Early Academic Performance Research Articles

A Recommendation System Based on Early Academic Performance Prediction and Student Classification: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Mobile-Based Application

In this paper, we explore the idea that categorizing students according to their early academic results can effectively prevent academic failure and enhance success in schools. Our objective is to offer appropriate educational strategies, learning methods, and resources. We introduce a method designed to improve student learning experiences and increase their high school success. For validation, we gathered a dataset from the School Life Management Software, containing data on the personal information and academic performance of 840 students from 2018 to 2021. Using this data, we developed a predictive model. We then compared the academic outcomes forecasted by our model with the actual results of the students for the 2021–2022 academic year. This comparison showed that our model can accurately predict early student academic performance and outcomes. Integrating our predictive model with a student classification system allows us to suggest effective strategies for enhancing student performance and avoiding academic failure, thereby improving the overall academic experience. In addition to the predictive model, we have developed a mobile application that operationalizes our findings. This application serves as a tool for students and educators, utilizing the predictive model to provide real-time academic performance forecasts. The app not only predicts outcomes but also suggests personalized strategies and resources to support students’ learning journeys.

Investigating how early academic performance and parental socio-economic status predict and explain successful completion of secondary education in Germany

In educational sociology, it is of greatest interest to explain why some students are more successful than others and obtain higher educational qualifications or receive better grades, which can have long-lasting consequences. The present study compares the influence of early academic performance, which can be regarded as a proxy of overall intelligence, to the socio-economic status (SES) of the family, which measures how much a family can invest in the education of their offspring. Using large-scale German NEPS panel data (N = 5,208), the analyses test statistically how much variance of two outcome variables (acquisition of higher education eligibility and final grade) are explained by academic performance and SES; both measured approximately 9 years earlier at the beginning of secondary education. Dominance analyses reveal that performance has a larger influence (ca. 14% for both outcomes) than SES (ca. 8% for eligibility and ca. 4% for grades). Regression analyses show that high performance can better compensate for low SES than vice versa. These results indicate that performance is probably more relevant for academic success than the SES of one’s own family.

Examining the Early Academic Performance of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students After Holistic Review: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

A diverse health care workforce can help to address systemic health disparities. Holistic review and use of an expanded definition of underrepresented minority (URM) that includes factors beyond race and ethnicity are suggested methods to promote diversity in the physical therapist (PT) workforce and ultimately address societal health disparities. Evidence suggests that holistic review can promote PT student diversity; however, limited evidence exists that describes the academic outcomes of holistic review that consider social determinants of learning (SDOL) factors in the review process. The purpose of this study was to examine the early academic outcomes of students after a holistic review and to examine relationships between SDOL factors and academic performance. A convenience sample of 160 students admitted to a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program from June 2020 to June 2022 was used. A secondary analysis of students' self-reported responses from their admissions application was used to categorize response data into SDOL groups. An independent-sample t-test was used to test group differences in academic performance, and regression modeling was used to test relationships between SDOL factors and academic performance. The mean 6-month DPT program grade point average (GPA) of the sample was 3.32 ± .43. Nonstatistically significant differences appeared in early DPT GPA between URM and non-URM student groups. However, after controlling for undergraduate GPA, a history of educational disadvantage was the only SDOL factor that contributed to early DPT GPA variance (2.6%), P < .05. The similar academic performance of URM and non-URM students provides support for using an expanded URM definition in holistic review. Most of the educationally disadvantaged group were first-generation college students, which was associated with lower early GPA. These results provide emerging evidence that first-generation students in DPT programs may benefit from additional academic support.

Starting Strong: Investigating the Importance of Early Academic Performance for Adult Human Capital

Abstract We use a production function approach to investigate the factors that determine young adults' human capital outcomes in Madagascar and Senegal. Our study relies on unique and comparable panel data spanning over 15 years for both countries. We find that second-grade students' test scores are strong indicators of their French and math skills, as well as their educational attainment in their early twenties. Moreover, we observe that the association between second-grade skills and later-life outcomes is stronger among girls than boys, and in math test scores compared with French test scores. Our results emphasise the critical role of performing well during the early school years, as it predicts long-term outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations such as girls.

