Student Achievement Research Articles

Integrating Social Media into Educational Strategies: Examining the Impact of Social Media Usage on High School Students’ Academic Performance

Academic achievement shapes future opportunities, and social media significantly influences this. Despite its growing prominence, social media's specific effects on high school students’ academic outcomes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, remain unexplored. This study fills this gap by examining how social media usage relates to academic performance, study habits, study time, and perceived benefits among 402 high school students (283 males, 118 females) from 12 public and private schools. Employing a quantitative survey design, we used a "Social Media and Academic Achievement of Students" questionnaire adapted from Peter (2015). The findings reveal that sharing academic information with classmates on social media significantly enhances academic performance. However, social media usage showed no statistically significant effects on study habits and time allocation. Additionally, students reported moderate benefits from using social media for academic purposes. These results emphasize integrating social media in education to enhance student engagement and performance, and underscore the need for effective time management to manage distractions. The study's limitations include its regional focus and the self-reported nature of the data. Future research should explore these dynamics in different regions and with varied methodologies to further validate these findings.

The Impact of OER’s Continuous Improvement Cycles on Students’ Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis of the RISE Framework

Open educational resources (OER) have been praised for revolutionizing education. However, practitioners and instructors battle keeping OER updated and measuring their impact on students’ performance. Few studies have analyzed the improvement of OER over time in relation to achievement. This longitudinal study uses learning analytics through the open-source Resource Inspection, Selection, and Enhancement (RISE) analysis framework to assess the impact of continuous improvement cycles on students’ outcomes. Panel data (i.e., performance and use) from 190 learning objectives of OER of an introductory sociology course were analyzed using a hierarchical linear model. Results show that more visits to an OER do not improve student achievement, but continuous improvement cycles of targeted OER do. Iterative implementation of the RISE analysis for resource improvement in combination with practitioners’ expertise is key for students’ learning. Given that the RISE classification accounted for 65% of the growth of students’ performance, suggesting a moderate to large effect, we speculate that the RISE analysis could be generalized to other contexts and result in greater student gain. Institutions and practitioners can improve the OER’s impact by introducing learning analytics as a decision-making tool for instructional designers. Yet, user-friendly implementation of learning analytics in a “click-and-go” application is necessary for generalizability and escalation of continuous improvement cycles of OER and tangible improvement of learning outcomes. Finally, in this article, we identify the need for efficient applications of learning analytics that focus more on “learning” and less on analytics.

The relationship between executive functions and mathematics achievements in early-grade elementary students

ABSTRACT Mathematics, along with reading and writing, is a core academic subject in the school curriculum. The development of mathematical skills is influenced by various cognitive factors, with executive functions (EF) playing a central role. EF, which encompasses working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, is critical for supporting complex cognitive processes required for problem-solving and mathematical reasoning. Research consistently shows that children with stronger EF tend to achieve better academic outcomes, including in mathematics. The goal of the present study was to examine the relationships between the global EF and its three core components – working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility – and their impact on mathematics achievement. The sample for this study consisted of 180 children, aged 8–11 years (mean age: 9.6, SD: 1.0 year; 83 girls, 97 boys). EF was assessed using the Yellow-Red test, while mathematics achievement was evaluated based on teachers’ evaluations of the child’s mathematics performance. The results indicated a statistically significant effect of global EF and its three components on mathematics achievement. Given the potential malleability of EFs, we conclude with recommendations for strategies to enhance EF development at an early school age.

Experiential Teaching Method Enhance Surgical Nursing Learning Achievements and Learning Attitude of Five-Year Higher Vocational Nursing Students

China’s higher vocational nursing education continues to develop. Teaching methods based on classroom lectures are difficult to achieve high-quality teaching results. Nowadays, clinical nursing has an increasing demand for all aspects of higher vocational nursing students. “Surgical Nursing” is a required course for nursing students and the key content of the nurse professional qualification examination. Experiential teaching was introduced as an innovative teaching method. The research aims to achieve several goals: 1) To compare the surgical nursing learning achievement of students between using experiential teaching and traditional teaching methods. 2) To investigate student attitudes toward learning surgical nursing course after using experiential teaching activities. Participants were five-year vocational nursing students studying nursing at a university in Sichuan, China. A control group of 46 students and an experimental group of 46 students were selected through cluster random sampling. This study used the learning achievements and learning attitudes of surgical nursing as research tools. The results of the study showed that participants’ learning achievements and learning attitudes in surgical nursing were significantly improved in experiential teaching methods. These findings highlight the effectiveness and practicality of experiential teaching in higher vocational nursing education. It is recommended that further research be carried out to Experiential teaching methods are used in the teaching of other majors to promote the sustainable development of teaching.

