Language Arts Grades Research Articles

Understanding boys' underrepresentation in private and enriched programmes during the transition to secondary school.

In the past decades, there has been a growing concern to understand why boys struggle in school. One of the turning points in students' educational trajectories likely to exacerbate boys' academic difficulties is students' enrolment in private or enriched school programmes, as boys are underrepresented in such programmes. To better understand this gender imbalance, our research draws on a longitudinal design to examine whether grade 6 students' externalizing behaviours, school engagement and school grades in mathematics and language arts relate to secondary school programme attendance, among a sample size of 577 students (277 boys). Path analysis showed that only language arts grades predicted enrolment in private or selective public programmes and contributed to boys' underrepresentation in these programmes. Such findings have important implications for understanding boys' underachievement and low persistence in school as well as to guide interventions to promote gender and overall educational equity in school.

Student Engagement in Elementary School: Profiles and Associated Characteristics

Theories of student engagement for dropout and school completion are proposed to begin as early as age five. Student engagement in elementary-age students has been linked to school completion, post-secondary education, and achievement. However, there is little research examining patterns and profiles of student engagement in this population. In an effort to provide more individualized support and intervention, work in the field of student engagement has begun to examine profiles of student engagement and disengagement or disaffection. This study explored the identification of distinguishable groups based on student engagement in a sample of third-grade students and those groups’ associations with demographic and outcome variables. Consistent with findings of research with older students, four distinct profiles of student engagement were found for males and females: Engaged, Cognitively/Affectively Disengaged, Behaviorally Disengaged, Disaffected. An additional class characterized by high absences was found for males. Demographic characteristics were associated with cluster attributes for males (Free or Reduced Lunch, special education, English Learner, and race-ethnicity) and female (El status). Cluster affiliation was significantly associated with seventh grade Math and Language Arts grades for both males and females and absences for males. Implications and future directions for research are discussed. The findings from the current study indicate there are discernible classes of student engagement and disengagement that can be identified as early as the third grade. These results may aid in the early identification of those at risk for dropping out of school and more effectively link students to targeted early interventions.

Students’ Interpretations of a Persuasive Multimodal Video About Vaccines

The present study investigated students’ ( N = 404) interpretations of the main message and use of modes in a persuasive multimodal video on vaccines. It also examined whether students’ topic knowledge, language arts grades, and self-identified gender were associated with their interpretations. Students analyzed a YouTube video in which two entertainers demonstrated the importance of vaccinating children. Students’ interpretations of the usefulness of vaccines varied in terms of quality of reasoning, which was associated with students’ topic knowledge. Notably, many students’ interpretations of the use of modes were incomplete, or they did not even mention certain modes in their response. The results suggest that students should be explicitly taught how to interpret different modes and their uses for argumentative purposes.

Understanding multiple reading attitude profiles of Chinese adolescents and how they relate to reading outcomes

BackgroundWhile many researchers studying reading motivation and attitudes have taken a variable‐centred approach, few have employed a person‐centred analysis to examine profiles of reading attitudes and how they relate to reading outcomes.MethodsAs a person‐centred approach, cluster analysis was used to examine the multiple reading attitude profiles of 499 seventh‐grade to ninth‐grade Chinese adolescents. The effects of each attitude profile on reading outcomes, which include strategy use and language arts grades, were tested using a multivariate analysis of covariance.ResultsCluster analysis identified four profiles: engaged digital readers (positive attitudes towards both academic and recreational reading in digital medium), avid readers (positive attitudes towards all dimensions), engaged print readers (positive attitudes towards both academic and recreational reading in print medium) and recreational digital‐only readers (relatively average attitudes towards recreational digital reading but substantially lower attitudes towards the other three dimensions). Avid readers outperformed all other profiles regarding strategy use but were equally successful with engaged print readers in terms of language arts. Recreational digital‐only readers scored the lowest in both reading outcomes.ConclusionsChinese adolescents have multiple reading attitude profiles distinct in nature and in their relation to reading outcomes.

Private sector inputs into public school preparation for careers in health care and STEM: An examination of cognitive skills development in the Johnson & Johnson Bridge-to-Employment program in the United States

We examine the impact of a STEM enhancement program (SEP) sponsored by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) entitled Bridge-to-Employment (BTE). Since 1992, J&J has funded and supervised 80 BTE programs in 19 countries aiming to increase the academic performance of disadvantaged students, enabling these individuals to successfully pursue higher education and careers in the health industry. We study the science, math and language arts grades of 236 BTE and 308 comparison students from ten BTE program sites in the U.S, and find that BTE participation slows the deterioration in math and language arts grades, but has no impact on science grades. We discuss the implications this research has for future evaluations of SEPs and for the formulation of future SEP initiatives.