Application of Naive Bayes to Students’ Performance Classification

Naive Bayes Classifier is a strong tool or model in classifying students' performance based on various factors. Thus, this research developed a classification model that can accurately classify students into different academic performance categories. The study utilized data, collected from 1,422 students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and data visualization techniques were used to gain insights into the distribution and relationships among the variables. Subsequently, a Naive Bayes classifier model was built using 70% of the data for training and 30% for testing. In addition, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model was built to compare with the performance of the Naive Bayes model. The results of the descriptive statistics show that the respondents comprise of 846 females and 576 males. From the female respondents, 144 of them had First Class grade, 432 had Second Class Upper, 252 had Second Class Lower, and the remaining 18 had Third Class. From the male respondents, 144 of them had First Class grade, 198 had Second Class Upper, 216 had Second Class Lower, and the remaining 18 had Third Class. The Naive bayes model achieved an overall accuracy of 87%, while the SVM model achieved an overall accuracy of 85%. The results highlighted that department, grade in the first year, and monthly allowance were the most crucial features for classifying performance outcomes, while gender, age group and whether or not the respondents’ parents are educated, exerted the least significant influence on the models. Thus, on average, the Naive Bayes model outperformed the SVM in the classification of students’ performance based on the data collected. Also, the early academic performance, and financial support are significant factors in determining students' overall performance in the Institution.

The Power of One More Course: How Different First Semester Credit Loads Affect Community College Student Persistence

ABSTRACT Establishing early academic momentum via credit accumulation is strongly associated with community college student success. Using data from one of the nation’s largest and most racially diverse community college systems, our quasi-experimental study examined how different first-semester credit loads influenced persistence. For part-time students (less than 12 semester credit hours), enrolling in one additional course (3 more credits) significantly improved their chances of persistence to the subsequent term and next academic year. For part-time students, an increased credit load was significantly and positively related to persistence. However, for full-time students, an increase from 12 to 15 credits was not related to persistence. These patterns were consistent across subgroups by students’ level of academic preparation (developmental education status) and degree objective (workforce credential or transfer associate degree). Moreover, the increased course load did not significantly hinder students’ early academic performance as measured by GPA for any group and in some cases was related to increased GPA. We discuss the implications of these findings for academic advising, course scheduling, and completion initiatives at community colleges.

Talk outside the box: Parents’ decontextualized language during preschool years relates to child numeracy and literacy skills in middle childhood

Children’s literacy and numeracy skills are fundamental for early academic performance and later academic success, mental health, and employment prospects in adulthood. Given that parents play a key role in promoting child development, identifying early parenting behaviors that predict literacy and numeracy skills is a research imperative. Emerging evidence suggests that parental use of decontextualized language (DL)—talk that requires cognitive abstraction and transcends the here and now—predicts children’s literacy skills. However, its relation to numeracy remains underexplored. Accordingly, the current study examined how DL during interaction with children in infancy (T1) and preschool years (T2) relates to child literacy and numeracy in middle childhood (T3). Participants were 26 Irish mother–father–child triads (16 female children). At T1 and T2, participants engaged in 5-min interactions that were coded for DL. At T3, child literacy and numeracy were assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition and teacher report of child scores on national standardized tests. Controlling for child age and contextualized utterances, child reading in middle childhood was negatively related to maternal and child DL in infancy but was positively related to DL during preschool years, suggesting that the benefits of DL may become apparent later in development. Mothers’, fathers’, and children’s DL during preschool years was also positively linked with child numeracy in middle childhood. Thus, embedding DL in conversation with children may have positive domain-specific and cross-domain effects on children’s literacy and numeracy performance. Findings provide incentive for future research to examine relations between DL and children’s school performance across a wider range of developmental domains.

How Learning Strategies and Academic Parameters Predict Medical Student Success.