Strengthening Teachers' Ability to Improve Students' High-Order Thinking Skills at Raudlatul Muslimin Kayangan Islamic Boarding School

This service activity seeks to strengthen Raudlatul Muslimin Kayangan Islamic Boarding School teachers' High Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) learning implementation skills. This service is offered since teachers confront many obstacles when setting up HOTS. A lack of awareness of HOTS and its practice contributes to low student achievement. This activity uses workshops to create HOTS using novel learning methods like Problem-Based Learning (P.B.L.) and Contextual Teaching & Learning. Higher-order thinking has been encouraged by learning outcome classifications in training. This training boosts student motivation, improves idea understanding, and promotes higher-order thinking tasks. Thus, this study emphasizes the need for HOTS in learning to prepare students for real-world issues. This study also suggests using other unique learning techniques to promote higher-order thinking skills. In Islamic boarding schools, teacher support and a larger learning environment might improve students' higher-order thinking skills.

A learning theory‐based exploratory analysis of teacher professional development interventions for formative assessment

AbstractThere is substantial evidence in cognitive psychology for the effectiveness of learning theory‐based principles, such as activating prior knowledge or retrieval practice, for learning. In this exploratory study, we analysed to what degree such learning theory‐based principles are applied in teacher professional development (TPD) interventions for formative assessment and how, and whether differences in the use of these principles between TPD interventions explain differences in the effectiveness of such interventions. We found that the impact of TPD interventions for formative assessment on student achievement was evaluated rigorously in very few studies, with only five in our sample. Our results also showed that most learning theory‐based principles were applied only to a very limited degree, and not deliberately. Both findings imply that no patterns relating the application of learning theory‐based principles and intervention effectiveness were discernible. However, given the general evidence for the principles, there is probably much to gain by applying the learning theory‐based principles when developing TPD interventions for formative assessment. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyStudies in cognitive psychology have resulted in clear principles to promote learning. It is unknown whether these have been used to improve teacher professional development (for formative assessment).Why the new findings matterThe limited use of learning theory‐based principles in TPD development is remarkable, as there is strong evidence that these principles are effective.Implications for researchersOnly 5 of 44 evaluated studies adhered to high standards for randomised controlled trials set by Cheung and Slavin (2016) and What Works Clearinghouse (2020), meaning that we ultimately have very little reliable data on the effectiveness of TPD interventions for formative assessment. If we want to know what influences improvement in teacher skills when conducting TPD interventions, then better interventions and evaluations are needed.The learning theory‐based principles themselves are the result of thorough research, and it is therefore worthwhile to further investigate how the learning theory‐based principles can be used to improve TPD interventions for formative assessment.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Personalized Learning: A Case Study in K-12 Education

This study investigated the mediating role of artificial intelligence (AI) in intensifying personalized learning in K-12 education by employing qualitative case research. The study examines how an AI deployed within a K-12 school changes the engagement, academic performance, and role of teachers through its implementation. Results show that AI tools lead to large improvements in student achievement through personalized learning paths, increased engagement, and the immediacy of feedback. Nevertheless, challenges including data privacy ponderings and the digital gap are significant insights for educators to consider as well. The report suggests guidelines for policymakers and practitioners to ensure the productive application of AI in personalized learning, including equal access to technology and continuous teacher upskilling.

