Stress among College Students

Medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently abused and misused alongside alcohol on college campuses. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between participants' alcohol use, mental distress, and academic performance in relation to their illicit use of ADHD medication. An anonymous cross-sectional survey administered online using Google Forms compiled 702 U.S. college students’ responses evaluating their drug usage, academic performance, and mental health. ADHD medication use had a positive association (p 0.05) (p 0.01) with hallmarks of mental distress and perceived stress. There was a negative association (p 0.05) (p 0.01) between alcohol use in the last 12 months and feelings of mental distress and perceived stress. There were negative associations (p 0.05) (p 0.01) found between illicit ADHD medication use and hallmarks of GPA. A positive association (p 0.05) was also found between alcohol use in the last 4 weeks and students’ positive perceptions of the effectiveness of illicit ADHD medication. These findings on the relationships between illicit usage of ADHD medication and usage of alcohol as it relates to mental health are important in broadening our understanding of some of the most important risk factors that illicit use of ADHD medication and alcohol usage can have on college students.

The relationship between perceived classroom climate and academic performance among English-major teacher education students in Guangxi, China: The mediating role of student engagement.

The academic performance of teacher education students predicts their future career development and it is also a significant factor related to their future students’ academic performance. However, little is known about the associations between perceived classroom climate, student engagement and academic performance, especially for English-major teacher education students. This study was to examine English-major teacher education students’ academic performance in relation to perceived classroom climate, student engagement. The questionnaire consisted of the Emotional Classroom Climate Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale – Student Form-3 Item (UWES-SF-3), and the 5-item Academic Performance Scale. This study investigated 307 English-major teacher education students in Guangxi, China. Among them, 280 (91.2%) were females, and 27 (8.8%) were males, aged between 18 and 24 (M = 20.34, SD = 1.26). Results indicated that perceived classroom climate was positively associated with student engagement and academic performance among English-major teacher education students; their student engagement was positively associated with their academic performance, and student engagement partially mediated the relationship between perceived classroom climate and academic performance. The findings supported the motivational process of study demands-resources (SD-R) model and revealed that perceived classroom climate and student engagement were significant factors linked to academic performance, and practical suggestions were discussed.

Taiwanese engineering students’ self-efficacy and academic performance

Despite the popularity and the importance of MOOCs in global education in recent years, they have not become the focus of self-efficacy studies. In addition, most available MOOC research resides in Western economies, not in Asian countries. No studies up to this point have explored the change in engineering student self-efficacy before and after they finish a MOOC or the relationship between engineering students’ self-efficacy and academic performance in a MOOC learning environment. This present study examined if there were any changes in the self-efficacy levels of a group of students before and after they attended a blended MOOC on English Technical Writing skills. It explored the relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance and looked for possible differences in self-efficacy and academic performance with respect to different demographic variables. A Paired-samples t-test helped to measure differences in self-efficacy scores at the beginning and end of the course. Pearson correlation was conducted to examine if self-efficacy predicted students’ course grades at the end of the course. Descriptive analysis, t-test, and ANOVA were used to measure the differences between the mean scores of self-efficacy and academic performance regarding different demographic variables. Results showed that students became more self-efficacious after they attended the blended MOOC. Self-efficacy significantly predicted academic performance. Students who reported higher self-efficacy levels gained better scores. Participants differed significantly in their self-efficacy and academic performance in relation to age group, English proficiency level, and educational level. Suggestions for future research are made based on the results of the study.

