School Performance Research Articles

Effects of Pupils’ Transfers on Academic Performance in Public Primary Schools in Kimilili Sub-County, Kenya

In public schools, particularly in Kimilili Sub-County, student transfers are commonplace; nevertheless, the results of current empirical research on the impact of these transfers on students' academic performance are inconclusive. This study assessed the effects of student transfers on academic performance in public primary schools in Kimilili Sub-County, Kenya, because academic performance in public schools in the sub-county has been below average and the influence of these transfers on academic performance are not known. The research accomplished two goals: determined the impact of psychological factors on students' academic performance and ascertained the influence of social factors on the academic performance of transferred students in public primary schools respectively. The study used a mixed methods approach with a target population of 470 head teachers, 150 class teachers, and 308 pupils who transferred to different public primary schools. Data was collected through questionnaires, focused group discussions, and key informant interviews. The study used SPSS for quantitative analysis and thematic analysis for qualitative analysis. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient method confirmed questionnaire reliability, and expert evaluation confirmed content and construct validity. The study found that social and psychological factors significantly impact students' academic performance. The Pearsons correlation coefficient method yielded (r=0.671, p=0.001< 0.05) for social factors and (r= 0.714, p=0.000 < 0.05) for psychological factors respectively. Qualitative data also confirmed the results. These findings are crucial for addressing challenges faced by students and contribute to existing literature on pupils’ transfers and academic performance especially in public primary schools. Based on these findings, schools, TSC, and Ministry of Education should develop guidelines for transferred pupils, strengthen guidance and counseling programs, and build teacher capacity. This study supports further research on the influence of pupils’ transfers on their academic performance in private primary schools

Socioeconomic disparities and their effect on medical student academic attainment Sudanese Universities

BackgroundSocioeconomic status (SES) is a social classification factor that takes into account income, parental education and occupation. SES has been shown to play an important role in shaping students’ academic performance, including in medical schools, but there still remains significant variation in findings around SES and academic achievement worldwide. We aim to assess and explore socioeconomic disparities and their effects on medical school performance at Sudanese public and private universities.ObjectivesThe objective of our study was to assess the effects of age, sex, living conditions, parental education and income level on the academic achievement of medical students from universities in Sudan.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students at ten public universities in Sudan between September and December 2023. Participants were included if they were older than 18 years and were studying in their 2nd year or older. The data were collected using an online questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions measuring age, living conditions, parental income level and education. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants from universities. The data were analyzed using SPSS v28.0.0, and a p value less than 0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance.ResultsWe received 832 responses, 516 (62%) from females and 307 (36.9%) from males. The median age was 23 years. Most students lived with their families (61.1%), followed by student housing (28.2%). This study revealed age (p = .024) (95% Cl: 0.025- 0.023) andhigh family income (p = .019) (95% Cl: 0.018- 0.02) are associated with academic achievement in the long term, as demonstrated through cumulative grade point average (cGPA).ConclusionThe findings underscore the importance of targeted support systems to bridge the socioeconomic gaps that exist among medical students, allowing all students to thrive academically regardless of their background.Clinical trial numberNone.

Analysis of factors influencing medical students’ learning engagement and its implications for teaching work—— a network analysis perspective

PurposeHigher medical education has always been a major project in the fields of education and health, and therefore, the quality of education has received much attention. Learning engagement has emerged as a significant indicator of teaching quality, attracting considerable research attention. This study aims to explore the relationship between medical students’ learning engagement and their sense of school belonging, professional identity, and academic self-efficacy.MethodsWe conducted an online survey using convenience sampling method with 311 medical students. We employed Revised version of the Utrech Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S), Chinese version of the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the questionnaire of college students’ speciality identity for evaluation. Network analysis was used to analyze the relationships among these factors.ResultsMedical students’ overall performance in school showed a positive trend. However, there is still room for improvement. In the network structure of learning engagement and its influencing factors, the “emotional” aspect of professional identity (EI = 1.11) was considered to be an important node with strong centrality. And “academic competence self-efficacy” aspect of academic self-efficacy (BEI = 0.72) was considered an important node with strong transitivity.ConclusionDeepening medical students’ emotional identification with their profession and enhancing their confidence in their academic abilities may improve their learning engagement and educational quality.