The Corrosive Effect of School Administrators as Toxic Leaders on Teacher Accountability

Purpose: To examine teachers' views on the corrosive effect of toxic leadership behaviours of school administrators on teacher accountability. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study group of this research, which uses phenomenology as a qualitative research design, was selected using maximum variation sampling method, which is a type of purposive sampling. This group consists of 20 teachers working in 10 public schools in the central district of Isparta. Data were collected from the teachers through a semi-structured interview form. The collected qualitative data were subjected to contextual analysis through MAXQDA software and visualised. The findings show that the majority of teachers reported that toxic leadership has a detrimental effect on teacher accountability. Findings: Toxic leaders, characterised by behaviours such as micromanagement, lack of empathy, and aggressive communication, were found to cause teacher demotivation, alienation, and professional burnout. In addition, toxic leaders erode teacher accountability by creating a negative and insecure organisational climate. Highlights: Toxic leadership behaviours of school administrators are a critical factor that significantly affects teacher accountability. The various dimensions of this impact are as follows: Decreased teacher motivation, psychological safety and job satisfaction, decreased performance and productivity, impeded professional development, stress and burnout. In addition to these, toxic leadership has a negative impact on school climate. A negative school climate leads to a decrease in teachers' willingness to cooperate and be accountable. This can also negatively impact student achievement because lack of co-operation and support among teachers reduces the quality of education. Therefore, it is important for school administrators to exhibit more positive and supportive leadership behaviours to increase teachers' motivation and strengthen their accountability.

Relationship Between Breakfast Habits and Learning Achievement in Student of Senior High School 1 Kertosono Nganjuk Regency

Breakfast is an actual meal that is had between 6:00 and 9:00 in the morning and contribute provide 15 to 30 percent of the daily energy intake. Breakfast in the morning is very important for school children because it will have an impact on their learning achievement. This study aimed to examine the correlation between breakfast habits and learning achievement in students of SMA Negeri 1 Kertosono Nganjuk Regency. This study uses a cross-sectional design and is an analytical observational study. Simple random sampling was the sample method employed, with a sample size of 58 students. The data collection method was carried out by interviewing breakfast habits and taking data on the value of the 2nd Midterm Exam in the 2023/2024 academic year. The results of statistical tests utilizing the Spearman Rank Correlation test appear that there's no relationship between breakfast habits and learning achievement in students of SMA Negeri 1 Kertosono Nganjuk Regency. Nevertheless, students are expected to always have breakfast every day with a diverse menu and portions in accordance with balanced nutrition guidelines before carrying out learning activities at school.

PENGGUNAAN MEDIA APEL HURUF DALAM MENGATASI KESULITAN MEMBACA TERHADAP SISWA KELAS RENDAH SEKOLAH DASAR

This research was motivated by several elementary school students who had difficulty reading and that learning media could act as a tool to aid these learning delays. The aim of this research is to describe the importance of effective learning media on apple letters to improve reading fluency in lowed class elementary school student. This method used qualitative research metods. The type of qualitative research used in this research is a case study type of research by means of observation, interviews, and documentation to obtain accurate research final data. The final data can be ascertained to be accurate because it has been proven by face to face observation activities on lower grade elementary school students who have difficulty reading, apart from that, observations were also made on teachers who used the letter apple teaching media as a teaching aid supported by documentation. The teacher’s importance to improving the reading fluency of lowed class student is by using learning media in the form of letters as a tool to convey the material. Form of student reading difficulties include difficulty distinguishing letter shapes and difficulty spelling letters and words. This research obtained results thar the apple letter media is very important to help teachers improve the reading fluency of lowed class elementary school students. Apple letter media can also improve student achievement, train critical thinking, and can increase student activity in learning because when students have difficulty reaing it will disrupt their learning activities. The impact or consequence of using letter apple media or other learning media in helping overcoming reading difficulties for lowed grade elementary school students is the creation of more advance education because using teaching media aims to help students achieve their learning goals so that students will get better achievement result good.

Examining trends in school segregation in compulsory and upper secondary education in Sweden: the showcase of an urban school market

ABSTRACT Educational success is central to the life chances of young people, but increasing differences in student achievement between schools are commonly attributed to increasing school segregation. The aim of the study was to examine the trends in socioeconomic, ethnic, and academic segregation in compulsory and upper secondary education in the Gothenburg school market between 1998 and 2020. Utilizing register data from the Gothenburg Longitudinal Database (n = 1 662 166), the study showed that school segregation intensified over time and across education levels, particularly in the Gothenburg municipality and upper secondary education. The geography of upper secondary education becomes more clustered after stricter upper secondary qualifications are implemented. These findings are discussed in relation to the Swedish school reforms that resulted in the materialization and expansion of the school market with a significant increase in school provisions, leading to the (re-)production of unjust geographies.