Background Student scores on the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), an assessment of academic skills, have been shown in previous studies to be significantly different between U.S. medical students based on their scores in various examinations during the pre-clerkship curriculum. This study aimed to evaluate LASSI and other early academic performance markers for predicting the likelihood of shelf exam underperformance in third-year medical students. Methods A retrospective analysis of student-specific demographic information and medical school exam performance from 220 medical students from the University of Texas Southwestern was performed. Students were then categorized based on underperformance (score in &lt;25th percentile) on each NBME shelf exam and statistical analysis was performed to identify predictors of shelf underperformance. Results For predicting Surgery shelf underperformance, pre-clerkship final exam average (PCA), STEP 1, and LASSI Time Management (TMT) were statistically significant in univariate analysis. Internal Medicine: PCA, STEP 1, LASSI Attitude (ATT), Test Strategies (TST), and TMT. Pediatrics: PCA and STEP 1 quartile. Obstetrics-Gynecology: PCA, STEP 1, and LASSI Anxiety (ANX), with ANX an independent predictor on multivariate analysis. Neurology: PCA, STEP 1, LASSI ANX, Information Processing (INP), TST, and average LASSI, with PCA, LASSI Concentration (CON), TMT, and ANX independent predictors on multivariate analysis. Family Medicine: PCA, STEP 1, LASSI ANX, TST, and Using Academic Resources (UAR), with PCA an independent predictor on multivariate analysis. Psychiatry: only STEP 1 was significant. Conclusion In contrast to previous studies, no single LASSI scale was significantly associated with underperformance on all 7 NBME shelf exams. Univariate analysis identified several LASSI scales that correlated with NBME underperformance, but the drastic inter-clerkship heterogeneity makes use of these scales in early academic intervention impractical. Conversely, PCA was found to be strongly associated with shelf exam underperformance.

The added value of free preparatory activities for widening access to medical education: a multi-cohort study

BackgroundMedical schools are reported to be less accessible to students with non-traditional backgrounds. These students face barriers when applying for and transitioning to medical school, which may be reduced by offering free preparatory activities. By equalizing access to resources, these activities are expected to reduce disparities in selection outcomes and early academic performance. In the present study, four free institutionally-provided preparatory activities were evaluated by comparing the demographic composition of participating and non-participating applicants. Additionally, the association between participation and selection outcomes and early academic performance was investigated for subgroups (based on sex, migration background and parental education).MethodsParticipants were applicants to a Dutch medical school in 2016-2019 (N = 3592). Free preparatory activities included Summer School (N = 595), Coaching Day (N = 1794), Pre-Academic Program (N = 217), and Junior Med School (N = 81), supplemented with data on participation in commercial coaching (N = 65). Demographic compositions of participants and non-participants were compared using chi-squared tests. Regression analyses were performed to compare selection outcomes (curriculum vitae [CV], selection test score, probability of enrolment) and early academic performance (first-course grade) between participants and non-participants of demographic subgroups, controlling for pre-university grades and participation in other activities.ResultsGenerally, no differences in sociodemographic compositions of participants and non-participants were found, but males participated less often in Summer School and Coaching Day. Applicants with a non-Western background participated less often in commercial coaching, but the overall participation rate was low and participation had negligible effects on selection outcomes. Participation in Summer School and Coaching Day were stronger related with selection outcomes. In some cases, this association was even stronger for males and candidates with a migration background. After controlling for pre-university grades, none of the preparatory activities were positively associated with early academic performance.ConclusionsFree institutionally-provided preparatory activities may contribute to student diversity in medical education, because usage was similar across sociodemographic subgroups, and participation was positively associated with selection outcomes of underrepresented and non-traditional students. However, since participation was not associated with early academic performance, adjustments to activities and/or curricula are needed to ensure inclusion and retention after selection.

Third-Grade Educational Outcomes of the Children of Adolescent Women.

To evaluate third-grade reading and math proficiency for children born to adolescent women compared with those born to non-adolescent women. A statewide, retrospective cohort study was conducted in Rhode Island using third-grade year-end examination data from 2014 to 2017 as part of a statewide initiative to improve third grade reading levels. Children's third-grade reading and math proficiencies were compared between those born to nulliparous adolescent women (age 15-19 at the time of delivery), and nulliparous women 20 years or older at delivery. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare maternal and child characteristics between adolescent and non-adolescent groups. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between having an adolescent mother and being proficient in reading and math after adjusting for lunch subsidy, core city residence, child race/ethnicity and sex. Of the 8,248 children meeting the inclusion criteria, 20% were born to adolescent women and the remaining 80% were born to non-adolescent women. After adjusting for potential confounders, children born to adolescent women were significantly less likely to be proficient in both reading (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71-0.83) and math (aRR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.85). Children born to adolescent women had significantly lower rates of reading and math proficiency when compared with children of non-adolescent women. These children may benefit from additional resources focused on early academic performance in order to address disparities in reading and math proficiency.