Assessment of nutritional status and academic performance of adolescents in relation to their phytochemical intake

Phytochemicals can be described as chemicals of plant origin. These are certain non-nutritive plant chemicals which have various disease preventive properties. However, the term phytochemical is often used to describe a varied range of bioactive compounds found in plants. These are primary and secondary metabolites which are naturally occurring in the leaves, vegetables and roots that have defence mechanisms and protect from various diseases. Primary metabolites are proteins, carbohydrates, chlorophyll, lipids and common sugars which are synthesised during photosynthesis and these organic compounds are essential for plant life and growth. Secondary metabolites are tannins, flavonoids, phenolic, saponins and alkaloids which are synthesized by the plant during development and are time, tissue and organ specific.Several epidemiological studies have shown that phytochemical rich fruits and vegetables have considerable health benefits. These benefits include: (i) reducing the risk of several types of cancer, (ii) reducing the risk of heart diseases. The consumption of fruit and vegetable is associated with several health benefits.The present study was aimed on the assessment of nutritional status and academic performance in relation to phytochemical intake of adolescents. The study was performed on a sample size of 60 school going adolescents (30 girls and 30 boys) between the age group 12-16 years. The adolescents consuming fruits and vegetables in their regular diet reported to have good nutritional status. In the intervention community, the academic output was also increased. The research concluded that the intake of phytochemical rich fruits and vegetables has a positive impact on nutritional status and academic performance of school going adolescents.

Determining Effectiveness of Learners‘ Intellectual Skills in Supporting Authentic Learning within a Competency Based Education Model in Secondary School Education: A Case of Kenya

This study was carried out to determine IQ levels, learner preference of intellectual skills as well as impact of IQ on academic performance in secondary schools in Kenya. The study was based on the fact that learning today requires a shift in philosophy that relies on intellectual frame of mind, a forerunner of critical thinking skills and metacognitive perspectives of learning in the 21st Century. The study adopted a descriptive research design with a total of 160 students, 20 per school out of 8-schools identified. The study revealed that majority of learners who took the test attained below average intelligence IQ range at 85 – 114 with 56.06% male and 31.82% female learners in this IQ range. The other dominant category of learners attained above average intelligence with IQ range of 115 – 129 with 36.36% male and 45.45% of females. The study also revealed that the males tend to prefer technical tasks such as logical mathematical and bodily-kinesthetic compared to girls who were more inclined towards linguistics, musical and interpersonal intelligence. As for the results on academic performance in relation to intellectual skills, the relationship was inverse. It can be concluded that intellectual patterns arising from the study reflect a narrow sense of intellectual abilities leading to disjointedness in the learning process without the depth required. There is need for more research for a more solid theoretical foundation to be able to draw comparisons and determine trends regarding learner intelligence in secondary schools in Kenya.

A Systematic Review of Creative Self-Efficacy Literature in Education

In this article we reviewed literature related to creative self-efficacy in the field of education. We narrowed down the review to eighty-eight articles. We formed categories according to (1) publication year, (2) country of study, (3) sample/study group, (4) method used, and (5) subject matter addressed. The first study was published in 2004. The frequency of publications increased in the last three years. USA, China, and Taiwan are the leading countries in terms of origin of published articles. Except four inter-cultural studies, all others were conducted in a single country. About half of the studies were conducted with K-12 students and teachers, and the remaining focused on higher education students and instructors. Mostly quantitative methods have been utilized. Lastly, we categorized the issues tackled into nine themes. Researchers gave a heavy emphasis on investigating creativity/creativity indicators, individual/environmental factors and less emphasis on academic performance in relation to creative self-efficacy.

A bolsa faz diferença? Uma análise do desempenho acadêmico de alunos bolsistas de cursos de graduação da área de negócios

Esta pesquisa buscou analisar a relação entre as modalidades de bolsas acadêmicas e o desempenho acadêmico de alunos de cursos de graduação da área de negócios. Com base na literatura, duas hipóteses foram formuladas: (i) os alunos que recebem bolsas acadêmicas possuem melhor desempenho acadêmico em relação àqueles que não as recebem e (ii) as modalidades de bolsas acadêmicas possuem relação positiva com o desempenho acadêmico. Utilizaram-se os dados do Exame Nacional de Desempenho de Estudantes de 2018, resultando em uma amostra de 83.003 observações. Os resultados dos testes t de Welch indicaram que os alunos bolsistas possuem melhor desempenho acadêmico do que os não-bolsistas e os modelos de regressão apontaram que a modalidade de bolsa acadêmica está positivamente associada à performance discente. Portanto, ambas as hipóteses foram sustentadas. Estas evidências sugerem que as políticas educacionais referentes à concessão de bolsas acadêmicas no âmbito da graduação na área de negócios são relevantes e que as entidades podem, continuamente, aprimorar tais políticas, sobretudo, quando houver mudanças nos contextos social e econômico. Todavia, não foram avaliados os valores das bolsas, mas tão somente a sua concessão e modalidade, abrindo espaço para investigações, especialmente em momentos de restrição orçamentária, tal como provocado pela Covid-19.