Effects of a Mathematics Teacher Professional Development Program on Grades 3–5 Student Achievement

Effects of a Mathematics Teacher Professional Development Program on Grades 3–5 Student Achievement

The Effect of a Jigsaw Type Cooperative Learning Approach Towards Primary Students' Understanding Concepts of Science Learning in Primary Schools

This research is based on the results of observations and interviews at SD Al-Hikmah Indonesia that the learning carried out is still limited due to time so that only the target of material completion is pursued, while the achievement of learning outcomes and students' understanding of concepts is still lacking. Learning is only student-centered. For this reason, there is a need for appropriate and effective methods in learning. Therefore, researchers tried to use a jigsaw type cooperative learning approach to overcome this problem. This research uses a pretest-posttest control group design, data collection techniques using test and non-test data. Test data was obtained from pre-test and post-test results, while non-test data was obtained from questionnaires. This research took as subjects students of class IV A and students of class IV B. In this research three meetings were held which included pre-test, learning and post-test. After applying this approach, the average gain for the experimental class was 0.49 and the control class was 0.25. The results of the research show that there is an increase in students' post-test results in learning using the jigsaw type cooperative learning approach. So it can be concluded that there is an influence of this approach on science learning on the subject of natural resources. The results of this research are recommended as a reference for further research, especially research that uses a jigsaw type cooperative learning approach in learning natural resources in order to improve students' understanding of concepts better in the future.

The impact of the lesson study model on students' mathematics achievement and attitudes: a mixed-methods research

PurposeThis article aims to investigate the impact of the Lesson Study (LS) model on students' mathematics achievement and attitudes toward mathematics.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a concurrent embedded design, a type of mixed methods design. Within this framework, a quantitative pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design is applied for quantitative data, while qualitative data is gathered through interviews and observations. A 2×2 mixed ANOVA is used for the analysis of quantitative data, and content analysis is employed for qualitative data analysis.FindingsThe findings reveal that the LS model has a significant positive impact on the mathematics achievement and attitudes of students in the experimental group. Quantitative analysis shows a meaningful improvement in mathematics achievement for the experimental group, which is notably superior than the control group. Additionally, students in the experimental group found mathematics lessons more enjoyable and easier, and their attitudes toward mathematics improved positively. Students' feedback supports these results, with many expressing that LS-based lessons were more engaging and effective. Observations by the researcher, mathematics expert and teacher in the experimental group also corroborate these positive changes.Originality/valueThe results of the study suggest that the LS model should be more widely implemented in mathematics education. This recommendation highlights the potential of the LS model to enhance the teaching process and improve students' mathematics achievement. Furthermore, the study also indicates that LS has a positive impact on students' attitudes toward mathematics, as evidenced by their increased motivation and more positive outlook toward the subject. These findings underscore the LS model’s effectiveness in both improving academic performance and transforming students' attitudes toward mathematics.

A Comparative Analysis of Structured Pedagogy Interventions in South Africa and Their Impact on Student Performance in Mathematics and Science Subjects

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the comparative analysis of structured pedagogy interventions in South Africa and their impact on student performance in mathematics and science subjects. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: A comparative analysis of structured pedagogy interventions in South Africa reveals that these targeted educational approaches have positively impacted student performance in mathematics and science subjects. Studies show that interventions such as curriculum-aligned teaching materials, teacher training, and standardized assessments significantly improved students' understanding and achievement in these areas. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Constructivist learning theory, bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives & sociocultural theory may be used to anchor future studies on the analyzing the comparative analysis of structured pedagogy interventions in South Africa and their impact on student performance in mathematics and science subjects. Schools should integrate structured lesson plans and data-driven instruction into everyday practice to enhance teacher efficacy and student performance. Policymakers should implement nationwide curriculum reforms that standardize content delivery across all schools, ensuring consistency in teaching quality, particularly in mathematics and science.