Immersed in academic English: vocabulary and academic outcomes of a CLIL university preparation course

ABSTRACTThis article reports on an English for academic purposes course designed following the tenets of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) to address the needs of language minority (LM) high school graduates entering Canadian universities. The language used in and required of post-secondary study is challenging for many LM students, particularly those with marginal English language arts grades, contributing to a difficult transition into university. The goal of this course was to improve academic English language skills to mitigate this transition; academic language skills and strategies were embedded, and the content and materials mimicked mainstream university courses. To determine what, if any, vocabulary gains took place during the course, data from pre-/post-testing and writing samples of the ten consenting participants were analyzed using t-tests. These data consisted of lexical measurement tools including the Gates MacGinitie Test of Reading (Vocab) and the Productive Academic Word Test, along with writing analysis using TAALEs and Lextutor software to evaluate lexical sophistication. Each measurement indicated vocabulary gains occurred during the six-week CLIL course. Qualitative examples of student work are provided, and subsequent academic performance of participants is presented. This research concludes with recommendations for future research and CLIL implementation in higher education.

Social-Normative Expectations Mediates School Climate’s Association With Academic Achievement in Latino Middle School Students

Many Latino students miss opportunities to develop their full potential in U.S. schools. Increasing attention is being paid to the malleable, nonacademic, factors that can affect student learning. The current study sought to evaluate the impact of school climate on Language Arts grade for Latino students in a large, low-income, urban middle school. In addition, the novel construct of Social-Normative Expectations, student perceptions of school-wide norms about achievement expectations for their peers, was explored in relation to school climate and academic achievement. The study sample reflected 513 Latino students, Grades 7 and 8. A mediation model found that approximately 30% of the variance in final Language Arts grades was accounted for by the predictors, including control variables ( R2= .299). A distinctive mediation effect was also found, whereby the impact of school climate was associated with an approximately .6 points lower final grade mediated through the indirect pathway of Social-Normative Expectations ( b = −0.064, SE = 0.019, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [−0.104, −0.028]). Implications of these findings are discussed.

The Unique Effects of Fathers’ Warmth on Adolescents’ Positive Beliefs and Behaviors: Pathways to Resilience in Low-Income Families

The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathways through which fathers’ warmth influences adolescents’ grades. We investigated the positive beliefs of optimism and academic self-efficacy, and the motivational construct of determination, as possible mediators. Questionnaire data were collected from a sample of 183 sixth-graders (78 male, 105 female) from low-income families: 133 Mexican Americans, 36 African Americans, 11 European Americans, and 3 other ethnicity. Multigroup SEM path analysis was used to test two path models and investigate variations in these models by adolescents’ gender. Results revealed that, controlling for mothers’ warmth, fathers’ warmth predicts adolescents’ positive beliefs and that these relations vary by adolescents’ gender. For male adolescents, relations between fathers’ warmth and English language arts grades are mediated by academic self-efficacy and determination to persist on challenging schoolwork. For female adolescents, relations between fathers’ warmth and math grades are mediated by optimism and determination. These results demonstrate the unique contributions of fathers’ warmth to their sons’ and daughters’ emotional and academic development. Our study suggests that counselors and educators may positively influence adolescents’ well-being by encouraging fathers to communicate warmth and acceptance to their adolescents.

Does Participation in Enrichment Activities Affect Overall Performance of Elementary and Middle School Students?: An Evaluation of the Relationship Between TCNJ Bonner Center and Hedgepeth-Williams K-8 School

The purpose of this evaluation is to determine if Hedgepeth-Williams students' participation versus non-participation in enrichment activities (notably the Academic Sports Academy afterschool program, or ASA) affect the students' academic outcomes, and if the number of times a student participates in enrichment activities leads to a better outcomes. Based on records of participation in enrichment activities collected by the Bonner Center for Community Engagement (BCCE) and on grade reports, this study finds statistically significant higher science grades for students who participated in enrichment activities when compared to those who did not, and that more participation produced higher science grades in a linear fashion. There is some evidence to suggest that grades in language arts were also improved, but the data is much less conclusive. We were unable to find any significant differences for participants and non-participants in terms of overall grades, math grades, social studies grades, or technology grades; we also found no difference in reported absences and tardies. Nonetheless, significantly higher science grades denote an unequivocal and positive effect of participation in enrichment activities, which is particularly compelling given the low quality of data available (and thus the exclusion of many potential cases). Better record-keeping of participation in enrichment activities would greatly facilitate future evaluation efforts and is likely to demonstrate a stronger positive impact.