The Impact of Worry on Academic Performance

The Impact of Worry on Academic Performance Abdalla A. M. Hamid Abstract Worry is a basic cognitive characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder. It represents an effort to engage in mental problem solving of a problem whose consequences are vague or uncertain. The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of worry on academic performance. Another objective was to examine age and gender differences in worry. A sample of 366 undergraduate students was selected from United Arab Emirates university. One hundred thirty-eight (37.7%) of the participants were male and 228 (62.3%) were female ranging in age from 18 to 30 years (mean age = 21.28 years, SD = 1.66).The Anxious Thoughts Inventory- 22 items was used to measures worry. This inventory gauges three types of worry: social worry, health worry, and meta-worry. The Grade Point Average (GPA) was used to measure academic performance. The results showed gender differences in social worry but not in health or meta-worries.No significant differences were found in academic performance in relation to age. Students who reported elevated levels of health worry and social worry (type 1 worry) had higher academic performance. Results were discussed in light of relevant literature and previous findings. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v9n3a11

Effect of Learning and Teaching Preference Approaches on Academic Performance among Malaysian Accounting Students

Academic performance is an important indicator of a student's achievement in accomplishing educational objectives specifically for learning and teaching. Many factors have been linked to academic performance; however, there are inconclusive results over as to whether individual factor contributes the most effect. In pursuit of this, the study aims to decipher students' academic performance in relation to learning and teaching preference approaches. 324 sets of a questionnaire were randomly sent to first year undergraduate accounting students. From this amount, 263 students responded, contributing to 81.2 percent rate of response. The study adapted the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) questionnaire that identify three learning approaches (deep, strategic and surface), two teaching preference approaches (deep and surface) and academic performance achievements. Data were analysed using Sequential Equation Modelling (SEM) with Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) version two. Results indicate that learning approaches had a significant effect on academic performance in which strategic had the most effect, followed by deep and surface. In contrast, teaching preference approaches did not have any effect on academic performance. An understanding of the magnitude of effect of learning and teaching preference approaches at the early phase would assist the students, educators and institutions to optimize the best approach and eventually expedite Malaysian education quality to be on par with other developed nations in pursuit of academic excellence.

RELATIONAL ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL FACILITIES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT IN MALAKAND DIVISION

Physical infrastructure plays a pivotal role in performance of students in academics as well as co-curricular performance. The study is framed to investigate students’ academic performance in relation to the available physical facilities in Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The data has been obtained from secondary and field sources related to the issue of building and class size, quality of physical facilities as well as their impacts on test scores, grades, class participation etc. The field information is obtained from 300 samples of four selected boys’ high schools through stratified sampling technique using interview schedule. The field data was finally classified in the form of tables, and given frequency with respect to various observations with detailed discussion at the end. The information thus concludes that physical infrastructural facilities highly influence students’ academic performance and personality development.

Study of Academic Performance among college Students in Relation to Student Alienation

Student Alienation is a condition with in the minds of human beings that starts behaving in different manner when they are unable to cop up with the social environment. The present paper is a genuine attempt to study the Academic Performance in relation to Student Alienation. In the present study descriptive survey method was employed on a sample of 150 college arts students of second year degree course from govt. degree colleges of Jammu District. Student alienation scale prepared by Dr. R.R. Sharma (1988) was employed for collecting the data of student alienation and for academic performance previous class result record was used. The collected data was analyzed with the help of critical ratio. The results of the study showed that students who are highly alienated shows significant differences in their academic performance and same results were also indicated by highly alienated female college arts students of second year degree course.