From hype to evidence: exploring large language models for inter-group bias classification in higher education

ABSTRACT Inter-group biases can diminish student achievements in several ways. Yet, manually identifying those biases in vast learning texts is challenging because of their subtle nature. In the light of processing nuanced language, approaches based on large language models (LLMs) have emerged as promising mechanisms (e.g. ChatGPT). However, their potential for classifying bias in learning text seems under-explored. This study examines the ability of three LLMs (BERT, GPT, and PaLM) to classify inter-group bias within learning texts. Accordingly, 2024 sentences from 91 Higher Education (HE) courses at The Open University UK were assessed for potential biases by LLM-based approaches. Then, we used a sub-sample of sentences (n = 30) for comparison with student classifications. The models suggested varying degrees of biases within the larger sample (BERT = 49.5%; GPT = 10.2%; PaLM = 11.0%). However, varied agreement levels were found within the sub-samples, where Kappa values for model-to-model and model-to-human comparisons ranged from .0 to .77. This underscores the complexity of inter-group bias in learning texts where context and culture can be crucial. We discuss the relevance of those potential biases for learning settings and advocate for tools that are both context- and culture-aware, ensuring more inclusive learning experiences.

Cooperative Learning Model on Learning Outcomes in Basic Concrete Structure Subjects, Building Engineering Education Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, Makassar State University

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cooperative learning models in improving student learning outcomes in the Basic Concrete Structures course. This course, which is known to have a high level of difficulty, showed low learning achievements in the previous period. The results showed that the application of the cooperative learning model significantly improved student achievement, especially characterized by the percentage of A grades that increased dramatically in the 2024/2025 academic year. This finding indicates a positive correlation between the use of cooperative learning models and the improvement of student learning outcomes in the course.

Influence of Learning Satisfaction and Teaching Willingness on Professional Commitment of Normal University Students

The researcher selected 395 normal students in five universities as the research object. All the five universities selected are old-fashioned normal universities. This study focused on development and changes of normal students' willingness to teach in the process of professional learning in five universities, and discusses the factors that affect normal students' willingness to teach, so as to make them better understand the relationship between professional learning and their professional development from the perspective of normal students, improve their recognition and love for their majors, urge them to study more seriously, enhance normal students' willingness to teach Based from the results of the study.Student instructors were assessed to have an average degree of professional commitment, this may imply many possibilities. Initially, it is possible that their teachers are not providing optimal instruction to their students.The moderate level of professional dedication among student instructors may potentially hinder their prospects of securing employment. Teachers must possess unwavering dedication and profound passion for their profession due to its arduous nature and demanding workload.If student teachers are only moderately satisfied with their learning, it may potentially impact their motivation and involvement.The degree of willingness in instruction among student-teachers is a critical factor in determining the caliber of education and the achievement of students. The levels of satisfaction and willingness of student teachers positively influence the level of commitment of student teachers. Student-teachers who show a commitment to engage in ongoing professional development are more likely to look for chances for growth and progress. Attending workshops, furthering one's education, or interacting with colleagues can all help teachers improve their teaching practices.

Secondary school learners’ academic achievement in mathematics through a practical instruction teaching approach in the Kigezi and Ankole regions of Uganda

Addressing the challenge of subpar mathematics achievement levels in secondary education has gained global attention. Due to teachers’ inability to teach mathematics without real objects to explain it in real life, learners take the subject as very abstract, hence the poor academic achievement in national examinations. This qualitative case study investigates the impact of practical instruction on the mathematics achievement of secondary school students in Uganda. The research involved interviews with sixteen teachers from selected secondary schools in the Kigezi and Ankole regions to gain insights into their perspectives on the utilization and advantages of practical instruction in mathematics. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. Regarding assessment strategies, the study found that there is a need to incorporate alternative assessment methods that can effectively assess the range of learners’ mathematics abilities. The study’s findings highlight that teachers view practical instruction as a valuable approach that enhances students' mathematics achievement by involving them in hands-on experience with real objects and learner-centered activities. Based on these results, the study recommends the widespread adoption of practical instruction as a means to elevate the quality of mathematics education in Uganda, ultimately addressing the prevalent challenges in mathematics achievement at the secondary school level.

Untangling the influence of data literacy and knowledge sharing willingness on academic achievement of college students in China: a moderated mediation model

Untangling the influence of data literacy and knowledge sharing willingness on academic achievement of college students in China: a moderated mediation model