Do Academically-Engaged Adolescents Experience Social Sanctions from the Peer Group?

Existing theoretical perspectives suggest that adolescents who are characterized by high achievement may experience social sanctions from peers. The central premise is that, in many North American settings, adolescent peer groups are characterized by negative attitudes toward the school environment. To test these hypotheses, we examined associations between indicators of low social power (unpopularity and victimization by peers) and academic competence for 415 adolescents (193 boys; 222 girls) attending an urban high school. This school served neighborhoods that were characterized by a moderate degree of economic distress and the students were predominately of Hispanic American descent. A short-term longitudinal design was used, with two waves of data collected over consecutive school years. The adolescents completed a peer nomination inventory assessing relational and overt victimization by peers, unpopularity, and social rejection. In addition, we obtained math and language arts grades from school records, and we assessed behavioral engagement in school with a self-report inventory. Structural equation models did not reveal a strong pattern of longitudinal change in social standing with peers or academic functioning. However, we found positive correlations between academic achievement and problematic peer relationships in both years of the project. We also found evidence that gender moderates these associations, with the effects reaching significance only for boys. Our results provide evidence that, in some settings, high achieving adolescents can be prone to negative treatment or marginalization by peers.

Coping Power Dissemination Study: Intervention and Special Education Effects on Academic Outcomes

This study examines whether a school-based preventive intervention for children with aggressive behavior affects children's academic outcomes when it is implemented by school counselors in a dissemination field trial. The Coping Power program targets empirical risk factors for aggressive behavior and focuses primarily on teaching social and emotional skills rather than directly intervening around academic performance. This study examined the long-term effects (2 years postintervention) of Coping Power on language arts and mathematics grades in 531 children from 57 schools. Prior analyses found that students of counselors who received intensive training in how to implement Coping Power (CP-IT) had broad improvements in teacher-rated social and academic skills and in teacher-, parent-, and self-reported externalizing behavior problems in comparison to children in a control group and to children whose counselor received more basic training in Coping Power (Lochman et al., 2009). In the present study, students with CP-IT counselors had smaller declines in language arts grades through a 2-year follow-up than children in the control group. Significant effects of CP-IT on mathematics grades were not observed. Special education status did not moderate intervention effects, indicating that special education students’ academic outcomes were affected in similar ways by the intervention in comparison with students not in special education. Intervention effects were not evident for children who had basic-trained counselors. These findings have implications for educational policy and underscore the potential for school-based social-emotional interventions such as Coping Power to have a long-term impact on children's academic outcomes.

Evaluation of a Learning Strategies Scale for Middle School Students

Learning strategies have been increasingly recognized as a useful tool to promote effective learning. In response to the lack of available learning strategies measures for middle school students, this study evaluated an instrument assessing cognitive, behavioral, and metacognitive strategy use among middle school students. The instrument, called the Middle School Learning Strategies (MSLS) scale, was examined in terms of factorial structure, reliability, and correlation with course grades. Results confirmed the factor structure based on cognitive, behavioral, and metacognitive strategy use. Scores on the MSLS scale and the three subscales showed satisfactory reliability coefficient (i.e., >.70). Student self-reported grades in language arts, social studies, math, and science were reasonably correlated with the three subscales. Females reported using more behavioral strategies than males. No significant difference was identified in strategy use across grades. Potential uses for the MSLS instrument in middle school educational settings are discussed.

Parent and Teacher Relationships as Predictors of School Engagement and Functioning Among Low-Income Urban Youth

This investigation examined associations between early adolescents' relationships with parents and teachers and indicators of school-adjustment. Participants were primarily students of color (91% Latino) in a low-income urban environment, and analyses were conducted to examine the relative contributions of parent-child and teacher-student relationships to school adjustment among these youth. Findings indicated that parent-child relationship quality accounted for a significant portion of the variance in student-rated school engagement, school competence, and standardized achievement in reading. Teacher-student relationship quality accounted for a significant amount of variance in student-reported engagement, grades in language arts, grades in mathematics, and mathematical achievement. Unclear expectations in relationships with parents, and closeness-trust with teachers made particularly strong contributions to school adjustment. Interaction analyses between parent and teacher relationship factors were significant for only one of the six school adjustment variables (i.e., student-rated school competence). The implications of these findings for teachers and other school personnel are discussed.