The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies in Understanding the Effects of Intragroup Race-Related Stressors on Academic Performance and Overall Levels of Perceived Stress for African American Students

The purpose of the current study was to test coping strategies as moderators of the effects of intragroup race-related stressors on academic performance and overall perceived stress for 201 African American students at a predominantly White college institution. Few investigations have documented effects of intragroup race-related difficulties for African American college students. Even fewer investigations have pinpointed types of coping efforts that are used to address intragroup race-related difficulty. It was hypothesized that coping strategies would moderate the effects of intragroup race-related stressors on academic performance and perceived stress, such that adaptive strategies would be associated with low levels of perceived stress and positive academic performance, whereas maladaptive strategies were expected to be associated with high levels of perceived stress and poor academic performance in relation to exposure to intragroup race-related stressors. Moderated regression analyses revealed no significant interactions in predicting academic performance. Results further revealed that greater use of disengagement strategies were associated with increased levels of perceived stress in relation to increased exposure to intragroup race-related stressors. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Time Management and Students Academic Performance in Higher Institutions, Nigeria — A Case Study of Ekiti State

Time management is a set of practices that work together to help you get more value out of your time with the aim of improving the quality of your life. Students most often do not utilize their time judiciously as expected to attain their goals. Hence, t his paper examined the impact of time management on students’ academic performance in higher institutions Nigeria. Hypotheses were generated to identify the constraints of time management among students. The results revealed that procrastination, prioritization and planning were strong indices that affected the students’ academic performance in relation to time management. It was strongly recommended that students have to be conscious of time in performing their academic activities so that the level of their academic performance can be high. Since procrastination among all the variables has much impact on academic performance according to the findings, students should strive hard to complete their assignments as well as other academic activities on time so as to avoid not meeting deadlines.

Impact of simulated hyperopia on academic-related performance in children.

To investigate the impact of simulated hyperopia and sustained near work on children's ability to perform a range of academic-related tasks. Fifteen visually normal children (mean [±SD] age, 10.9 [±0.8] years; 10 male and 5 female) were recruited. Performance on a range of standardized academic-related outcome measures was assessed with and without 2.50 diopters of simulated bilateral hyperopia (administered in a randomized order), before and after 20 minutes of sustained near work, at two separate testing sessions. Academic-related measures included a standardized reading test (the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability), visual information processing tests (the Coding and Symbol Search subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children), and a reading-related eye movement test (the Developmental Eye Movement test). Simulated bilateral hyperopia and sustained near work each independently impaired reading, visual information processing, and reading-related eye movement performance (p < 0.001). A significant interaction was also demonstrated between these factors (p < 0.05), with the greatest decrement in performance observed when simulated hyperopia was combined with sustained near work. This combination resulted in performance reductions of between 5 and 24% across the range of academic-related measures. A significant moderate correlation was also found between the change in horizontal near heterophoria and the change in several of the academic-related outcome measures, after the addition of simulated hyperopia. A relatively low level of simulated bilateral hyperopia impaired children's performance on a range of academic-related outcome measures, with sustained near work further exacerbating this effect. Further investigations are required to determine the impact of correcting low levels of hyperopia on academic performance in children.

Physical activity and cognition in adolescents: A systematic review.

The purpose of this report is to perform a systematic review of the evidence on the associations between physical activity and cognition by differentiating between academic and cognitive performance measures. Second-generation questions regarding potential mediators or moderators (i.e., sex, age and psychological variables) of this relationship were also examined. Systematic review. Studies were identified from searches in PubMed, Sportdiscus and ERIC databases from 2000 through 2013. The search process was carried out by two independent researchers. A total of 20 articles met the inclusion criteria, 2 of them analyzed both cognitive and academic performance in relation to physical activity. Four articles (18%) found no association between physical activity and academic performance, 11 (50%) found positive association and one showed negative association (5%). Five articles (23%) found positive association between physical activity and cognitive performance and one showed negative association (5%). The findings of these studies show that cognitive performance is associated with vigorous physical activity and that academic performance is related to general physical activity, but mainly in girls. Results of the review also indicate that type of activity and some psychological factors (i.e., self-esteem, depression) could mediate the association between physical activity and academic performance. Results of the review support that physical activity is associated with cognition, but more research is needed to clarify the role of sex, intensity and type of physical activity and some psychological variables of this association.