A nonparametric least squares regression method for forecasting building energy performance

The Convex Nonparametric Least Squares (CNLS) method assumes that the regression function is either concave or convex to forecast building energy performance. However, there may be instances where the regression function exhibits both concave and convex patterns, rendering this assumption invalid. This paper aims to address this drawback and to derive a new method called Monotone Nonparametric Least Squares (MNLS), which incorporates both concavity and convexity constraints in CNLS. It is proved that MNLS has a better goodness-of-fit performance compared to CNLS. Since MNLS contains both concave and convex portions, it is not sufficient to rely solely on the concavity assumption (or convexity assumption) during the forecasting process of building energy performance. To tackle this issue, using both concave and convex portions separately and then combining the resulting forecasts is suggested. An illustrative example is provided, and the energy performance of Hong Kong secondary schools is used as an application to demonstrate the goodness-of-fit of MNLS.

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Support and Its Implication to School Performance

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Support and Its Implication to School Performance

Impact of temporomandibular disorder symptoms among 15-year-old girls.

Many adolescents, especially girls, report temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms that may impact their daily life. At 19 different schools participating in the preventive program with dental nurses of FRAMM (Fluoride, Advise, Arena, Motivation, Food), at the Västra Götaland Region in Sweden, 15-year-old girls were invited to a cohort study about symptoms of TMD that also included headaches. Three hundred twenty-nine girls attended the study and answered a questionnaire regarding TMD symptoms and their consequences such as sick leave from school and consumption of analgesics. The girls were asked about the symptom's influence on their daily life, about their general health, use of regular medication, physical activity, and they answered the PHQ4 regarding experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression. There was a significant correlation between TMD symptoms and sick leave with 31% of the girls having stayed home due to symptoms. Of the girls who answered affirmative in the screening questions (3QTMD), nearly half the group had stayed at home due to their symptoms, 24% had consulted a physician, 42% had used analgesics weekly and 59% reported that they felt the symptoms negatively affected their school performance. The girls who had regular medication had more TMD symptoms. Anxiety and depression were associated with TMD symptoms. The study showed that TMD symptoms had a negative impact on the 15-year-old girls' daily life resulting in sick leave from school, consumption of analgesics, and experiences of negative impacts on their behavior and performance at school.

The Effect of Parent-Targeted Obesity Messaging on Parental Weight Talk Intention: A Randomized Controlled Experiment

ABSTRACT It is unknown if parent-targeted health messages about childhood obesity affect parental weight communication with children (e.g., encouraging a child to diet). This randomized, controlled, online experiment assessed the effects of exposure to different message frames on parental intentions to 1) engage in weight communication with their child and, 2) follow the health advice in the message. A diverse sample of U.S. parents (N = 452) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) a mock news article emphasizing childhood obesity (weight-framed message) with health behavior advice for parents; 2) an article with identical health behavior advice for parents, but framed within the context of improving children’s school performance (school-framed message); and 3) a no-treatment control group. Following message exposure, parents completed online surveys assessing their intention to engage in weight communication and the recommended health behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the relationship between experimental condition and the outcome variables. Parents in the weight-frame condition were significantly more likely to report intention to engage in weight communication with their child than parents in the control group, while there was no difference between the school-frame condition and the control group. Parents in both message conditions were equally likely to report intention to adopt the health advice, but parental weight-based self-stigma moderated the relationships. Parent-targeted health advice that features childhood obesity may encourage parents to engage in weight communication with their children. Our findings can inform the development of health messages targeting parents about children’s weight-related health.