Household Composition and the Early Academic Performance of Latinx Children of Immigrants

ABSTRACT Household composition has diversified and encompasses the number of parents and the types of extended relatives in homes with implications for a child’s development. Yet, few studies have included Latinx children of immigrant parents. To fill this gap, I draw upon the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 2011-cohort to analyze the household composition and academic performance of Latinx children of immigrant parents and Latinx children of U.S.-born parents from kindergarten through fifth grade. I use an ecological framework to situate household composition as a microsystem component. Results indicated that Latinx children of immigrant parents were less likely to have lived with a single parent and more likely to have lived with horizontal relatives, like aunts or uncles, compared to Latinx children of U.S.-born parents. However, they were as likely as Latinx children of U.S.-born parents to have lived with grandparents or with grandparents and other extended relatives. Structural factors largely shaped household composition. Importantly, household composition states did not compensate for the academic disparities in math and reading between Latinx children of immigrant parents and Latinx children of U.S.-born parents. However, the presence of extended relatives did have a partial effect in some household composition states.

Do Executive Dysfunction, Delay Aversion, and Time Perception Deficit Predict ADHD Symptoms and Early Academic Performance in Preschoolers.

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly observed to have learning difficulties. This study examined how three neuropsychological constructs—executive dysfunction, delay aversion, and time perception—were associated with ADHD symptoms and early academic performance in preschoolers at risk of ADHD. One hundred and thirty-one preschoolers (70 boys, 53%) aged 4 to 6 (M = 5.31 years) were assessed on their ADHD-related behaviors, neuropsychological functioning, word reading, and math abilities at two time points one year apart. Factor analysis indicated that inhibitory and attentional control deficit, delay aversion, and time perception/working memory deficit were three dissociable factors. Among the three factors, inhibitory and attentional control measured at Time 1 was the strongest predictor of ADHD symptoms at both Time 1 and Time 2. Time perception was closely related to working memory, and they predicted word reading and numeration across time most strongly among other neuropsychological constructs. Our findings suggested that inhibitory and attentional control, delay aversion, and time perception are dissociable neuropsychological deficits underlying ADHD symptoms in preschoolers. Poor time perception may serve as a marker for the early identification of preschoolers with potential learning problems, and a possible target of intervention for ADHD.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10802-022-00937-x.

Early and Dynamic Socio-Academic Variables Related to Dropout Intention: A Predictive Model Made during the Pandemic

Social and academic integration variables have been shown to be relevant for the understanding of university dropout. However, there is less evidence regarding the influence of these variables on dropout intention, as well as the predictive models that explain their relationships. Improvements in this topic become relevant considering that dropout intention stands as a useful measure to anticipate and intervene this phenomenon. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a predictive model for university dropout intention that considers the relationships between social and academic variables during the first university semester of 2020. The research was conducted using a cross-sectional associative-predictive design, with a convenience sampling (n = 711) due to the restrictions of the pandemic period. The results showed a good fit of the proposed hypothetical model that explained 38.7% of dropout intention. Both social support and perceived social isolation predicted the sense of belonging and, through it, engagement. Previous academic performance predicted early academic performance and, through it, engagement. The set of variables predicted the intention to quit through engagement. These results are a contribution both to the understanding of the phenomenon and to guide potential interventions in the early stages of the university experience.

Residential Greenspace and Early Childhood Development and Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis of Australian Children Aged 4-12 Years

Residential Greenspace and Early Childhood Development and Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis of Australian Children Aged 4-12 Years

Does parental education influence child educational outcomes? A developmental analysis in a full-population sample and adoptee design.