Academic Performance in Relation to Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Energy Balance Behaviors in Greek Primary Schoolchildren

To explore possible links between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MeD), excess body weight, energy balance behaviors, and academic performance in Greek primary schoolchildren. Cross-sectional study. Primary schools in Athens, Greece. A total of 528 students (256 boys and 272 girls), 10-12 years of age, were recruited from 21 primary schools in the area of Athens, Greece. Students completed a specifically designed energy balance behaviors questionnaire together with the KIDMED index, which evaluates the degree of adherence to the MeD. The teacher assessed academic performance through a specifically designed, 5-scale questionnaire. Standard anthropometric measurements were also taken. Block stepwise regression analysis was conducted. Adherence to the MeD (β = .140; P = .001), obesity (β = -.095; P = .001), physical activity levels (β = .206; P = .001), hours of sleep (β = .100; P = .003), television viewing (β = -.068; P = .05), and global self-esteem levels (β = .122; P = .001) are significant factors in predicting academic performance in primary schoolchildren. Poor adherence to the MeD, obesity, and low physical activity levels seem to negatively affect academic performance in children. Understanding these interrelationships could facilitate the formation of policies focused on improving children's academic achievement.

Circadian Phase Preference in College Students: Relationships With Psychological Functioning and Academics

The current study offers a comprehensive assessment of psychosocial functioning and academic performance in relation to circadian phase preference in a US sample of undergraduate college students (N = 838), aged 17–26 (M = 19.78, SD = 1.89). Women had greater morning preference than men, and seniors had greater morning preference than freshmen. Circadian phase preference, fatigue, perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and substance use were assessed cross-sectionally and grade point average (GPA) was assessed prospectively. Evening phase preference was related to higher levels of fatigue, alcohol and caffeine use, and worse academic performance than morning or intermediate phase preferences. (Author correspondence: djtaylor@unt.edu)

Extracting factors for students’ motivation in studying mathematics

The purpose of this article is to identify factors that statistically explain the variation and the measures on the level of motivation of a sample of mathematics students in a university. Specifically, this analysis will identify groups of similar items and reduce the number of variables used in a study. This article explains the use of exploratory factor analysis in extracting factors of personal belief and motivational factors among students in learning mathematics. The adaptation of these factors can be used for assessing academic performance in relation to motivation level. By identifying these factors, the mathematics educators or researchers will be able to find ways to improve the condition of the factors and also to further investigate the factors based on confirmatory approaches.

Desempenho escolar da criança vitimizada encaminhada ao fórum judicial

O objetivo do estudo foi caracterizar o desempenho escolar da criança vítima de violência doméstica atendida no Fórum Judicial. Participaram do estudo 20 crianças vitimizadas comparadas com seus pares da mesma sala de aula, mesmo sexo e mesma faixa etária, mas sem histórico de violência doméstica, suas respectivas mães e professoras. As crianças responderam ao Teste de Desempenho Escolar, Inventário de Estilos Parentais e ao Teste de Raven (Escala Especial) e apresentaram o caderno escolar. As mães responderam a uma entrevista e a Escala de Táticas de Conflitos Revisada (CTS-2). As professoras apresentaram sua opinião sobre o desempenho acadêmico dos participantes. Os dados obtidos mostraram que a criança vitimizada tem desempenho escolar inferior ao grupo controle. Os resultados da CTS-2 indicaram que a maioria das crianças vitimizadas estava exposta à violência conjugal. O estudo mostrou que, além da violência doméstica direta e indireta, tais crianças estavam expostas a outros fatores de risco, tais como, pobreza, baixa escolaridade materna e uso de álcool e/ou droga por familiares.