Quality of Life in Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Agreement between Parents and Patients, and the Role of Disease Severity and Visibility.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder that affects multiple systems in the body, often leading to physical disfigurements and a wide range of clinical symptoms. This study aims to investigate the relationship between NF1 severity and visibility and the quality of life (QoL) in children. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and a modified version of the Ablon scale were used to assess QoL and NF1 severity and visibility, respectively. Self-reported and parent-reported QoL scores were compared, and the associations between NF1 severity/visibility and QoL were explored. Thirty-eight pediatric NF1 patients and their parents were enrolled. QoL scores did not differ significantly between patient self-reports and parent reports. However, correlational analyses revealed that higher NF1 severity was associated with lower physical QoL in patients, and greater NF1 visibility was linked to lower physical and social QoL. For parents, higher NF1 severity correlated with lower school functioning, whereas NF1 visibility did not show a significant correlation with QoL. The severity and visibility of NF1 have distinct impacts on various aspects of QoL in children, highlighting the need for tailored interventions that address both physical and psychological challenges. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive care approaches in managing NF1 in pediatric populations.

The Impact of Bureaucratic Structures on the Performance of School Principals in Public Secondary Schools

The study investigated into bureaucratic role of principals’ leadership performance in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The population of the study consisted of the two hundred and ninety six (296) principals in all the two hundred and ninety-six (296) public senior secondary schools in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State. The sample of this study comprised the two hundred and ninety-six (296) principals selected from the two hundred and ninety-six (296) public senior secondary schools in the twenty three (23) Local Government Areas in Rivers State, representing 100% of the population using the census sampling technique. Out of the 296 copies of questionnaires distributed 275 representing 96% of the total number of copies, were duly completed and returned. The instrument for data collection for this study was a 30 item self-structured questionnaire titled ‘Bureaucratic Role of Principals’ Leadership Performance Questionnaire (BRPLPQ)”. The instrument was structured using the modified 4-points Likert Scale model of; Very High Extent (VHE) – 4 points; High Extent (HE) =3 points; Low Extent (LE) = 2 point and Very Low Extent (VLE) =1 point.

НАУЧНАЯ ШКОЛА «ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЙ И ОРГАНОВ УГОЛОВНО-ИСПОЛНИТЕЛЬНОЙ СИСТЕМЫ»: ОСНОВАНИЕ, РАЗВИТИЕ, СОВРЕМЕННОСТЬ

The article deals with issues related to the functioning of the scientific school “Ensuring the safety of the activities of institutions and bodies of the penal enforcement system”. The historical aspect of its formation, its main directions are revealed, the founders of the school and the followers of their scientific views are characterized, the role of the scientific school in the context of the applied development of the penal system is outlined, attention is focused on the use of the results obtained in science and practice.

Performance information, expectations and satisfaction with public service delivery in the context of co-production initiatives

ABSTRACT Many studies on public service satisfaction have treated citizen expectations to be exogenous, focusing mainly on how these expectations influence satisfaction. This study examines how performance information shapes predictive and normative expectations in the context of co-production initiatives in Dutch primary education, and in turn examines how updated performance information and expectations jointly determine satisfaction with public services. A survey experiment among 1,307 parents with school-attending children shows that performance expectations are endogenous to prior school performance, but not to co-production initiatives. Our analysis provides evidence that citizens’ expectations strengthen the negative effects of performance decline on satisfaction.

A Comprehensive Review of Research on Head of Panel Leadership in Malaysian Primary Schools

This article provides a clearer understanding of head of panel (HoP) leadership in Malaysian primary schools. The research on HoP leadership is still in its early stages and requires further expansion. Additionally, this paper discusses the role of HoP leadership using the models developed by Turner and Bolam (1998). The research also revealed that the HoP needs to possess the necessary skills to guide the team members and set an example for their roles and responsibilities. Additionally, the HoP plays a crucial role in planning and managing middle-level leadership in schools. This study also significantly benefits the HoP, school administrators, and the Ministry of Education, Malaysia (MoE). Studies also reveal that careful application and management of HoP leadership can positively influence student achievement and school performance under HoP leadership. Keywords: leadership, head of panel, middle leader, competent, head of department, subject leader