Children's educational outcomes are strongly correlated with their parents' educational attainment. This finding is often attributed to the family environment-assuming, for instance, that parents' behavior and resources affect their children's educational outcomes. However, such inferences of a causal role of the family environment depend on the largely untested assumption that such relationships do not simply reflect genes shared between parent and child. We examine this assumption with an adoptee design in full-population cohorts from Danish administrative data. We test whether parental education predicts children's educational outcomes in both biological and adopted children, looking at four components of the child's educational development: (I) the child's conscientiousness during compulsory schooling, (II) academic performance in those same years, (III) enrollment in academically challenging high schools, and (IV) graduation success. Parental education was a substantial predictor of each of these child outcomes in the full population. However, little intergenerational correlation in education was observed in the absence of genetic similarity between parent and child-that is, among adoptees. Further analysis showed that what links adoptive parents' education did have with later-occurring components such as educational attainment (IV) and enrollment (III) appeared to be largely attributable to effects identifiable earlier in development, namely early academic performance (II). The primary nongenetic mechanisms by which education is transmitted across generations may thus have their effects on children early in their educational development, even as the consequences of those early effects persist throughout the child's educational development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Is vocational education a safety net?

This article assesses the employment and occupational outcomes of upper secondary education graduates from academic and vocational tracks in Italy. In particular, we formulate and test the hypothesis that – contrary to some common expectations – academic graduates outperform vocational graduates at a stage of occupational maturity, even when considering individuals without a tertiary degree. Moreover, we explore differences between tracks by gender as well as across geographical areas and city sizes. Thanks to the detailed information available in the PLUS data, we assess labor market outcomes adjusting for a rich set of socio-demographic characteristics and for early academic performance. The results corroborate our hypothesis and indicate that the advantage of academic graduates holds across genders, areas and different city sizes.

Early school entrance and middle-run academic performance in Mexico: evidence for 15-year-old students from the PISA test

Using an unanticipated policy reform in Mexico that shifted 4 months the cutoff date for elementary school eligibility in 2006 and information on academic performance of 15-year-old students from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 survey, who entered first grade in 2006, this paper estimates the effects of starting first grade without having reached 6 years of age on middle-run academic performance. We found that entering school at a younger age increases the probability of having repeated at least one academic year by 7 percentage points and reduces academic performance (measured throughout PISA’s score points) between 6 and 10 score points in mathematics, reading and science (a Cohen’s d effect size between 0.06 and 0.10). We did not find evidence to claim that the effect of early entrance on academic performance is different for girls and boys or for urban and rural locations.

Factors Associated With Gifted Identification for Ethnically Diverse Children in Poverty

We analyzed data from a large-scale ( N = 39,213), longitudinal study of urban students to assess child factors (gender, ethnicity, English language learner status, school readiness skills, type of pre-K attended, early elementary school academic performance) prospectively associated with eventual gifted identification in elementary school. Overall, 14.2% of students were identified as gifted in K-5th grade, with the majority identified by second grade. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that White and Latino students were more likely to be identified as gifted than Black students, even controlling for poverty and early academic performance. English language learners, boys, and those who attended public school pre-K programs were more likely to be identified controlling for other factors. School readiness assessments were also useful for predicting giftedness.

How Stable Is Early Academic Performance? Using Cluster Analysis to Classify Low Achievement and EF

We explored whether and how cognitive measures of executive function (EF) can be used to help classify academic performance in Kindergarten and first grade using nonparametric cluster analysis. We found that EF measures were useful in classifying low-reading performance in both grades, but mathematics performance could be grouped into low, average, and high groups without the use of EF tasks. Membership in the high-performing groups was more stable through first grade than membership in the low or average groups, and certain Kindergarten EF tasks differentially predicted first-grade reading and mathematics cluster membership. Our results suggest a stronger link between EF deficits and low performance than between EF strengths and high performance. We highlight the importance of simultaneously using academic and cognitive skills to classify achievement, particularly since existing classification schemes have been largely based on arbitrary cutoffs using limited academic measures.

Early Academic Momentum: Factors Contributing to Community College Transfer Students’ STEM Degree Attainment

Guided by the notion of academic momentum, this study drew data from longitudinal transcript records at a large public 4-year research university and examined factors that specifically contribute to community college transfer students’ academic momentum. It also explored how early academic momentum along with students’ sociodemographic characteristics impact degree attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields of study. This study conducted multinomial logistic regression analysis and found that certain students’ background characteristics (i.e., gender, age, and family income), community college academic achievement (i.e., associate degree completion, and number of community college credits accepted), and early academic performance at the 4-year university (math and English preparedness, number of credit hours attempted, and first-semester grade point average) were significantly related to transfer students’ likelihood of obtaining a STEM degree. The findings provide new knowledge about academic momentum and could be used to enhance the community college pathway to STEM degree completion.