Bumps in the Road: Reading in Middle School: Bumps in the Literacy Crossroads

Certainly a major bump in the literacy road today is the apparent conflict between school literacies and the preferred literacy activities of students outside of school. After family conversation about a nephew who was getting poor grades in language arts, Hall shares her thinking on the dilemmas of what constitutes literacy, how literacies kids honor can be meaningfully incorporated into the classroom, and how we can help students straddle the divide between their preferences and the literacies needed for success in school.

AN INITIAL FIELD TRIAL OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING LEARNING STRATEGIES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACTLearning strategies have been increasingly recognized as a useful tool to promote effective learning. In response to the lack of available learning strategies measures for middle school students, this study designed an instrument for these students, assessing behavioral, cognitive, and metacognitive strategies. This instrument, the Middle School Learning Strategies (MSLS) scale, is examined in terms of factorial structure, reliability, and correlates. Three factors emerge from the analyses: effective strategies, help seeking, and bad habits. The subscales displayed a reasonable reliability, ranging from .70 to .87. Student grades in language arts, social studies, math, and science were collected as criterion variables. As expected, grades in these four subjects correlated positively with both effective strategies and help seeking, yet negatively with bad habits. As a pilot measure, this instrument has demonstrated promising features as a useful tool for students to evaluate and enhance their learning strategies.

Gender Differences in Writing Motivation and Achievement of Middle School Students: A Function of Gender Orientation?

The aim of this study was to determine whether gender differences in the writing motivation and achievement of middle school students (N = 497) are a function of gender-stereotypic beliefs rather than of gender. Girls reported stronger writing self-efficacy, writing self-concept, self-efficacy for self-regulation, value of writing, and task goals, and they received higher grades in language arts. Boys reported stronger performance-approach goals. All gender differences favoring girls in writing motivation and achievement were rendered nonsignificant when feminine orientation beliefs were controlled. Findings suggest that a feminine orientation is adaptive in the area of writing, whereas a masculine orientation is beneficial when escorted by a feminine orientation. Results are interpreted from the perspective of A. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory.

A Multivariate Perspective on Sex Differences in Achievement and Later Performance Among Adolescents

Previous research indicates that some sex differences in cognitive abilities have already been established prior to high school. Yet, relatively few studies of differential prediction have focused on adolescents; our understanding of sex differences in the prediction of academic performance has been shaped mainly by research on young adults. In this study, we investigated differential prediction of course grades in language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science from achievement test scores among eighth and ninth graders. Predictions of grades for girls and boys were compared in a multivariate analysis of variance, which revealed a difference in intercepts. Weights on the discriminant function for the intercept effect indicated that the most predict- able criterion related to sex differences in this study was the gap between performance in language arts courses on one hand and math and science courses on the other. Descriptive univariate follow-up analyses revealed a picture of prediction differen...

The Effects of Pubertal Development on Achievement during Adolescence

The present study investigated the role of pubertal timing and pubertal status on school achievement and achievement orientation among a sample of adolescents followed during sixth, seventh, and eighth grades (early adolescence). Also investigated were the longer-term effects of timing of puberty on achievement-related measures for a subsample of individuals followed up in twelfth grade. Results indicated that during early adolescence late-maturing boys had the lowest school achievement, receiving the lowest grades in language arts, literature, and social studies. Late-maturing girls showed the highest achievement in these domains. Achievement orientation, that is, beliefs about one's ability to achieve, did not explain these results. Very few long-term effects of puberty on the achievement measures were found. The educational implications of these results are discussed.

The Relation of Grammatical Errors in Protocols of the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank: High School Form and Grades in Language Arts of Junior High School Students

186 seventh and eighth grade students were administered the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank: High School Form with instructions amended so that the students would be aware of the importance of supplying grammatically correct responses. Rotter protocols were scored for errors in grammar and were submitted to a school psychologist, who through clinical inspection only estimated semester language arts grades for the students. Most types of grammatical errors correlated significantly with semester grades earned in language arts class, but clinical inspection of the Rotter protocols yielded the highest correlation (.54) with the criterion. Girls earned significantly higher language arts grades than boys.

Behavioral effects of using conduct problem adolescents as cross-age tutors

Behavioral effects of using conduct problem adolescents as cross-age tutors for elementary school-aged mentally retarded students were evaluated. Eighteen high school students. administratively classified as emotionally disturbed; were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) Provision of cross-age tutoring, (b) Reception of peer tutoring, and (c) Reception of group counseling. Data assessing academic performance, absenteeism, and rates of disciplinary referrals were gathered on all subjects prior to, during, and after the interventions. When compared to students who received peer tutoring or group counseling, cross-age tutors improved significantly on social science and language arts grades, and had significantly reduced rates of absenteeism and disciplinary referrals. Furthermore, these changes were maintained during the follow-up period.