The social and emotional effects of bullying on learners in learning institutions in South Africa

Bullying is a significant concern for learners in South African educational institutions, and it requires immediate attention and intervention from interested parties, such as social workers. This form of violence is prevalent during the school years and involves aggressive behaviour towards victims. The phenomenon of bullying attracts local and global interest from social scientists, who use it as a term to describe its social and emotional effects. The concept is associated with mental health problems, a decline in school performance, school dropout, contemplation of suicide, suicide, and other complex social problems. Social workers are well-versed in the concept of bullying due to their involvement with the issue. The study utilized qualitative research, employing purposive sampling, and thematic analysis to analyze data from a sample of 21 social workers linked to schools. The research design employed was exploratory in nature. The study utilized face-to-face, semi-structured interviews as a means of data collection, with an interview guide serving as the instrument. Prior to collecting data, the researcher obtained permission from participants and sought their consent for audio-recording. Ethical considerations, such as informed consent, debriefing, beneficence, confidentiality, and avoiding harm, were closely followed. The study drew on two theoretical frameworks, namely the ecological and strength-based approaches. Keywork: Bullying, effects, emotional, learning, social, social workers.

Eight-year evaluation of dental public health students’ research using balanced scorecard – Retrospective study

Introduction:Measuring the performance of dental schools in the research area has always been challenging. Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a performance measurement tool with four perspectives that balance financial and non-financial performance indicators. Some medical colleges use BSC for performance measurement of all departments’ activities while others use it in some sections or departments. This study is the first in the dental education field to use the BSC approach to assess the performance measurement of dental students’ research projects. Methods:A self-developed BSC was designed by the staff members at the dental public health department to reflect the educational strategies and objectives of the department; all data on dental public health students’ research from 2013/2014 to 2020/2021 were collected from the dental public health department, Dental Clinics Complex (DCC) files as well as databases of the Quality Assurance Unit to cover the basic four balanced perspectives. Results:Data from the four perspectives were introduced to Balanced Scorecard Pro Software Version 4.7.1.20. The resulting balanced scorecard indicated that the overall performance of students’ research activities was 89.38%. The learning and growth perspective showed the highest performance (95.33%) followed by the financial perspective (92.5%) then the internal process perspective (89.55%) while the customer perspective showed the lowest performance (82.19%). Conclusions:BSC is an efficient tool for the measurement of the performance of the departments at medical colleges. Our process is highly adaptable and can be easily implemented by any section, or institution looking to advance its educational mission and vision.

НАУЧНАЯ ШКОЛА «УГОЛОВНО-ПРОЦЕССУАЛЬНЫЕ, КРИМИНАЛИСТИЧЕСКИЕ И ОПЕРАТИВНО-РОЗЫСКНЫЕ АСПЕКТЫ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЙ И ОРГАНОВ УГОЛОВНО-ИСПОЛНИТЕЛЬНОЙ СИСТЕМЫ»

The article examines the history of the formation and development of criminal procedure, criminalistic and operational investigative science at the Academy of the FPS of Russia. The functioning of a scientific school is of great importance for improving the effectiveness of the educational process, scientific potential and the status of an educational institution. Consolidation of scientists to jointly solve urgent problems of the penal system, contributes to increasing the scientific activity of the teaching staff, adjuncts, cadets, and ensures the objectivity of the results obtained in the course of research. Thanks to the consistent scientific activity of the departments of criminal procedure and criminalistics and operational investigative activities, a scientific school was established. The authors come to the conclusion about the relevance of the research conducted under the direct supervision of the founders of the scientific school. Their students, who have successfully defended their PhD and doctoral dissertations, continue their active scientific activities, developing the advanced ideas of their mentors.

Social Values, Family Work Involvement and School Education of Children in a Rural Area of Satu-Mare County

This article presents the results of a research carried out in a rural area of Satu-Mare County, which aimed to identify the practices regarding work in family agricultural households of rural children in connection with their school education. Our study is an exploratory research on the involvement of rural children in household work, as well as of the meanings that parents give to family work and school education, taking into account their value systems, expectations, relationships with their families and other relevant factors. For the collection of quantitative data, we used a questionnaire based survey on a representative sample of children and their parents, while for the qualitative data semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and focus group interview with teachers. The research results reveal that the involvement of children in the work of family households is considered by parents as a natural component of the family socialization of children, related to the need to acquire work skills characteristic of the rural way of life. Among parents there is a preoccupation for the balance between school education and household activities, with an emphasis on the relevance of practical education. Child labour can negatively affect school performance; however, rural life offers children valuable hands-on learning opportunities.

THE PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE OF POLISH TEACHERS AS PRESERVED IN THEIR DIARIES FROM THE FIRST MONTHS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The article presents the conclusions formulated on the basis of a qualitative analysis of diaries submitted by Polish teachers in response to the competition conducted in the years 2020-2021 by the Institute of Social Economy of the Warsaw School of Economics. The analysis of the diaries made it possible to answer questions about the condition of not only the teachers themselves, but also, and above all, about the emerging picture of the state of the Polish education system. The difficult times and new circumstances of school functioning during the pandemic highlighted the importance and essence of the teacher profession. However, these experiences also revealed the weaknesses of the education system, forcing us to look at the extent to which teachers are able to adequately recognize the situation of their activities, to what extent they have the ability to recognize the essence of “what is good and right”, how their awareness of their socio-professional role is shaped, what importance they attach to their work and what are their abilities to overcome extraordinary difficulties.The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for education that have resulted in profound changes in the way we think about school and its environment and about the work and professional development of teachers.

Dyslexia: Implications for Chemistry Teaching

Dyslexia is probably the best-known specific learning difficulty. For many people it is simply known as a reading disorder, even though it is a much more complex problem. It usually has a noticeable negative impact on pupils' school performance, although many dyslexics can have excellent space imagination and ability to solve complex problems. Many publications have been written about dyslexia. The most of them deal with its medical and psychological aspects or they are trying to help dyslexics to read. A significantly smaller number of scientific papers is focused on help with specific school subjects. Among them, the predominant effort is to help the pupils with foreign languages study. Only extremely small number of studies is focused on dyslexia and science subjects (for instance chemistry). The aim of our article was to create an overview of information published in scientific literature, focused on dyslexia and teaching chemistry. Our hypothesis, based on our study of scientific articles on dyslexia and on our experience with a very limited number of cooperating pupils/students with dyslexia, or with their teachers, is as follows: dyslexia is usually found during the initial reading practice. However, reading can usually be gradually practiced to an acceptable level. That is why some teachers think incorrectly that 14 years old pupils have already "overcome dyslexia" and that they can work within science subjects in the same way as the other pupils. However, dyslexics might differ from the population in the way how they work with their memory. They might need much longer time to memorize. For example, a "simple" memorizing the symbols and names of chemical elements can be an extremely difficult and time-consuming task for them. The dyslexics might greatly appreciate visualizations (experiments, pictures, showing real chemical substances, models, videos). The reason might be not the reading problem itself, but the way of thinking (the need of a "translation" from words into reality). They might profit from a clearly structured explanation including clear output requirements. On the other hand, many of them are creative and have a good (even above average) ability to solve complex problems. Techniques that help dyslexics help all pupils/students.

Alumni Engagement and Ordinary-Level Students' Academic Performance in Government-Aided Secondary Schools in Sheema Municipality

Alumni Engagement and Ordinary-Level Students' Academic Performance in Government-Aided Secondary Schools in Sheema Municipality

Individualism and School Performance: Evidence from PISA Test Scores

Individualism and School Performance: Evidence from PISA Test Scores